And please dont come back, you are horrible, really, please play basketball you are great but not soccer!!

thanks SeNdEr you ooze class from every pore of your sorry being...

kick them when they're down, eh....

yeah right stoned_in_dc,
SeNdEr is a tough man. He comes behind to achieve you !

The World Cup is receiving alot of coverage in the local newspapers in Vancouver, but in reality, nobody I know is even slightly interested in the tourney. I seriously doubt very few people in the States cares about the tournament unless they're die hard soccer fans to begin with. I'll bet if you asked the average American on the street, he or she probably wouldn't have known the US was in the World Cup, let alone which countries they played against.
Soccer is a fun sport to play, but I personally don't want to watch a 90 minute match with no goals.
I know that most of the people on this board who aren't from North America (and even some from) will disagree with me.

My opinion has always been "to each his own." I personally prefer Baseball, but then again I'm a big fat dumb arrogant and ignorant American who doesn't know anything beyond his front door.

The company I work for is catering to the soccer fans 100% - it's sickening. They even had a lotto for World Cup tickets. Ask them to have a Stones ticket lotto and they'll laugh in your face.

Peach out,

Duane

SeNdEr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And please dont come back, you are horrible,
> really, please play basketball you are great but
> not soccer!!

What a ridiculous and offensive thing to say.

Soccer is a great game, the States is getting to grips with it, maybe in another generation or two the game will finally have established itself in that country. Meanwhile ........... well done, and better luck next time.

"They even had a lotto for World Cup tickets. Ask them to have a Stones ticket lotto and they'll laugh in your face"

thats because its your COUNTRY. the Stones aren't!

SeNdEr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And please dont come back, you are horrible,
> really, please play basketball you are great but
> not soccer!!


well, the US were better than a lot of other countries in the World Cup (despite being in the toughest group of all), yet I notice you choose not to start a thread berating the Saudis, Iranians or Costa Ricans - or having a pop at the Poles or Czechs , who were expected to do well but didnt..

I think your post says more about you than it does about the quality (or perceived lack of it) of the US team

The U.S. isn't up to the competitive level it needs to be yet, but interest is growing. The fan base is growing too, but American fans will never reach the fever pitch of nationalism exhibited by the fans of some countries.

As far as the game itself, when you see a game in person by teams with high skill levels you can really appreciate it. It's best to watch from a level higher than the field, so you can get a broad view of what is unfolding. The athleticism, conditioning and skills required to play are second to no other sport.

"make up your mind, 'cause I gotta go"

andy - I don't quite follow you. Yeah the World Cup is being hosted by Germany, but the Stones are coming to Germany as well. They could cater to both groups, IMHO.

andy js Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "They even had a lotto for World Cup tickets. Ask
> them to have a Stones ticket lotto and they'll
> laugh in your face"
>
> thats because its your COUNTRY. the Stones aren't!

DGA35 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The World Cup is receiving alot of coverage in the
> local newspapers in Vancouver, but in reality,
> nobody I know is even slightly interested in the
> tourney. I seriously doubt very few people in the
> States cares about the tournament unless they're
> die hard soccer fans to begin with. I'll bet if
> you asked the average American on the street, he
> or she probably wouldn't have known the US was in
> the World Cup, let alone which countries they
> played against.
> Soccer is a fun sport to play, but I personally
> don't want to watch a 90 minute match with no
> goals.
> I know that most of the people on this board who
> aren't from North America (and even some from)
> will disagree with me.


I am one to agree here. The great majority of folks that I know have little, if any, interest in the World Cup. Personally, European 'football' is THE most boring game to watch. Might consider it akin to watching paint dry...

keefstheman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Personally, European 'football' is
> THE most boring game to watch. Might consider it
> akin to watching paint dry...

I'm not going to judge if baseball or american football are or not ae boring, but I'm going to make one little correction to your comment: it's not European football, but Football. If you want, you could name it "Whole-world-but-the-US- Football"

[There'll be no wedding today...]

electric-duane Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> andy - I don't quite follow you. Yeah the World
> Cup is being hosted by Germany, but the Stones are
> coming to Germany as well. They could cater to
> both groups, IMHO.


er. one is your country, so should be of interest to everyone, and one is a rock n roll band of interest to a few

surely you see why they'd offer world cup tickets over gig ones ?

Um, Andy, no I don't understand, 95% of the tickets given away were for teams other than Germany - why should a German want to see England play Trinidad and Tobago? Since when did these two countries become "my country?"

My take on it is different: One is a sport, of interest to some, and the other is a rock band of interest to some.

andy js Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> electric-duane Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > andy - I don't quite follow you. Yeah the World
> > Cup is being hosted by Germany, but the Stones
> are
> > coming to Germany as well. They could cater to
> > both groups, IMHO.
>
>
> er. one is your country, so should be of interest
> to everyone, and one is a rock n roll band of
> interest to a few
>
> surely you see why they'd offer world cup tickets
> over gig ones ?

