~Cultivating Life~

Friday, April 23, 2010

Spanish Spelling For Futbol~











Tensions run high. Voices raise. Feet stamp. Fists pound, while hand gestures abound.

To say that the people of Barcelona get “excited” about futbol (American soccer) is like saying that the 13-year-old, angst-ridden, love-bitten drama-queen just “kinda sorta” thinks that this Justin Bieber kid is “cute”….HECK NO! She hearts him! He is DREAMY and she is smitten *with added swoonage *. Therefore, my simile stands…

It is the match of Barcelona versus Inter Milan. My ex-patriot companion has graciously offered himself to be my tourguide extraordinaire during my time here in Barcelona. He asserts that any visit would not be complete without witnessing firsthand the gusto with which Barcelona spectates sports (specifically futbol). He is most assuredly correct.~

Even before the first whistle is blown—talk is big, jaws are clinched, chests are puffed, shoulders are squared, legs are tensed, feet are fidgeting, and the air is HOT. To my right is seated an English sports journalist who is covertly cheering for the “others.” Brave, brave man, that one. The commentary shared by the journalist, mostly through smirking side-glances and whispers, kept me in stitches of laughter throughout the entire match. He informed me straight away of what to expect throughout the night, and he was right on the money in every prediction. Were his amazing psychic powers? (Or simply the experience of a seasoned spectator of the spectators?) *I’ll wager on the latter*~

As promised:

-Yes, The Barcelona fans would be a lively, loud, passionate and devoted bunch, filled to overflowing with hutzpah and machismo.

-Yes, I would be swept up in the swell of energy…completely taken with the tenacity with which “true Spaniards” revere this game…the mood(s) of the mob ebbing and flowing according to the waves rocked by each whistle….the refs causing a ripple effect that would fan out in a stirring rage, or one rousing celebratory revelry.

Yes, the referees (as far as Barcelona is concerned) would be one of two people by the end of the evening: 1) The keenest, most wise and astute men in the world, or 2) the most asinine, blind bats (aka scourge of the earth).

In this case, Barcelona lost. *Cue rage ripples * Stupid refs! An array of angry “OI’s!” heard all around, echoes. Those idiot referees probably don’t even know how to spell futbol!...

…(that’s “eff’-you-t-b-o-l" here in Barcelona when you’re making calls like that, buddy)~

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* I already cannot wait for the next game against Madrid. I really hope Barcelona wins that one…now that I have seen what refs revealed as dung look like…it would be interesting to see refs dubbed deity next go round…

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

what's even better is you add the fact that for inter milan you have samuel eto'o who played for barcelona last year and was traded for ibrahimovic, so with that story line, you can't go wrong!

not only that, but when you pit barca vs. real madrid, you pit two of the best soccer players against each other - messi vs. ronaldo. this rivalry is just as intense as the red sox vs. yanks, duke vs. unc, dallas cowboys vs. philly eagles, and in the english premiere league, manchester united vs. chelsea....you are in for one testosterone driven night (or nights) when you watch this one...

if you need any advice about futbol, just let me know :)