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You might remember that during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Leslie Jones, star of Saturday Night Live and the recent Ghostbusters reboot, made a splash with her enthusiastic, round-the-clock tweets about Team USA’s exploits in basically every event. NBC even sent her to Rio to tweet live on the scene. Well, it looks like she’s discovered soccer - through none other than Arsenal’s own Olivier Giroud.
Different things can catch people’s eyes and get them interested in things they haven’t tried before. For me, I went to a DC United game for the first time back in 2009 because a coworker said there was cheap food and beer at the tailgate. I was 23, it was my first professional soccer game, and I mostly went so my coworker would stop bothering me about it, but I was hooked from the first minute by the passion and atmosphere and just fun all around me. For Leslie Jones? It’s that Giroud is really, really hot.
Yesterday, the SNL star tweeted this with a shirtless, betoweled picture of Arsenal and France international striker Olivier Giroud.
Ok where is the nearest soccer field I'm starting today!! Jesus wept! GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!! pic.twitter.com/C4JkidULBr
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) October 30, 2016
She went on to tweet another photo (quite NSFW, in case any of you check out her timeline during work) of Giroud, again admiring his physique.
But, sometimes an entry point like that is all it takes to develop a serious interest in something you’ve never checked out before.
Today, Jones has been checking out first the Chelsea match, then the MLS playoffs. She seemed to take a liking to it immediately, observing how much fun the game is to watch and asking questions about how the game works.
Wait they use their head too. Omg!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) October 30, 2016
dumb question they got on cleats right? I mean I'm scare for their shins it's scary they can really hurt them Beautuful selves! I'm worried
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) October 30, 2016
I LOVE THIS GAME! ITS SO FUN TO WATCH!!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) October 30, 2016
Just like that, in a flurry of tweets and excitement, a new fan of the beautiful game seems to be in our midst.
I WANT TO GO TO A SOCCER GAME SOMEBODY MAKE IT HAPPEN!!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) October 30, 2016
Here’s hoping that NBC has the wherewithal to send her over to check out the Premier League like they did with the Rio Olympics. It would likely be difficult in-season for Saturday Night Live, but I think they have the Christmas period off - which, coincidentally, happens to be a period of copious soccer viewing opportunities.