This is truly my favorite time of the sports year. Not because of the beginnings of NFL preseason. Not because of my fantasy football drafts. Not because of the MLB pennant race that's heating up, and not because of the upcoming college sports season. It's all because of a little known event, beloved in England.
None of those events, as much as some want to believe, can claim the title of the world's greatest sporting event. Instead, that distinction has to fall distinctly to an event in England that most Americans have never heard of. The event? It's none other than the FA Cup, which began on Saturday with the Extra Preliminary Round.
You may be wondering what sets this event apart from the rest, and what makes it better. It's the sheer size of it all. Very few events have as many contestants as 762 from the start, and very few have as many rounds (14) as the FA Cup happens to have. The beauty of this all is not only the single round elimination format, but the fact that teams of all levels have the chance to compete with one another.
Huge teams like Manchester United compete against virtual unknowns. Think of a baseball team, not even a minor league team. A team that plays in some kind of regional league that you've never heard of. To put it into baseball terms, teams like these have chances to compete against teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, giving every English soccer club a fair chance at glory.
This is where legends are made. Take the Cup from 20 years ago, where Sutton United ousted Coventry City, a premier team. Sutton United wasn't even a member of a league, akin to an amateur recreational team. Then there's the 1975 contest, where amateur team Wimbledon FC ousted premier team Burnley and then went so far as a draw with the defending champs Lees in the third round.
The beauty of it all lies within the dream that it allows for, combined with the shock value that comes with massive upsets. It gives the lesser teams a chance, if for all but a moment, to feel big, and prove its worth against the giants of the soccer world.
The best thing I can compare it to on an American level is March Madness, only over 10 times the size. Think about the way that the 16 seeds get a chance to play behemoths like UNC, and how exciting it is for them. This brings it all to a completely new level. The possibilities are endless.
Instead of two weeks of games, it's 10 months of them. Imagine 10 months of March Madness. We're sure that Dick Vitale would agree when we say that it's truly awesome! - 31493
None of those events, as much as some want to believe, can claim the title of the world's greatest sporting event. Instead, that distinction has to fall distinctly to an event in England that most Americans have never heard of. The event? It's none other than the FA Cup, which began on Saturday with the Extra Preliminary Round.
You may be wondering what sets this event apart from the rest, and what makes it better. It's the sheer size of it all. Very few events have as many contestants as 762 from the start, and very few have as many rounds (14) as the FA Cup happens to have. The beauty of this all is not only the single round elimination format, but the fact that teams of all levels have the chance to compete with one another.
Huge teams like Manchester United compete against virtual unknowns. Think of a baseball team, not even a minor league team. A team that plays in some kind of regional league that you've never heard of. To put it into baseball terms, teams like these have chances to compete against teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, giving every English soccer club a fair chance at glory.
This is where legends are made. Take the Cup from 20 years ago, where Sutton United ousted Coventry City, a premier team. Sutton United wasn't even a member of a league, akin to an amateur recreational team. Then there's the 1975 contest, where amateur team Wimbledon FC ousted premier team Burnley and then went so far as a draw with the defending champs Lees in the third round.
The beauty of it all lies within the dream that it allows for, combined with the shock value that comes with massive upsets. It gives the lesser teams a chance, if for all but a moment, to feel big, and prove its worth against the giants of the soccer world.
The best thing I can compare it to on an American level is March Madness, only over 10 times the size. Think about the way that the 16 seeds get a chance to play behemoths like UNC, and how exciting it is for them. This brings it all to a completely new level. The possibilities are endless.
Instead of two weeks of games, it's 10 months of them. Imagine 10 months of March Madness. We're sure that Dick Vitale would agree when we say that it's truly awesome! - 31493
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