As far as viewership goes, “American Idol” it’s not.


Jonathan Last notes in his column in last Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer that the game between the U.S. and the Czech Republic received a 2.4 Nielsen rating, while the Scripps National Spelling Bee, on ABC for the first time, scored a 5.9. And that was the highest rating ever for a soccer game on ESPN2.


O-U-C-H.


The U.S.-Czech Republic game also aired on Univision, and the 2.4 number doesn’t include that rating. Still, soccer has a long way to go to catch up to other sports in this country.


Here’s my brief list of what I like and don’t like about the World Cup; I’ll get the negatives out of the way first.


1.) Guys falling down every five seconds pretending to be injured. OK, sometimes they really are hurt, but it’s hard to tell who is and who isn’t because the theatrics are so overblown. It reminds me of how my cat, Isabel, used to roll around on the floor when she craved attention. I know the purpose is to draw a penalty, or even a yellow card, but it slows down the game and is extremely annoying.


Last cleverly calls this tactic the “flop ’n’ bawl,” and says it’s the single biggest reason more Americans don’t like soccer. He points out that we much prefer athletes who suck it up and play with pain, like when Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb heroically led his team to victory over the Arizona Cardinals several seasons ago while hobbling around on a broken ankle.


Soccer dudes faking injury have no place in that pantheon.


2.) There’s not enough excitement. Yes, I sound like a typical American who wants instant gratification and lacks patience to appreciate the intricacies of the sport. To that I plead guilty. You can watch an entire 45-minute half of soccer and not see anything close to a shot on net. Even a low-scoring hockey game is likely to have its share of riveting action and great saves.


Now, the positives.


1.) The one-word names. I don’t know if it began with Pele, but I think it’s cool that soccer is so huge in Brazil many of its players are known simply by a single name, even if it’s hard to tell Ronaldo from Ronaldinho from Robinho. (Hint: Ronaldinho, which my co-worker Melissa Julius told me means “little Ronaldo,” is the one with the long hair. He also is considered by many to be the best player in the world.)


My favorite name, though, is the very-unPortuguese-sounding Fred. A quality player in his own right, Fred scored the second goal in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Australia.


2.) If you watch long enough, you’re bound to see something amazing. In the second half of the Brazil-Australia match, the men from Down Under had their share of chances. At one point, an Aussie player leaped in the air and kicked the ball goal-ward while he was parallel to the ground, narrowly missing the net.


I’m sure there’s a name for that maneuver (has anyone ever published a book “Soccer for Dummies”?), but whatever it is, it’s incredible.


I happened to watch that game with my dad, and jokingly asked him if that’s how he played soccer at McCaskey and later in college. Not exactly. Mostly, he said, they just kicked the ball up and down the field and ran over people.


Donovan McNabb would be proud.


3) No commercials! Frankly, I’m surprised more Americans aren’t viewing the World Cup just to witness the rarity of a commercial-free sporting event. Sure, there’s always the chance you’ll miss a goal if you take a bathroom break or walk to the kitchen to grab a box of Cheez-Its, but it’s such a refreshing change not to be exposed to 50 car ads in two hours.


Actually, it’s more like a shock. Can you imagine a prime-time NFL game or the NBA playoffs sans commercials?


Unfortunately, neither can I.





Paula Wolf, a sports enthusiast who uses a wheelchair because of rheumatoid arthritis, is a staff writer for the Sunday News. E-mail her at pwolf@lnpnews.com. blog comments powered by Disqus