These days, I truly understand how it feels to be on the minority or probably, more apt, in a marginalized sector.
In a country so crazy over basketball and not much else, it feels so lonely to be a soccer fan. While so many people around the world are glued on their television sets watching Euro 2004, I have to wait until 11 in the evening to watch an oftenly delayed match in a channel whose reputation for bad tv coverage is legendary. No other sports channel shows the matches uninterrupted. On the other hand, basketball games and tennis competitions are shown live. Sigh :-( So my alternative is the net which is a less exciting medium in this case since you get only vignettes or updates.
Nevertheless, I watch. I hope and pray that sooner, France would end up as the champion once again. There was an interesting comment that the past two champions- Germany in 1996 and France in 2000- all came from the group containing Czech Republic. A friend said -wouldn't it be time for the Czechs themselves to win, rather than remain as the perennial lady luck? Well, who knows? I guess its wide open this time around.
Meanwhile, I have to bear with my daily late night viewing. Not even an early morning job could prevent me, anyway.:-)
Go France!!!!!!