Why Americans Don’t Like Soccer
Jun 21
The first round isn’t even over yet, and there have already been five 0-0 draws. Five matches in which nobody scored. In the Argentina-Netherlands match, there were a total of six shots on goal in the match (three a side). For those keeping score at home, that’s one shot on goal every fifteen minutes (and that’s only if you ignore “stoppage time”). There were nineteen total shots taken, if you include the thirteen that weren’t on goal. So barely over one shot every five minutes, on average. When Americans complain that “nothing happens” in a soccer match, this is exactly what we’re talking about.
While I’m on this rant, there were six 1-0 matches, three 1:1 draws (nine total draws), and fourteen other shutouts (twenty total shutouts if you count the 1-0 matches). So out of forty matches played, in 25 of them, at least one team failed to score at all. That’s a staggering 62.5%! (By way of comparison, there were fifteen baseball games today, and two of them were shutouts; in all but 13.3% of the games, fans of either team had at least something to cheer for; and baseball isn’t exactly known for being the most exciting sport in the world…)
Contrary to what you commonly hear, it’s not just scoring that we like. We like things happening. That doesn’t have to mean a score, it can mean a decent attack, a shot, a scoring chance, a big play, whatever. Incessant passing and jockeying for position with neither team truly attacking or defending does not constitute “something happening.” Imagine what basketball would be like if 85% or more of a game was spent at center court, with teams just passing the ball around. And there’s no shot clock. Ugh.
So I think the appropriate question isn’t why the US doesn’t care about soccer, but why the rest of the world does care. What exactly are you watching?
On a side note, I asked a Canadian coworker, and she tells me that Canadians don’t give a shit “aboat” soccer, either.
#1 by Angie at June 22nd, 2006
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Okay, you seemed to have deleted your “offsides” post cause I can see it in bloglines but not here. But wanted to say, I understand it no probs! Have known about it since I was a kid.
(nevermind that my dad was a soccer coach)
#2 by Ace Cranley at June 22nd, 2006
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Give me a break! You don’t understand the game so you can’t enjoy it. With your logic, baseball sucks because a great game is when the pitcher does not let any hits. A good in basketball is one that you wait all game exchanging basket to define in the last second. Football scoring is similar to soccer but you count points in sets of 6.
Please write about other things.
#3 by joec at June 22nd, 2006
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Just a thought as I’m barely awake, but weren’t some of what were considered the greatest college football games ever really low-scoring affairs ? Wasn’t there a Army-Navy or some such game that was a scoreless tie that was supposed to be the all-time best ?
#4 by Ted at June 22nd, 2006
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tgirsch,
Judging by above two comments, it appears you have been sound-bited. The “things happening is good” thrust of your blog has been overshadowed by the “no goals is boring” lead-in.
I think the “things happening is good” concept can be sharpened a bit. I find entertainment in observing sport when I see displays of skill that I recognize to be considerably beyond what I can do. I think this explains why I enjoy occasionally watching professional pool players (I play a lot of pool) but have zero interest in televised golf (don’t play golf). In the case of pool, I have a deep appreciation for the level of skill being exhibited, with golf I do not. I suggest that “displays of excellent skill is good” is the key to enjoyment when watching sports - in the absence of a vested interest in the ultimate outcome.
I assert the shear athleticism of basketball, baseball and US football is significantly more evident than in soccer. My reasoning is soccer essentially ignores athletic ability from the waist up, and burdens the lower half with tasks better suited to the upper half, thus limiting player maneuverability and speed. The net effect is the sport is very imprecise with a lot of random action and little recognizable skill. At least to the non-fan. I honestly can not tell the difference between a high school soccer game and the finals of the World Cup in terms of the skill and speed of the players. That, coupled with the lack of measurable results, makes the game boring for me.
Something else that has not been mentioned is the incredible displays of racism and to a lesser degree fascism at European soccer matches. This is not a reflection on the sport itself, but it does tarnish the international leagues and fan base.
#5 by wkmaier at June 22nd, 2006
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I despise basketball because it’s too easy to score. May as well watch the last minute of a game, last team to sorce wins. Also, WAY too many timeouts and fouls, stoppage of play… Let’s see those freaks run as much as soccer players! (same goes for American football players. Half the players on each team look like they just won a competive eating contest)
#6 by tgirsch at June 23rd, 2006
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Ace:
A “no hitter” in baseball is considered a good game because it is recognizably an incredible individual performance, and even more importantly, because it’s highly irregular.
And (american) football scoring is nothing like soccer scoring.
Joec:
As I’ve pointed out before, scoring isn’t what’s important. Scoring chances are important. Basically, action is important. If a team mounts a great attack and that attack is thwarted, that’s exciting, no matter the sport. But if neither team attacks at all, or if the attacks are inept, that’s a lousy game. In soccer, a great deal of time is spent not attacking.
Wkmaier:
I hate pro basketball for the same reason. In College and the Olympics, however, where offensive fouls and traveling are called, and where teams are actually allowed to play defense, the games are (IMO) much better.
And it’s true that soccer players run more than american football players do, but I’ll argue that most of them sprint less, and they don’t really have contact to worry about. The occasional “tackle,” sure, but you don’t have to worry about physically blocking other players, and you don’t have to worry about 300 pound guys trying to kill you every time you touch the ball. I do agree that American football has too many timeouts (or, more accurately, that the timeouts are often too long).
What I like about American football is that it combines the physical aspects of sport (running, hitting, throwing, etc.) with complex team interaction and strategy. As someone here pointed out (Ted, in another thread, I think), you can spend 10 or 15 minutes analyzing a single football play, because there’s so much going on there. And better still, American football doesn’t prohibit you from using the most useful tool that God gave us, the opposable thumb!
#7 by mikefromtexas at June 23rd, 2006
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Ted, watch Brazil play. Some of the most amazing running, passing and shooting I’ve seen in a long time. Against Japan, I think, at the 65 min mark they had 18 shots on goal. The US had a total of 4 shots on goal in three very boring games. The difference between the two teams is like day and night.
#8 by Ilkka Kokkarinen at June 24th, 2006
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Imagine what basketball would be like if 85% or more of a game was spent at center court, with teams just passing the ball around.
