Soccer

Soccer, or Futbol, as it's more commonly known around the world, wasn't one of my favorite sports prior to my arrival in "The Motherland." I've become a huge fan since. The national team A.K.A. Seleccion Nacional, A.K.A. La Sele, is about the only thing that unites Hondurans. In the days leading up to a game you begin to see all the Honduran flags outside houses, inside against windows (to prevent theft), on vehicles, especially on cabs, even on carriages! People post up on corners selling shirts, hats, flags, all counterfeit of course. Everyone gets hyped for the games, it's contagious. A few choice songs are also blasted through speakers from stores, vehicles and yes, even carriages. Oh, and I can't forget about the minivans with huge mounted speakers used to advertise for businesses; they roll around blasting the team songs ALL DAY! Some of the preferred songs are: "Volveremos" and "La Potra" by Polache, and "Adelante Seleccion" I don't know who wrote or performs the last one. If we win, everyone is overwhelmed with happiness. If we lose, everyone says they expected defeat.

The video on the top is the crowd withstanding rain at the game. The bottom shows a mass of people jumping all at once. The horn is compliments of yours truly... I do that for days before a game as well, needless to say, everyone around me hates it. Both videos are from the Mexico - Honduras match in San Pedro Sula.

I don't know too much about the national league, but whatever unity La Sele created is dismantled by the national league. The "barras" (think of the student section at a college basketball of football game) are comparable to street gangs. These dudes turn violent at the sight of the opposing teams colors. You often hear reports of people being killed or brutally beaten by the opposing mob. It's ridiculous! The soccer in the national league is poorly played and puts me to sleep quick. Sponsoring the inbound passes in the national league is the best way to get your company's name permanently engraved into the minds of viewers because the ball is out of bounds for forty five of the ninety minutes played. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but all you hear is "Este saque de mano es traido a ustedes por Bac Bamer" or "Thomas entregua el saque de mano Aguazul" You'll probably hear a company name mentioned twice as much as the player of the match.

I wish people would pay the same attention to the politics in Honduras. Maybe that way we can actually have political debates between presidential candidates. It would only be a matter of time before corporations begin sponsoring that too! Just imagine: "This rebuttal is brought to you by Coca Cola. Coca Cola, the best response to thirst"

I guess I'm not really a soccer fan, just a fan of La Sele.