Why Soccer Should have way more American fans

[CrusaderFrank]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsCbXu5it6Y]YouTube - Maicon scores a beauty (Inter-Juventus 1-0 goal)[/ame]

I love my Yankees, I loved watching Joe Montana with under 2 minutes to go, but how can you watch this and NOT be impressed?

This guy is a Brazilian Defender!

 

[rightwinger]

Because they play for an hour in a 1-0 game. Teams play not to lose instead of playing to win

America will never embrace Soccer......Just ain't going to happen

 

[Toro]

Yeah, I saw this yesterday. Its absolutely amazing.

I'm a huge soccer fan. Its a great game.

 

[Diuretic]

It was a beautiful goal, but why are they beating him up?

 

[Andrew2382]

because we despise the "omg I'm hurt I'm going to die" rolling around on the floor then when the ref doesn't pay you any attention the guy springs back up to life as if nothing happened

 

[martybegan]

Its mostly because of sports saturation. The other 3 big (and one so-so big, hockey) sports are already entrenched here. For soccer to make a move it would take one of the others to die off really.

 

[tigerbob]

Its mostly because of sports saturation. The other 3 big (and one so-so big, hockey) sports are already entrenched here. For soccer to make a move it would take one of the others to die off really.

That's about the closest to the real reason.

 

[tigerbob]

Because they play for an hour in a 1-0 game. Teams play not to lose instead of playing to win

America will never embrace Soccer......Just ain't going to happen

Actually they play soccer for 90 minutes, plus 10 minutes or so for half time.

But I can understand your confusion. Football and hockey go on for an hour. Oh, hang on, they actually go on for closer to 3 hours don't they, because of all the commercials and time outs.

But you're right though. I hate watching a sport where the game actually goes on 100% of the time.

Give me something where 2 out of every 3 minutes is either anchors and color analysts dribbling on, or commercial breaks. That's the way sport should be.

Watch a game for 45 minutes at a time without a break? That sounds hideous.

My fave of course is hoops, where 2 minutes takes upwards of half an hour. Awesome.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Because they play for an hour in a 1-0 game. Teams play not to lose instead of playing to win

America will never embrace Soccer......Just ain't going to happen

Actually they play soccer for 90 minutes, plus 10 minutes or so for half time.

But I can understand your confusion. Football and hockey go on for an hour. Oh, hang on, they actually go on for closer to 3 hours don't they, because of all the commercials and time outs.

But you're right though. I hate watching a sport where the game actually goes on 100% of the time.

Give me something where 2 out of every 3 minutes is either anchors and color analysts dribbling on, or commercial breaks. That's the way sport should be.

Watch a game for 45 minutes at a time without a break? That sounds hideous.

My fave of course is hoops, where 2 minutes takes upwards of half an hour. Awesome.

I lived in Rio back when Maracana was filled with 100,000 for Botafogo vs. Flamengo. Hearing 50,000 yelling "Figlia da puta!" when the ref blew a call was memorable

 

[boedicca]

I love soccer - one of the best weeks of my life was going to Paris for the World Cup in 1998.

I would have thought soccer would be more popular in the U.S. by now considering how kids have been playing it as a support for decades now. There's one aspect, however, that is keeping it from catching on as a major national sport in the U.S. - it's too international.

American's like sports for which the championship series is (more or less) an American on American contest. (Canada pretty much counts as an extension of the U.S. for sports). We have a big enough geographic territory and economy to field a lot of teams - and with migration among regions, there are often enough fans of the other team in major metros to make the rivalries personally meaningful. In a major metro, it's likely that one's circle of friends includes fans of the other team. International soccer makes that personalization more difficult.

 

[Oddball]

Its mostly because of sports saturation. The other 3 big (and one so-so big, hockey) sports are already entrenched here. For soccer to make a move it would take one of the others to die off really.

It's because there's no scoring and the only real excitement comes from drunk hooligan fans.

Americans refused to bored to death for their sports entertainment.

 

[tigerbob]

Because they play for an hour in a 1-0 game. Teams play not to lose instead of playing to win

America will never embrace Soccer......Just ain't going to happen

Actually they play soccer for 90 minutes, plus 10 minutes or so for half time.

But I can understand your confusion. Football and hockey go on for an hour. Oh, hang on, they actually go on for closer to 3 hours don't they, because of all the commercials and time outs.

But you're right though. I hate watching a sport where the game actually goes on 100% of the time.

Give me something where 2 out of every 3 minutes is either anchors and color analysts dribbling on, or commercial breaks. That's the way sport should be.

Watch a game for 45 minutes at a time without a break? That sounds hideous.

My fave of course is hoops, where 2 minutes takes upwards of half an hour. Awesome.

I lived in Rio back when Maracana was filled with 100,000 for Botafogo vs. Flamengo. Hearing 50,000 yelling "Figlia da puta!" when the ref blew a call was memorable

I remember that kind of thing well. Many's the time I've been at Anfield when the kop have disputed the parentage of an opposing player or official.

Despite being a Liverpool fan, my favorite still has to be Man Utd's abuse of Kevin Keegan (my boyhood hero) when he was manager of Newcastle, sung to the tune of Daydream Believer:

Cheer up Kevin Keegan
Oh what can it mean
To a sad Geordie bastard
And a shite football team.



I was at the very first league game where that was sung - Man U at Wimbledon in August of '96. Classic.

I miss footie.

 

[tigerbob]

Its mostly because of sports saturation. The other 3 big (and one so-so big, hockey) sports are already entrenched here. For soccer to make a move it would take one of the others to die off really.

It's because there's no scoring and the only real excitement comes from drunk hooligan fans.

Americans refused to bored to death for their sports entertainment.

Which is why they consider a no hitter a classic....

 

[Oddball]

During no-hitters and pitcher's duels, there is at least some discernible action.

If Americans want to watch a bunch of people run around in circles with no apparent result, they can take in the recess period at any given elementary school.

 

[tigerbob]

During no-hitters and pitcher's duels, there is at least some discernible action.

If Americans want to watch a bunch of people run around in circles with no apparent result, they can take in the recess period at any given elementary school.

Classic failed attempt to logically validate your distinction.

 

[uscitizen]

I have more important things to do than watch sports. Like taking a nap

 

[tigerbob]

I have more important things to do than watch sports. Like taking a nap

You must be a Yankee fan....

 

[martybegan]

From my viewpoint alot of the movement in a soccer game seems kind of meaningless. All the positioning and gradual establishment of field position can be eliminated by one big booming kick down the other end of the field.

I know a true affecionado of the sport sees it differently. Also as a hockey fan and someone who played street hockey as a kid as a goalie, the inability to score 20 goals a game on a net that big compared to the goalie drives me nuts.

 

[uscitizen]

I have more important things to do than watch sports. Like taking a nap

You must be a Yankee fan....

I am not a fan of any spectator sport.
And I don't want my tax dollars spent on them.

 

[tigerbob]

I have more important things to do than watch sports. Like taking a nap

You must be a Yankee fan....

I am not a fan of any spectator sport.
And I don't want my tax dollars spent on them.

k