Comments on: Using football to raise a world-wise child

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:54:20 +0000

You know, I read the post — because I loved the idea of your introducing sports to your daughter! And I realized you were not in America, but somehow I totally missed the fact that you were more on the soccer side of the fence and not American football. My apologies — but hey! Teach her about football too! There are probably significant difficulties involved in this plan…

By: AJ

AJ — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:58:06 +0000

Elizabeth, yep, she's been in a football league since she was 4-years-old. A few photos (at the bottom). We also have a local Futsal league we're eyeing because the game is played indoors, and we experience a lot of rain. From what I've seen of TV clips, football coverage is a little more engaging than the days of only showing a distant whole-field perspective. Now, talk about boring, baseball is boring, even when you're at the A's Coliseum with your grandfather, receive a free hat on Hat Day, and get to see Ricky Henderson get one stolen base closer to breaking the record for stolen bases... too much waiting between actions. Football has less downtime than a lot of American sports. Baseball's saving grace is the chocolate malts from the concession stand. Go A's!

By: Elizabeth Wickoren

Elizabeth Wickoren — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:48:04 +0000

:::Sigh::: That sounds so awesome in theory except for soccer is soooooo boring to watch! It’s like the feet version of basketball or hockey (two more sports that, while fun to play, are very tedious to watch). I totally don’t get what other people are getting out of these things, though I do of course admit that some people find them entertaining. Why not take her out and PLAY some soccer instead of just watching other people do it? Then you can expose her to a worldwide cultural phenomenon and fight childhood obesity all in one fell swoop!

By: Penguinmommy

Penguinmommy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:19:31 +0000

Be forewarned: I had no idea that my techie geek of a husband cared about any sport… but then, magically, the world cup happened and his Brazilian roots went CRAZY!

I have never had so much fun as waking up at O’Dark thirty because the game was happening on the other side of the world and we could NOT just watch it recorded later. Or, for that matter, seeing one of my in laws, an 82 year woman who uses a walker, jump onto the couch a la Tom Cruise screaming GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!

Yep, I felt cheated that I’d been missing out on the biggest sports event in the world because America wasn’t very good at it… Good luck!

By: AJ

AJ — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:26:35 +0000

Liz, I removed the link you embedded in your comment because it’s a guide to watching American football. What we call soccer in America is called football in the rest of the world because, hey, you actually handle the ball with your feet.

I try to avoid using the term “soccer” with my daughter, although she is obviously familiar with it. Because she is learning Spanish, she spells football as fútbol.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:20:15 +0000

I enjoyed your daughter’s question of “what if I want to root for the other team?” You go girl! Shows an independent mind. That will serve her well. A Sportscaster’s Guide to Watching Football could be the ticket to helping you help your daughter get the basics of football down. Not only does it give you answers to questions about the game, it also has a lot of hilarious stories and anecdotes about football and the players (and the “industry,” for lack of a better word). I’m not sure it will make your daughter a global citizen, but it will help her know about football!