Why do soccer fans want me to watch soccer so badly?

[TheDane]

You can't play the intellectually superior arrogant guy character. That's mine.

Actually' date=' it's Art's.

I can vouch for this:silly:

And Dane....lighten up Francis, so sowwy big bad zoony hurt your feewings with some pretty accurate statements

I'm stunned by your originality, let me go cut myself. Be right back.

[SkinsNumberOne]

"Donovan World Cup Goal Sees Near-Record Internet Spike"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20008627-501465.html

*

This is why not as many people as some of you think really care if you watch soccer or not.

[Ghost of]

I'm late to the party but I do want to say that the sniping is absurd as are the easily bruised egos of a few members here.

I've played organized soccer at a low level (HS.) I even became good enough to be credible on defense and was smart enough to pass the ball on a shot opportunity to someone who knew what he was doing (he scored.) I also played indoor and outdoor for intramural at Michigan. Soccer can be fun to play.

Soccer is not particularly fun to watch. That's not only my opinion, it's the opinion of my lifelong best friend and teammate who said some of the matches among the very best professional teams can be interesting but he generally does not feel soccer translates well to watching it. Hell, I've been to a soccer game in Seattle. Was it the worst experience of my life? Certainly not. Would it have been better with better players? Of course. But it's not really a sport that merits its following and passion. All this nonsense of calling it "the Beautiful Game" is the opinion of people who've moored their sporting lives to soccer.

I respect soccer as a serious sport with some great athletes and skills. It's hard not to acknowledge that players of such disparate sizes, Hakeem Olajuwon and Steve Nash, were better for their experience.

But it's almost as if the passion and violence that surround soccer are inversely proportional to that on the field, or perhaps the restriction on the hands sends out a ripple of the rage that players feel that they can't fully engage their bodies in the sport, especially the most useful part in non-locomotive actions, the ones that demonstrate the most sheer coordination and awesome control.

Or maybe just representative of how much alcohol must be consumed to give vent to such emotion to a sport that seems fairly friendly and non-violent from spectating distance.

There seems to be, frankly, a segment of soccer (FUTBOL!) fans that precisely have latched onto evangelism on its behalf because it's not the professional sport of choice of Americans, latching onto soccer can almost lend one that "citizen of the world" aspect that so many seem to search for. Never mind that basketball is Lithuania's national sport and baseball is damn near the national sport of a few countries itself. Also, it's not so much the belligerent ignorance of Americans at work, is that it doesn't appeal to them. It's why baseball is still popular but not among everyone and is a sport which is also best viewed in person and is not the most popular sport in the country.

I would be remiss if I did not point out that America does play soccer, but by the time kids reach high school or college, people tend to choose other sports, including non-revenue sports that don't have high attendance or professional leagues on par with soccer or football or basketball.

Many Americans watch hockey. A sport not known for incredibly high scores and one that could be considered soccer on ice. AH, but it's ice, skates and they DO use their hands (to control sticks.) Americans every couple years watch sports that we don't pay big money to see professionally: We call them the Olympics. Hell, some Americans even watch golf or 20 hours of the latest cycling event.

I think more Americans are starting to like soccer but for those that don't it's not a character failing, nor can soccer enthusiasts deny the existence of a contingent of snobbish, annoying proselytizers who seem more interested in feeling superior (much like some baseball fans, honestly) than in following their sport. Americans and Canadians have nothing to apologize for in regards to the failure of soccer to reach #1 here. We have other things to do and watch that have gripped our passions for their own reasons, just as soccer fails to do, for its own reasons. This is the same country that has major ice skating and gymnastics ratings.

[CounterTrey]

I think I can add something to the thread. I too was in the camp of "who cares about soccer" till about a few years ago when I started following it a bit more. I started watching the English Premier League and found a club I liked and became a fan of Arsenal.

I started watching every game they played, got to know the players, what each of the formations were, and generally got to learn the game by watching it over the last two years.

I used to go to Lucky bar in DC almost every weekend this past year during the EPL season to watch every Arsenal game and now I truly appreciate the beauty of the sport, the endurance and athleticism to play it. Yes there is not a lot of scoring but I love the fact that once the half starts the play does not stop which is quite different to most US played sports.

