You know a play is extremely special when it attracts new converts to the sport. That’s exactly what Manchester United and Dutch team captain Robin van Persie did in his amazing header in Holland’s opening game of the world. So far, we’ve seen homage paid to this brace in numerous ways:
-One fan had the image of the scoring strike tattooed on his back, as RVP’s coach at club and country Louis van Gaal approvingly looks on.
-This painted mural of the goal is unreal
-Pop star Nicole Scherzinger, former lead singer of the PussyCat Dolls, re-mixed her biggest hit into a song about Robin van Persie for a radio station appearance.
And it’s only converted those who were apathetic to or disinterested in the sport. People who are influencers, movers and shakers. Like newspaper columnists in my hometown. Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun Times wrote, regarding the Robin van Persie goal and the World Cup:
On the second day of the World Cup in Brazil, the Netherlands’ Robin van Persie laid out for a header, creating a floating, sideways exclamation point. The ball, perfectly hit at the exact right moment, sailed gently over the bewildered Spanish goaltender and into the net.
‘‘Who can do that?’’ I asked myself.
Just about nobody.
That ridiculously athletic goal accomplished what none of the beseeching from true-believing soccer fans through the years had been able to accomplish. It made the blind man see.
The van Persie goal was the beginning but not the end.
Be sure to read the whole column, because he’s right, it’s just the beginning, not the end.
Let’s take a look at that goal again below:
Van Persie Manchester United begin their preseason right here in the United States on Wednesday night. They take on the L.A. Galaxy and it’s televised on Fox Sports 1 right here in the U.S. In just 27 days, they begin the Premier League season versus Swansea. NBC Sports Group is televising all the Premier League games this season in the USA.
So if you saw the light during this World Cup, like Morrissey did, you don’t have to wait very long to get your fix.
The World has changed. Communications technology has evolved to the point that your team doesn’t need to be local anymore. Your media coverage doesn’t need to be local anymore. You can watch/admire/even cover and write about a team that plays its home games thousands of miles away.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! The Postgame. He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, the History Channel and more. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)