To make this analogy even better, every other pass would fail miserably so that the opponents would snatch the ball (only to fail themselves similarly in five or ten seconds), and many times the player holding the ball just throws it outside the field for no apparent reason.
#9 by Matt at June 25th, 2006
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Canadians don’t care about soccer because they are not very good at the game. Say what you will about the United States, but we’ve made the World Cup finals five times in a row. That’s not bad for such an unpopular sport.
There’s a lot of merit to what you say, but in all sports there is a great degree of failure: Strike outs and ground balls in baseball, incomplete passes and busted running plays in American football, ice hockey is almost literally one continuous turnover, and the National Basketball Association is just ugly and has been since Bird and Magic departed as players. Who wants to see Dwayne Wade shoot free throws all night? What’s the difference between that and watching a build-up by, say, Portugal that does not result in a goal? Not a whole lot in my opinion.
This American enjoys soccer because there is a great amount of skill and cunning necessary to build up an attack and get scoring chances. I could do without all of the diving and rolling around after fouls, but I can see that watching Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons. As a previous poster pointed out, watching Brazil play would make most anyone a fan of the game. And there is a lot of skill involved for players from the waist up; heading is an integral part of the game, as is trapping the ball with one’s chest without being called for handling the ball. Body control and athleticism are absolute necessities to play the game with any modicum of skill and success.
Even though the game has not caught on here at the professional level, it is still enjoyable to many and I would venture a wild guess that the World Cup is outdrawing the Stanley Cup playoffs on television, even though most games are on cable and in the morning and afternoon.
#10 by P.A.A. at June 26th, 2006
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For me games like basketball are boring because it’s too easy to score and scoring loses its meaning. You can also object to the level of athleticism required by basketball. Guys that are 100-feet tall cannot actually move very well, and actually the same goes for 1000-pound linesmen (?) which are on the field only to act as a wall that someone runs into.
In addition, I would like to point out to fellow countryman Ilkka Kokkarinen that doing something by hand is 10 times easier than doing it by foot. In practice (pun intended) this means that while basketball etc. players must practice their passes 10 000 times to get the hand coordination, football players must do it 100 000 times to get the foot coordination. Hard work, which is something us Finns should be able to appreciate…
I think talking strategy really depends on whether you understand the game or not. Of course the things you understand are more appealing. I myself cannot imagine ever getting enthousiastic about American football regardless of its said strategic complexity. Sorry.
#11 by Pertsa at June 26th, 2006
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Americans seem to like icehockey just like us finns. And why wouldn’t they? It’s like football with all the boringness removed.
#12 by Slantpass at June 29th, 2006
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It’s funny how many emotional, ridiculously biased, or completely wrong comments people make
when discussing soccer in america. I guess that’s sports! But it would be cool
if every once in a while people backed up their opinions with facts.
- When someone says it’s “too easy to score” in basketball, do they realize that, on any
given possession, the offense has less than a 50-50 chance of succeeding? (a shooting
average of 48% is considered pretty good). That is, if you actually watch play to play,
basketball is almost perfectly balanced between offense and defense. Yes the final score
is high, only due to the fact that there are a lot of possessions, not because offense
has any sort of advantage.
- In contrast, in futbol (aka soccer), a team might get a “scoring chance” on 6 out of 90
possessions, and might score once out of 90 (average score in the world cup so far has been
2.2 total goals per game). That means on any given play, if you are defending Ronaldhino you have
a 93% chance of shutting him down completely and 99% chance of stopping him from scoring. If
offense in basketball had the same probability as defense in futbol, the average basketball score
would be 190-200.
- When someone says basketball players and Am.football players are not athletic by singling out
interior linemen or centers, and ignoring the other 80% of players who are freakishly fast
and agile, that’s pretty funny. (Check the 40-yd dash times of 250 lb. linebackers. They are
published and easily available because it is so important to be very fast and strong
in the NFL.)
Oh, and put Terrell Owens next to Ronaldhino. Seriously, google some pictures if you must.
Compare body type and build and see who LOOKS faster, stronger, or can jump higher. You
don’t need numbers.
Now baseball players, that’s a diffrent story…
- “Failure” in baseball, Am.football, and basketball is very different than failure in futbol.
A strikeout, an incomplete pass, or a missed shot does not mean a COMPLETE reset, like
a turnover does in futbol. In american sports, there is a sense of progress, defined by
field position, men on base, or a 10-0 run in bball, that extends for at least several minutes
before resetting.
In futbol, when you change possession, you’re completely starting over, losing any gain
you made last time. Every 30 seconds or so, you pretty much wipe your memory. Unless there
was a shot on goal, there’s basically no stats, nothing. This gives
fans who are used to American sports a sense of frustration, of rhythmic failure after
failure. American sports reset too, but not as frequently, and at least you get some stats
to prove that you accomplished something.
- I would not say that there is “little recognizable skill” in futbol. Anytime you’re doing
anything with your feet, it’s pretty skillful. And everytime someone “catches” a pass with
their chest and lays it down perfectly at their feet for an immediate dribble, that’s pretty
cool. As everyone knows, you come to appreciate skill the more you watch.
However, the problem that cannot be overcome by “learning the game” is the sense that there
is little reward for skill in futbol. Someone can make the most brilliant move ever, and
more than 90% of the time it will result in nothing. No yards gained, no bases, no shot,
nothing. The key, I guess, is that futbol fans are “rewarded” just by seeing the skill,
and they don’t have to have any result from it. “The journey is the thing”, not the
destination. I’m quite sure this will never be fully accepted in America.
Futbol fans might criticize this as “Americans have a petty need for stats and can’t
appreciate the actual game”.
However American sports fans might say, “we demand to be rewarded for effort, we want
the score to reflect that effort, and we don’t celebrate failure”.
#13 by rak at July 3rd, 2006
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I do buy the argument that spectators like frequent scoring as PART of the popularity of football, and the relative lack thereof in soccer as the reason for its mediocre popularity. I also buy the argument that basketball, baseball and football have a ‘monopoly’ in the American sports marketplace.
