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The Politics of the World Cup and Soccer Enthusiasm
Dignitas News Service ^ | July 1, 2014 | Paul M Winters

Posted on 07/01/2014 5:37:45 PM PDT by dignitasnews

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To: nascarnation

I remember when Big Tobacco was a major money maker.


41 posted on 07/01/2014 7:15:26 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: 1rudeboy

Please don’t tell me what to do. I don’t give a damn what you do and find it odd that you would care what I do.


42 posted on 07/01/2014 7:16:50 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: miss marmelstein

What the heck are you going on about? You are the one suggesting soccer is a leftist conspiracy. Where did I ever tell you to watch?


43 posted on 07/01/2014 7:19:22 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy

You just told me to knock off “lib conspiracies” and watch the game. Don’t you read what you write or do you write with your eyes closed?

I don’t believe soccer is a leftist conspiracy. I believe that leftists are using soccer to push out American games in order to make us less aggressive and more European. At least 3 of us on this thread are onto this including Rush Limbaugh.


44 posted on 07/01/2014 7:26:36 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: dignitasnews

Now that the USA team is out, Americans can forget about soccer until 2018. That’s if the USA is one of the 32 teams which qualifies for the 2018 World Cup.


45 posted on 07/01/2014 7:28:39 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: dignitasnews

10 Reasons why soccer is a liberal sport:

(1) Defense has all the advantages. It is far easier succeed by preventing anything constructive from happening than by actually achieving something yourself. A 2-1 result is considered a high scoring affair, and ninety minutes of futility ending in a 0-0 tie is deemed beautiful by soccer purists.

(2) Government, in the form of the referee, frequently determines the outcome. Because goals are so rare, a frighteningly high percentage of games are decided by a referee’s arbitrary decisions (e.g., the recent Netherlands/Mexico game in the round of 16). 89 minutes of ‘beautiful play’ resulting in a tie score can be flushed away by an erroneously granted penalty kick in the last minute.

(3) No replay. No appeal. With a game so depending on officiating, one would think that every reasonable effort would be made to get calls right. One would be wrong. One official, no instant replays. And just to make sure we get the point of who is in charge, the referee runs continously for 90 minutes so he is at his best when the game is on the line at the end.

(4) The offsides rule. It is obvious that in a sporting contest, it is terribly unfair for one team to conspire to get a player behind the last defender by means of superior speed or strategy. There out to be a rule to give defenders who are slow of foot or slow of wit an equal chance. Oh wait, in soccer there is.

(5) Flopping and the law of unintended consequences. Because the government/referee so often controls the outcome (see #2), players spend great amounts of time and effort perfecting their acting skills to fake falls and various other grievances, in hopes of being declared a victim and awarded a penalty in compensation by the authority.

(6) Penalty kicks. If it’s still tied after 120 minutes, the games is decided by penalty kicks which is another way of saying luck. With 24 foot wide goals and 80 mph kicks, the only way for a goalie to stop one or two out of 5 kicks is by guessing the right way to jump. I guess if the outcome is decided by chance rather than skill, no one needs to feel bad about losing a hard fought match.

(7) Pretentious commentary. When my seven year old daughter emerged from the clump of players with the ball and went on to score a goal, it was a good play. When a grown man emerges from the clump of players to score a goal it is ‘inventive’ or ‘creative’ play. Similarly a bad play is ‘lack of attention to detail’ and boring scoreless play is ‘tactical’.

(8) Injury time. Every other major sport with a time limit has precise methods for time keeping. Keeping with the spirit of arbitrary government power, the referee selects gets more or less absolute discretion to add minutes to the end of the match. Moreover, no one knows until after the deadline expires how much time will be added, a practice remarkably similar to ObamaCare.

(9) More unintended consequences. Speaking of health care, most soccer players are remarkably skilled at faking injuries to stall or disrupt the flow of play. Injury time is supposed to partly compensate for that, but ironically, once the injury time has begun, a player can run 30 or 40 seconds off the clock by writhing on the ground with a fake injury, with no additional time added.

(10) Fatalism. If there were ever a cure for the notion that, at least in athletics, skill and hard work will prevail, it would be a game where the outcome is determined by a referee, or a luck, or faked injuries. No wonder English soccer fans have adopted Monty Python’s “Always look on the bright side of life” as their unofficial anthem.


46 posted on 07/01/2014 7:41:43 PM PDT by CaptainMorgantown
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To: CaptainMorgantown

Great post

Thanks.

.


47 posted on 07/01/2014 7:48:27 PM PDT by Mears
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To: CaptainMorgantown

How about applying the same analysis to another sport?


48 posted on 07/01/2014 8:11:26 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy

Heh, no pretzel logic here...I think is is far more excruciatingly boring than baseball.

The fact that the most vocal supporters of the sport in this country are either immigrants, illegals, or liberals is just expected.

I have no problem with immigrants who enjoy it, I expect that and like it.

For illegals and Libs, it is another reason to hold them in low regard, as if I needed more.

For conservatives who like it, I have no issue since it is their business. Heck, I like drum & bugle corps, and I don’t care if anyone else likes it...it’s my business!


49 posted on 07/02/2014 8:07:58 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A nation, despicable by it"s weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral." A. Hamilton)
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To: 1rudeboy

How about applying the same analysis to another sport?

...sure...which sport did you have in mind...?


50 posted on 07/02/2014 9:36:47 AM PDT by IrishBrigade (')
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To: IrishBrigade

Pick one.


51 posted on 07/02/2014 10:01:38 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Olog-hai

Then why do SO many Liverpool fans come from Ireland? I’m not talking an insignificant number here. A huge, huge amount.


52 posted on 07/02/2014 12:53:49 PM PDT by Mitch86
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To: Olog-hai

Gaelic Football is great....wish it would catch on more.


53 posted on 07/02/2014 12:54:46 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Mitch86

A lot of Irish live in Liverpool.

Another one is why Irish get so riled up about the Glasgow Old Firm Derby (Rangers vs. Celtic).


54 posted on 07/02/2014 12:55:45 PM PDT by dfwgator
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"One nation under God.."



click the pic
help keep the lights on
donate today!


55 posted on 07/02/2014 12:56:10 PM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: Verginius Rufus

Actually, in 2016, the Copa America is going to be here in the US. Traditionally it’s played in South America between all the South American teams. But this time it’s including six CONCACAF teams (including the USA and Mexico).

It could be a tournament that rivals the Euro tourney which takes place around the same time.


56 posted on 07/02/2014 12:58:10 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Mitch86

The connection to “the Pale”. Mostly Dubliners. Equal amounts are Manchester FC fans too; some outliers are fans of Leeds.


57 posted on 07/02/2014 1:03:10 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: miss marmelstein

It still is a huge money maker.
Altria had $24b in revenue and $6b in profit last year.


58 posted on 07/02/2014 5:19:54 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: rlmorel

Nothing is more excruciatingly boring than baseball.


59 posted on 07/05/2014 4:18:57 AM PDT by the scotsman (UK)
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To: the scotsman

Perhaps being forced to watch the movie “The Hours”...


60 posted on 07/05/2014 3:37:18 PM PDT by rlmorel ("A nation, despicable by it"s weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral." A. Hamilton)
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