World Cup 2006 Bad For People’s Health?

Now this is perhaps the most…amusing thing that I have heard, but it rings true. I can vividly remember playing in the old National Soccer League with Sydney United when the hooligans would be so riled up that they would take on the local police for no other reason than their distaste for our guys having an unfair decision called against them. With national hearts and minds focused on their favorite World Cup heroes battling for Jules Rimed glory, I can understand what the article I read is trying to point to, you can read it here.

Is Soccer bad for our health? Quite the contrary. I believe that poor health in high stress situation like the World Cup 2006 can lead to anxiety and stress that can precipitate into a heart attack. The article points out the following interesting find:

“In the 1998 World Cup, the number of heart attacks in Britain rose by 25 per cent when England lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout, according to a study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).”

All the more reason to keep to a healthy diet before, during and after the World Cup 2006.

Inspired By A Goalkeeping Legend

It is not every day that you are approached by someone you think would be mostly unapproachable. A few months back I wrote about a new book that was being released by Don Mullan, a famous BBC writer, you can read up more about it here. While I won’t write much about the book here (I’m writing up a full review under the soccer products tab), it is called Gordon Banks: A Hero Who Could Fly. Don read what I had written about the launch of the book and actually sent through a copy, which was very inspiring, seeming that I was coming back from a debilitating injury over the last few months I really needed something that struck a chord with me, something inspiring. Don Mullan’s book about his childhood journey through a war ravaged Northern Ireland, his dedication to the art of goalkeeping and his inspiration to overcome hardships just like his hero Gordon Banks really helped me get back on track. I am eternally grateful to Don for writing a book so riveting, and I advise every young aspiring goalkeeper to grab a copy for themselves.

Update: The review of Gordon Banks: A Hero Who Could Fly can now be found under the soccer products review tab in the left hand scroll bar.