Day 61: A TICKET TO FOOTBALL AND FRANCE

(The ticket to football cost more. whaaa..?)


American Clint Dempsey stars on Fulham.

I'm now booked to two more destinations:

Sunday will be my first ever professional football game ever. And what better game to see than an English Premier league game in London. Four of us will be heading down to historic Craven Cottage to watch the Fulham Cottagers try to defeat Newcastle United.

All I'm hoping for is that the final score WON'T be 0-0. But a Fulham win would be fantastic, since we'll be sitting in what is supposedly the rowdiest part of the Fulham section. We're even supposed to learn the songs (some of those are outdated, but I just hope we get to sing Blue Flag). While I've never been a fan of soccer in the United States, football in Europe is like a religion, which excites me. Too many American sports seem too much about the money and players just showing off, seeing who can one-up each other (hello NBA...). The fans don't matter and neither does the team. But in England, where soccer is a way of life - not an escape from it - the passion and fanaticism are real*. At least I hope so. That's what I plan on finding out Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m.

The question bothering me now: What the hell do fans wear to football games?

At this time next week, I'll be in the City of Lights. Originally, when I arrived in England I had no intention of visiting the French. The more I thought about it the more I realized how stupid I was being for not wanting to visit one of the most glamorous cities in the world. Soon Paris jumped to top of my "must-see destinations" list. Plus, I found a bus to take there for 29 pounds round-trip. Au revoir.

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Foot(ball) notes

*The most passionate sports in the United States.
1. College football - 90,000 fans to a practice. Well, it looks like 'Bama fans' faith was well-placed.
2 Baseball - Those who don't get it think its boring. Those who get it become obsessed.
3. College basketball - March madness is my idea of heaven. I'm sure every college basketball fan out there would agree.