An Olympic Surprise

            Where was the referee? My eyes opened to see women in shorts running around a huge field and tackling each other.

            Earlier, the excitement of men’s volleyball and the Sunday paper couldn’t keep my eyes open. With my head on the couch, I decided to rest for a few minutes. In the background, I heard cheering and thought the US team was winning. But when I looked up, women had replaced the men on my television screen. My rest had turned into a nap.

            Never had I seen such blatant grabbing and throwing down in a soccer game. Players on the field even picked up the ball. For the Olympics I expected a higher quality of playing and referees who noticed the infractions.

            A close up of the ball confused me even more. The white object, shaped like a football, certainly wasn’t a soccer ball.

            Finally, my slightly confused mind realized I was not observing soccer but rugby. Even after watching and laughing at myself for a few minutes, I couldn’t figure out the rules of the game. It looked like a wrestling match on a football field. Surprisingly, no one appeared to be injured in the melee. The game ended with the US losing 5 to 0 but I had no idea how the opposing team scored points. What an Olympic surprise it was to wake up to such confusion.