Why, in America, immigrants don't cheer for the U.S. soccer team

SF Chronicle ^ | 6-4-02 | Gustavo Arellano

[G-Bob]

This article was in today's SF Chron. I read it this morning on my way into work. This line really pissed me off and I fired off and e-mail to Gustavo when I got into work.

Iran's 2-1 upset victory over the American squad during the 1998 World Cup was considered by many in the Iranian expatriate community -- with memories of the U.S.-backed Shah's brutal regime still fresh in their minds -- as one of their country's grandest moments. It sparked jubilant celebrations both here and in Tehran.

The Iranian expat community is comprised of Jews who left the country to avoid persecution and former government and military personnel who served under the Shah. They can be in no way described as anti-Shah or anti-American.

I used to live and work right near the little Tehran retail district in Westwood, California. I happened to be at work the day Iran defeated the US. I walked home through the celebration and no where did I witness any anti-American sentiment.

The author of the article is an ethnic studies graduate student at UCLA. He's got an ax to grind and he wrote an article that supports his bias, not one that's based upon facts.

[hole_n_one]

Yesterday, in an attempt to see just how difficult it would be to make better than 16 out of 30 freethrows as the Sacramento Kings had done the day before, I took Brandy and Pebbles to the local gym to shoot some freethrows........

Brandy made 21 out of 30.

Pebbles drained all 30 of her attempts.......

Pebbles is now impossible to live with.

[luvbach1]

Ever hear of somebody moving from one US city to another and transfering their loyalty to their new hometown's teams? And moving from one country to another is a much more significant move. In the case of new citizens or citizens-to-be, is it unreasonable to expect that their hearts should eventually be with their adopted country? No, it's not intrinsically important whether a US team wins a soccer game, but it is important to identify with your country and become a part of it.

[Horatio Bunce]

I played soccer.

Against who, a bunch of six year olds?

It's mindless.

Maybe if you're playing against six year olds.

Not an ounce of strategy.

Even the six year old version has strategy, and it is "kick the ball into the other person's goal." The farther you progress into the sport, the more refined the strategy becomes.

If all I wanted was to be bored to tears watching men in great physical shape..... I'd go to the Ballet.

I guess that's your problem. It takes more skill than you'll ever know to play soccer.

[al-andalus]

Nice kitties. The last time I saw a face that pale was Doug Christie in Game 7. He needed a bathroom bad.

[willieroe]

The last time I saw a face that pale was Doug Christie in Game 7. He needed a bathroom bad.

Probably would have missed there, too...

[hole_n_one]

haha!

[gg188]

Soccer players are the best all around athletes in professional sports

Wrong. "All around" would most defintintely include all things related to hand and eye athleticism, and it certainly would include hand and eye athleticism, coordination, and dexterity to Westerners. Only Third-worlders---people who can't figure out not to mix drinking water with their effluent water, despite our telling them over and freaking over for decades to the tune of billions in foreign aid---could find such a goofy game, in which you don't use your HANDS, interesting. How stupid is that?

[1rudeboy]

Before you inflict your opinion on the rest of us, perhaps you should watch a World Cup game. Once.

[al-andalus]

Actually, I felt sorry for Christie. He went to Pepperdine and is one of the true class acts in the NBA.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Well, the World Cup in Soccer would seem to be the Conservatives biggest thrill. It's where you're born that counts, not where you live. The Irish guy who had a spat with their coach plays professional soccer for England-but he plays for Ireland in the World Cup. The Senegalese team that beat France has 21 players living in France and playing in the French professional league.

On the other hand, there's always watching live ice fishing.

[luvbach1]

That's the great paradox of soccer: the players run fast, action changes direction quickly and frequently, but overall there is little scoring and the game remains boring. But that doesn't matter, what captures the fans worldwide is the rampant nationalism symbolized by their respective teams.The riots over the years is more evidence of that. That is precisely what is going on when immigrants in America root for the "home team."

[luvbach1]

Booing our anthem and disrespecting the players spoke volumes that apparently were irrelevant to the writer.

[Horatio Bunce]

Wrong. "All around" would most defintintely include all things related to hand and eye athleticism, and it certainly would include hand and eye athleticism, coordination, and dexterity to Westerners.

Have you seen in any other sport a goalie stop an 80 mile per hour shot from less than 18 yds away from the open side of a net? It happens all the time in soccer. Superior hand-eye cordination is required to pull of such a feat, and even the American goalies can do it.

Of course, other positions need great eye cordination as well. If they don't have it, those head balls can really hurt.

[willieroe]

It's unfortunate to see players struggle like that in a deciding playoff game. I had to hold my nose and agree with the NBC announcer who kept muttering, "Where is Bobby Jackson?" (6 for 9 from the field in the game.)

[al-andalus]

On the other hand, there's always watching live ice fishing.

71 posted on 6/4/02 9:59 PM Pacific by Doctor Stochastic

How bad does your marriage have to be to go ice fishing?

[rebelsoldier]

As long as this stupid government continues to allow enclaves of hostile foreign populations to grow and accumulate, this crap will go on and will eventually lead to a real civil war and deaths. Two or more opposing cultures with vastly different goals cannot occuy the same space without inevitable conflict. Either Mexicans and others become Americans and adopt American ways and culture or there will be massive social upheaval, and to hell with what temporary political whoring filth want or think.

[luvbach1]

Irrelevant. In the respective sports you mentioned, the players are in the condition they need to be in to excel. Or are you suggesting that soccer players could step right in to the NBA or NFL?

[gg188]

I played soccer. It's mindless. Not an ounce of strategy. If all I wanted was to be bored to tears watching men in great physical shape..... I'd go to the Ballet.

Dead on, spot on correct.

And ballet requires one to use ones hands. It requires skill, art, it requires the participation of homo sapiens. It requires opposable thumbs. It is the product of Western civilization. People who figured out not to dump your sewage upstream from where you draw your drinking water, more than can be said of 90% of the third world where soccer flourishes. Century after century, and they NEVER FIGURED OUT where cholorea and dysentary came from! Gawdalmighty! Then time to have some recreation and they say, hey, let's play a game that doesn't use the ONE ATTRIBUTE WE POSSESS THAT UNIQUELY SEPARATES US FROM THE rest of the living things on earth: our ability to use our hands!

Is it any wonder that Europeans have created what we have, and after centuries and millenia other civilizations don't have toilets or toilet paper? No wonder they hate our a$$es and want to bomb us. That's why we need to take them out first....but that's for other threads...