Come on Yanks, up your game and bugger the Poms

There is an excellent article today in Sir Eski Kanka's favourite newspaper The Guardian concerning why British people look down on U.S. football.

Steven Wells, whose articles are always brilliant and from whom I've quoted a few times, argues that it is in some ways because it is the last way that Brits can feel superior over the Yanks.

We - a substantial chunk of us, anyway - are desperately scared that association football will succeed in America. That the USA will become a footballing power. That the yanks will develop a version of the beautiful game as irresistible as jazz, rock'n'roll or the amazing American language (and unless you've checked the English/American phrase books handed out to GIs in 1942, you probably have no idea how much American you speak, limey).

Why are we scared? Because as a nation we have a desperate need to feel superior to the vibrant barbarian culture that's replaced us as top global ass-kicker.

I strongly recommend you check out the full article here.

The thing that struck me is that I doubt very much that many Australians hold a similar point of view. I can always remember thinking I wished the yanks would play a sport which we played also, whether that be rugby or cricket or whatever.

That way we would get the opportunity to take 'em out. The way Wells puts it, it seems as if the British are scared of themselves being taken out.

I remember when I was about 12 years-old and we beat the Americans in the America's Cup. Hard to believe today but all of Australia went crazy over a series of yachting races. My younger brother and I got up at 5 a.m. to watch the end of the last race in the series and when our yacht got over the line we both cheered loud enough to wake up my Old Man. Not knowing what the hell was going on, he told us off, but when we got home from school he did something I don't think he had ever done to us before or since - he apologised.

My point is that the nation went crazy not because we love yacht races, but because we beat the Yanks. As the prime minister at the time told morning television on the day. "Any boss who sacks a worker for being late today is a bum."

So come on Yanks, start playing football, or soccer, or whatever you want to call it. The Brits might be scared but us Aussies want to take you on.