Now I am huge NFL fan, I love my skins to death and if I had a choice of watching a soccer match or Skins game, I would still go skins but I actually do like soccer now

The World Cup is just different, it is the biggest sporting event in the world and you will see the more causal fan support their home country but I see far better quality of play during the EPL season with a lot more goals scored. Its amazing to see how these athletes can control a ball with just their feet and heads, one of the only sports where using the hand is forbidden.

Anyway I have seen the sport grow quite a bit in the US and I was hoping for the US to do well because it will increase awareness of the sport in this country but until you have a World Class club league here it will never overtake the other sports already popular here.

[CounterTrey]

Don't worry, in few minutes soccer will go into hibernation for another 4 years.

Maybe to someone like you but I following all the European leagues every year and I think I'm quite fortunate to do since I have something to follow year round.

And also I don't think anyone in the US can call soccer boring esp since baseball is the "national pastime". Nothing put's me faster to sleep than watching baseball where there a 30-45 second break after every small thing, then you pan to see a guy scratch his balls and spit out tobacco and see the all world go crazy when the makes a catch using a humongous glove like it special to catch a fly ball with a huge freaking glove and make it seem so special or something

[Bubble Screen]

^^ Those guys make catching fly balls look easy. Take it from someone that actually played the game all his life. Its not near as easy as they make it appear. You probably couldn't catch a weak pop up, let alone a fly ball.

Soccer doesn't even begin to compare with baseball. Child, please.

[fullnelson9999]

^^ Those guys make catching fly balls look easy. Take it from someone that actually played the game all his life. Its not near as easy as they make it appear. You probably couldn't catch a weak pop up, let alone a fly ball.

Soccer doesn't even begin to compare with baseball. Child, please.

Awww. Does Bubble not like it when someone makes fun of his wittle sport?

Save it. Now you know what its like.

[FedExFielder]

I watched every game of the Hockey Olympic tournament this year...I can't bring myself to watch a soccer game that doesn't involve the Stars and Bars. I fell asleep during South Korea's first game, and I haven't bothered to watch another Non-US match since then.

[FedExFielder]

Soccer doesn't even begin to compare with baseball. Child, please.

I used to think that. I've been a Cubs fan my whole life and even when they stunk when I was a little kid, I still watched. These days, I can't watch ANY baseball. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a soccer fan, but when the US plays an international match (that's not a friendly) I am watching. It's so much more interesting. Still, it ranks behind NFL, College Football/Hoops, and the NHL for me.

[PokerPacker]

I watched every game of the Hockey Olympic tournament this year...I can't bring myself to watch a soccer game that doesn't involve the Stars and Bars. I fell asleep during South Korea's first game, and I haven't bothered to watch another Non-US match since then.

Stars and Bars = Confederacy. Stars and Stripes = America. Don't want to make that mistake in the wrong place.

[bedlamVR]

I have to say as people who are not living in Europe then you have it easy .

We have football shoved onto us 24-7, it is often the only story in the news, it never ****ing stops, I hate the sport yet open any paper in the UK especially now and 60-70% of it will be about football . If there was a war on we would hardly notice (in fact we still are at war in Afghanistan) ...

The thing that really annoys me is there are are television figures in the UK which predict that 12 million people are watching the world cup . Out of a population of 62 million that is not a majority nor anywhere close to it, yet we are constantly being told that if you don't love soccer then there is something wrong with you . Something terribly wrong with you .

The only conversation I have is from people asking have I watched the world cup .... No no I ****ing havent and yet becuase it is every****ing where information has leached into my brain so I can still carry out a conversation with these soccer Nazis ....

And it is not just the world cup ....

Then we have wall to wall coverage of smaller lower league football like Rochdale Vs Barnet and live coverage of the womans world cup which has more people playing than watching ....and then we get pro-am celebrity matches and James Frickin Cordon on our TV when real soccer is for some reason not being played somewhere by someone (comming soon chicken soccer - farmyard animals playing soccer live on the BBC)

What pisses me off is we have other sports in the UK that get absoulty no coverage .

Ice hockey in the UK is popular bringing in 15,000 + crowds regulary yet there is no TV coverage . It doesn't get mentioned at all .

Squash - the UK has had world champions for decades - who knew ?

Dougie Lampkin (MBE) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougie_Lampkin and the Lampkin family - Multiple champions in the trails bike discipline . I think he is better recognized in Spain and Japan than in the UK and yet he was honoured by the Queen in 2001 .

