AMERICAN SOCCER(FOOTBALL) FANS WILL WATCH EURO 2008 ON ESPN

For the first time, ESPN will offer blanket coverage of the European Football Championship (Euro 2008) starting June 7 and running through June 29.

This is more proof that soccer popularity is growing in the United States. The ESPN network wouldn't be carrying all 31 games (on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes and even ABC for the championship match) if it thought an insignificant number of people would be tuning in.

Here are the early odds on the 16 countries,Germany 5-to-1; Spain 6-to-1; Italy 8-to-1; Portugal 8-to-1; France 10-to-1; Croatia 13-to-1; Netherlands 13-to-1; Czech Republic 17-to-1; Greece 23-to-1; Russia 23-to-1; Switzerland 26-to-1; Sweden 34-to-1; Turkey 34-to-1; Poland 41-to-1; Romania 41-to-1; Austria 101-to-1.

This tournament is famous for upsets. For example, Greece won the most recent UEFA tournament in 2004 at odds of 80-to-1.