Suprised the soccer guys weren't on the Beckham thing...

[insein]

Exactly. America can actually become a soccer star's paradise if the attitude of the general public about soccer changes. MLS is improving every year. While Basketball , NFL , Baseball reign in America soccer is always left behind.

Soccer is the King of Sports and is physically and morally more tough then other sports. As for soccer players being "cry babies" there are only a few of them.
I too have seen enough pushing , shoving and complaining in NBA games. NFL is more worst.. There is only pushing and shoving and raw brawn. No class at all. Just two teams made up of "Hulk Hogan's" passing a ball and shoving each other in the arse. Atleast in soccer it is skill and beauty that matter and not how physically strong you are. Sport is not only about physical strength but skill and soccer players in the Leagues have skill even though they do not possess the bulk of NFL players.

No wonder then Soccer is the richest , most widely followed game on the planet and holds the title of the "King of Sports".

Football, real football is the closest you can get to a representation of battle in sport. A gameplan is strategized for a whole week by each team. Then adjustments are made during battle to counter the other coaches strategy. Individuals still make all the plays happen despite the best laid strategies though. So even though a coach has a beautiful strategy on paper, it may all goto hell on gameday. And your telling me that the guys in the NFL don't have more skill then the pansies in soccer leagues? Ladanian Tomlinson would mop the floor with any soccer pro at their own game if he chose to take up the weak game but he became a football player. Brian Westbrook, Tiki Barber, Marshall Faulk in his prime, all would destroy in soccer if they played it instead of football. They are pure athletes. They could play any sport but they chose to play football, the sport of the People. Screw the kings. Who wants to play their sport anyway?

Soccer is more of an improvisational sport. I'm sure they practice some sort of scheme to stay in but for the most part the only organization and strategy is where the players stand. That is lame. It doesnt attack an enemy through the air to test their defenses or pound it directly at them to demoralize their players. Its passing, nonstop till the other team gets bored enough to let you get by them and get a shot off. Then you have to get it by the suprisingly still awake goal tender who may see a total of 5 shots a game.

90 plus minutes of absolute boredom. Great sport to play. Gets good exercise. No actually team effort required. No sense of accomplishment after a game. No feeling of complete victory after a 1-0 win or even a tie. Their might be a sense of futile loss after a 0-0 tie or a 0-1 loss. But its more the feeling of "why did i just waste 90 minutes of my life when this is the outcome?"

Basically don't compare football to soccer. Football wins everytime. The world loves soccer? Then the world can keep it. America loves Football.

 

[Annie]

I love football, well unless say 24 is on, from Pop Warner-Bears. Same with soccer, from AYSO to Chicago Fire. Actually if there were larger crowds at the Fire games, maybe more.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

And your telling me that the guys in the NFL don't have more skill then the pansies in soccer leagues?

I don't think anyone can argue which players have more skill. It's just not an arguement worth persuing and really nonsensical. Both have extreme skill. There are plently of 6-5 250 defenders that can fly and crush you in top flights of soccer. Until you see a top flight game in person you can't appreciate the level of skill and speed that goes into a game. TV does not do it justice. Ladanian might be able to cut on a dime running 30mph, but I want to see him do it with a ball at his feet and four defenders on him ready to break his legs. It's not easy my friend.

Ladanian Tomlinson would mop the floor with any soccer pro at their own game if he chose to take up the weak game but he became a football player. Brian Westbrook, Tiki Barber, Marshall Faulk in his prime, all would destroy in soccer if they played it instead of football. They are pure athletes. They could play any sport but they chose to play football, the sport of the People. Screw the kings. Who wants to play their sport anyway?

They chose to play football because american is football oriented and it makes the most money in the states. I do however fantisize about our top athletes playing soccer. I will agree we would dominate soccer is say faulk and kobe played soccer.

Soccer is more of an improvisational sport. I'm sure they practice some sort of scheme to stay in but for the most part the only organization and strategy is where the players stand. That is lame. It doesnt attack an enemy through the air to test their defenses or pound it directly at them to demoralize their players. Its passing, nonstop till the other team gets bored enough to let you get by them and get a shot off. Then you have to get it by the suprisingly still awake goal tender who may see a total of 5 shots a game.

Really? Can you hear yourself? This state is seriously ignorant.