Badmington, LaCrose, hell we have a semi pro American football leauge and we have a European Championship none of these sports get any interest because it is all soccer all the time ...

So in short ... no I have no Idea why soccer fans want you to watch soccer but at least you have a chance of something like a choice of weather to watch or not .. others are less fortunate ...

[CounterTrey]

^^ Those guys make catching fly balls look easy. Take it from someone that actually played the game all his life. Its not near as easy as they make it appear. You probably couldn't catch a weak pop up, let alone a fly ball.

Soccer doesn't even begin to compare with baseball. Child, please.

\\Mr Bubble screen...sorry but when I was younger I played cricket and say what you want about the sport, we don't use pansy as gloves to catch a ball ok.

Also a cricket ball is way harder than a baseball which is a fact and a baseball is wrapped in leather. I'm not talking about the catcher...he needs a glove obviously but in cricket and in the slips (Behind the batsmen) you catch the ball sometimes around 80 MPH plus with your bare hands.

I have taken some of my friends from here back home (during my wedding) who are baseball fans and they saw twenty-twenty (A new form of cricket that is only 3 hours long) and had the Redskins cheerleaders performing etc and there eyes really opened to cricket. Esp the fact that other than the wicketkeeper (Equivalent to the catcher in baseball) you have to ctach the ball with your bare hands.

And yes I can catch a ball any freakin time better than you cause I wasn't taught my whole life to use a freaking huge glove to catch it.

[CounterTrey]

I used to think that. I've been a Cubs fan my whole life and even when they stunk when I was a little kid, I still watched. These days, I can't watch ANY baseball. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a soccer fan, but when the US plays an international match (that's not a friendly) I am watching. It's so much more interesting. Still, it ranks behind NFL, College Football/Hoops, and the NHL for me.

Please don't ever compare a crap sport like baseball to soccer...Soccer or football has way more tradition, class and while we at it better athletes than baseball which is like what popular in the US and a few more countries.

Plus I love it when they win the World Series (Who else in the world is playing the World ****ing series) and then your the ****ing World Champs.

baseball sucks and will never compare ever to Soccer in terms of being as popular in the world.

[expensivegift]

Didn't read all this and could care less if tc saw or not.

[fullnelson9999]

Please don't ever compare a crap sport like baseball to soccer...Soccer or football has way more tradition, class and while we at it better athletes than baseball which is like what popular in the US and a few more countries.

Plus I love it when they win the World Series (Who else in the world is playing the World ****ing series) and then your the ****ing World Champs.

baseball sucks and will never compare ever to Soccer in terms of being as popular in the world.

Comparing how good a sport is to its popularity around the world really isnt a valid reason to say a sport sucks.

And your "world champion" argument? Please. Pretty much every American sport champion declares itself a "world champion."

[fullnelson9999]

\\Mr Bubble screen...sorry but when I was younger I played cricket and say what you want about the sport, we don't use pansy as gloves to catch a ball ok.

Also a cricket ball is way harder than a baseball which is a fact and a baseball is wrapped in leather. I'm not talking about the catcher...he needs a glove obviously but in cricket and in the slips (Behind the batsmen) you catch the ball sometimes around 80 MPH plus with your bare hands.

I have taken some of my friends from here back home (during my wedding) who are baseball fans and they saw twenty-twenty (A new form of cricket that is only 3 hours long) and had the Redskins cheerleaders performing etc and there eyes really opened to cricket. Esp the fact that other than the wicketkeeper (Equivalent to the catcher in baseball) you have to ctach the ball with your bare hands.

And yes I can catch a ball any freakin time better than you cause I wasn't taught my whole life to use a freaking huge glove to catch it.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you have never played a quality game of baseball in your life.

[Tweedr01]

Comparing how good a sport is to its popularity around the world really isnt a valid reason to say a sport sucks.

And your "world champion" argument? Please. Pretty much every American sport champion declares itself a "world champion."

Duh, thats cuz we're the best at everything!!! World Champs son, getchya some!

[Tweedr01]

\\Mr Bubble screen...sorry but when I was younger I played cricket and say what you want about the sport, we don't use pansy as gloves to catch a ball ok.

Also a cricket ball is way harder than a baseball which is a fact and a baseball is wrapped in leather. I'm not talking about the catcher...he needs a glove obviously but in cricket and in the slips (Behind the batsmen) you catch the ball sometimes around 80 MPH plus with your bare hands.

