I'm not a football fan. I mean, I support the Phoenix when they play and I enjoy the World and European Cups when they roll around. But, I don't follow a team, I don't understand the tactics to any deep level, and I go so far as to hate the "big money wins" structure of the Premier League (though as you may know I love the Champions League structure).
But what I really like about all sport is the ability for people to be able to see important events. Especially when those events are shown on international television. This is why I supported the petition to get the FA Cup final broadcast in New Zealand. Without getting back into a large copyright debate, it seems an odd thing to do for such a popular event.
I actually remember watching an FA Cup final when I was a kid. We were at my uncle's house and him and my dad had gotten up to watch it. In fact it may have been the first time I had watched any football. I have a vague recollection that Manchester United may have been playing (meaning it was possibly this one).
I imagine many of you have similar memories. Maybe not of football, but of getting up or being gently woken by parents, to sleepily walk downstairs and see something happening live on the far side of the globe. For most of us this was our first experience that the entire world doesn't go to sleep when we do.
The internet tends to cover that nicely these days. But even now, setting the alarm for 2am so you've got time to brew some coffee before the game starts, settling onto the couch under a duvet, having the less-interested members of the household (children, pets, etc) fall asleep on your lap, which means you have to cheer silently; it all still feels special.
It would seem wrong to get the kids up to watch a laptop. So while I doubt the power of an online poll, it's at least worth a shot.
And while I'm on football, aren't those Nike uniforms lovely? New Zealand must be a dream gig for Nike: "we'll take 10 plain white and 10 plain black and whatever colours you got for a goalie...nah the subs can bring their own gear". And these ones are made from milk bottles too. Eight per jersey or something, it's like an entry in the Wearable Art Awards.