I'm still getting my head around how I feel about this World Cup. It's not hatred I think, more just distaste. The actual games haven't been too bad so far. However, it feels more like a "soccer" world cup than a "football" world cup. If that makes sense. Perhaps it's all the little tweaks and rule changes being implemented in this tournament (the worst of which is the hydration/advert break dividing the game into quarters). Ian Wright said that the US has no idea about the spirit of the game. I am in total agreement. I would go further. FIFA also has no idea about the spirit of the game - they are driven solely by corporate greed and corruption. Yet I still end up watching way too many games. And the more I watch the more I find to get on my nerves. From the really annoying shadow of a drone flying about above a game, to the clearly artificially enhanced crowd noises on the broadcasts, to the absolutely unwatchable studio segments, to the fake attendance figures (I bet if I show up at Seattle stadium tomorrow for the Belgium vs Egypt game, I could probably get a free ticket just so that there is one less empty seat), to the ridiculousness that Scottish fans had to stay up past 4 am to see their team win (with so many games, how they couldn't find a more accommodating time slot is outrageous). Did you know that Fox are doing a daily post-game talk show with James Corden. James Corden! I thought he was canceled - everybody found out that he was a total prick, and so nobody likes him. I can't imagine this show gets any viewers whatsoever. But the broadcaster is Fox, so this shouldn't really come as a surprise (hence why also one of the game analysts is MAGA-loving Alexi Lalas - an excruciatingly horrible presence in the studio even without the politics). As I write this, we still haven't had a 0-0 game. I am utterly convinced that England's first game will be the first 0-0 of the tournament and the most dour game of the tournament so far.
