The secret to World Cup success? Hate soccer

http://www.gainesville.com/ ^

[Chet 99]

By John Houder Columnist

Published: Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 2:12 p.m.

The United States is a nation of differences. We all live together under one flag, but we're divided by geography, religion and socio-economic class. We disagree on trivial subjects like politics and important ones like whether or not the series finale of “Lost” was a complete disappointment. (It was.)

The only thing that transcends those boundaries and ties us together as a country is our mutual understanding that soccer is a pretty stupid game.

Everyone, from the richest Wall Street CEO to the poorest, bus-station hobo, will agree that soccer is an intensely boring sport where players are more likely to get hurt writhing around on the “pitch” in fake agony than they are while actually playing the game.

Where is the excitement in a 90-minute match that ends in a score of 1-0 or, often enough, 0-0? How many games can you watch before you lose all hope that something interesting will ever happen? Why don't they just pick up the ball or punch each other like in a real sport?

If we don't hate soccer, we certainly approach it with the same detached ambivalence as we do the metric system or photographs of other people's vacations. We understand that it's important or interesting to someone else, but we just don't have the time or energy to care about it ourselves.

[Ayn And Milton]

Hmmm... now there’s a thought. I might watch too...

(hears his Mom entering the house, ducks, deletes, arrgggh...)

[LuvFreeRepublic]

Big day for Holland tomorrow. How exciting. Should be a great game. Welcome to FR.

[LuvFreeRepublic]

I do think that was uncalled for.

I agree.

[Ayn And Milton]

Thanks! It surely will be, the most defensive team will lose this one.

A&M

[Izzy Dunne]

I don't watch soccer, but I saw this and thought of you.

CONGRATULATIONS!