As a quadrennial sporting event, the World Cup has a single rival: the Summer Olympics. But while the Olympics are bewilderingly diverse and often numbingly tedious (curling, triple jump, water polo . . .), the World Cup is a spectacle ferociously preoccupied with two things: soccer and national glory. For Americans, the event can seem as remote as an East Coast snowstorm to a sunbaked Californian, but in fact the U.S. is not only becoming a factor in the competition itself (we made the quarter finals in 2002 and are actually ranked fifth in the world now); we are also as a growing part of the audience. The question is: What to make of the spectacle if you didn’t grow up with the sport but don’t want to feel left out of a... More >>>