Collateral damage of soccer tragedy

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I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge soccer fan. It's not that I don't enjoy the game, but I honestly don't understand most of the technical aspects of it. I seriously feel like off-sides is completely made up. If the official can't keep up with the action they just blow the whistle and call off-sides to give themselves a break.

That's what it feels like anyway.

The pace is cloyingly slow. I guess I shouldn't talk too much since I come from the country which gave you baseball. A game that many find to be tedious and snail paced. Perhaps if I had grown up with soccer or actually played it when I was younger it might make more sense to me.

I have nieces and nephews that play soccer. In fact, I am going to watch them play this coming weekend, but honestly at their age level it is more like watching feral cats be herded than any semblance of an organized sport.

My other niece plays on a travel team, but they aren't that good and that means scoring is even more non-existent than it usually is in the sport.

Unfortunately, the one thing that I used to kind of respect about the sport of soccer has been spoiled this past week and I am not sure I will be able to ever get past that.

I used to say, "I don't understand much about soccer, but any sport where the fans are so passionate they riot on a regular basis can't be that bad". Well, thanks a lot Indonesia, you basically ruined soccer for me for the rest of my life.

Trust me, there is probably a lot of blame to go around for the events that happened last week causing the loss of 100+ lives (many of the children).

Did the police over-react by shooting tear gas into the crowd, maybe, but that never would have happened if the people hadn't charged the field in the first place. Mad over what? The fact that their team lost one game?

I guess being a Detroit Lions fan I am desensitized to that kind of stuff. Losing is what we do, you get over it and live moves on, for most of us anyway. Unfortunately, not in this case. Those victims won't get the chance to move on.

Just like the hearings on the capital insurrection here in the US, I think they need to start identifying and filing charges against the people who stormed the field and started this ugly chain of events.

I was kind of looking forward to watching some of the World Cup action this holiday season, but honestly, now I don't think I will turn it on at all. There is a lot to be upset about here and the overall culture of soccer fans is at the heart of it.

Personally, I think we all need to grow up a bit and start acting like adults because trust me, this behavior isn't just isolated to soccer.

I can't tell you the number of news stories I have read lately about parents/fans/players attacking coaches and other officials over calls or performance. It is ridiculous. When did we collectively agree that it is okay to do that?

Did you know there is an official shortage across most sports right now? Long time officials who used to love their job are over it. They are sick of dealing with the childish behavior and rudeness. Plus here in the US you have to worry if that irate fan or parent is carrying a gun.

I don't blame them for hanging up their whistle, it's just not worth it...

Sorry, but if you can't tell, I am angry.

You should be too. Innocent lives were lost.

Children.

Is this how you want your sport to be represented?

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