[The following is largely copied from comments I made on a post on World Cup at Pandagon , which were met with protest and dismay.]

I played soccer as a kid, so I actually do know what offsides is, but in general, it’s like any other sport.  While I can appreciate the physical grace and hard work of the participants, I don’t care much about it.  Plus, I have soccer to thank for my two-different-sizes feet (I got to the ball first, the opposing player kicked my foot instead, like, REALLY HARD). 

I don’t think liking it is a sign of anything really special *or* horrible about a person. 

But I would disagree with those who claim that following World Cup makes you part of the “world community.” It makes you part of the sports-watching world community, which is largely male and definitely male-centric.  Comparing it favorably to American Football seems, to me, a bit of a dick size war, like it really matters which sport is “best”.  And the game as industry has the same problems any other large, male-centric sport does:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/09/world-cup-2010-women-ads
Much like the Super Bowl, UK World Cup advertising focuses on men even though many watchers in the UK will be women.

http://fromaleftwing.blogspot.com/2010/05/for-nike-women-seem-to-be-good-just-for.html
Nike 2010 WC ad typical in its sexism.

http://www.undomesticgoddess.com/2010/04/world-cup-runneth-over-with-sexism.html
South Africa has poor controls over sex trafficking and rape.  This means that loads of visitors to SA will be using women for sex who aren’t sex workers by choice, and women who go to the games have to be very careful not to go anywhere alone.

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/anti-rape-condom-ready-sa-world-cup
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/62758,news-comment,news-politics,world-cup-fans-to-get-30000-rape-axe-barbed-condoms
A doctor has developed an anti-rape condom which she wants to distribute in SA during the World Cup.  Doesn’t look like it’s available, though.

http://blog.taragana.com/sports/2010/06/09/uk-police-warn-of-world-cup-domestic-violence-109570/
The usual, unsubstantiated story of “domestic violence follows favored team’s loss” which gets trotted out every Super Bowl?  According to this story, “[England’s] Home Office says that during the last World Cup, on England match days, the number of domestic violence cases rose by around 25 percent, and when England was eliminated from the competition, that figure rose to more than 30 percent.” I will try to find more information on this.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2918868/Bid-to-ban-England-tops-in-World-Cup-pubs.html
“Killjoy cops have urged landlords to bar anyone wearing a Three Lions top.  They want to avoid a repeat of violence which has marred previous events, particularly if England lose.”

http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2010061117037&lang=e
“There has been an increase in police harassment of informal traders (hawkers), homeless South Africans, and refugees and migrants who are living in shelters or high density inner city accommodation.  This harassment has included police raids, arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment and extortion, as well as destruction of informal housing.  The tearing down of informal housing has taken place without prior notice, provision of adequate alternative housing or compensation and in violation of domestic law prohibiting forced evictions.”

You might think this is just me complaining about something I don't care about anyway, and that it's all multicultural and shit and why am I pissing all over it?  Surely I'm just being America-centric?

Well.  Women in non-US cultures aren’t uniformly “wooah World Cup”.  Plenty of them find it an exercise in male privilege and glorification:

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/2010/06/world-cup-football-england

Liberal alarm bells can’t help but start ringing when a bunch of overpaid PE teachers get together to orchestrate a month of corporate-sponsored quasi-xenophobia; however, as soon as World Cup fever rolls around, members of the otherwise uninterested bourgeois left feel obliged to muster at least a sniffle of enthusiasm, sensing that not to do so is somehow elitist.

This is a misplaced notion: football is no longer the people’s sport. Just look at the brutal contempt that the police reserve for fans, or count the number of working-class Britons who can afford to attend home matches, much less the festivities in South Africa. Then there’s the uncomfortable fact that the World Cup is only and always about men.

http://florycalavera.blogspot.com/2010/06/of-soccer-and-sexism.html

There’s one thing I’m not thrilled about, however: the fact that the World Cup craze, in addition to fueling enthusiasm for soccer, has also intensified the Chilean media’s already pervasive objectification of women.

http://bradmillershero.blogspot.com/2010/06/bebe-world-cup-ad.html

World Cup. What are the men doing? They are the stars, playing the game, receiving the accolades, partying, murdering important political figures’ great granddaughters, etc.  And the women? Oh, they get to play football, too- well, play play football. In stupid dresses. While wearing high heels. And a metric fuck ton of makeup.