Take your helmets, beer bellies, kegs, steaks, burgers, and RV’s and throw them out the window because they have nothing on soccer fans around the world. Add your tequila, flags, bongo drums, international food selection, dancing, brawling and gorgeous women from around the world, and enjoy it while it lasts, because it isn’t coming back for another 4 years. The biggest tailgates in the United States will go from Thursday to Saturday at game time, and this only happens in the South. In South Africa this summer, fans from 32 different countries around the world will be tailgating and partying for 4 straight weeks. The atmosphere for each game is unlike any American Football fan can imagine. The hopes and dreams of the players, coaches, and even their fans rely on the outcome of these games.

We here in the United States may not be facing this same feeling, but we weren’t during the Olympics either. The World Cup is another opportunity to rally around our country. This US Men’s national team, like the US Men’s hockey team, is an underdog with a shot; An unlikely contender with the potential to turn some heads. This past summer, in the Confederation’s Cup, another major international soccer tournament, The US team beat historical powerhouse and the #1 team in the World, Spain, in the semi-finals, and lost to Brazil, the #2 team in the world, 3-2 in the finals, after taking an early 2-0 lead.

Every game of the World Cup will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC in HD. This alone should tell you the significance of the event.

For those of you who complain about the pace and the score of a soccer game, take a second and reflect on a typical NFL game. Generally, an NFL game will last 3 or more hours. The actual time of the game is 60 minutes. Because of the play clock, it is a fair assumption that there is only about 20 minutes worth of real action taking place in 3-plus hours. This is what I would call a slow pace. And don’t forget that nearly every touchdown scored is worth 7 points. That means that a soccer game of 3-2 is equivalent to a 21-14 game in the NFL. And if you would like to add field goals , we could include “near misses” in soccer as half a goal because, well, they got close to accomplishing their “goal.”

I understand that most of you American football fanatics have never played soccer, and find it hard to enjoy. But as an athlete, or someone that has always wanted to be an athlete, nothing will intrigue you more than the passion and the guts that each and every one of these players will display in South Africa this summer. My favorite example comes from the 2008 Euro Cup when a Turkish player was asked to leave the game because of a bloodied gash in his head. He declined and instead decided to have his head stapled right there on the field.

If these reasons are not enough for you stubborn Americans, look at it as a rare opportunity to go to the bar, yell at the television, and have a few beers at noon on a Monday. You might end up having yourself a hell of a good time.