Posted on 06/11/2010 12:41:38 PM PDT by AJKauf
leaving politics aside, the reason that soccer has not arrived (and may never rise) to the first tier of professional sports in America is tradition and timing. There is no American soccer “tradition” as there is in baseball and football. Even basketball enjoys a tradition far beyond any national memories we have of American soccer....
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
Soccer is wimpy rugby.....
And downright fluffy compared to American football...
Closer to cricket... and maybe canasta.... idk...
just my $0.02
And these folks, guys and gals, better be in darned good shape. It’s grueling.
Having watched an exhibition game in the Meadowlands, NJ with Pele playing I can tell you it’s an electric thing to watch.
Saw Diego Maradona play numerous time. The olden days of soccer were damned exciting to watch.
Kids played soccer thru high school and then switched to rugby in college.
turd world fans only go for the riots
I must say, I used to go the high school games and enjoyed them.
I liked playing also, but major leagues...no
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Same with the NBA. A bunch of overweight millionaires shuffling around on the court. Blah!
Most Americans think soccer is wimpy because they only know the kids and school-level soccer around here. True, that is quite wimpy. And such play I believe is one of the reasons we're not higher ranked. Our soccer players don't learn how to play real soccer until they're quite a bit older. Meanwhile our school football and basketball is pretty realistic compared to what they'll play later on.
NBA players are in better shape than any other major team sport. MLB players are in the worst shape.
Soccer hasn’t caught on in America, because in America the children’s sports leagues treat soccer as an activity, not as a sport.
Until American kids get to the high school level:
- score is not kept
- “do-overs” on errors, such as bad throw-ins, are common
- “Silent Sidelines” is practiced, where there parents are not allowed to say anything during a game
Since the cost of equipment is next to nil, the kids soccer leagues get the children of parents who really aren’t interested in sports but feel that their kids need exercise.
Nearly all of the coaches I’ve met never played the game, and most couldn’t tell you what offsides is.
Also, there is no tradition.
The whole soccer program for kids in America makes the game feel artificial.
Some afternoon if I can’t find some paint drying to watch, I might just take a gander at this World Cup Soccer. Nothing like a 1-0 score in triple overtime to get the blood rushing! I’d much rather watch these guys kick eachother’s shins than watch 350 lb. lineman cremate eachother in SEC football.
You've nailed it. Baseball is the quintessential American sport. It's a team activity, yet allows room for individual initiative. Each position is crucial to the team, yet allows for individual excellence. There's a reason we have so many statistics about baseball. Each position, though different from the rest, allows the player in that position to "show his stuff."
Soccer is essentially a socialist game. Little opportunity for individuals to stand out. It's no wonder that our socialist school system pushes it so strongly.
I played soccer years ago, when I was on an Air Force team. I formed my opinion of the game then, and it's been reinforced ever since.
The offsides rules in Soccer strongly inhibit any individualism.
ROTFL.
It’s a frikkin’ game, not geopolitics.
I don’t like it, don’t watch, never played, and won’t watch a minute of the world cup, except for what I see on the news. But it is not because of leftists, progressives or commies liking the game, I just don’t like it.
Can we not even leave sports out of our pathological need to see everything in terms of left/right?
Baseball - obviously a lefty game - they provide free passes.
Football - obviously a lefty game - look at all the rules protecting the elite (the qb)
Hockey - obviously a lefty game, they wear ice skates just like those ice dancers at the Olympics (the UN games).
Soccer is just like hockey except that it is lower scoring, no fights (except in the stands), and faking pain is more respected than giving a hard hit.
I agree. You go to London and see schoolkids play soccer — totally different than American kids playing in the wimpish, toy-like style.
That is one of the points why soccer sucks. You go prancing around the field kicking a ball for a couple hours to score no goals then the dang event is decided by penalty kicks after the clock runs out.
LAME.
We know that we can afford more equipment than a soccer ball. However dirt poor, third world leftist countries can only afford one ball per 1000 citizens.
Soccer is not my bag.
Colleges love soccer because girls can play it, which fits well with Title IX.
It's inexpensive to boot.
Whiners. That's a great strategy that's applicable to basketball. Red Auerbach ran the ass off his players in training camp and they always racked up the best record in the first 2 months of the season.
I’m sorry, but World Cup soccer is NOT boring!
GO USA!!!!
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