[1rudeboy]

Please read the following selection from Bill Buford's excellent book and ask yourself if something, anything, strikes a chord:

No one realized what had occurred--the police had left so rapidly--but once it became apparent, the supporters started chasing after them. They threw bricks and bottles at their backs. But none of them hit their target. The police were gone; they had retreated; they had disappeared.

A chant broke out--the first that afternoon--and it grew louder as more supporters appeared, entering the square from the various side streets that fed it.

England.
England.
England.
England.

There were more people.

England.
England.
England.
England.

Now that I could take it in, the crowd was larger than I had expected, not the four thousand who had begun the march, but still one of considerable size--more than a thousand. They were appearing from all directions; they had all taken up this chant. They were celebrating; the national side had won [the skirmish with the police].

I remained leaning against the wall, and remember saying aloud: My, my, my.

Many things fell into place. This chant: it was the only one I had heard in a day otherwise characterized by its enforced, sullen silence. And now: this declaration for England. It was such a simple but enormous thought: these fools, despised at home, ridiculed in the press, incapable of being contained by any act of impulsive legislation that the government had devised, wanted an England to defend. They didn't want Europe; they didn't understand Europe and didn't want to. They wanted a war. They wanted a nation to belong to and to fight for, even if the fight was this absurd piece of street theater with the local Italian police.

_____
Among the Thugs. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1991, p. 300-1.

[processing please hold]

Soccer? Isn't that what little girls play in Elementary school?

[Lukasz]

Relax, they know that football (the game where you must play with your foots mostly) is number one in the world while American football is nowhere near the top ten, that hurts :)

[Drango]

If you cannot bring yourself to cheer for or even defend your own country...

Bite me.

[Poser]

I like soccer.

It gives pre-teen girls something to do.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

[fredhead]

I had no opinion one way or the other until yesterday, when ESPN-2 pre-empted Salt Water Sunday (fishing shows) to show soccer. I look forward to my fishing shows all week, just to have them taken away.

[jmc813]

Great post. I think that the fact that soccer requires relatively intense concentration on the part of the viewer makes it less likely to "catch on" in a country such as the US which does not have a rich history of the sport.

[exile]

"So You Really Think Soccer Blows?"

Yes.

[GOP_Raider]

Mexican fan: Your team sucks. U.S.A. fan: Soccer is ghey

Mexican: Your team sucks. GOP_Raider: Soccer sucks and we suck at soccer.

[GOP_Raider]

Mexican fan: Your team sucks.

SECURE THE BORDER!!---er, um, sorry, force of habit I guess.

[GOP_Raider]

Ok, I'm done with my lame attempt at sarcasm. Here's something I've never quite understood with futbol/soccer. I was watching Mexico/Iran yesterday at work and I asked myself "Self, why does the clock keep running after a foul, yellow card, etc. is called?" I've never understood this, but maybe I'm used to nearly every other game where time limits are kept (football, hockey, basketball, etc.) stopping the clock?

[Darkwolf377]

It's time to quit apologizing and tell the truth. When it comes to soccer, we're right, and the rest of the world is wrong. If they want to dance in the streets of Cameroon or Belgium over this stuff, fine. But the sport does not suit American taste, and we should stop feeling guilty about it.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/14741693.htm

[raybbr]

How lonely you must feel - being an American (?) who loves soccer. Using patriotism to cajole others into watching this sport (I kind of enjoy watching if nothing else is on) tells me how desperate soccer fans are to get us involved.

[Sybeck1]

87 days away!!

[Schweinhund]

Ah whatever. Not only is football the biggest sport circus on earth but also the one with the most haters.

I actually like to watch and play most big sports that were invented in the USA, except from Rugby-with-Pads. But hell, not to love football is just wrong. Misguided and wrong.

Greetings from Dortmund. This is the biggest party I ever saw. And tomorrow it's GER vs. POL in our stadium. This city will burn.

[TruthFactor]

So You Really Think Soccer Blows?

Oh yeaaaaa. You betcha!

[Skooz]

So you Think Soccer Sucks?

Why, yes I do. Thanks for asking.

[kevinm13]

Soccer (as opposed to "futbol" or what the Europeans and the rest of the world call football) is a great sport. I coached my sons from the ages of 6 and 7 to about 14. That is when soccer is interesting. 13 and 14 year olds who know what they are doing on small fields. Offense, defense and strategy. Not what the World Cup offers.

After saying that, I will likely not spend any time watching the World Cup games on TV. For us Americans, the problems with soccer revolve around the fact that as it is currently configured, soccer is not made for TV. The field is too big, there are too many players and there is little if any real action. Most of what you see on TV now is the green field, a few players and the ball being kicked back and forth in the middle of the field far from the goals.

Soccer should be changed for American TV and interest, considering that it is the most popular sport for kids these days. Make the field about the size of an American football field or smaller, reduce the teams to 7 or 8 a side and find ways to increase scoring. You need more action. The rules on the clock are ridiculous. Make 2 or 3 periods of specific time length and in the last 2 minutes stop the clock. No more of this arbitrary "extra time" decided by referees. Until the game is changed (not likely given that the rest of the world seems to like the way it is set up), it will be difficult to get significant American fan support.

[kevinm13]

Soccer (as opposed to "futbol" or what the Europeans and the rest of the world call football) is a great sport. I coached my sons from the ages of 6 and 7 to about 14. That is when soccer is interesting. 13 and 14 year olds who know what they are doing on small fields. Offence, defence and strategy. The best team usually wins. Not what the World Cup offers. Not decided by a stupid referee call or lack of call. Sheer luck can win games considering the low scores. A lucky shot from mid-field (a long way away) can win a game.

After saying that, I will likely not spend any time watching the World Cup games on TV. For us Americans, the problems with soccer revolve around the fact that as it is currently configured, soccer is not made for TV. The field is too big, there are too many players and there is little if any real action. Most of what you see on TV now is the green field, a few players and the ball being kicked back and forth in the middle of the field far from the goals.

Soccer should be changed for American TV and interest, considering that it is the most popular sport for kids these days. Make the field about the size of an American football field or smaller, reduce the teams to 7 or 8 a side and find ways to increase scoring. You need more action. The rules on the clock are ridiculous. Make 2 or 3 periods of specific time length and in the last 2 minutes stop the clock. No more of this arbitrary "extra time" decided by referees. Until the game is changed (not likely given that the rest of the world seems to like the way it is set up), it will be difficult to get significant American fan support.

[LongElegantLegs]

So You Really Think Soccer Blows?

Well, not as much as curling does, but yeah. Thanks for your interst.