Quote:
Originally Posted by Ksyrup
Third place games are unnecessary and suck for the loser. For one team, they make an amazing run to the semifinals, only to end the tournament with 2 losses.
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I agree it sucks for the loser. On the other hand, I have begun to look at it like I do Senior Day in high school and college sports. It has to be really cool for a guy like Luka Modrić to have one more World Cup match as captain with his national teammates and to leave on a victorious high. He is the equivalent of the HS star who is destined for the next level as he goes back to Real Madrid. Many of his other teammates will never play at that level again. Others may have just played their last game at all. Does it mean anything as far as the standings go or will anyone remember who won the third place game? To be fair, I also think it makes a difference who is on the third place game. Is it patronizing to say that it is cool to see Croatia vs Morocco but a France vs Argentina third place game would have been depressing?
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"The blind soldier fought for me in this war. The least I can do now is fight for him. I have eyes. He hasn’t. I have a voice on the radio, he hasn’t. I was born a white man. And until a colored man is a full citizen, like me, I haven’t the leisure to enjoy the freedom that colored man risked his life to maintain for me. I don’t own what I have until he owns an equal share of it. Until somebody beats me and blinds me, I am in his debt."- Orson Welles August 11, 1946
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