World Cup thread

Alright, between Germany and Italy, France and Portugal, who will advance?

Since my team, England, are ignominiously out, as is Brazil, the team my wife supports ... I 've largely lost interest.

My money (if I was a betting man) would be on the host, Germany. But since they play football with military-like Teutonic efficiency they leave me cold.

Portugal and Italy are a sleazy bunch of wankers ... so that leaves France who, since the game with Spain, have at least taken on the anti-racist mantle.

So ... "Vive la belle France!"

For those of your who are already fed up with the World Cup, just a reminder: le Tour de France has started. This year a few famous names such as Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso are already out of contention due to a suspected drug scandal. And of because the great Lance Armstrong has retired. So it's really anyone's game. Competition will be fierce and the results will not be as predictable as before. Among the Americans, there are big George Hincapie and Floyd Landis. Among the British, we have David Miller and Peter Wiggin (Olympic and Commonwealth Games champions). And of course, my favourites, the Australians such as Stuart O'Grady, Michael Rogers, etc etc etc. Keep an eye on it. :wink:

VIVE...LA...FRANCE! VIVE...LA...FRANCE!

PS, especially on the Fourth of July. I wish more Americans would remember that France was America's first ally.

I remember reading somewhere that the American revolution was simply an outgrowth of two trends:
1) the Enlightenment
2) British-French conflicts from 1763-1815.

Anyhow, my money's on Germany vs. France in the finals, with echoes of 1940 on the field.

Good to see Zidane can still deliver a wicked head butt.

A shame about France. I was rooting for them as well. What I really wish is that they let that commentator who was pro-Italy and anti-Australia call the match. I need a new ring tone.

Did anyone else watch the match in China? Everybody in my bar was rooting for Italy. I guess the "France Culture Year" didn't win over Chinese fans.

Yeah... let's just say I lost 250 RMB on those bets. I'm feeling pretty "erbaiwu" about them too.

A world cup thread in the Duck Pond? I have no interest in baseball at all.

Was watching the WorldCup final with friends, and we had a French girl with the french flag painted on her cheek. A fun girl, very exicted, and cheering for the French team as they scored.

I got curious what it'd be like to feel what she seemed to feel. I don't think it has to do with thinking your country is superior, has better government, or better economy. You just want your country and flag to win a sports game.

Cheering for the home team. Or the national team on international television. I don't suppose I'll ever know what that feels like, since I have no idea what the heck "Chinese Taipei" is. And I just can't get myself that excited about the US team, probably because they're generally not underdogs (but not in this sport, and I'm not hard core enough a fan to have followed the US team), and even though I've been in the US but you never feel 100% American not being white, since the many whites I meet here seem to be the football and "i don't know what's going on outside my country" type. I tend to also get along better with white europeans, who actually like to talk about world issues.

I'm sure a good number of Chinese mainlanders get even more crazy than the French girl cheering for their home team, product of same spectator excitement AND the great firewall on the masses and associated xenophobia that probably makes it that much more enjoyable.

But you know what? Maybe I just don't get that excited about watching sports, so that if the red white and blue were flying in most of China today instead of the red and yellow, I still wouldn't understand how the the French girl feels.