heck yeah!
Posted on 08/19/2012 10:47:26 AM PDT by Jakarta ex-pat
I have just finished watching an absolute scorcher of a game between Manchester City and Southampton (the current league champions won 3-2) and would like to state my case why America needs to embrace this game ASAP.
1) Football (soccer) is THE premier spectator sport in the world.
This doesn't mean baseball, basketball, Ice Hockey, cricket, American football, rugby, Australian rules etc don't have a place at the table. But week in and week out, the thought that David can and does beat Goliath makes it genuine.
2) It can be played anywhere.
Unlike most team sports, no equipment is required to play except a ball. And I don't necessarily mean a football. The kids at my school use "paper" balls, and when I was a kid, we used sweaters for goal posts.
3) It is an international language.
With the chances of our children traveling internationally becoming far more frequent, to be able to communicate with others is a huge asset. Yes learning languages is important, but that's no good if you have nothing to talk about. The EPL is represented by almost half the world. Moreover it is the most watched league in the world. Having some knowledge of its stars and traditions does no harm.
Once again, I'm NOT saying other spectator sports are boring ( well ok basketball and baseball). But in this shrinking world, if you don't know Rooney from Drogba, Pele form Maradonna, or Juventus from AC Milan...you are left with talking about ....
Soccer is BORING!!!!!!!!
I have 2 cousins (brothers) who are mad Arsenal and Spurs supporters. Makes for lively discussions when the derby is due.
I have been a Spurs supporter all my life. Nice to hear there are Spurs supporters in the USA.
Mel
I have come to the conclusion that there is something distinctly un-American about a sport that routinely ends in a tie.
And the funniest thing about your observation, is that soccer is a capitalistic sport watched by socialists, whereas NFL football is a socialistic sport watched by capitalists.
If football was scored the same way, a 28-0 lead would really be 4-0.
Yeah boy! Soccer is ALMOST as thrilling as bowling and curling! Three hours of guys running up and down, back and forth as the ball goes out of bounds!! Be still my heart!
Soccer remindes me of that famous Oklahoma license plate.
Oklahoma is OK.
Probably closer to 40-0, because all that Goodell and the League seem to be concerned about is making it as easy to score as possible. And the strategy is working—witness some of the comments here.
I’ve seen that comment twice, now. A three-hour soccer game? Where do you find them? Especially since you (apparently) do not watch soccer.
But then again, I feel the same way about hockey and lots of Americans are absolutely rabid about hockey.
Imagine how boring NFL football would be if you took away the forward pass. It would just be two teams changing possession back and forth with an occasional punt and an occasional field goal. It would be a snooze fest. Just like soccer.
It is an Italian aerobics exercise.
Soccer is a stupid sport. Baseball is even stupider. Basketball and any sort of ball sports are just stupid, period. American Football is relatively better due to it being a bit more physical, but with padding and helmets, it is just stupid as well.
Boxing, kickboxing, and other martial art sports are okay, however. MMA is the only true sport we have.
Wasn’t it “soccer moms” who gave us Clinton?
I would prefer the judgment of baseball Dads to elect presidents, thank you.
By the way, aren’t you glad you started this thread?
NFL dads gave us Jimmy Carter? (Just pointing out the absurdity of your comment).
Never!! Soccer is a foreign girls game.
Watching soccer is like watching paint dry.
heck yeah!
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