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| Photo: Annie Leibovitz for Nike |
Having kids changed everything for me.
I grew up in the Midwest and played football, basketball, track, and baseball. Couldn't have played soccer if I wanted to because there were no teams, and I never even heard of lacrosse until I went to college in another state a little to the north and east. For me and my family and friends, football was the most fun to play and the most fun to watch.
I grew up in the Midwest and played football, basketball, track, and baseball. Couldn't have played soccer if I wanted to because there were no teams, and I never even heard of lacrosse until I went to college in another state a little to the north and east. For me and my family and friends, football was the most fun to play and the most fun to watch.
I selected Notre Dame because of the Architecture program, but watching Joe Montana and the Irish come from behind to beat the Houston Cougars in the 1979 Cotton Bowl sealed the deal. I still love to watch Irish Football.
When we played soccer for physical training in my old Army unit, none of us had any real skill. So we bastardized the game to make it more "interesting." For example, we played with two balls, no dedicated goalies, no goal boxes, no off-sides or penalties of any kind, and no refs or side judges to slow down the game. So, basically, we played rugby with two balls until someone got knocked out.
But my kids are growing up in a different time and place: thirty years later and on the east coast. They tolerate my fanatic interest in Notre Dame football, but unlike me, they do not dream of throwing the game-winning touchdown pass. And so football is not something we actually share.
Both of my girls tried soccer and at least two other sports. For them, especially for my youngest, soccer is as important as football was for me. I go to the games and I work at understanding what's going on because that's my kid out there. My youngest plays goalie on a travel team and the level of play is steadily improving as the skills and awareness develop. I really enjoy watching her play.
When we played soccer for physical training in my old Army unit, none of us had any real skill. So we bastardized the game to make it more "interesting." For example, we played with two balls, no dedicated goalies, no goal boxes, no off-sides or penalties of any kind, and no refs or side judges to slow down the game. So, basically, we played rugby with two balls until someone got knocked out.
But my kids are growing up in a different time and place: thirty years later and on the east coast. They tolerate my fanatic interest in Notre Dame football, but unlike me, they do not dream of throwing the game-winning touchdown pass. And so football is not something we actually share.
Both of my girls tried soccer and at least two other sports. For them, especially for my youngest, soccer is as important as football was for me. I go to the games and I work at understanding what's going on because that's my kid out there. My youngest plays goalie on a travel team and the level of play is steadily improving as the skills and awareness develop. I really enjoy watching her play.
Hope Solo is my second favorite goalie.
Soccer is a great sport to watch, if you have a reason to care.
Soccer is a great sport to watch, if you have a reason to care.
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