Soccer: Why is it hated?

[mudblood]

I played soccer as a kid and liked it. That said, soccer gets a bad rap because of the way in which children are being forced to play it: nicely, liberally. By this, I mean the NUMEROUS parents who coach soccer or have something to do with the weekend games. What happens is this: one team is doing great, its kicking the pants off the other team. All the sudden, the coach of the winning team starts telling his kids, "Pass 5 times per goal..." The intent of this is to curb the point spread so as not to hurt the feelings of the losing team. What a bunch of crap. And I know, pro soccer isn't like this at all. But middle America doesn't want their kids being told they have to lose to be winners - and I agree. There's a really funny King of The Hill episode that talks about all of this.
That said, pro soccer is everything you said it was.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Aside from the fact that it's boring and gay, it's a case of hate the sin, hate the sinners. Soccer players are such frigging prissy whiners, they make very poor evangelist for their sport. Yourself, excluded, of course.

[ex-snook]

Basically we like commercials and soccer does not have enough time outs to get beer or something like that. It's all action until some guy falls on the ground making believe he has been really hurt from a routine bump. Yeah I played soccer in high school and guys were kicking each other but a guy falling on the ground and moaning was a rarity.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

In European soccer, the criminals are in the stands. Here with American sports the criminals are on the field playing.

[InsureAmerica]

My dad is bigger than your dad

[AxelPaulsenJr]

You need serious help. Please see Rush Limbaugh's Keep Our Own Kids Safe program. It is listed under (K O O K S) for short.

[Tijeras_Slim]

[Mr. Jeeves]

A 3-2 soccer match has as much scoring as a 21-14 football game.

< American sports fan mode>

Dude, there's like seven times as many points in football!

< /American sports fan mode>

;)

[SouthernFreebird]

Footballers don't need much skill.

I bet my footballer can beat your gay soccer player.

[trubluolyguy]

Why do we hate soccer?

Because it can be play for 3 hours and end in a 1-1 tie.

Because girls can play. We only like WNBA because basketball started in America and is predominantly a male sport.

Because the foreign aka "rabid" fans, dare call it football.

[DarkSavant]

Footballers don't need much skill.

Bull. Try getting past a 300 pound behemoth to get to the quarterback when you're only about 200 (Hint: Brute strength doesn't help). Try dodging four would be tacklers every play. Try passing a football with three juggernauts about to clobber you.

baseball doesn't need too much skill. Mainly the basics(throwing and catching) and strength.

Try hitting a 100 mph pitch some time and then say it requires no skill.

Apparently writing in a forum doesn't even require the basics of the english language.

[rabidralph]

Rod Stewart owned a soccer team and that's all I needed to know about soccer: gay and stupid.

[Darkwolf377]

So much about sports in our society now is about tradition. My friends bring their kids to ball games just like their dads brought them; football and basketball teams their dads watched on weekends are what they watch themselves now.

Soccer is a sport that's become popular with little kids in this country over the past twenty years, but when they get to a certain age, there isn't the coverage by the media or interest of the older folks that there is in more traditional sports. So as a social element, they talk sports with their fathers and their friends' fathers, for example.

Interest in specific sports teams is cultivated to a very strong degree by those who came before you, to a far greater degree than interests in specific books, movies, TV shows. It's closer to how political or religious beliefs are passed down.

We have so little that's traditional in this country that even those who like cutting-edge extreme sports probably like preserving these sports traditions.

Plus, soccer is seen by many as being about avoidance as opposed to contact (hockey, football) and the individual isn't as on display as much as in other sports (baseball, basketball--which is much higher scoring so the individual player gets a chance to shine).

[b4its2late]

LOL. Listening to that parity commercial right now on Rush 24/7... LOL. Took chances on the soccer field and last time he checked he didn't have any brain damage... LOL!

[DarkSavant]

Hope you forgot the sarcasm tag there.

[kevkrom]

When you break it down, a typical NFL game has roughly 90-100 plays. Over a 3+ hour period, that's about 1 play every 2 minutes. And people have the nerve to say that soccer is too slow?

(Don't even get me started on the pace of play in baseball...)

[rabidralph]

I am crying!

[Red Badger]

Then you were lucky. The only soccer players I have had an honor to be in the presence of (and they really considered it an honor) were the most spoiled, self-serving liberals I've ever encountered. And they were all Southern liberals!........

[AxelPaulsenJr]

But then Rush says, that the victim is the last to know. That he should check with friends and relatives to see if they have noticed any change. LOL

[PaulaB]

American football is by far the greatest spectator sport

I agree....I love American football....when I watch it I feel pride in my heart (is that weird) for our country..

forgive me for saying this but David Beckham and others like him have made soccer (in my mind) into this metro-sexual event. Americans don't go for that!!