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Sunday 1 January 2012
By Baron von Rupp on Sunday 1 January 2012, 16:01
After years
of forced subjugation to the soccer-mad European sports world, I thought the
arrival of ESPN America was my ticket out. Sure, the hours
were going to be a little tricky, but certainly it would be worth it to trade
in whiny, injury-faking prima-donnas and their stupid haircuts for the hardcore
football I grew up with?
Two years later, I'm not so sure...
Sunday 20 November 2011
By Baron von Rupp on Sunday 20 November 2011, 11:07
On a dewey Sunday morning I watched the
Olympique Lyonnais U19 squad defeat Nice 3-0
on a practice field at OL's training facility near Stade
Gerland here in Lyon. Who cares, right? Admittedly, not a whole lot of
people...but for someone who follows European soccer, watching the kids
explains a lot about the present and future of the game.
Sunday 20 February 2011
By Baron von Rupp on Sunday 20 February 2011, 19:14
After maintaining a well-earned (for us, at
least) silence following his dismissal as coach of the French national football
team last June, M. Domenech descended from his lofty, unemployment-financed
cloud of self-delusion last week, granting audience to a reporter from the
French weekly L'Express. Read on for the
highlights of the latest edition of Raymond in Wonderland.
Saturday 1 January 2011
By Baron von Rupp on Saturday 1 January 2011, 16:15
What do these two organizations have in common? Not
much...except a marked lack of enthusiasm for the production of clear-cut
champions. The difference is that French sports consumers, unlike their
angry-yet-powerless American counterparts, don't seem to care.
Friday 16 July 2010
By Baron von Rupp on Friday 16 July 2010, 16:06
OK, so the
World Cup hasn't (mercifully) had much to do with France for
several weeks now, but what the hell: although I may be accused of simply
giving myself one last chance to lay a big fat "I told you so" regarding
my prediction of the French team's chances, it's worth mentioning a few
things to be remembered (for better or for worse) from the 2010 installment of
the world's most popular sporting event.
Friday 25 June 2010
By Baron von Rupp on Friday 25 June 2010, 00:21
No, I'm not here just to gloat about the uncanny accuracy of my pre-World Cup post. Rather, I thought my readers might enjoy a quick tour of an issue of le Parisen, a popular daily French newspaper, that was published the morning before the disastrous loss to an admirable South African team last Tuesday. Next time someone asks you how important football is to French people, tell them to have a look at this.
My only regret is that the victory was not enough for Bafana Bafana to qualify for the knockout round.
Thursday 10 June 2010
By Baron von Rupp on Thursday 10 June 2010, 19:48
Of all the
things in my life that happen every four years, this is clearly the best!
However, For the first time ever I think the team of my home country,
the United States, might go farther than that of my adopted country,
France. Although I wish nothing but the best to the American team,
this is depressing because French people (as in almost all of them) care deeply
about their team in a way that Americans could never understand, and the train
wreck that is Les Bleus is going to leave a mark.
Thursday 11 March 2010
By Baron von Rupp on Thursday 11 March 2010, 15:16
Olympique Lyonnais appreciation post
in honor of the biggest soccer upset in years...
