WHAT CUP ? :

The Rest-of-the-World Cup : If there's a global tournament and we don't watch, does it still make a sound? JOEL STEIN, June 17, 2002, TIME)

There are just two things about the World Cup that prevent Americans from caring: it involves soccer and the rest of the world. We could get over the soccer part eventually--after all, it's kind of like the soccer we make our suburban children play, only without the goal scoring. But the global part just isn't going to happen. When I hear that Tunisia is playing Belgium for the crucial Group H runner-up spot, all I want is a map. The only way Americans are going to learn another country's name is if it attacks us.

Actually, with Israel not making the Cup, is there a country there that we'd notice had attacked us? Posted by Orrin Judd at June 16, 2002 10:13 AM