World Cup South Africa 2010: Is It Wrong To Not Be a Fan?

Perhaps, I'm not culturally diverse.

I get into college basketball, baseball, football, and hockey. Hockey originated in Canada, and some say basketball did, too. So I can't be considered ignorant to world sport.

That's what I tell myself.

But, for some reason, I can't seem to get into the 2010 FIFA World Cup that's being held in South Africa.

Don't get me wrong. I like soccer, or football, as it's known to the rest of the world. I played it as a child. I enjoyed playing. I just don't like to watch it.

I know over 70 million people worldwide stop what they're doing to catch a glimpse of their national heroes as they compete on the world's biggest stage. There's nothing wrong with that. I do the same for Michigan State basketball . You should have seen me during the Tom Izzo fiasco. I was a mess.

After trying several times to get into the soccer mood, I've given up. The sound of thousands of vuvuzelas sound strangely similar to a swarm of bees attacking. The noise is distracting.

The beauty of the matches is simplistic to me. I can be lulled into slumber by the traditional South African horns. Once I wake up, the score is usually tied, 0-0 or 1-1. Not much transpired since I fell into my mid-afternoon nap. So that makes it easier for me to not follow. I can go prepare a sandwich, get my mail, shave, and even make a trip to the corner store for a Pepsi.

And I can return, confident that I've missed nothing.

I guess I grin and bare it as I wait for SportsCenter to come on. The positive of World Cup matches is that they aren't bombarded with commercials at every timeout or stoppage of play.

That's because there aren't many. The action is continuous, no matter how bored to death I grow of it.

However, I do remember the World Cup in 1994. I was excited about Team USA and Alexi Lalas. But, then again, I was 12 years old.

Maybe one day, I will become passionate about sports other than what I'm used to. I'm learning to appreciate golf, so maybe World Cup football will become of interest.

But I doubt it.