But I believe that a big part of the dislike of soccer in the U.S. is simply the fact that most Americans are what isolationist and largely ignorant of the rest of the world. Most have never traveled abroad or do not speak a foreign language. At the same time, the best soccer is played in countries the majority of Americans could not find on a map and with players whose names people could not pronounce. There is a great deal of “cultural laziness” involved here.
#14 by Neworleanian at July 3rd, 2006
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Why don’t Americans like soccer?
Simple: same reason most people don’t like Grand Prix, LeMans or Moto GP racing. If it does not say Chevy or Dodge on the side, it is no good in the minds of your avergae American.
#15 by Steve Plonk at July 4th, 2006
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I’m indifferent about soccer…However, I love to watch hockey!
Hurray for the ‘Canes!
#16 by Andy at July 5th, 2006
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RAK Stated:
“But I believe that a big part of the dislike of soccer in the U.S. is simply the fact that most Americans are what isolationist and largely ignorant of the rest of the world. Most have never traveled abroad or do not speak a foreign language. At the same time, the best soccer is played in countries the majority of Americans could not find on a map and with players whose names people could not pronounce. There is a great deal of “cultural laziness” involved here.”
Let’s disect this statement. The US is a very large country and has almost every vacation want that a person could need. Beaches on the entire east and west coast, Hawaii and the very close Carribean islands for tropical destinations. Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Vermont, New York for Skiing and winter sports, New York, Las Vegas, Washington DC, San Franciso for city getaways, and many other states that have their own reason for going there “on holiday.” The US is bordered by two countries. Canada and nothing else to the North and Mexico to the south. The next closest country is another few thousand miles after getting through Mexico.
So to say we are “Isolationist” you are correct but you are very off in your reasoning for it. I feel I am a very educated American. I have been to Belize once and Britain twice. I cannot just hop on a train and 7 hours later be in another European country that has thousands of years of history to soak up. I can hop on a plane and fly for seven hours but I also will have to pay a few thousand dollars to do this with my family. We are isolationist mostly because of geography reason. It is 3,000 miles to Europe which is far more a economical powerhouse than Canada or Mexico so we are also economically isolated. As far as learning a second language. What for? I would love to be bilingual. However I live in the Northeast US where 99.9% of language spoken to communicate is English. I will never be immersed in another language to be able to learn it. I do not have another country 100 miles away where they speak a completely different language where I might need it to communicate. You are quick to pass a ignorant blanket statement/judgement on Americans for not being open minded and are ignorant about the reasons for this judgement. Baseball, Football and Basketball are American games and what we grew up watching. Americans like games that have a purpose and a quantitative result. We like to see statistics and scoring not “the beauty of the strategy” of soccer.
#17 by Jack at July 6th, 2006
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There are three main reasons why Americans don’t like soccer, especially at the World Cup level.
1. American’s don’t like to see athletes “fake” injuries…
If you are lying on the field, wreathing in pain, you better have a broken leg, back or neck. From an American perspective, in soccer it appears that every three seconds a player is lying on the field in pain, only to jump back up and begin to play like nothing occurred in the first place. Americans love the guys who play hurt and don’t show it. For example, the Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Shilling who pitched in the World Series as his ankle bled from surgery he had the night before. He didn’t complain nor showed that he was hurting. In every play in American Football, those 400 lb linemen bust, break, or tear something. They simply get back up and head back to the huddle for the next play. In fact, many American sports require a player to be removed from the game if they cause a timeout. If you want to improve soccer, stop allowing these highly paid soccer players from feigning injuries.
2. Americans like hitting…
Why American football is so popular is because of the constant hitting of the sport. Let’s face the fact; American football has the world strongest, biggest and fastest athletes. They are constantly pounding on each other. Americans also like hockey over soccer because of the checking and fighting involved. Americans don’t understand, but really admire Australian Rules football and rugby because of the hitting. If you want to improve soccer, allow checking and get rid of the silly yellow and red cards.
3. Americans use hands and arms…
Americans like using their hands in sports. They like throwing. They use their feet for running. There is a great sport called European handball which allows the use of throwing to score goals. If you want to improve soccer, allow players to carry and throw the ball.
I hope this gives you soccer from an American perspective.
#18 by Maurizio at July 9th, 2006
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In the end, we should all agree to disagree. So, Americans don’t like football. It’s because they weren’t exposed to it and can’t understand it, period. There’s nothing wrong with that. They can’t see what I can see in the game. Sure, it’s the “beauty of the play.” But it’s also the joy, excitement, and release of the goal; one appreciates things that aren’t that plentiful. Also, one appreciates things one has grown up with and understands. I wasn’t exposed to American football while growing up, and now I think it’s boring. I don’t understand it. To me, it seems that nothing happens most of the time. Too much downtime. And too often it looks like a circus, a commercial orgy. A bunch of yards gained? So what. Give me a Riquelme play any day, even if it doesn’t result in a goal; now that’s something beautiful. Hitting? Please, that’s disgusting. Again, I didn’t grow up with it, so perhaps I don’t understand the beauty of it. As I don’t understand the beauty of professional wrestling. Or cricket, for that matter.
#19 by brian at July 14th, 2006
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I can’t be arsed watching football but I can still spot a pointless argument about one….
Americans are on a different wavelength when it comes to many things from economic policy to sport. You could mount a similar argument against cricket and rugby which the Americans don’t care about either or you could criticise another European game, golf, which Yanks do enjoy.
Each nation to their own. Pointless trying to rationalise.
#20 by Raul at August 1st, 2006
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I really love soccer, and i think that bush is a terrorist worst than Husein… i hate u all fuckers.
#21 by Mariano at August 1st, 2006
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Hi iam from argentina , and i love football (soccer) and i love basketball aswell, and i really would like to say that u tgirsch , dont have any clue of what football is
how can u say that football is boring because you watch a few games of the world cup that ended with 0 goals or only a few goals.
