Why Don't I Love Soccer?

[galaxy1]

no sport i can think of is truly boring if you get into it. however, some are considerably more subtle than others.

your personality type will determine, to some extent, what you consider more exciting:
* basketball match finishing 120-119
* scoring with the final play or in sudden death "overtime" in ice hockey or american football playoffs.
* the last over of an ashes test series, with all results still possible
* the final elbow-to-elbow race up a mountainside after 3 weeks of GT racing.
* final inning of a perfect (scoreless) pitching game

the first two have the excitement "designed in" - people go to watch the basketball match _because_ they know it will be non-stop end-to-end scoring.

the latter three are somewhat more subtle. the scenarios are _enhanced_ by the fact that so much of the play isn't a spectacle. purists might even argue that the rarity of truly close grand tours/test matches/etc. makes them more exciting when they happen.

fans of the former category are likely to find the latter ones "boring". fans of the latter will find the former unfulfilling/boring in a different way.

it does seem (from the outside) that the american psyche could possibly be more geared towards the former.

many sports (including cycling) actually have different types of events to cater to the different species of sports fans.

 

[galaxy1]

Oh, that is brilliant! I'm gonna use that... "So... who's your fave handegg player?"

which is almost as confusing as asking for a favourite footballer.
rugby union, rugby league, aussie rules, gaelic football, and american football all still qualify.

 

[rhubroma]

Yes but it is not just in a confined area where you are watching it. You have the scenery, the people on the side of the road, etc.

Oh there's no need to convince me of why cycling has an appeal to its fans. It is inceredible, though, what you or I might find utterly thrilling (watching, for example, an alpine stage in the Tour or Giro), can be completely boring to somebody else. I think cycling fans are pretty cultish (even in Europe) and, in this sense, definitely not main stream and followers of the orthodoxy (ie. stadium sports). At least in the sense that, while a cycling fan might also follow other stadium sports, stadium sports' fans usually don't find watching bike races at all interesting.

My girlfiend is Roman and couldn't care a rat's a$$ for watching a bike race, no matter how hard I have tried to explain to her why I find it exciting. As the Roman's say: "You don't dispute one's tastes." They're pretty instinctual and very hard to modify. As for my Roman girlfriend, she's incredibly beautiful, with long black, smooth hair and dark, seductive Mediterranian eyes. I can thus put up with her lack of interest in bike races.

 

[The Hitch]

Soccer is like chess. I'm sure a lot of people consider chess "boring" too because there is so little scoring. These people must see the world in a much simpler way than i happen to.

Oh Come on.
For all the good things you can say about football dont compare it to chess. The reason its so popular is because its simple. A large percentage of football fans, players and managers and pundits for that matter, would fail the most basic intelligence tests, and know **** all about anything beyond football. (a study in the Uk recently showed that 15% of children in england think Hitler was the manager of the German national team)
These fans would never be interested in anything that required significant thinking, but thankfully for them football is very simple.

There is a basic level of tactical knowledge required, which take perhaps one or two years to master, but this level is greatly exagerated by the media trying to make football fans feel good about themselves. How comes the dumbest and least intelligent people on earth (proffesional footballers) are the ones who end up becoming managers or pundits.

 

[hfer07]

the fact that you call the sport "Soccer" is enough for me to know that you're american & therefore you won't ever comprehend the meaning of "football" or at least give it a try, not by american standards, but what "football" is for the entire world. The World cup is the event that Americas feel completely isolated & ignored by the entire planet-while this event gathers all countries in celebration, USA just expresses apathy to the sport-and you are a clear example of it!!

 

[marinoni]

Idiot!

If you'd bothered to check you'd know I'm Canadian. If you want to know how Canadians feel about being called American try calling a Kiwi an Australian. Go ahead, give it a try. I promise it will be a funky adventure.
That said, I was pretty clear that I don't think the rest of the world is crazy for liking it. Quite the opposite. My point was that I'm perplexed by the anomaly of two countries not appreciating a sport that is loved in virtually every other country in the world.

