One of the downers of being American is our rather inward-looking attitude toward sport, a fixation on all games deemed “indigenous” while dismissing, outside of elitist circles, international pastimes that enjoy an overwhelming worldwide following.  It’s taken a few decades, but after some false starts, it seems that my countrymen have finally accepted soccer (if only in the begrudging manner that most humans accept death).  While this development might be credited to the realization that soccer isn’t just for undersized girlie-men, my transformation was fueled by the discovery that very attractive and talented women also toil on the pitch… and win World Cup championships!  (You hear me, Sunil Gulati?)  Everyone loves that, right?  U-S-A!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!

But now that Major League Soccer is pretty-well established – so much that even David Beckham has signed up (again!) with the adolescent league – the elites, living strong on the lingering fumes of Lance Armstrong-mania and backed by a proliferation of sports networks, have of late been shoving cycling down our throats. Continue reading “Here’s hoping for a fully doped Tour de France…” →