To those who claim that soccer is boring, maybe it’s time for a wakeup call! Sure. It’s lowscoring with a stress on running and defense. Oh. And the goalkeeping is pretty darn good too. But if you sat down and watched some of the world’s best soccer players, you might just come away with a different opinion.

The ballhandling skills that stars Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry exhibit are out of this world. It takes a lot of practice and flexibility. I’ve come around on soccer lately because I realize just how challenging the game is.

Think about this. What other sport asks players to go for as long as they can unless they’re substituted for? This isn’t basketball where subs are more common to rest players. And it’s not hockey where there are line changes which mean that some of the game’s best play roughly a quarter out of 60 minutes of regulation. Baseball’s a different game where players are usually required to play nine innings unless you’re a pitcher or pinch hit for. And football, it all depends on whether you play offense or defense cause nobody’s out there for both unless you’re in high school.

The only other sport I can think of which is as difficult and asks individuals to put out max effort without any help whatsoever is tennis. Tennis has always been scoffed at but tell me who is going to hit the balls and do all that running if the participants don’t? Certainly not the linesmen or the spectators who pay a premium price to watch an underrated sport. One which I played and always enjoyed. It requires a lot of extensive training. Something which can also be said for soccer. I tip my cap to any player who goes all 90 minutes plus extra time. Now that’s true dedication.

As a curious observer who watched and enjoyed the U21 championship won by Italy 1-0 over Chile with the only goal scored by Oswaldo on just an amazing sliding redirect in the 70th minute before Italy withstood a couple of goalposts, I really have noticed just how competitive the game of soccer is. Every inch is fought for. Players must be extremely creative and make quick decisions with the ball. It’s all about reading and reacting.

So, I guess the moral of the story is I finally got curious enough to watch games closely on the Fox Soccer Channel. To follow the sport, it requires more patience. Now, when one considers how long fans will sit at baseball games, that is proof of a double standard in our country. What’s the reasoning? Runs are scored a lot easier than goals. Maybe that’s why soccer and hockey get such a raw deal here. Fans in the USA aren’t very patient and like scoring.

So, will one cool video of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Henry change the perception of most? Probably not. But it will bring attention to just how much work is required for an action packed game. One which I wish to play. Yeah. Really. Imagine that. Since I just got back into the gym, that remains a long shot. I’m going to do everything I can though to get in shape. That much you can count on.