i understand where you are getting at, ric. let me put my two cents in. I've never been a huge fan of american football. I'm more of a fan of the comeraderie that's associated with it, such as going to a bar with a bunch of friends and watching the game, or inviting a few friends over at your house. I think that's the main reason why i love boxing so much. it's all about skill, luck, and desire. who has the most usually becomes the victor, plus it makes for great television with a bunch of friends.

football/soccer/futbol is second only to boxing as far as me being able to watch it by myself. my wife enjoys it, but not to the extremes that i do. I'm from Puerto Rico. baseball is HUGE there. that's where i get my love for that game. football is also huge there. It's the carribean. different world. i can sit down and watch multiple games in a row. it is definitely not boring for me. My favourite memory of football was for the 02 world cup. i had 2 other roommates. one japanese and another russian. we were in college and taking summer courses. we went to class, ate, slept, then woke up at midnight. gathered the chips and dip and beer and got as boisterous as all get out. after the game, we went to class again. every night. alex (the russian) actually was fired because of missing work because of the cup. it didn't matter. we were having a great time. no one understood it. it's like a special club.

as far as having the spirit for it, i don't believe only europe and south america are the only ones. i believe the whole world is ecompassed with the spirit of the cup. except north america. oh well. their loss.

The US will make it all the way this year. i feel it in my bones. It's high time. but when they do win, america will still not be interested in the cup. i have come to accept that.