I have taken some of my friends from here back home (during my wedding) who are baseball fans and they saw twenty-twenty (A new form of cricket that is only 3 hours long) and had the Redskins cheerleaders performing etc and there eyes really opened to cricket. Esp the fact that other than the wicketkeeper (Equivalent to the catcher in baseball) you have to ctach the ball with your bare hands.

And yes I can catch a ball any freakin time better than you cause I wasn't taught my whole life to use a freaking huge glove to catch it.

The one thing you forget to mention is that you have 150 lb. scrawny folk throwing and batting, whereas MLB you have ginormous HGH freaks. I'm glad that cricket ball comes in at 80 mph, I would like you to have a word with Randy freakin Johnson. His changeup was 90 mph.

EDIT: Just to give you reference, I married into a ME family, and the son plays/watches cricket. He's a cowpuke fan and he still doesn't have the stupidity to compare cricket to baseball. Sorry your one man cricket league didn't pick up here, maybe they'll make an EA Sports Cricket 2011 one day so you can play!

[Tweedr01]

I'm stunned by your originality, let me go cut myself. Be right back.

Wow, such a baby, an emo baby at that. Can't take a joke much can you? Maybe you should just refrain from reading what with all the fun going on in here.

[Bubble Screen]

Did someone seriously just say cricket was better than baseball?

Btw, to the guy that says baseball doesn't have the tradition of soccer? Please get a clue.

[MattFancy]

Please don't ever compare a crap sport like baseball to soccer...Soccer or football has way more tradition, class and while we at it better athletes than baseball which is like what popular in the US and a few more countries.

Plus I love it when they win the World Series (Who else in the world is playing the World ****ing series) and then your the ****ing World Champs.

baseball sucks and will never compare ever to Soccer in terms of being as popular in the world.

LOL you're joking here right? Baseball has no tradition? Um, the WS goes all the way back to the late 1800's early 1900's. So not sure how a sport that's been going on for 100+ years has no tradition.

[CounterTrey]

LOL you're joking here right? Baseball has no tradition? Um, the WS goes all the way back to the late 1800's early 1900's. So not sure how a sport that's been going on for 100+ years has no tradition.

Some of the earliest versions of the game were played in 3000 BC...Sorry but that beats the 1800's I think....

Look you guys can have your baseball and have fun with it...I'll take soccer/NFL/basketball/Hockey over it any day.

And BTW the fastest cricket bowler bowl at close to 90-95 MBH...and they can bowl at the body and hit the batsmen if they want...Come try and catch a cricket bowl at full pace with your bare hands and then we'll see how much **** you guys can talk. You'll be running to get your glove in no time.

[MattFancy]

Some of the earliest versions of the game were played in 3000 BC...Sorry but that beats the 1800's I think....

Look you guys can have your baseball and have fun with it...I'll take soccer/NFL/basketball/Hockey over it any day.

And BTW the fastest cricket bowler bowl at close to 90-95 MBH...and they can bowl at the body and hit the batsmen if they want...Come try and catch a cricket bowl at full pace with your bare hands and then we'll see how much **** you guys can talk. You'll be running to get your glove in no time.

LOL 3000BC huh, so who was the champ back then?

[TMK9973]

Please don't ever compare a crap sport like baseball to soccer...Soccer or football has way more tradition, class and while we at it better athletes than baseball which is like what popular in the US and a few more countries.

Plus I love it when they win the World Series (Who else in the world is playing the World ****ing series) and then your the ****ing World Champs.

baseball sucks and will never compare ever to Soccer in terms of being as popular in the world.

See -Whhy you got to go there?

I even defended soccer (Although I dont like it) and then you got to go pick on baseball - WHICH, btw, has a TON of tradition.

It's not popular in Europe (Except in the Netherlands for some reason) but it is very popular in south America and Asia.

oh - And world champs - Tell you what. Have another country form a team, and then play our world series winner, and then you have a argument. Until then, they are world champs.

[RedskinsTime]

This thread made me lol

Although I do appreciate the world cup, I'll take the big 4 American sports over soccer anyday.

1. Football

2. Baseball

3. Hockey

4. Basketball

5. Rugby

6. Waterpolo

7. Soccer

8. Girls high school basketball