It is difficult for an American to understand soccer.
! a- e6 u5 b% V1 `6 p I learned the hard way. When I was in Glasgow,6 w; D! s: a! P/ T7 Y/ H
going to the school, I had to choose which of the —1—, Y4 F8 B7 z. a/ y+ q9 R, P
city's two mighty teams I would back, Celtic in
8 z) E% \" k2 }) L5 k7 ? green, Rangers in blue. Because of a boy I had —2—5 o5 e; A u6 e' u
cheered for the Boston Celtics basketball team,
5 k, U4 Z) n5 E3 [" r4 ~* ~! ~1 r I decide in my lot with their namesakes. One—3—
1 E3 {: B; t/ F& ?8 j i) l3 U' R( k winter afternoon before Celtic had won a brutal—4—
( u6 ]+ \# n/ _0 P; ^/ e game at the Ranger's park, I was walking home,
- @1 {" T6 ~+ G, z/ C0 s wearing my green ribbon, while a Ranger fan—5—
0 C2 k( Q4 g. W3 C6 Q3 S leaped out of the shadows and punched me in
/ ^% B* G. r ^6 X; N mouth so hard I feel backward. Other Ranger fans—6—1 T& c& F0 N! X$ U- A
picked me up and apologized, "He doesn't mean. `8 i1 F: ?, U! {- W: w% L
nothing personal. He just hates Celtic." A fan's—7—3 ]* Q4 M1 N' u
loyalty lasts for life. In several football countries,
. R% Y3 n' @( L; M' B% \ it has noted, factory production goes up or down,—8—
1 {) k: U0 U9 B% b$ E+ L depending upon the home team's win and loss.—9—
6 S X, l* b+ { After England's 1966 victory in the Word Cup,
) l0 h5 V, g1 Z( n3 T# Z2 n immigration to Australia from England dropped7 W5 _( ?7 |6 a. n9 E5 v
for 18 percent. "That victory made Englishmen—10—
0 {& m6 `6 f1 V( ] feel that Britain still has a future." an Australian
4 @- {. d: Q0 w- i( L6 f4 i2 m9 | official explained. |