Why Americans hate soccer

[Wolfpack]

Despite ESPN's never ending attempts to shove soccer down our collective throats, today illustrates perfectly why Americans will always hate soccer... Today we have the World Cup - the premiere event of the sport - get started and what did we have?

2 games
3 hours of boring action
2 total goals
0 total winners

How exciting!

 

[Ciara's Dad]

Wolfpack
To a certain extent, I agree with you.

I watched most of the first game and saw only bits of the second. Not impressed one bit!
But try telling the South African fans that it was a terrible game. Or the fans of Uruguay whose team, with 10 men, eventually held off France.

The first games are notorious for non-scoring draws and very tight games. It is so important that you do not lose. The games will loosen up as the group stage progresses, and teams become more desperate for points.

Then onto the knockout stages. Winner takes all in every game. Brilliant!

It also helps enormously if you have a vested interest in the game, as you will have tomorrow when your team plays England. I'm assuming you are a Yank btw. Ask any USA soccer fan if they would accept a boring 0-0 now, and I can assure you they would bite the hand off you for it!

So, sit back and relax tomorrow, get yourself a few brews in, and watch the Patriot film with Mel Gibson before the game to get the blood boiling.
You will be in fine company tomorrow with your Scottish, Welsh and Irish Patriot brothers, cheering on your team.
Bring it on!

Once again, no offence to our English Patriot brothers.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Despite ESPN's never ending attempts to shove soccer down our collective throats, today illustrates perfectly why Americans will always hate soccer... Today we have the World Cup - the premiere event of the sport - get started and what did we have?

2 games
3 hours of boring action
2 total goals
0 total winners

How exciting!

Americans would like soccer more if the off sides rules were altered.

But that is never going to happen ... so it is what it is.

FIFA changing a rule is like the Vatican changing a law ... the earth might miss a beat.

 

[Nikolai]

Meh, I like it. :rocker:

 

[Kontradiction]

I'm one of those Americans. Soccer is brutally awful.

 

[Ciara's Dad]

Kontradiction
For most of the time, soccer is brutally awful.
But this is the World Cup we're talking about here!
Personally speaking, I believe that ice hockey, basketball and rounders are all cures for insomniacs. But I'd watch the Stanley cup, the NBA finals and the World Series if my country was taking part.

If it helps, think of tonights game as America's chance to stick it to BP if you like!

 

[Calciumee]

I thought the SA-Mexico game yesterday wasn't too bad.

But the Uraguay and France game was AWFUL. But they aren't the most exciting of teams, well France can be, but rarely.

Today should be alot better! Argentina play and the England/USA game

 

[Calciumee]

Less than 10 minutes played, and already a goal

 

[Rossmci90]

The France-Uruguay game wasn't the most exciting, but it was great to see the French struggle so much against Uruguay. If you have no interest in the sport then of course a 0-0 seems boring, but often a 0-0 can be very exciting and tense. Its not all about scoring.

 

[Rossmci90]

Good game so far, South Korea been very impressive, Greece showing why they have lost every World Cup game they've had.

 

[Calciumee]

Good game so far, South Korea been very impressive, Greece showing why they have lost every World Cup game they've had.

I was hoping for a good attacking game, with a few goals for each team.

But Greece are really bad, so bad I am not sure whether South Korea are actually any good, they are just not as bad as Greece!

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Don't feel the need to explain football, the passion and desire for the game worldwide pretty much overwhelmes any minority dislike. I see more across the pond trying to shove their dislike for football down throats more than anyone else trying to get you involved. ESPN may throw it around because the game stands tall above any other sport, therefore they have a duty to show it for viewers.

Me personally I'm open minded, some sports I don't like to watch but I appreciate what it takes to play them. I think baseball is one of the most boring 2/3 hours any person can sit through but yet I don't run around shouting from the rooftops, kicking and screaming about how I hate it, I actualy tried to get into it but never took to it, so what, it's a sport to keep the kids off the streets and I appreciate what it takes to play it.

I'm actualy going out to the states to coach next year, the demand is huge and I'm quite looking forward to seeing the American culture and how American coaches work. The way I see it if "soccer" stops them from hanging round the streets that should be welcomed rather than shunned. If you can't see that then it speaks more about you than it does me or the sport. I'm not going out to sell the sport either, my duty as a football coach is not only to develop players but people and you can rest assured I'll be telling those players to play whatever sport they want.

 

[bencoateshelmet]

Its like any game, some are good some are not. Not every NFL game or NHL game is exciting either.
And if you come to the UK explain why there's a break in play every so often for ad breaks during an NFL game?...a game thats 1 hour long takes 3 to complete?