90 plus minutes of absolute boredom. Great sport to play. Gets good exercise. No actually team effort required. No sense of accomplishment after a game. No feeling of complete victory after a 1-0 win or even a tie. Their might be a sense of futile loss after a 0-0 tie or a 0-1 loss. But its more the feeling of "why did i just waste 90 minutes of my life when this is the outcome?"

You needed to keep this in your head, because it makes you look seriously ignorant. Most games don't end up 1-0 at the top level. Very common for 1-1 2-2 2-1 3-1 and such. And say instead of 1pt goals they are 7 pts. The scores then become 14-7 14-14 21-7. Looks kinda like football. Maybe soccer goal should be 100pts each. Would you like it then? Exactly.

Basically don't compare football to soccer.

Exactly! Then why are you trying? Because you are insecure about your football sport?

 

[manu1959]

I'm sorry but a sport where i wait for a guy to take a dive to give my team an advantage is not a sport i care to watch unless they are beating the crap out of each other every other minute (aka hockey).

Patience is a virtue but time is precious. I don't see time spent watching a soccer match where the team passes the ball backward most of the time to get forward as efficient time management. Football has alot of downtime in between plays but its the most exciting sport in the country. Thats because the actual plays themselves are the most exciting action you can find in all of sports. It proves that you can have slow action as long as there is a pay off. A sport where shots on goal is heralded as an achievement as much so as goals scored shows where this sport lies. Typical feel good liberal thinking of Europe to make it so that the effort getting there is just as important as the outcome. The only reason Americans watch/play sports is because they want to win. You win some, you lose some but if you lose some, you find any way you can to win the next time. You don't revel in the fact that you tried hard. Also ties suck but 0-0 ties suck hard.

it would apper my original analysis is correct given your testy response ..... and yes americans would have to love their violent sports where there has to be a winner .... becasue they certainly are not any good at winning a war in the past 50 years .....

 

[akiboy]

Football, real football is the closest you can get to a representation of battle in sport. A gameplan is strategized for a whole week by each team. Then adjustments are made during battle to counter the other coaches strategy. Individuals still make all the plays happen despite the best laid strategies though. So even though a coach has a beautiful strategy on paper, it may all goto hell on gameday. And your telling me that the guys in the NFL don't have more skill then the pansies in soccer leagues? Ladanian Tomlinson would mop the floor with any soccer pro at their own game if he chose to take up the weak game but he became a football player. Brian Westbrook, Tiki Barber, Marshall Faulk in his prime, all would destroy in soccer if they played it instead of football. They are pure athletes. They could play any sport but they chose to play football, the sport of the People. Screw the kings. Who wants to play their sport anyway?

Soccer is more of an improvisational sport. I'm sure they practice some sort of scheme to stay in but for the most part the only organization and strategy is where the players stand. That is lame. It doesnt attack an enemy through the air to test their defenses or pound it directly at them to demoralize their players. Its passing, nonstop till the other team gets bored enough to let you get by them and get a shot off. Then you have to get it by the suprisingly still awake goal tender who may see a total of 5 shots a game.

90 plus minutes of absolute boredom. Great sport to play. Gets good exercise. No actually team effort required. No sense of accomplishment after a game. No feeling of complete victory after a 1-0 win or even a tie. Their might be a sense of futile loss after a 0-0 tie or a 0-1 loss. But its more the feeling of "why did i just waste 90 minutes of my life when this is the outcome?"

Basically don't compare football to soccer. Football wins everytime. The world loves soccer? Then the world can keep it. America loves Football.

Dude , you really must watch more soccer games. You say "It doesnt attack an enemy through the air to test their defenses or pound it directly at them to demoralize their players"...Haven't you ever seen corner kicks in soccer ? Have you seen Zidane's "bullet" headers (That would put the Matrix guys to shame) against Brazil during the 1998 World Cup final? Have you seen Patrick Viera's body jumping into the air and shoving two players off to head the ball to his team mate?

You say 90 mins. of boredom. Absolutely wrong. I suggest you watch the skill and deftness with which players like Ronaldinho , Drogba , Rooney , C.Ronaldo , Robinho etc etc show during those 90 minutes. Every player sweats (not only coz of the running) it out . Its like "Every second you waste on the pitch is another day you must spend in hell". You must watch a match where a team is 1-0 down and the clock is on the 89'th minute. The drama , the action and the noise of the crowd can drive you to a frenzy which can never be experienced in any other sport. When teams like Brazil, France are a goal down you should see how they play.