 

[rhubroma]

If you'd bothered to check you'd know I'm Canadian. If you want to know how Canadians feel about being called American ask a Kiwi how they react when called Australian. Don't do it.
That said, I was pretty clear that I don't think the rest of the world is crazy for liking it. Quite the opposite. My point was that I'm perplexed by the anomaly of two countries not appreciating a sport that is loved in virtually every other country in the world.

In a word its called isolationism.

And sorry to let you down, but if Canada weren't situated right above the US things may have been different for you "Maple Leaves." Soccer might have been football and professional football might not have been for you an inferior version of the NFL. With all due respect...

 

[marinoni]

Idiot!

the fact that you call the sport "Soccer" is enough for me to know that you're american & therefore you won't ever comprehend the meaning of "football" or at least give it a try, not by american standards, but what "football" is for the entire world. The World cup is the event that Americas feel completely isolated & ignored by the entire planet-while this event gathers all countries in celebration, USA just expresses apathy to the sport-and you are a clear example of it!!

If you'd bothered to check you'd have found out I'm Canadian. If you want to know how we feel about being called Americans try calling a Kiwi an Australian. Go ahead, give it a try. I promise it will be a fun adventure.
That said, I was pretty clear that I don't think the rest of the world is wrong to love SOCCER. Quite the opposite. I am simply perplexed by the anomoly of two countries not interested in a sport that is passionately loved in virtually every country in the world.

 

[Cobblestones]

Football is growing in the US. Eight years ago, ESPN wouldn't broadcast most of the games, you'd have to go to Univision. This time, they do every game, except the big ones, which are done by ABC. Network television!

Still, I don't think there will be any kind of breakthrough any time soon. Schools and colleges won't add another sport any time soon. Money is tight, and many places even handegg is heavily subsidized. Also, there's no money for football arenas. Without this structure, any kind of professional league will have a hard time surviving. A typical Texan handegg weekend is:
Friday: high school game
Saturday: college game
Sunday: NFL game

If football is supposed to grow, it has to grow mostly from the bottom first. Schools taking it seriously, then colleges. This is not going to happen any time soon.

As for myself, it's been years since I watched my last handegg game, been to a soup bowl party, filled out March idiocy brackets, or cared about how lame hockey is (probably around the time when Anaheim or Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup). And baseball isn't a sport, it's this country's last ditch effort to teach math to the masses through the use of statistics.

I actually did watch a world cup game (Argentina-Nigeria), mostly for the novelty, but it wasn't interesting either. I'm glad when it was over. (I felt mild pleasure when I learned about the US/England draw, though).

Cycling rocks!

 

[marinoni]

Genius!

Nothing. Soccer is boring as hell. The number of goals is way too low. It's like watching a porno where the actors seldom get past second base.

Well then, maybe we should call it blueball.


I'm so very sorry.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

Football is growing in the US. Eight years ago, ESPN wouldn't broadcast most of the games, you'd have to go to Univision. This time, they do every game, except the big ones, which are done by ABC. Network television!
Cycling rocks!

Soccer is growing due to the influx of immigrants who love soccer. It's not growing (any faster) than it did before the period you mention.

Doesn't mean it won't eventually grow faster, just understand what is driving the 'breakthrough' on ESPN.

If only cycling could get some pub on ESPN.... (other than doping scandals and a listing of the leader of the tdf in its 'crawl' on the bottom of the screen)

I'm not trying to argue with you, but your post leaves out valuable info.

 

[RedheadDane]

If you'd bothered to check you'd have found out I'm Canadian. If you want to know how we feel about being called Americans try calling a Kiwi an Australian. Go ahead, give it a try. I promise it will be a fun adventure.

Technically you are American! You're living on the American continent...

 

[marinoni]

Cobblestone makes some good points. But here's another thing that perplexes me. Soccer has been the #1 youth sport in both Canada and the US for at least 10-15 yrs. In Canada that has a lot to do with the fact that hockey is very expensive and over-protective parents are afraid little precious will get his teeth knocked out. Still, you'd think that would have translated to a big increase in interest.

 

[marinoni]

Technically you are American! You're living on the American continent...