Football is not about scoring goals only , its about technique , tactics ,skills,pasion,u dont know anything about football , i can enjoy just watching good moves of players without even shooting to goal and they are amazing , and iam not going to speak about baseball or any other of your sports because i really dont know about it and i dont want to do the same thing u are doing , talking about something that you are not familiar with
If u want to know anything about football , you can watch a boca juniors - river plate match and i can tell u that it doesnt matter whether if it finish 5 - 0 , or 1 - 1 , people will love it
Bye
#22 by morgan at August 24th, 2006
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Ya know, I think that soccer is one of those sports, where to really enjoy watching it you either, have to play it, or, you have to be obsessed with it. Because there are certain things in a soccer game that people who play it would say, wow that was really nice, and others wouldn’t even see what they were talking about. You have to know alot about soccer, to enjoy watching it.
#23 by asdasd at September 17th, 2006
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the amount of ignorant xenophobia here is astounding
#24 by Chad Johnson at September 17th, 2006
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hey, seriously, you guys stop making fun of american football when you have never watched or played it before. working 100% on every play is way harder than walking on a soccer field. I bet you wouldn’t be able to run a 4.2-7 40yd dash.
#25 by Boring at October 15th, 2006
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I have seen a american football game and it bored the shit out of me. I sat there watching a game for 3 hours, to see 3 touchdowns. Hey,I know soccer could be boring at times but at least they don’t stop the game every 10 minutes to allow T.V stations to broadcast their commercials. And whatz up with all those downs 1,2,3 etc. Let the fucken guys play sure they could run 40yrd dashes but they hardly ever do in the games. There just standing there like fat lards waiting to takle the person with the ball. How is that strategy I bet you that if in soccer players went around tackling a player every time he has the ball it wouldn’t be so popular. Yeah players throw themselves sometimes in the games when they barel even touch them but it is all part of the game. In the world cup Italy and Australia were tied only seconds were left untill the game was over, when Totti dribbled the ball into the box and threw himself on a small contact by the australian defense he could of kept going but he threw himself instead in the box and what do you know it was a penalty that goal shot by totti himself gave Italy the pass to the next round or else who knows what could of been the World champion.I also don’t understand why they pay football players so much money all they do is stand around and tackle opossing players and do a little run once in a while. So you can’t argue that a soccer player just stands around in the field and if you did I’m sure it wasn’t soccer.Oh, And one more thing when there is a football there is 44 players in the field no wonder it’s so boring it appears as if everbody is in a big renioun and wants to got to a stadium and sit around 3 hours when your only watching 60 minutes of play and supposebley you guys like the action sports. FUCK FOOTBALL
#26 by Shane Keeley at December 4th, 2006
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I can tell u right now that not one of u that left a comment here could ever step out on a field and run for 90 minutes straight, know exactly whats going on and actually understand the game of soccer, i’ve been playing for 17 years and am on a professional team in Europe but i will tell u now not one of u could ever step up and go through what it takes to get to this leave.
#27 by Ed Rendell at December 13th, 2006
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I am the Governor of Pennsylvania and I say that the “sport” of soccer is boring and Shane Keeley is a douchebag.
#28 by Tommy at February 26th, 2007
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I am the president of Bolivia. I just want to say that the only thing that kept me through the football and baseball “sport” games that I watched was the food and entertainment, otherwise I would have literally died of boredom.
#29 by Tommy at February 26th, 2007
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By the way, by “football” I mean American football (even though it should actually be called “Sissypants ball”).
#30 by tgirsch at February 27th, 2007
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Who’da thunk the president of Bolivia was an Ole Miss student named Tommy…
#31 by arthur at March 10th, 2007
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soccer the so called beautiful game, its called that for a reason i truly believe if you dont like soccer its only because you dont understand it, I used to watch a lot of basketball and baseball but i started watching soccer a few years back and i realized how gripping , passionate and amazing it is. no other sport compares,soccer isnt just a sport its a religion
#32 by mikiller at May 8th, 2007
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the american sports are shit compare with football (soccer)
#33 by MLJ C at May 27th, 2007
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Okay, who exactly told you that Canadian pronounce about (aboat).
The f*ggots from south park in just bullsh*ting
#34 by tgirsch at May 27th, 2007
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I actually spend quite a bit of time in Canada. Usually Toronto or Vancouver, but sometimes also Montreal and Calgary. In Toronto in particular, they pronounce it “aboat.” (If I were to take South Park’s word for it, I would spell it “aboot.”)
#35 by mustapha Bockarie at June 6th, 2007
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Hi
my name is Mustapha, i am from Liberia. Talking in term of soccer in the United States is just…its inexplicable. people who say soccer is this, is that, do not really understand what soccer is. soccer is the world greatest since the history sport. If you don’t know about soccer, don’t say anything about soccer. People will call you an idiot.
#36 by Josh at July 17th, 2007
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Why do people keep mentioning that because soccer players are great athletes and have great skills and endurance, than inherently the sport is great. Cyclist and Marathon runners are great athletes too, but most people find the sports boring. I think soccer players are great athletes, but I am bored as hell watching the sport. I thought the post from slantpass was great. Marano’s later post only proved his point. Non-Americans enjoy the actual skill and moves of soccer players without focusing on the results of the action. This just does not go over well with Americans. We need tangible results to sports. As slantpass eluded to, soccer resets its action too often where great moves and great drives almost never end up in an actual goal. In addition, many goals are scored on fluke plays were the ball redirects to the right guy in the right place and a goal in scored. Also, football may only have 3-4 touchdowns a game, but when you include field goals, the average football score is about 24-17 which means that scoring occured at 7 different occasions. In addition, football very rarely ends with a team getting shut out, which means that a team usually has a reason to cheer in at least some point in the game. Lastly, one thing soccer fans do not take into account when they talk about soccers athletic advantage over football is that every player in a football game for the 7 seconds of the play is using every last ounce of effort and is usually taking some sort of bodily punishment whether on offense or defense from the opposing team. When this happens 50 or so plays a game, the level of punishment on a body is intense. On the other hand, soccer is for the most part a noncontact sport where athletic endurance usually revolves around running around. Soccer players do not go all out for more than 10-20 seconds at a time whereby play slows down and the player returns to a jog to relax for a short while until they reinvolve themselves in the action. Both sports require incredible athleticism, but don’t be fooled by all the standing around in football, the ation is intense.
#37 by Nathan at August 18th, 2007
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Who cares about this argument? Like whatever the fuck you want to like. Soccer sucks, baseball sucks, everything sucks. Who cares what others think!
