Wednesday, December 23, 2009
4:09 PM | Posted by
Dan Ruemenapp
Last night I got to experience my first real football (soccer) game here in Madrid. Although I wasn't able to attend a Real Madrid (the professional club team) game, I still enjoyed it none-the-less. Last night was a partido de amistad (friendly game) between La Selección Liga BBVA (select players from the Spanish league) and Africa United in a charity game for Champions for Africa. Champions for Africa is a charity which tries to bring education to those children in Africa who don't have the opportunity to go to school or live in poverty. Each ticket purchased goes toward helping give African children the education they deserve. My home-stay brother had an extra ticket to the game so he invited me to come with him. The game wasn't very intense because it wasn't a league game, but it was still fun to watch. The score ended up being 9-8 La Liga, due to the very friendly nature of the goalkeepers and defense and they raised a lot of money for Champions for Africa. Before I came to Madrid I was never really a soccer fan, but after all my time here I have come to appreciate the game and would probably call myself a somewhat soccer fan. My favorite team would probably have to be Real Madrid. I really do hope professional soccer grows in the United States, because it is the one sport that all of the world truly loves. My time in Madrid just wouldn't have been complete without attending a soccer game.
Next I'd like to talk about a game that I absolutely love: American football. As a Detroit Lions, Boston College Eagles, and Michigan State Spartans football fan, it has been hard trying to follow my teams across the pond, but I have done my best with ESPN360.com to try and watch and read about how my teams do. One point I'd like to discuss is Matthew Stafford, the quarterback and #1 overall pick in last year's draft of the Detroit Lions. During week 11, Stafford came back into the game with an injured left shoulder with :00 left on the clock to lead the Lions to victory. Stafford finished with 422 yards and 5 touchdowns. Not only does this kid have tremendous athletic ability, but his leadership skills are well beyond his age. The following video shows the swagger this kid has. The real heroics start at around the 3:00 minute mark.
I believe this kid has the leadership ability to be the face of our franchise and the missing piece at the quarterback position since Bobby Layne. Currently the Lions are 2-12 and find themselves again in the top 5 positions in the NFL Draft, but if we can get some protection from the offensive line and Stafford will be a star in this league. Defense is still a huge hole on this team, but I believe we are only a few good drafts away from competitiveness. This team cannot be built in a year; it will take many, and Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Louis Delmas are some good pieces to build around.
I believe this kid has the leadership ability to be the face of our franchise and the missing piece at the quarterback position since Bobby Layne. Currently the Lions are 2-12 and find themselves again in the top 5 positions in the NFL Draft, but if we can get some protection from the offensive line and Stafford will be a star in this league. Defense is still a huge hole on this team, but I believe we are only a few good drafts away from competitiveness. This team cannot be built in a year; it will take many, and Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Louis Delmas are some good pieces to build around.
"Go hard, win the game / With honor you will keep your fame / Down the field and gain / a Lion victory!"
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