For those of you who like to see new things show up here on the Lahikmajoe blog, you have the dreadfully boring state of the Spain v Ireland football match to thank for this blogpost. Who-eee this one’s a snore fest (to be fair, there’ve been moments when Ireland didn’t look that terrible, but they were few).
For the next several weeks, I’ll be desperately trying to write about things other than football. But it has to be said that most of the time this month that I’m writing about idling or politics or eating cheese, I’ve been sitting for hours on end staring at the screen.
Screaming at the teams I like and hollering at the teams I don’t. Oh, and scowling at the referees. Scowling and saying very little to those blind and morally reprehensible referees. So there’s that. You’ll likely be impressed at the quality thunking going on here when you consider the time I’ve wasted staring at the television screen.
There was an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung last weekend that asked an interesting question I thought I might research and ponder and really write a fantastic blogpost about. But then the football started, and that just sounded like a lot of work.
Essentially, the question was: Wouldn’t it be great if the teams that did so well in football at the European Championship were able to actually able to contribute to solving the European debt crisis?
That’s not such a bad question is it. I’ll cut to the chase, and say that the big thing that’s missing in the realm of European economics is creativity. That everyone’s dug in and is holding their position firmly, but these countries that play football in such a beautiful and inventive manner could use a bit of the same ingenuity in coming up with new ideas.
New manufacturing. New technologies. Most importantly – new ways of seeing things.
I wish I could tell you I’m tying this up to go back to watching some beautiful football. Sadly, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
I don’t know if I am grateful or a little sad I don’t have a sport or team to follow. You make it sound both unspeakably painful and yet noble. Footballers solving economic crises and trumping stiff necked politicians? Why not?
There is a LOT of soccer happening for you right now. I looked it up when I realized the whole world was all SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER and it’s like a month long. WHOA NELLY that’s a lot of sports.
I’m down with soccer players solving the world’s crises. Can they come solve some over here when they’re done? We’ve got lots.
Just to be clear, I wasn’t suggesting footballers were going to solve the debt crisis. Nothing like that. If you knew footballers, you’d understand how ridiculous the very idea is.
No, the article posited that the countries whose football play is so creative could use some of that same creativity in dealing with economic policy.
There’s a story about my dad & me that has to do with football that I’ll write about soon. It probably belongs in this post, but I should write more about my dad, and this’ll give me a good excuse.
Yes, please. It’s going to make me cry, right? Probably. Good.
Yes, the Italian Debt crisis can be solved by lying on the ground and claiming someone kicked you.
“Shadows and light.” What a perfect title. (And the image is beautiful. It makes me envy my son, who departs for Switzerland in a few weeks.)
My knowledge of European politics is embarrassingly limited. I can say, certainly, that there is NOTHING creative about American politicians’ approach to problem-solving. Our education system is gradually making that worse, I’m afraid.
I chuckled at your response to Amy, above, about footballers as politicians. But, there is something to be said for the effect sports training has on a person’s ability to think quickly and clearly in a fluid, rapidly changing situation.
I will now ponder this as I finish my coffee…