#38 by Chris G at October 8th, 2007
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Wow. Ugh! the stupidity is unbearable! I’m shocked at how ignorant and simple-minded some people are, specifically, but not exclusively, Ted - what a blatant idiot. To be frank, soccer is the greatest sport in existence; no other sport demands more strategy, skill, and athleticism. Don’t get me started on football. First of all, football sucks. Secondly, You don’t use your damn foot, other than the occasional field goal, which only counts for 1 point or something, whatever. Also, football relies more on bronze than brains. The game consists of a bunch of drugged up meat-heads who plow their way across the field with brute force. Most of them don’t know how to recite their ABC’s, mainly because their brains have been rendered useless. Some may argue that football is the roughest, toughest sport of em all. Bullshit. Let’s take a look at Rugby, which in my opinion makes football players look like pussies. Rugby players don’t wear pads. In fact, there’s no need for them, unless you’re afraid of a little contact. Oops!. Also, they don’t have “downs” in rugby. Instead they play constantly until someone makes a goal, providing gameplay that is significantly more strenuous than football, in which the players get time to catch their breath in between all of the senseless heat butting that they call “strategic gameplay”. Football is the most one dimensional sport, next to golf, of course. Listen to Mustapha, he’s got it right.
In retrospect, fuck football!
Long live Fútbol!
#39 by tgirsch at October 9th, 2007
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To be frank, soccer is the greatest sport in existence; no other sport demands more strategy, skill, and athleticism.
All that strategy might explain why watching a soccer match is almost every bit as exciting as watching a chess match.
Face it, 95% of soccer is an elaborate game of keep-away played at midfield. Every once in a while, almost by accident, it seems, there’s an attack.
And if a team goes up by two goals, forget it, you may as well go home, because the game’s over.
#40 by Fraxion at October 19th, 2007
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so if the game goes up by two goals, you should forget about the game and go home huh? i realized that in american football, if you are up just by one point at the end of the game, you can just relax and waste the last minute off the clock and play keep away by kneeling down. what the fuck is that shit?
#41 by tgirsch at October 19th, 2007
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Yes, because that’s oh-so-much worse than just hanging out in the corner at the end of a game and forcing the opponent to foul you or kick the ball out of bounds.
#42 by Alex at January 10th, 2008
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Hello. I am an American who use to play and watch American football, baseball, baketball and hockey. I came to Europe to study at University and I was introduced to soccer. I started playing, going to games and watching the big soccer matches on tv. Now, after spending 3 years in Europe I am totally hooked on soccer. I would never go back to watching baseball, basketball or American football etc, they are too boring once you are use to soccer. As a former baseball player and someone who now plays soccer I can tell you that soccer requires far more skill and fittness than baseball. Now when I come home to the USA on holiday I don’t watch MLB, NFL or NBA. Instead I watch Major League Soccer…go San Jose Earthquakes! Soccer…I love it!!!
#43 by Alex at January 10th, 2008
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If it wasn’t for the tailgate parties, cheerleaders, popcorn, hotdogs, beer, jumbo tron tv, half-time rock concerts and loud music blaring through the public address system, American sports would be played in half empty stadiums.
All of the above are there to distract people from the fact that the sport (American football, basketball, baseball) iself is actually pretty boring. American sports need all this extra entertainment to make them exciting and to get people to come and fill stadiums.
#44 by tgirsch at January 10th, 2008
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Alex:
If it wasn’t for the tailgate parties, cheerleaders, popcorn, hotdogs, beer, jumbo tron tv, half-time rock concerts and loud music blaring through the public address system, American sports would be played in half empty stadiums.
Then how do you explain the fact that in the US, soccer games are played in half-empty stadiums despite “the tailgate parties, cheerleaders, popcorn, hotdogs, beer, jumbo tron tv, half-time rock concerts and loud music blaring through the public address system?”
But in any case, your take has given one of my theories greater credence: I believe you have to play soccer (or, at least, have to have played it a lot at some time in the past) to like it. (I feel the same way about baseball, actually.)
In any case, you’re more than welcome to love soccer. Most of the world does. I’ll stick to sports in which opposable thumbs aren’t irrelevant, thank you.
#45 by Kenneth at February 4th, 2008
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Soccer is the greatest sport on the planet. Period.
If there was a more exciting sport out there, it would be more popular than soccer. But there isn’t. Soccer = KING of sports. Period.
#46 by Bilson at February 4th, 2008
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lol @ how threatened americans feel by soccer. You go to such great lenghts to bash soccer and proclaim american superiority.
During world cup, Your journalists pump out articles bashing soccer and the american blogs fill with “soccer is unamerican/communist/terrorist/pansy/boring/suck/gay..etc” shit.
Meanwhile no one outside america gives a flying fuck about your little sports and certainly don’t waste time bashing something so insignificant as american football. We don’t feel culturally threatened by your sport. You do by ours.
#47 by tgirsch at February 4th, 2008
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Bilson:
Threatened by soccer? Hardly. In case you haven’t paid attention to recent history, when Americans feel threatened by something (rightly or wrongly) we bomb the shit out of it. Until there’s a bunker buster in Wembley, I don’t think it’s fair to say we’re threatened by it. We just don’t get it, is all.
And as to nobody outside the US “giving a flying fuck” about our “little sports,” if you haven’t figured out that we couldn’t care less what the rest of the world thinks about us, you simply haven’t been paying attention.
Now, I’m not saying I endorse this view (in fact, I hate it), but that’s how America is these days. You like soccer, that’s fine. I don’t really get it, and one would think that should be fine, too. But to accuse me of “proclaiming American superiority?” That’s just paranoid and weak.
#48 by Bilson at February 29th, 2008
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I would love yo see you “bomb the shit out” of soccer. I really would. GO ON. bomb the shit out of “sawker”. Go on do it. It is by far bigger and superior than any american sport could ever dream of. Go on, bomb soccer.
Soccer = WORLD DOMINATION.
American sports = IRRELEVANT.
PERIOD. You feel threatened by it, so you hate it.
