The world is watching

Billions of people around the world have been glued to their TV screens since Friday, when the World Cup kicked off in Japan and Korea.

Teams from 32 countries around the world will spend a grueling, glorious month playing their hearts out with just one goal in mind -- to victoriously hoist the World Cup come June 30. The World Cup Final is the most-watched sporting event in the world, surpassing even the Olympics.

Legions of fans will spend this month living in a haze of sleep-deprivation and soccer-exhilaration, since the first World Cup tournament held in Asia means masses of fans in the West will be watching the games at ungodly hours.

Those of us in Seattle have to cope with a 15-hour time difference. Most of the games begin at 11:30 p.m., 2:30 a.m. or 4:30 a.m., which is actually perfect timing for us since we'll be up frantically trying to finish papers and cram for finals.

For so many fans, the sleepless nights began long, long ago, as they lay awake worrying if the injured Zinedine Zidane, the heart of a magnificent French team seeking to defend its 1998 championship, would miss the opening match against Senegal.

Or if English captain David Beckham, who broke his foot months ago, would recover in time to play against Sweden.

Or wondering what came over Roy Keane, the inspirational ex-captain of the Irish squad, who was kicked off when his infamous temper got the best of him.

Those questions are answered now. France struggled without its star. Beckham played. Keane is still in disgrace.

And the action goes on. In the first week, we've seen the shocking upset of defending-champion France being beaten by a surprisingly spirited Senegalese team, and the expected but amazing 8-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia by Germany.

We chant, we rant, we cheer and we jeer. We are referees, armchair experts and commentators-on-couches. Soccer nuts are unashamedly obsessed. For one month, businesses will close. People will play hooky from work. Fans will go out of their way to make sure they can watch the games live.

Some examples: A few thousand Irish, worried about missing matches that take place during the workday, signed a petition urging the government to run the country on Japanese time during the tournament.

Britain's High Court suspended a law last month that would have forbidden pubs, which normally close at 11 p.m., to serve alcohol during the morning games.

For the first time in Asia, fans will not have to wake up at 2 in the morning to catch a game, since there is no significant time difference. Cable TV in Singapore is capitalizing on the record audiences by broadcasting the games live on four simultaneous channels -- each one showing the game from a different angle.

Only the United States seems practically immune to the thrills, chills and spills of international soccer. More than 15 million Americans play soccer, yet the average Major League Soccer match draws about 15,000 people (that's only about the third of the capacity of Safeco Field). Very few male soccer players are major household names.

The United States is the only country in the world where women's soccer is more popular than men's. Most people know who Mia Hamm is, but I doubt many are aware that Kasey Keller, the U.S. goalkeeper, injured his left elbow last week and did not play in today's game against Portugal. Kickoff was at 1:55 a.m.

The world's passion for soccer may be incomprehensible to most Americans, but Andres Martinez' editorial in The New York Times made a good attempt at explaining it.

"First, add the collective passion in this country for baseball, basketball and football," Martinez said. "Then multiply it by four (the Cup happens only every four years), and add the intensity of patriotic fervor unleashed by your average war."

Pretty impressive, isn't it? For international students here in the United States, it's a great chance to break out the soccer jerseys and engage in some good-natured ribbing with students from rival countries. It's almost universal ardor, a collective zeal hard to ignore once you make yourself aware of it.

That's why, despite a highly unsupported local soccer league, a last-place finish for the U.S. team at the 1998 World Cup and the fact that international soccer news dominating headlines elsewhere barely makes the sports pages of local papers, soccer has accumulated a following even here in our corner of the universe.

I know an American who intends to record all 58 World Cup games ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 plan to televise live, and woe betide anyone who lets him know the results before he is done watching the games for himself.

He is not alone. Soccer fans (or even potential ones) don't have to go very far to catch a game. Even along the Ave., places such as Bulldog News, the College Inn Pub and the Irish Immigrant are showing delayed telecasts of important games. Based on the crowds they attracted for other tournaments such as the Champions' League, there should be good turnouts.

If you're craving the full experience, the residence halls are a great place to catch a match live. It shouldn't be hard to find a group watching a game -- just follow the screaming and cheering.

International soccer is growing in popularity here in the United States, and the World Cup is the perfect way to initiate yourself into that world which grinds to a halt when 22 grown men chase after a ball.

So go ahead. Take a break from that all-nighter and tune in to a game. Grab some strong espresso and see for yourselves the passion this "beautiful game," as it's been dubbed by Brazilian soccer legend Pele, ignites.

Besides, who needs sleep anyway?