Tuesday 19 July 2011

Who Runs The World? Girls Do!

I must confess that I have a hardened dislike of football. I remember as a small child, Sundays spent at the grandparents. Dearly beloved Grandpa super glued to the TV from dusk til dawn. He used to ask my Grandma if there was anything she wanted to discuss before football season started. The morning gently kicked off with various sports commentators and analysts discussing who would be the day`s champions. Afternoon and the front living room would be filled with animated souls, eyes only to be torn from the game playing out on the TV to ensure that a dram of nourishing liquid refreshment hit parched lips. The evening only brought yet more torment to my tiny, maturing soul as replay after replay was shown and detailed breakdowns of each player`s abilities were discussed to the death. Even the wallpaper started trying to peel itself off at one point, to try and escape the droning monotony that is known in my life as `football`.   In fact, looking in the window from the garden, seeing a group of men, jumping up and down and suddenly bursting into some weird song, fists punching the air to some silent rhythm, I often thought, "What a bunch of idiots men are!"

And there was no escape well into my teens. I worked part-time in a bar and was subjected to the whole `footy carousal` of a Sunday. Every gorgeous guy I met was a football fanatic. It was one morning, freezing my whatnot's off on the side of a football field, nursing a slight hangover at 9am on a Sunday, watching a group of grown men emotionally hugging each other that I thought- no more. I was a square peg trying to squash myself into round hole. One made of leather. Yeah, my boyfriend was drop dead gorgeous and a great kisser but was there a future with the whole `footy fing`?  Could I really do that to all those little ova, waiting excitedly inside of me. I ditched `drop dead gorgeous` at the bar later during the tenth encore of `You`ll Never Walk Alone`. From that moment on, the first question I always asked a guy upon meeting was "Do you like football?"

I appreciate each to his own and that`s where I`ll stay. Thank you very much. I am a sporty person. I love sports. Just not football.......until this week that is.

Now, I am not saying I am a born again footballer. Nothing like  that at all. To be a `born again` you need to have at least visited that place before. I never even wiped my feet on the doormat. Well, I surprised myself last week because I actually felt happiness that Japan`s Women`s football team came out the winners. Normally it wouldn`t have even warranted a blip on my radar but it did. I even braved ten minutes of footage, with both eyes open and no alcoholic beverages as an inducement........... which must surely be a record in my lifetime. ( I can hear gasps of disbelief from the UK way.)

The Japanese nation have been through so much this year. Especially people on the north-east side. Yes, it is only a game. It was so nice to see something bring a little bit of a smile back over here. A lot of my Japanese friends express their `shame` over the ongoing problems with the Fukushima nuclear plant. One, which as a westerner, I am not sure is their`s to carry. To see something to celebrate on the national news here in Japan, is long overdue. And of course, seeing the sisterhood in full bloom is a plus. Let`s hope this is a sign somehow of better things to come........

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