I have to totally disagree that here in USA the FIFA Cup is not being followed. I am actually evry surprised how much coverage it is getting and how actuively everyone I know is following it. For the last game against Ghana there were bars that opened early juyst to accomodaste people who wnated to see it live.
But I have always thought that the USA is just TERRIBLE at playing soccer. They don't get it ,ane never will until there are kids playing in the streets from the day they can walk. That is what makes a real team. When it is in your blood and not a learned "sporting event". HUGE difference. It is in the way one approaches the ball, the touch. I can spot an American player a mile away. they have this awkward way of passing. They also don;'t know how to hit it with their head.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

keefstheman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DGA35 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The World Cup is receiving alot of coverage in
> the
> > local newspapers in Vancouver, but in reality,
> > nobody I know is even slightly interested in
> the
> > tourney. I seriously doubt very few people in
> the
> > States cares about the tournament unless
> they're
> > die hard soccer fans to begin with. I'll bet if
> > you asked the average American on the street,
> he
> > or she probably wouldn't have known the US was
> in
> > the World Cup, let alone which countries they
> > played against.
> > Soccer is a fun sport to play, but I personally
> > don't want to watch a 90 minute match with no
> > goals.
> > I know that most of the people on this board
> who
> > aren't from North America (and even some from)
> > will disagree with me.
>
>
> I am one to agree here. The great majority of
> folks that I know have little, if any, interest in
> the World Cup. Personally, European 'football' is
> THE most boring game to watch. Might consider it
> akin to watching paint dry...

its not called "European football" for starters - which would be something of a misnomer as its a world game, hence the name of the tournament. (How many countries play American football? In fact, how many players in an American football team are allowed to kick the ball? Calling that game 'football' for starters seems a bit strange to me! )

The US seems to be the only country on earth that - in general - doesnt 'get it' when it comes to the game having a mass appeal. Maybe that says something about your country's insular sporting culture or maybe its more to do with not being interested in a sport in which they didnt invent or arent a major force - yet.

This low-scoring fixation that so many Americans bring up is a crock, too. Theres more to appreciating football than goals. I suppose in baseball, american football and basketball, theres more of an inevitability that almost every play results in someone scoring, which maybe gives people a different mindset when it comes to appreciating other sports where that doesnt happen to the same degree. Personally I find the predictability of THAT tedious, as when someone scores in basketball for example, its no big deal as it'll be followed by someone else doing so a few seconds later. So, you dont 'appreciate' it so much when it happens, if you see what I mean.

Fine if you have a short attention span, though.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-06-23 15:06 by Gazza.

I remember reading somewhere a theory about why the standard american doesn't appreciate football, in general terms. I hope some of the american friends here could subscribe or deny it.

The theory says the the general american goes to any sport event as an show, just as theatre, cinema, a concert. This means going to the bar, to the bathroom or whenever out of your seat when needed. In the case of football, in general terms, you can't go out because you in that case you can miss not only a goal or a great opportunity, but THE goal. So the guy who developed this theory stated that this was the cause of football not succeding in the states.

Perhaps it's true, as I think people outside the US doesn't go to a match as a show: a match is not a show, but a football match.

[There'll be no wedding today...]

well Americans, from what I understand, seem to make more of an occasion of a sporting event as a day out than would be the case in other countries (tailgate parties, etc)

American TV seems to be more fixated with commercial breaks too. I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong of course, but I think American football games have a timeout for ad. breaks which would be unheard of in football, where you have to wait until halftime (when the US were awarded the World Cup for 1994, there was actually pressure from some quarters to change the format of a football game to have 4 'quarters' instead of two 'halves' in order to maximise Tv advertising. FIFA naturally told them where to go)

There's a funny TV ad playing in the US right now. Goes something like this:

American interviewer: So what we call soccer you call football, correct?
British footballer: Yes
AI: And what we call football you call football, correct?
BF: Right
AI: Well why don't you just call American football soccer?
BF: Uhhhhh, well OK I guess.

KSIE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AI: And what we call football you call football,
> correct?
> BF: Right


wrong! I've never heard of ANYONE outside the US call it 'football'. Its ALWAYS 'American football'

Good joke had it been accurate, though I admit!

Football games in America are shown on public television stations which every household receives free (ie. NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS). They make their money with advertising. There are T.V./Radio dues like in Germany for example.

Two quarters of football are played back to back. There is a 30 minute halftime.

More later . . .

Here's one American's vote for the US to put more effort and support into soccer sport at this level. Personally (oops I shouldn't use that word-sorry), I enjoy the pace of the game (of course I played a little when I was younger). It's very much a strategy based game if you can understand all of the subtle nuances. Scoring is obviously the byproduct and what counts as far as wins and losses, but there's alot more happening within the game besides balls hitting the net.

