The truth is, I don't care much about games played with a ball. My favorite sports usually involve that other round thing, the wheel. But when my grandkids are playing, I attend and sometimes enjoy. That happened tonight when Matt, who is almost 15, played in a soccor game (match?)on an indoor court. A few weeks ago, I had never heard of an indoor soccor court, much less seen one. But there I was, seated behind plexiglass and net, watching some kids kick the living daylights out of a ball. And sometimes each other. The game had just started when we got there and Matt's team was already down by one goal. I suspected a long night. After ten minutes or so, with his team controlling the ball most of the time, they were down 3-2. Then things started happening and by the end of the game they had won 8-3. We were all rather happy. It's a lively sport and it's fun to watch the other spectators applying body english to the ball. Like most sports, it's ok to be agressive up to a certain point. Then they slap various penalties on you. I don't understand the system for penalties, or a moving off-sides line, or the meaning of little cards that the ref holds up from time to time, but I like the non-stop action that seems to put it far ahead of football, baseball, and to some extent, basketball. I guess I'm glad we didn't have this sport when I was a kid. I bruise easily.
Howard