And I cannot share with you the experience of soccer by writing this post alone. I suggest you watch the Joga Bonito Soccer videos from nikefootball.com or else get hold of some videos showing some of the best goals in the "World Game"

 

[insein]

I told you, i watched almost every match of World cup last year. Is that not the best of the best? Only game that i got into was when Germany was pummeling poland (ironically). Germany was moving up and getting shots on goal at will. There werent any midfield borefests that i was used to. The championship match was boring as all hell though. Aside from Zidane head butting the guy, it was completely uneventful.

As for the scoring, hockey as 1pt scoring but hockey is enjoyable to watch. Its fast paced. It has hard hitting. It requires incredible skill being able to skate and control a puck. Plus when its 1-0 or 0-0, its not freaking boring. It usually means that the goalies are playing out of their minds.

ITs not about violent sports. Its about action sports. More people in this country watch Golf and poker than they do soccer. Whats that say about "the sport of Kings?" Soccer is too slow to watch. Thats why America will never warm up to it. If Pele couldnt do it, i don't believe Beckham will.

 

[insein]

On the topic, aparently the Real Madrid coach is a spoiled sport over the whole thing. He's benching beckham for the remaining 6 months of his contract. Like i said, i don't follow soccer but this would be like benching Michael Jordan on the Bulls because he said he wanted to go play for another league after his contract is up. Completely childish.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/13/D8MKI9700.html

Beckham Won't Play Again for Real Madrid

Jan 13 1:26 PM US/Eastern

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- David Beckham won't play again for Real Madrid after announcing his departure at the end of the season for the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. "He is not going to play any more. He will practice, but he is not going to play," coach Fabio Capello said Saturday at a news conference.

Beckham announced this week he will not extend his contract with Real Madrid when it expires in June and is instead leaving for the Galaxy and a five-year deal.

"The player's decision is to go to Los Angeles. He has always been a great professional, but a player who has such a major contract with another team ... we cannot count on him," Capello said. "I think one cannot have the same drive if one is already with another team."

Beckham's spokesman, Simon Oliveira, said the 31-year-old midfielder would "continue to give his full commitment and professionalism to the club."

"David is surprised at the quotes from Fabio Capello, as nobody from the club has informed him of their intentions," Oliveira said. "As far as David is aware, he has a contract for the remainder of the season and he remains dedicated to the club and its supporters."

Beckham, who joined Madrid from Manchester United in 2003, has said he plans to leave Real Madrid after his contract expires June 30 and to join the Galaxy in August.

The Galaxy did not immediately respond to phone messages early Saturday morning in Los Angeles.

 

[Dr Grump]

I doubt any AFL or NFL player could play soccer. They'd have to slim down and get their aerobic fitness up to high levels. Then they'd have to stay off the steroids. The thing with soccer is, as you know, you can't use your hands, so it takes a lot more skill than chucking a ball around. I find American Football (which isn't true 'football' by the way, football is - note it is called FOOT ball, not catch-and-pass ball) extemely dull and boring. And if it is so exciting Insein, why hasn't it taken off everywhere else? And if football (soccer) is so boring, how come the rest of the world has embraced it.

That aside if you want real action, Rugby Union is a good place to start before getting on to the best - Rugby League...

 

[The ClayTaurus]

It's not the low scoring that makes it boring, it's the low shot attempts. Hockey has 40-50 shots on goal a game.

As far as soccer vs. football, both are boring to the untrained eye. It really becomes a cultural preference. I think football has a more concrete, organized feel. Soccer has a more fluid feel. I would venture someone who hates abstract art would like football more than soccer.

 

[manu1959]

I told you, i watched almost every match of World cup last year. Is that not the best of the best? Only game that i got into was when Germany was pummeling poland (ironically). Germany was moving up and getting shots on goal at will. There werent any midfield borefests that i was used to. The championship match was boring as all hell though. Aside from Zidane head butting the guy, it was completely uneventful.

As for the scoring, hockey as 1pt scoring but hockey is enjoyable to watch. Its fast paced. It has hard hitting. It requires incredible skill being able to skate and control a puck. Plus when its 1-0 or 0-0, its not freaking boring. It usually means that the goalies are playing out of their minds.