That being said, American Football or the NFL is where its at for me firstly and I think its popularity is growing more and more outside the US.

True enough USA played like shit.

That said no one really really cares.

I mean after 3rd or 4th grade, age 9 or 10, any male with any athletic ability winds up playing basketball, baseball, or American football.

Ohhhhhh, this is going to get me in trouble, but here goes. Remember, it's just soccer. I know it is the most popular sport in the world. But if you guys ever had the sensation of hitting a baseball....you'd never go back to kicking each other in the ankles.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> The US seems to be the only country on earth that
> - in general - doesnt 'get it' when it comes to
> the game having a mass appeal. Maybe that says
> something about your country's insular sporting
> culture or maybe its more to do with not being
> interested in a sport in which they didnt invent
> or arent a major force - yet.
>
> This low-scoring fixation that so many Americans
> bring up is a crock, too. Theres more to
> appreciating football than goals. I suppose in
> baseball, american football and basketball, theres
> more of an inevitability that almost every play
> results in someone scoring, which maybe gives
> people a different mindset when it comes to
> appreciating other sports where that doesnt happen
> to the same degree. Personally I find the
> predictability of THAT tedious, as when someone
> scores in basketball for example, its no big deal
> as it'll be followed by someone else doing so a
> few seconds later. So, you dont 'appreciate' it so
> much when it happens, if you see what I mean.
>
> Fine if you have a short attention span, though.

this euro soccer intellectualism crap ought to stop.......soccer is the number one sport played by kids (both girls and boys) in grade school through highschool in the USA. That the game is not more popular is more a direct indictement of professional soccer organizations in the USA and probably FIFA for not properly selling the game in this country. Why do so many kids turn from soccer and go into other sports???????????
Further more, Americans don't have a fixation with scoring...........what ridiculous generalities and stereotypes are we bullshitting about here....baseball games for example are often 1-0 3-1 affairs..........Americans like physical sports......i think that English and Australian brands of soccer would do great here...and they are making great inroads..........ESPN (the national cable sports network) along with its affiliate ABC spent millions on televising every World Cup game LIVE, and they invested heavily in analysts etc............ it was similar to Olympic coverage........I think maybe a little encouragement to motivate interest in the game might be a better tact rather than calling us "football stupid"..........Go England!!!!!!!!!!!

its not are game......oh well.....got to admit it is all childs play.....its only rock and roll (not football/soccor) but i like it !!!

All the young, great athletes in the US realize that if they become pros, they'll make millions$$ in baseball, football, basketball, but US soccer pays very little in comparison. I realize that the stars in the European leagues do very well, but the US never reports on soccer in Europe (or anywhere else). Hopefully Freddie Adu will play for us in 2010 (and not Ghana), and give the US a real star player.

I'll admit that I have never been a football (soccer) fan until this World Cup. But as I learn more and more about the game, I am intrigued by its strategy, intensity, and overall grace.

To me, being exposed to a sport provides for a greater foundation for appreciation. For a long time, I couldn't stand watching baseball. Now I can't get enough of it.

To make a parallel in what is a Stones-forum, I grew up listening to songs that my father would play from High Tides or Hot Rocks like "heart of stone," "let's spend the night together," and "satisfaction." Now that I've been exposed to more Stones, I appreciate so much more of their music.

I guess with football (soccer), I've been stuck in Hot Rocks mode... but this World Cup has now become like Exile for this long time Stones fan and now re-born football fan.

Cheers.

In the USA, soccer is a sport played mostly by upper middle class girls and immigrants from Mexico.

It isn't popular for several reasons, one being that it doesn't fit into the American TV format. They're aren't enough time outs or game breaks for showing beer commercials.

The sport is thought to be boring. Americans just don't get excited by clumps of people kicking the ball to one another punctuated by the occassional run at the goal.

The sport is much like Irish step dancing. The observer naturally asks, "Why don't they use their hands?"

It's probably a good thing that soccer isn't popular in America, given how well-armed Americans are and how the sport incites violence in its fans. If it were popular in America, there would be shootouts at soccer games. Many would die.

I agree that Soccer is not as popular here as it is in Europe. However, I was downtown Philly Yesturday watching the game as local clubs and they were PACKED with fans... So, it depends on where you are in the USA. In the Northeast from Philly to New York soccer IS followed and loved. There are plenty of fans here in the U.S. begging for better coverage of the World Cup. I think, our teams can compete.... Come that call for the penelty shot yesturday was BULLCRAP! Anyway, Don't stereotype about Soccer Fans here in the US...I know the sports bars in Philly had a ton of fans Cheering on thier team and I am sure New York and Boston and Chicago ( US's best sports towns ) were doing the same.IF you combine the number of people in these cities it makes up the population of some of Europe's entire countries or close to it. I have to root for are sister county ENGLAND to win........