KEY POINTS:
We hoped it wouldn't happen. We didn't think it would be this soon. It's television dropping the baton. Specifically, it never held the baton.
It's the soccer. The women's team was up 2-0 against Japan, a fine place to be. The Japanese came back big for a 2-2 draw. New Zealand got a point. That's soccer, not some nothing sport only a few countries play, and buried in the boondocks.
Think the real, true, original, genuine football. The whole world is watching. Entire nations pray they see the day their team rises to the heights of a draw, against anyone. We prayed. Didn't help. We didn't see it, at least not live.
Indeed, while the women were battling the Japanese on the China Front our nation watched 'Sleep Sex', something done whilst unaware, and as one witty headline writer had it 'When the earth moves and you sleep right through it'.
We got the gamut of female sexual experience, from enthusiastic, to unenthusiastic, to do-it-yourself.
All interesting but we wanted soccer.
Then, the men. Our lads are sadly far from the glory days of reaching the 1982 World Cup finals. Currently our top team is 112 in the rankings, fending off Jordan and dreaming of sweeping past Botswana, one place ahead.
The team played China, in front of 60,000 cheering locals, and a little band of black flag waving faithful. I suspect a feed was available. Put a couple of guys in the Auckland studio, and cobble up a commentary. It might be a bit rough, but ESPN often does that and worse.
Nope. Didn't happen.
Why?
TVNZ has spent the net worth of any three Wairarapa towns, a couple of peacekeeping units in Afghanistan, or a street of Herne Bay villas, although the downturn makes it a street and a half, throwing in a couple of the better-reviewed mess halls.
Showing a couple of soccer games wouldn't have driven a stake through their hearts?
Would it?
Denis Edwards
Pictured above: Japan's Kyoko Yano, right, challenges for the ball with Katie Hoyle from New Zealand during their Beijing Olympics Women Group G, first round soccer match in Qinhuangdao, China. (AP Photo / Vincent Thian)
