World Cup Gives Leftists (Another) Chance to Root Against America

While driving to work the other day, westbound on the 22 Freeway, I noticed a big Chevy pickup getting on the road, merging over quite aggressively, pushing toward the carpool lane. The owner had painted a large sports slogan in the back window: #1 Mexico #1 Lakers. The driver was kinda pissed as he was unable to cut me off and get over to the unoccupied diamond lane. I noticed he was a young Hispanic guy, and he glared back at me with some pretty typical machismo. But it was that painted slogan on the back that got me to thinking: Yeah, the dude liked the Lakers, but if the U.S. and Mexico made it to the World Cup finals, no doubt this homie'd be rooting for the Mexican team.

So lo and behold, here's a pic of this morning's hard-copy Los Angeles Times, with the headline, "Mexican Flags Wave Again" --- and as the dude below looks like a gang-banger, not sure if that's the message LAT was hoping to send. Plus, checking at the website we find the headline, "World Cup Brings Mexican Flags back to Streets of Los Angeles," with a different picture at the link.

Actually, the Times badly overstates the decline of Mexican flags at the radical left's pro-amnesty rallies. And just drive around L.A. on Cinco de Mayo and you know what I'm talkin' about, yo!

Of course, the Times interviews Mexico fans who claim that soccer is different, "strictly cultural," says Miguel Haro at the piece.

Right.

Check this report, "Do You Root For Both Mexico and the USA?":

You must understand how bitter of rivals Mexico and the USA are in the sport to know that rooting for both them, even when they don’t play each other, doesn’t make sense. Both teams are hated rivals. You wouldn’t be a fan of both Barcelona and Real Madrid, so why is it okay in this situation? The matches are derbies: fights break out both on the field and on the pitch, smack is talked in the press, and when one team loses, it is devastation just because of who they lost to instead of having lost 3 points. There is historical significance in the rivalry, such as the USA knocking Mexico out in the 2002 World Cup and Mexico raping the USA 0-5 last July then 2-1 again a month later. Our supporters usually don’t get along either. We have some bad Mexico fans, but many of the USA fans that I have encountered are racist and very uninformed about the sport (watching so much MLS does that to you). And I’ll state again, Mexico does have bad fans as well. Every team does. But I don’t fit in with the USA fans at all, and I’m fine with that.

Uh huh. Got it. Racist.

Sounds pretty familiar.

RELATED: At Commentary, "Leftist Soccer Agony: U.S. Victory Equals Jingoism."