English Premier League report

I've only ever posted one previous news article about football. By the way, those of you in North America know this king of games by the antique name of "soccer"; for some odd reason, what you call "football" is played mostly with the hands. Every new American staff member at Woodstock learns at orientation that this is incorrect, and most of them adopt proper usage in this respect.

Across most of Asia the English Premier League is followed with rapt attention. A fanatical Liverpool supporter friend of mine was once part of a group visiting a long house two days travel into the interior of Sarawak. At the end of a plane and boat trip, followed by hours walking along a jungle track, he was stunned to find the entire village watching a live Liverpool match via satellite TV. All of the matches are broadcast on Star Sports (Rupert Murdoch, all is forgiven) and the top four teams have hordes of fans. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool (my home town team) regularly travel to China and South-East Asia for exhibition matches, and the sale of merchandise is widespread. Football shirts are one of the most popular items on sale in most Asian bazaars, including Mussoorie.

Woodstock students are full participants in this key aspect of world culture. Several graduates each year bemoan the fact that they can't afford to go to the UK to study and therefore can't live in the epicenter of the Beautiful Game. Facebook messages have been seen arranging mini-reunions in Liverpool so that the hallowed ground can be visited.

As a well-known Liverpool FC fan, Monday mornings involve me in either skulking or strutting through the school, depending on what the weekend's results have been. Among the students, Manchester United is probably the best-supported team, followed by Chelsea, Liverpool and then Arsenal. When major matches occur, there is a sudden interest in going out of boarding to my house. One of the most memorable nights was 25th May 2005, when a dozen high schoolers gathered at my house for the 1:00 a.m. kickoff of the European Championship final, when Liverpool beat AC Milan in a breathtaking comeback from 3-0 down at half time.

And don't make the mistake of thinking that this is just a recreation. French author and philosopher Albert Camus (himself a semi-professional goalkeeper) once said, "All that I know most surely about morality and obligations I owe to football.". Legendary Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly was encouraged by a reporter after a defeat with the comment, "After all, it's not a matter of life and death". "No, laddie", commented the Scot, "it's far more important than that". As they say, if you have to ask, you'll never understand.

But why write today? Well, on Saturday Liverpool visited arch-rivals Manchester United, current league leaders, and humiliated them 4-1. In terms of the race for the championship it probably doesn't mean anything (we are too far behind), but it was very sweet - their biggest home defeat since 1992. It's Monday morning, and I have yet to strut.. but I will.