Football

Well, with the Packers one game away from the end to their worst season in years, and the start of the post-Brett Favre Era, it's time to turn eyes towards the other football, namely the soccer World Cup, to be held next summer in Germany.

Eurosport is helping out the stateside fan with tons of good coverage, including a two-part alphabetic look at some key people and events in the illustrious history of the World Cup of the World Cup: A to M and N to Z. A sample:

U is for Uruguay, the first hosts and winners in 1930 with a 4-2 victory over Argentina. They also claimed the trophy in 1950, when the United States stunned England - the birthplace of football - 1-0. The disbelieving English press thought the news coming from Brazil was wrong and so printed England had won the game 10-1.

Really, does any truly international single sport have a more spectacular jewel in its competitive crown? You have to eliminate baseball (World Series? not quite) and American football (which is not even really played internationally) and probably basketball (is its world championship legitimate?) and hockey (too narrow a base of competitive nations). Cricket? Does anyone outside the old British commonwealth play? Perhaps the Tour de France qualifies, but even as a fan of that event, I think you have to give it to football on the strength of anticipation built by the quadrennial timing of the World Cup, the intricacies and multiple climaxes of the long build-up to the actual tournament, the inspiring and frightening mania of each national team's fans, and of course the excellent level of play. It should be a good summer!