#49 by tgirsch at February 29th, 2008
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Soccer = Old and Busted
American sports = New Hotness
[Disclaimer: I'm just talking smack for talking smack's sake. I like all kinds of international sports -- and don't like certain American sports -- but I find this sort of posturing amusing.]
#50 by Bilson at March 22nd, 2008
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the point is, hating soccer is ugly americanism at its worst. THERE is NO REASON whatsoever to hate any sport, let alone one as loved by billions of people as soccer. Hating soccer is like hating heterosexual sex. Its fucking retarded to hate something 95% of the world loves, especially because its “un-american”.
#51 by tgirsch at March 22nd, 2008
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Bilson:
Great. Now tell me where I ever said anything about hating soccer. I simply said I don’t much like it, and that Americans generally don’t care about it, both of which are much different. (Hating, after all, would involve caring.) Perhaps if you wouldn’t read your anti-American prejudice into what I write, you can see that.
Soccer fans often complain about Americans not sharing their love of soccer, and often ask why this is. I figured that question deserved an answer. I don’t think anything I’ve written here deserves the attitude that you came in here with. I’ve tried to be civil, to be tongue-in-cheek, and to have fun, but it seems you’re just too fixated on assigning our differences in taste to some sort of character defect or malicious intent. WTF is up with that?
#52 by Bilson at April 1st, 2008
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You are the one writing articles insulting soccer. You are the one going out of your way to make a bunch of ignorant claims about soccer which make no sense whatsoever.
If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Why whine and bitch and insult the majority who does like it?
#53 by tgirsch at April 1st, 2008
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I was merely answering a question. It’s clear that you disagree, so why hang around? If you don’t like the answer, then don’t read it. Why whine and bitch? Soccer will survive any slights to its honor that I may direct at it without your help.
#54 by chris at April 28th, 2008
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In Football (soccer)The art of defending goes hand in hand with the attacking part of the game. It seems to me that for Americans get it, you would have to stop defending every 5 minutes to let the opponents score.This of course would be bollocks as the integrity of the game would be gone.Which brings me to my point which is this, you have to earn the right to score which is difficult and thats the point. It has to be a moment of individual brilliance or a great piece of team play that unlocks the key sometimes. Usually the first goal is the hardest one to get in football(soccer) because defending is so vital because it only takes 1 goal to loose. Its usually after 1 goal goes in that the games open up because the mentality of the other team has to change and take risks. The problem is when you gamble in football by over commiting players forward, you risk being caught on the counter attack, especially in the top level european leagues. The pace that these players can move at with or with out the ball at there feet can be deadly. If you find your selves 2 or 3 goals down the game is usually over as a competative spectical. At this point if your team is losing you switch of the telly or leave the ground. If there winning you keep watching knowing any tension you were feeling has gone and you just want to see them rub there faces in it and score more goals. If your neutral you just keep watching for passive enjoyment.Anyway it is this fear about conceding the first goal that sometimes leads games to be dull and with little incident. Its not just Americans that dont like 0-0 draws but i would rather that result then be defeated. This mentality is obviously difficult for the average American to take. The problem is teams that play to expansive attacking football(soccer), with poor defensive structure are great to watch but ultimately don’t win. Ask any Newcastle United fan about the 96/97 season, great to watch but threw the title away because they could not defend. Trying to win matches 5-3 or 6-4 week in week out backfired dramaticly. By the way what is going on when players pass the ball about in the midfield is not pointless. The team that dominates the midfield finds themselves in control of play in the attacking third more often. This means they get the chance to attack the defenders more the the other team. Because it can be hard to get behind defences the more attacks you can mount the better chance you will get to score. I think that as Americans dont understand this concept, they dont have the patience to watch. They like faster turn overs and all the action to be in the attacking areas. Which is fine but football (soccer) is not stuctured this way. Americans would probably enjoy indoor 6 aside soccer where turn overs attacking is easier and leads to higher scoring matches. In England they play the masters football, which is ex pros playing this form of the game. Each game lasts 10 minutes and can be very enjoyable to watch.
#55 by Lucas at June 30th, 2008
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If you’ve never had a team to root for, if you’ve never felt the release that a goal on 90′ that means that your team is champion, then you’ll never understand soccer. The release that a goal represents in insurmountable when compared to the bland scoring of basketball/football/baseball. There’s a rush of blood, a release of all those emotions you were holding back and secretly wishing to let out.
Find a team to root for, watch a few matches, feel the team and interest yourself for the results–you’ll see that the experience is much more rewarding.
#56 by Lucas at June 30th, 2008
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(By the way, the Argentina - Netherlands match of 2006 was boring mainly because both teams had already qualified and weren’t playing at their fullest. You should have mentioned the past week’s Argentina 6 - Serbia and Montenegro 0. A beautiful display of skill).
#57 by D-d at September 7th, 2008
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Hate to break it to you Euros but Americans don’t like soccer, we just don’t care. Nothing personal, we just don’t like the game. Its really funny actually, there is this girl in my class who is who loves soccer,she plays it, wathces it and talks about it at any chance she gets. One day she proclaimed it was the “Greatest sport ever!”. Everybody laughed their ass off. A barage of comments were thrown at her, “Okay 22 guys on a field said ‘lets all kick a ball into a net but miss half the time.’”, “22 guys on a field and 1 does a tap dance with the ball.” Stuff like that.
Another day she came to class and asked if anybody saw USA beat Cuba. Everybody said no, they were watching the Giants play the Redskins in the NFL season opener that was on that same night.
We even have an exchange student from Germany in our class who said she doesn’t care about soccer either, the soccer loving girl couln’t belive it. She was beside herself. During Euro 2008 the only team she rooted for was Germany.
Anyways, I’ved watched plenty of soccer mathces. It was the only thing ESPN would show during the summer besides baseball, and I know all of the rules of the game, the soccer loving chick was more than happy to explain them to me. I understand the sport, it mechanics at least. I just don’t like it. When you say Americans don’t like soccer because they don’t understand it thats a cop-out. It is not a hard sport to understand. Any simpleton, any knuckle head can learn the rules of soccer. There aren’t that many. What I don’t understand is why you love it so much. Explain that to me.
And I don’t want to hear any crap about its a “beautiful game”, I don’t wanna hear about “the skill!, the beauty!, the passion!” I can rip that arguement apart quickly, try me. I want to know why YOU like it. What makes it so special to you?
