Euro 2008 is second only to the Olympics on this year’s sporting calendar. Unless you live in the United States, where it ranks somewhere between regular-season baseball and early-round Wimbledon action.

Not everyone is keen on betting soccer, either. We’re used to spread betting on this continent; football is king, basketball is a distant second. Soccer requires an entirely different betting approach, one that relies more on an appreciation and understanding for the sport than statistical analysis.

But this is also soccer’s strength as a betting sport. Handicappers who develop that appreciation enjoy watching soccer more and more. It’s an acquired taste, like Shakespeare or Guinness. Sharpening the right side of your betting brain is also useful when handicapping the NBA, particularly when dealing with Euro-styled clubs like the Toronto Raptors and, yes, the Los Angeles Lakers.

With ESPN boldly broadcasting the entire Euro 2008 tournament, soccer is here to stay. Might as well profit from it.

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