VCB 05: When I say sportz, you say nutz!

Today's blog is going to be about sportz (nutz!). Don't worry if you are not a sportz (nutz!) fan - I will try to keep it interesting for you. If you have watched the video above, which I myself watched in preparation for my blog (I may or may not own the entire Lonely Island album) then you will understand my seriousness levels today. In fact while I like football - or soccer if you are from the USA - I am not a sport mad person. More on that later, let me take it back to the beginning.

When I was 4 my dad took me to my first ever football match. It was an FA Cup match, Ipswich v Hartlepool, in 1991 and I insisted on taking a mini England flag. It was so long ago that we were in a standing section, which of course is now illegal to have in the top leagues. My dad informs me the score was 4-1 to Ipswich, who are my team, and I guess I must have liked it because I have been a supporter ever since. I started attending games regularly until I was about 13 or so when my parents bought me a season ticket. I have had one ever since up until the upcoming season.



Now here I want to make an important distinction: I attend football matches as an Ipswich Town supporter rather than a football fan. I class a football fan as someone who can recite statistics from the last 30 years about any number of given teams, or someone who knows every detail about all the top leagues throughout the whole year. I am not ashamed to admit that my poor brain doesn't have that kind of memory capacity, no matter how hard I try. I am content following my team, supporting them by attending matches, openly rooting for them and enjoying the game itself.

I have two highlights from my history as a football supporter. One was seeing an England vs Croatia friendly at Portman Road, Ipswich's home football ground (we won 3-1). Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I saw Ipswich win the Division 1 Play-off Final against Barnsley in 2000. This match was at Wembley Stadium which was an incredible venue. The best part was driving over a bridge in our coach that went over Wembley Way and seeing a sea of blue and red (I am astounded to have found the picture online of this very sight - see below). It was one of those scenes that you felt in your heart and stomach.



As I mentioned I am not actually a big sports fan. I watch the Olympics out of interest but apart from football I only really watch Wimbledon. Not tennis in general mind you; just Wimbledon. I think I feel it is my British duty to watch all of the tennis players in their formal whites while the spectators enjoy their strawberries and cream. I wasn't always a Wimbledon watcher though - I used to hate it! I don't know about other people but I find once you grasp the rules of a game you then begin to like it.

I hope I haven't alienated my non-sports-fan readers! Considering it is the Fifa World Cup I hope you have allowed me just one blog to have a little footy talk. Speaking of the World Cup, I think our goalkeeper Green's despair in the picture below is shared by most England fans. Even the US goalie Howard said "I wanted to be happy about our goal but I had to feel bad for Green". Nevermind - bring on Friday's game!



QUESTION OF THE DAY: IF THERE WAS A TV IN YOUR ROOM PLAYING CONTINUOUS SPORTS, WHAT SPORT WOULD IT BE?
My answer: It would be football or failing that it would be tennis.

So originally this question was 'If there was a TV in your room 101' so the answer I originally put was to that question:
Probably cricket or volleyball. I find neither inspiring. But then again with nothing else to watch at all maybe I would end up loving them! I had to come and change this when I realised! I don't want people thinking I like cricket!