On a side note… You wonder why we call it a pansy sport for losers and girls. Look no further than your own nick-name for it. “The Beautiful Game.”
Football is an amazing sport and basketball is pretty badass
and they both have their share of “wonderful, unbelivable, perfect, and sick plays” but “Beautiful Games”?
Leave it to the soccer fans to come up with that one.
#58 by mark at October 18th, 2008
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so many haters. what sport you like has more to do with what you grew up knowing. i love soccer and am american. i respect sports like football and basketball but dont like them. everyone can have their own reasons just to those of you out there that are douches about them shut up (theres people for each side doing it).
#59 by Dex at November 4th, 2008
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I play soccer in the USA and if you want to know what I think … I think soccer is the best sport ever
In my city were i live it was our first year with a high school team and guess what we won more games then our shit of a football team who went 0 and 9 when we went 2-3-3. And there are alot of the football players going out for the soccer team next year and our soccer team had more people watching then the football team had. Soccer is taking over my town and it is about time they had a real sport.
#60 by Dex at November 4th, 2008
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And D-d just shut the fuck up… why do u like football so much do u like to watch pussy with pads run around like chickens with their heads cut off.
#61 by D-d at November 28th, 2008
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Well… Dex, I apologize. I really didn’t mean to attack the sport the way I did but Ms. Soccer freak had really annoyed me that day. Shes been rather quite in recent weeks, probably because the girls soccer team was defeated 10-0 by a rival school. I know, can you believe that that was the score at the end of a soccer game!
Anyways, what I mean to say is congradulations on your team’s sucess. Perhaps if our team had more I wouldn’t detest it so much. Its not even the final score that matters…some of the time…its about the game itself.
And I am really trying, honestly to give soccer a fair shot. And there is something I like it about. The support of the fans, every game has a playoff feel to it. But the music, I don’t understand the music. It doesn’t distract the players?
Come on Dex, explain!
#62 by D-d at November 29th, 2008
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I thought I posted a comment recanting that rant. Anyways, sorry Dex. I didn’t mean to attack soccer the way I did. Ms. soccer fan really annoyed me that day. She has been rather quite in recent weeks, probably because the girls soccer team was defeated 10-0 by a rival school.
Anyways what I mean to say is congradulations on your team’s sucess, if our’s were better maybe I wouldn’t rag on it so much. But…they suck.
And there is one thing I do like about soccer. The support of the fans. Each game has a playoff feel to it. But the music. I don’t understand the music. It dosen’t distract the players?
Someone please explain!
#63 by D-d at November 29th, 2008
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I did post a comment.
Stupid computer!
#64 by zack at December 18th, 2008
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Look you fags. I’ve been playing soccer, basketball, and football since i started high school (actually i started playing soccer and basketball much earlier). I just wanted to tell all the Americans out there and all the soccer fans out there that every sport is great. Why is every sport great, you may ask? because every sport is different and special in its own way. If people want to bash soccer let them bash soccer their is absolutely no reason to get worked up about it. I, personally, love to play football but hate watching it. I don’t know why its just I have more fun playing than watching. But when it comes to soccer and basketball I can play and watch for hours on end. I’m not trying to highlight the differences on why i prefer one over the other, because i don’t. All I’m saying is there is something in all of us that attracts us to a certain sport that brings out that certain passion within us: this is called love of the game, its like the NBA commercials with “I LOVE THIS GAME” or something i don’t know. And when it comes to criticizing another sport… why? Why is anyone being a critic instead of being a fan and trying to understand the game before he or she judges it. Remember guys dualism is stupid and wrong Huxley is an idiot. Instead of being narrow minded and egocentric try to become more submissive. Be open to all aspects. Oh and I almost forgot; I want everyone to say this out loud to themselves:” Sports, Entertainment, BUSINESS.” See you later motherfuckers.
#65 by dex at February 4th, 2009
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no not realy it more like pumps them up
#66 by jim at February 20th, 2009
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the reason most amercians do not like soccer because they were not raised on it. They were raised on football and baseball. But now kids are being raised on soccer and it will be big in the near future.
[Link deleted]
#67 by koala at April 24th, 2009
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jim, soccer will not be big in America. We’ve been having our kids play soccer for years and no generation yet has adopted it as a spectator sport. Unless of course by being raised on it you mean following the sport too as a fan, because that’s not happening at all. Not trying to be insulting, just the way it is here.
And to this whole argument, not nearly the amount of people you guys seem to think are against each other. Most people don’t give a second thought to this argument, they just play/watch whatever sport they like the best.
Also, stop arguing who has the best atheletes, all sports have the best atheletes, that’s why these are PROFESSIONAL people who get paid millions to play their sport. All sports take some form, whether it be stamina (soccer/basketball), strength (football), or technique (baseball). [of course they all take a combo, I'm just pointing out the main aspect]
Americans do not like soccer because of an underlying attitude they have. We have the MLS, we’re not isolated from soccer. If we truly thought it was a superior game, we’d watch it. European people don’t enjoy our sports for very similar reasons.
And personally, I find soccer boring because of the diving and IMO ridiculously low scoring game. Although I understand the point of being able to watch soccer for the demonstrated skills (hockey fan here), soccer skills just aren’t appealing to me. On the reverse side, I believe basketball is ridiculously high scoring and requires the same patience as soccer fans to watch for this reason, it’s all about the skills that go in to that high scoring game.
#68 by c.f. at April 27th, 2009
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Just want to point out a few things:
1. For the people who argue that soccer is a celebration of failure, I’d say the opposite: American sports are celebrations of mediocrity. In soccer, if the defender is good enough to stop an attack, he is rewarded by not losing any points. Or if an attacker is bad enough to throw the ball away from the goal, his relative lack of skill is rewarded by not gaining any points. If anything, soccer seems to me like the fairest sport in this regard.
