It is difficult for an American to understand soccer.3 m$ [. U$ }4 O E. m
I learned the hard way. When I was in Glasgow,
! I- `/ ]! C% H1 q going to the school, I had to choose which of the —1—4 Q4 P* J" E q/ e) I
city's two mighty teams I would back, Celtic in
* ?* {+ t8 t& [5 ~( @ green, Rangers in blue. Because of a boy I had —2—; Q8 m2 Y5 s" J1 E3 x! z
cheered for the Boston Celtics basketball team,
: O( |8 v4 y" u1 w/ Z5 H I decide in my lot with their namesakes. One—3—: O0 ^! z1 @+ Q s: M6 i X
winter afternoon before Celtic had won a brutal—4—6 ^; r, _! z4 h6 d( X9 @3 K1 \
game at the Ranger's park, I was walking home,
& Z* y8 p% }7 L; u wearing my green ribbon, while a Ranger fan—5—- G3 x" q; a# E7 @; P' I
leaped out of the shadows and punched me in
' y9 o9 \) ]+ U- L# S) P mouth so hard I feel backward. Other Ranger fans—6—* _! `1 M* M& }" J
picked me up and apologized, "He doesn't mean
! O2 T H: [7 P h, I, I& r nothing personal. He just hates Celtic." A fan's—7—
/ Q/ X* {) e) c) ^/ S loyalty lasts for life. In several football countries,
& j4 j" A0 L. z: z8 b, z- C it has noted, factory production goes up or down,—8—# n+ y4 j. U6 ^* ^( t `
depending upon the home team's win and loss.—9—7 A f( \. R- t) X4 [
After England's 1966 victory in the Word Cup,; f6 K: L* ]) \+ e
immigration to Australia from England dropped5 A5 Y0 v3 P# y' W: [# R4 B
for 18 percent. "That victory made Englishmen—10—
( l1 Q/ O$ }7 W% Z feel that Britain still has a future." an Australian+ U! W( T4 i! z- ~( ~6 x' K$ O
official explained. |