I was really excited to see the beginnings of my favorite sports competition in the world. I'm not referring to the NFL, not MLB, not even UEFA. Keep on guessing.
What I'm talking about is a competition that gets little coverage in the USA, but one that excites so many who know about it to no end. We're talking about England's FA Cup, which finally kicked off last weekend.
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.
Every tournament, we witness massive upsets that stun the football world. Imagine the LA Lakers losing to a college basketball team, or the Pittsburgh Steelers losing to some kind of high school football team. As crazy as it sounds, this stuff legitimately happens, and the story lines are unparalleled anywhere else.
Giant killers have become urban legends, to a certain extent, in FA Cup history. In the 1988-1989 FA Cup, non-league(meaning that they were below the 4thtier of English soccer)Sutton United upset top flight team Coventry City. In 1969, third division Mansfield Town upset West Ham United (who were currently sixth in the top division) 3-0. Perhaps no better giant killing story exists than the story of 1975 Wimbledon FC. The team, who was a non-league team at the timebeat top division team Burnley 1-0 in the third round and then followed that up by holding reigning first division champion Leeds to a 0-0 draw before narrowly losing the replay.
One of my favorite things about this tournament is the opportunity that it gives non-professionals to share the big stage with some of the best clubs in the world. There are so few situations in sports that allow people to do this, and this is what the FA Cup is all about.
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.
To make it even better, this tournament lasts for 10 months per year. Everyone loves March Madness, and expresses their sadness once the two weeks end. This can't even compare when you look at the length. Watch this wonderful event if you possibly can, you won't regret it. - 30542
What I'm talking about is a competition that gets little coverage in the USA, but one that excites so many who know about it to no end. We're talking about England's FA Cup, which finally kicked off last weekend.
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.
Every tournament, we witness massive upsets that stun the football world. Imagine the LA Lakers losing to a college basketball team, or the Pittsburgh Steelers losing to some kind of high school football team. As crazy as it sounds, this stuff legitimately happens, and the story lines are unparalleled anywhere else.
Giant killers have become urban legends, to a certain extent, in FA Cup history. In the 1988-1989 FA Cup, non-league(meaning that they were below the 4thtier of English soccer)Sutton United upset top flight team Coventry City. In 1969, third division Mansfield Town upset West Ham United (who were currently sixth in the top division) 3-0. Perhaps no better giant killing story exists than the story of 1975 Wimbledon FC. The team, who was a non-league team at the timebeat top division team Burnley 1-0 in the third round and then followed that up by holding reigning first division champion Leeds to a 0-0 draw before narrowly losing the replay.
One of my favorite things about this tournament is the opportunity that it gives non-professionals to share the big stage with some of the best clubs in the world. There are so few situations in sports that allow people to do this, and this is what the FA Cup is all about.
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.
To make it even better, this tournament lasts for 10 months per year. Everyone loves March Madness, and expresses their sadness once the two weeks end. This can't even compare when you look at the length. Watch this wonderful event if you possibly can, you won't regret it. - 30542
About the Author:
Don't miss out on more sports action at RootZoo's sports forum, amongst the most active sports communities online. Answer sports trivia 24/7 and meet thousands of sports fans just like you.