American sports, instead, do this the opposite way: in football, the guy running with the ball doesn’t get to the finish line….oh, but that’s okay, we’ll let you start running again from the point were you fell. In baseball, the batter doesn’t reach home plate….. oh, but that’s okay, we’ll let you run from the base you’re standing, and even steal a base if you like. Basketball is a special case, where the mediocrity is given to the defenders, who can’t help but watch hoop after hoop after hoop because barely touching. Oh, and lest we forget that in these three sports above are numerous timeouts for the player to placently take a break, and when a player is expelled…well guess what, you get another chance to go in in a few minutes, hooray for you!! And of course, there’s the fact that everything you do either gets points for your team or stats for you.
2. I think that the only reason for soccer’s unpopularity here, other than the fact that it is not an American tradition, is the suckitude of the MLS and the American national team. The day that an MLS club becomes good enough to beat European teams and become champion of the world, or the day the U.S. team becomes good enough to beat and become world champions (or at least wins Copa America), that will be the day of soccer’s consummation. One example says it all: when Pele, Beckenbauer and other stars played in the NY Cosmos, the 60000 regular crowds they played to couldn’t get enough of them…
Anyways, I was raised in South America, so I’m biased, just like the Americans who will angrily respond my post.
Regards.
#69 by koala at May 6th, 2009
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cf,
1. The goal of baseball as a batter is to get on base, the goal of football is to gain yards. These are not failures, just progress toward scoring. In soccer, a completed pass that gets the ball in better position for a goal is the same thing.
2. Americans don’t care. If we suddenly had the best team and won the world cup would it spark interest? of course. Would it make soccer popular? no. Soccer is inherently boring to us because we are brought up on sports that have many scoring chances. In soccer these are few and far between. Hockey has only a few more goals than soccer, but a goal can be scored at almost any time, making the action faster and more gripping.
Americans are brought up to appreciate the excitement of the game as a whole.
Other countries are brought up with the skill involved being more exciting to them than the excitement of the game.
#70 by Gerwin at June 5th, 2009
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Just like to add, there’s no celebrating losing in football… you start with 0-0, if both defences can keep the 0-0, both teams get 1 point, if the offence can score and the defence can stop the other offence from scoring the winning team gets 3 points.
so you could say you start at the draw, keep this and get your 1 point (both teams get a reward for their performance), win the game and you get 2 more points, lose and you lose your 1 point and have the opposing team gain 3 points and climb in the league table.
Final note, understanding the game doesn’t just mean knowing the rules… I’ve only recently started taking an interest in American football and just simply knowing the rules helps, but doesn’t mean you understand what goes on though in time, as you start to understand the plays, why they pick those plays, what the plays are supposed to do, you get a greater appreciation for the game, as I did with American football… Same thing goes for football football (you know, the one you play with your feet), knowing the rules doesn’t mean you understand the game, there’s a lot more to it than just attacking and defending.
#71 by tgirsch at June 5th, 2009
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you know, the one you play with your feet
To say nothing of the fact that it’s also played with an actual ball.
#72 by koala at June 12th, 2009
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Don’t say that we should call soccer football. We are the majority. Out of all the English speaking countries, the UK is the only one which calls the sport football. America, Canada, Austrailia, New Zealand, and South Africa all say soccer.
Soccer is short for aSOCiation football and that term was chosen to separate the sport from rugby football (or rugger as it used to be called). Because our football took over in America, we shortened Rugby Football to just football when we adapted the game. You (Europe) called soccer football because you found that more exciting.
As for soccer’s popularity in the world. It’s simply because it’s cheap and simple. When Britain took over a country, they used soccer to distract the poor people from the imperialism.
#73 by Jack101 at June 12th, 2009
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Why do you even call (american) football , football…..you use your hands.
#74 by DaisyDeadhead at June 12th, 2009
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What Jack said, underscored…I certainly can’t improve on that!
#75 by blatblat at June 22nd, 2009
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Just as I suspected from my fellow Americans, bashing the real football (soccer). I dont really know where I should start to be honest. Well Im an American and played real football, hockey and basketball as a kid. I also played Irish/Gaelic football which most non cosmopolitan Americans have never heard of. Its an ancient sport that is a mix of real football, American football, and a little basketball. I actually think if Americans were exposed to this sport more it would explode, but right now its played by just Irish people like myself, the same goes for Hurling. I never played American football, which I never understood why it was called football because you dont use your feet. It never interested me at all because it is the only sport that i know of where you can be morbidly obese and be paid millions. When people claim it to be a physical and rough sport its laughable because I grew up playing Irish football and Hurling which are far more physical and rough than American football. I also have a question for American footballers here, why do you claim to be athletes when you have to breath in oxygen on the sidelines after every play? American football is not athletic at all. Run for 5 seconds then get a 30 second break, and if you want you can even call a timeout. Dont worry if you get too tired in those 5 seconds, we can sub you out with one of our 500 hundred string players. And after our timeouts we can saturate the TV with ads and commercials.
Baseball is a fun game to play with friends and in the street but seriously, you wear a belt and friggen sunglasses in baseball… How can Americans claim football is as boring as baseball? I would honestly love to watch grass grow than watch a full baseball game.
Now hockey is a fun sport that I like and respect. Basketball is good too, there should be more contact though.
I started playing football after baseball and hockey and realized right away how much more work and strategy are involved in it. Americans just cant understand the real meaning of being in shape. To be able to run 90 straight minutes and possibly more with only a 15 minute break in the middle cant be comprehended by most Americans. They also can’t understand the tactics and playing of football. Their is really no such thing as defense and offense, their are all the same in football. Just because you are playing centerback does not mean you cant be a vital part to an offensive attack, or even score. My fellow Americans also have an obsession with scoring points no matter what. If you dont score alot its boring. Thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard. Maybe theres no scoring because the teams are both trying at all costs to prevent goals which is the point. Football isnt meant to be a high scoring game which is why goals are such big deal and players need to work as a team to earn them. Unlike football where only a few guys can actually score.
Football games and rivalries are also far more intense, but that is a totally different point. America will never appreciate football because they see it as an outsider sport. Americans must feel like shit when they realize that the entire world thinks our sports suck ass.
#76 by seiti at June 23rd, 2009
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you are to stupit do understand this sport because you can not understand that there are a lot of small things like skills or other stuff you do not even notice. That is the reason why you do not feel the emotions when your team wins after a perfect goal.