I live in Atlanta. I grew up in Florida. I'm supposed to hate international soccer, right? I'm supposed to think it's boring and slow and there isn't enough scoring, correct? Well, instead I love it. It's one of my favorite sports. I'll explain why in a future blog, but I have to tell you, yesterday I watched the entire EURO Cup finals. I admit, it was a bit of a sleeper -- Spain won 1-0 -- and probably turned away a lot of casual fans, but I enjoyed watching it nonetheless. Spain's Fernando Torres scored one of the most athletic goals I've seen (check YouTube or RedLasso), and being a little tired after a late night adventure to Waffle House, it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

It is amazing how passionate people are about the sport overseas. In Germany, 26 million viewers or 80 percent of the market watched the game. Spain set a ratings record with 14.5 million or 81 percent. In terms of percentage, this is equivalent to the Boston area during last year's Super Bowl. And you all know (Tampa Bay fans especially) how passionate (annoying) fans from Beantown can be.

Euro 2008 soccer final sets Spanish TV record [Hollywood Reporter]