When I was a little kid my grandparents had already died. But down the street was a kindly old Danish couple who took it upon themselves to be sort of "fill in" grandparents. Mostly to spoil us at christmas. So I'm going to take the high road and not call you a German.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

Cobblestone makes some good points. But here's another thing that perplexes me. Soccer has been the #1 youth sport in both Canada and the US for at least 10-15 yrs. In Canada that has a lot to do with the fact that hockey is very expensive and over-protective parents are afraid little precious will get his teeth knocked out. Still, you'd think that would have translated to a big increase in interest.

Soccer has been an enormous school sport in the US for decades. It doesn't translate into viewership. (It's inexpensive and has less severe injuries than other sports)

 

[cody_57]

And baseball isn't a sport, it's this country's last ditch effort to teach math to the masses through the use of statistics.

Hehehe!

On a different note, football (aka soccer) is played extensively at school on the north american continent. The problem here is after school: where does the next Beckham/Rooney/Ballack/Drogba go? Somewhere in europe?

 

[Cobblestones]

Soccer is growing due to the influx of immigrants who love soccer. It's not growing (any faster) than it did before the period you mention.

Doesn't mean it won't eventually grow faster, just understand what is driving the 'breakthrough' on ESPN.

If only cycling could get some pub on ESPN.... (other than doping scandals and a listing of the leader of the tdf in its 'crawl' on the bottom of the screen)

I'm not trying to argue with you, but your post leaves out valuable info.

Well, I only claimed that it is growing, not that it is growing faster than before. And I tend to agree with you that it's probably immigrants driving the growing interest.

Your second post (school sport) doesn't coincide with my observation.

As far as I can tell, school sports put most of their effort into handegg. During fall, when I would pass the middle or high school sports fields, I would see pretty serious handegg training going on, with plenty of coaches and decent equipments such as dummies. All the kids are fully geared up. Football, on the other hand, is mostly organized by the communal park and recreation department. It doesn't happen on school property, there's no school involvement. Maybe it's different in other parts of the country.

 

[marinoni]

So That's It!

www.theonion.com/video/soccer-officially-announces-it-is-gay,17603/

 

[ak-zaaf]

www.theonion.com/video/soccer-officially-announces-it-is-gay,17603/

Pretty funny

Although the Baseball remark at the end ruined it. I mean, holding a big stick, swinging it at balls, trying to get to 3rd base with a bunch of guys. Come on... ;p

 

[RedheadDane]

When I was a little kid my grandparents had already died. But down the street was a kindly old Danish couple who took it upon themselves to be sort of "fill in" grandparents. Mostly to spoil us at christmas. So I'm going to take the high road and not call you a German.

Well... Germany and Denmark are two different countries... but America isn't a country, it's a continent! I'm not German (hardly even speak the language...) but I am European!

 

[Cobblestones]

www.theonion.com/video/soccer-officially-announces-it-is-gay,17603/

I don't know. Complaining that soccer is gay on a cycling website is pretty rich: let me remind you of shaved legs, thin colorful sweaty lycra, pink jersey, pink bike, pink helmet, pink sunglasses, pink everything really, silly hairdos, the whole European thing, etc.

Glasshouse ... stones ... anybody?

 

[RedheadDane]

I don't know. Complaining that soccer is gay on a cycling website is pretty rich: let me remind you of shaved legs, thin colorful sweaty lycra, pink jersey, pink bike, pink helmet, pink sunglasses, pink everything really, silly hairdos, the whole European thing, etc.

Well... all the pink stuff is just during the giro the only thing which makes a guy actually want to wear pink...

 

[Steampunk]

North Americans can't appreciate the game, because they don't have the television attention span for it. They need frequent stops and American broadcasts have conditioned viewers to take time for commercial breaks. Football doesn't lend itself to that. North Americans also need sporting heroes and frequently can't grasp the team concept (there's a neat article about the relationship between socialism and football). Every American sport has a focal point. The NBA isn't a team game; the NFL isn't. NHL might be closest, but even then. Cult of Lance? Do most American cycling fans even know/care about anything other than the TdF and its GC? Football has some big names, but Maradona may be the only one who has ever singlehandedly won a World Cup. And that's because he was Maradona. The winner of the World Cup is invariably the best team. Sorry for the rant.

 

[workingclasshero]

anyone who thinks football enjoyment is about the football knows nothing about football

 

[usedtobefast]

i don't care for soccer. basketball just barely. nobody cares if i do, or don't.