ITs not about violent sports. Its about action sports. More people in this country watch Golf and poker than they do soccer. Whats that say about "the sport of Kings?" Soccer is too slow to watch. Thats why America will never warm up to it. If Pele couldnt do it, i don't believe Beckham will.

world cup is not the best .... champions league is where the best matches are...world cup lets crap teams in....like the US....not sure what final you watched but the one i saw was quite good....unlike the super bowl where one side blows the other out ..... hockey is a good sport .... baseball is as dull as cricket .... and i am not sure i would brag about a culture that favours watching cards over soccer ....hell you might as well brag that you watch darts and bowling .... by the way what sport do you white americans excell at anyway ? looks to me like the slaves are still performing for you .... you are just paying them better....

 

[insein]

Im sorry. I thought blacks were Americans. Guess you Europeans still have to teach me a thing or 2. I didnt understand that soccer is more popular because you keep "slaves" out of it.

 

[akiboy]

Im sorry. I thought blacks were Americans. Guess you Europeans still have to teach me a thing or 2. I didnt understand that soccer is more popular because you keep "slaves" out of it.

Dude , soccer is a universal game. Anyone can play it regardless of sex , race , caste or colour. The European Leagues have a lot of coloured players who have made soccer more exciting to watch and play. Didier Drogba , Claude Makelele , Pele , Thierry Henry etc. are soccer "gods".

And yes racism does exist in soccer like it does in every sport. Mostly in Germany though where neo-Nazi nutters like to insult black players.

All that matters in soccer is shear grit , ambition , talent and skill.

 

[insein]

Dude , soccer is a universal game. Anyone can play it regardless of sex , race , caste or colour. The European Leagues have a lot of coloured players who have made soccer more exciting to watch and play. Didier Drogba , Claude Makelele , Pele , Thierry Henry etc. are soccer "gods".

And yes racism does exist in soccer like it does in every sport. Mostly in Germany though where neo-Nazi nutters like to insult black players.

All that matters in soccer is shear grit , ambition , talent and skill.

I was merely responding to manu's post about "what sports Americans are good at" since he seems to think the "slaves" are the ones who play our sports here.

Soccer is the worlds game because it requires a ball and an open plot of land. Most country's in the world are 3rd world. Therefore soccer is easy to get a game together and play with very little cost. Just need some friends and a ball. No real organization is needed either. Just run around, chase the ball, get some exercise and have fun. Its a simple game. Sure their are very skilled players at it but its not a hard game to understand. Thats why its the world s favorite sport. American's prefer a challenge. It is a cultural difference. If the sport looks too easy then it aint worth doing (or worth paying to watch is more accurate). Call us selfish or impatient or whatever but we want action and we want it now. Especially when we throw hundreds of dollars down to watch a game.

Actually Indoor soccer is probably more popular in America than MLS because of the novelty. They play soccer in an enclosed rink alittle bigger than a hockey rink. The action is fast and exciting. The scoring is higher. Its a subtle change that works for Americans.

 

[Dr Grump]

Soccer is the worlds game because it requires a ball and an open plot of land. Most country's in the world are 3rd world. Therefore soccer is easy to get a game together and play with very little cost.

There is more money in soccer than any other sport in the world. It is popular because it requires skill and has been around for eons. You mean there is no such thing as pick up games of American Football. pppffttttt

American's prefer a challenge. It is a cultural difference. If the sport looks too easy then it aint worth doing (or worth paying to watch is more accurate). Call us selfish or impatient or whatever but we want action and we want it now. Especially when we throw hundreds of dollars down to watch a game.

If you prefer a challenge, why are baseball and basketball so popular. Two of the most basic games around. Same with ice hockey. The thing I like about football and rugby's league and union is they are 90 minutes and 80 minutes long respectively, and guess what? They are played in those times (with the odd bit of stoppage time added for injuries). An American Football game is supposed to be what, an hour? How long does it last? Four? B-O-R-i-N-G. And you think soccer, especially in Europe, is cheap? Try 1) Getting a season ticket to Manchester United or Liverpool games 2) With the few tickets that are left over on purpose for fans, how much do you think they cost?

The action is fast and exciting. The scoring is higher. Its a subtle change that works for Americans.

One of the reasons soccer is so popular, and why they celebrate so heartily, is that it is NOT easy to score. That is what makes the game so intriguing...