First Hand Olympics!

I just realized I never blogged about something important that happened to me twice last week- I went to the Olympics!

Tuesday, my man and I went to Wembley Stadium, and watched a Women's football match between Team GB and Brazil. Team GB scored within the first minute of the game, making the crowd go wild, and getting everyone pumped for what was sure to be an exciting game. Unfortunately, it was the only goal of the game, and while the game was interesting, it wasn't the exhilarating experience we hoped for. Final score, GB 1, Brazil 0.

Saturday, my friend Danielle, who was visiting from the US, and I went back to Wembley Stadium to watch Men's football, Mexico vs Senegal. This was an extremely gripping game. Mexico were the favorites to win, and pulled ahead early in the game, 2-0. Senegal fought back, and scored two more goals in succession, both by heading it in! This sent the game into "extratime" (overtime, for us Americans), which was two 15 minute periods (regardless of if someone scores). Mexico scored two more, and despite many amazing attempts by Senegal, they could not pull ahead. Final Score, Mexico 4 Senegal 2.

The Seats
Tuesday's game had us sitting way up in the nose bleeds. When purchasing tickets, I went for the cheapest ones, which ended up being £30 ($45). We were in a corner, so we had a great view.

Saturday's tickets were a last minute buy, so I had to go for the only tickets available, which were the most expensive tickets, at £60 ($90). Still, these tickets were less expensive than the ones for the other sports, so it wasn't too bad. Plus, we had great seats- center field, on the second level.

The Fans
In the women's game, the majority of fans were, of course, for Team GB. Brazil was well represented too, but the numbers didn't compare. The fans in our area were all respectful, and actually quiet compared to what one would expect from a game.

In the men's, the majority of the fans were for Mexico, and they let you know it! Loud and proud, they started cheers that had the whole stadium going. There was no rudeness, though, they cheered for Senegal's attempts, showing how they appreciate the football skills of everyone. Senegal had fans too, but they were fewer and quieter.

Who did I root for?
In the women's Team GB of course! I think I would have been in a lot of trouble had I not...
Men's, we cheered for both. We cheered for Mexico because of their proximity and relations with the US, and for Senegal because of the attempts made by the underdog team.

Why football?
I like football, having played in high school myself. Honestly, I would have preferred to go to either the Gymnastics or Swimming events, but those were a lot harder to get tickets for. Football stadiums are huge, so of course they are selling more tickets for those than for other sports. Wembley is right outside London, so it was the must full of any stadium with football events. Had we went outside the city, possibly to Newcastle or Manchester, it would have been easier to get tickets.

Problems
Wembley was a great stadium for us to go to, because it is only like 5 stops away on the Metro. Of course, taking the metro means a ridiculous amount of people traffic jams. After leaving the games, each time it took us at least an hour to even leave the area. The nice thing is, when you get tickets for games in London, they provide you with a Travelcard (free Metro rides all day). The bad thing is that of course, everyone uses them. And people do not smell very good after hours at a football game and waiting in hordes to get on trains!

Football vs Soccer
Obvi, I am talking about soccer here. Remember, Americans, we are one of the few countries in the world who call this sport by a different name (the word soccer was actually invented by a Brit, but that's not important here). So, when in England, I speak as the Brits do. That's a lie. I say football because it is easier to carry on a conversation, 1. because it avoids confusion, and 2. because it keeps them from whining.