SOCCER SOCCER EVERYWHERE : NEVER BEFORE HAVE I LIVED THROUGH SUCH CRAZY SOCCER EVENTS

"Hungary has a significant history in international football, having won three OLYMPIC gold medals, finished as runners-up in the 1938 and 1954 WORLD CUP and finished in third place in the 1964 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP." - Wikipedia

Never before have I lived through such SOCCER FEVER.  Growing up I was entirely ignorant of soccer. Later it seemed to be a sport only played on the grounds of elite private schools. And I never paid attention to it, though in general I'm not much into watching sports, to know that it has become INTERNATIONAL.

This summer, however, I could not ignore soccer.  It seemed everyone else was obsessed with watching the FIFA/ World Cup wherever I went. Streets were blocked off - usually streets that had bars and restaurants with televised programs. Even libraries had the opportunity for fans to watch the games and scream and yell. Local stores were jammed up with team support products - keychains, little soccer balls, whatnot. 

So I watched a few games and was relieved to realize I could follow it and understand it better than I ever have "American Football." I came away with the idea that soccer is more popular than the Olympics, that these events include teams that come from countries that seem to barely participate in the Olympics.

After a month of almost daily exposure to soccer, I must say that I am also relieved that it's over.
There is so much more to do in summer than watch televised programing.

HUNGARIAN AMERICANS and SOCCER in EUROPE - SHARING THE CELEBRATION VIA CELL PHONE VIDEO

My young, Hungarian neighbor recently showed me on his cell phone a clip that was shared between a group of Hungarians in America (soon to become citizens) and people in Hungary as the Hungarian soccer team won.  How amazing this is, to be able to do it, and how different today's immigrants have it from those who came in the 1800's and early 1900's.  To be able to see each other's faces, to be part of a celebration so very long distance, by cell phone, and to keep that memory in the cell phone (for as long as the phone lasts, or for as long as it takes to move that clip to some other storage system), it's a visit, it's almost as if they are not half a world a way at all.


And I must say,  be they here in California, or there in Hungary,  the people looked alike, dressed in their soccer sportsmanship and fan finery.

SKIING is the NUMBER ONE SPORT OF HUNGARIANS - AND THEY TRAVEL TO SKI

According to one site I read, skiing and snowboarding are extremely popular sports for  Hungarians to indulge in... But, since the country itself doesn't have many tall mountains or much snow fall, about a half million Hungarian skiers go outside their own country to ski!