 

[TBradyOwnsYou]

Soccer in America sucks. MLS? Really? Bleh.
Soccer is fun to play, boring to watch.
World Cup soccer is a whole other beast.
I was fortunate enough to be in Germany in 06 right before the WC and got tickets to see a US-Germany exhibition. Wow. We got crushed but it was one of the most thrilling sporting environments I've ever been in. No American sport fandom can hold a candle to international soccer.
What I like about it:
No TV breaks, very little stoppage at all really. Once you sit down to watch, it's pretty much constant action for 45 minutes.
What I hate:
The acting.

Ya, they don't score a ton of goals, but I look at sports like basketball where the scores can easily be 100+ to 100+ and I think it's just silly. People cheer when someone scores a basket... big deal, he's going to score another one in 30 seconds! While soccer if someone scores, well hot damn, that's a big deal!

 

[Wolfpack]

Don't feel the need to explain football, the passion and desire for the game worldwide pretty much overwhelmes any minority dislike. I see more across the pond trying to shove their dislike for football down throats more than anyone else trying to get you involved. ESPN may throw it around because the game stands tall above any other sport, therefore they have a duty to show it for viewers.

No, ESPN is forcing it down our throats because ABC/ESPN is carrying the telecast, so they are just promoting their own broadcast. If NBC was carrying the World Cup, ESPN wouldn't have even mentioned soccer once until the event actually started. Instead we had to have it forced at us for about the past 6 months.

Me personally I'm open minded, some sports I don't like to watch but I appreciate what it takes to play them. I think baseball is one of the most boring 2/3 hours any person can sit through but yet I don't run around shouting from the rooftops, kicking and screaming about how I hate it,

Sorry, but I don't see anyone shouting from the rooftops, kicking and screaming. I started a thread which pretty much details why Americans don't like soccer and why it will never catch on here. For some reason you consider that "kicking and screaming".

When the US Women won the World Cup in Pasadena in 2000, all the soccer idiots were saying this would herald in a new age of soccer adoration in America. But once Brandi Chastain put her shirt back on, soccer resumed its deserved role in America of being just one step above professional lacrosse.

 

[chicowalker]

Spot on with the basketball point. Some people don't like soccer (or hockey or baseball) because they equate scoring with excitement. If you're a person who cares only about scoring and doesn't care at all about teamwork, strategy or other aspects of the sport, you likely won't like any of these.

I think the biggest issue for soccer in the US is people's general lack of attention span.

Soccer in America sucks. MLS? Really? Bleh.
Soccer is fun to play, boring to watch.
World Cup soccer is a whole other beast.
I was fortunate enough to be in Germany in 06 right before the WC and got tickets to see a US-Germany exhibition. Wow. We got crushed but it was one of the most thrilling sporting environments I've ever been in. No American sport fandom can hold a candle to international soccer.
What I like about it:
No TV breaks, very little stoppage at all really. Once you sit down to watch, it's pretty much constant action for 45 minutes.
What I hate:
The acting.

Ya, they don't score a ton of goals, but I look at sports like basketball where the scores can easily be 100+ to 100+ and I think it's just silly. People cheer when someone scores a basket... big deal, he's going to score another one in 30 seconds! While soccer if someone scores, well hot damn, that's a big deal!

 

[Wolfpack]

Spot on with the basketball point. Some people don't like soccer (or hockey or baseball) because they equate scoring with excitement.

Yeah, what a ridiculous concept to equate scoring with excitement. I am sure all the newscasts that show highlights of this game will give 2 minutes of nothing but centerfield action. Nothing says excitement like the midfielder kicking the ball out of bounds for a throw-in!

 

[Mike the Brit]

I started a thread which pretty much details why Americans don't like soccer and why it will never catch on here.

They do. It has.

You obviously have a problem with that -- but it's your problem.

 

[chicowalker]

Yeah, what a ridiculous concept to equate scoring with excitement. I am sure all the newscasts that show highlights of this game will give 2 minutes of nothing but centerfield action. Nothing says excitement like the midfielder kicking the ball out of bounds for a throw-in!

As tombrady said, no, scoring does not equal excitement for many of us in a sport like basketball, where the the teams may score over 100 times -- twice per minute

but thanks for the highlights comment -- you've perfectly demonstrated my point re attention spans

 

[Kontradiction]

They do. It has.

You obviously have a problem with that -- but it's your problem.

By and large, soccer has not caught on over here. Sure there are people in the U.S. that watch it, but I can tell you that it's not exactly a topic of conversation the way the NFL, NBA, and MLB is.