Why is soccer even shown in America?

Back to the original OP's question, why is soccer even shown in America?

Huge audience. Advertiser dollars. Passionate fans.

That's all.
 
CWBhawkeyes said:
Well, I think it's more amazing to watch a great shooter drain shots, or watch a quarterback make a great pass, or watch a baseball player hit a home run than to watch someone kick a ball well. Those things are actually much harder to do well than kick a soccer ball.
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This is an ignorant statement if anyone thinks a 7 foot guy dunking a basketball is harder than advancing the ball and scoring in a soccer match.
 
I've always thought of soccer the same way others feel about baseball...fun to play, boring to watch.

To those whose argument for soccer is "It's the most popular sport in the world for a reason!" What's the reason? Third world countries can't afford the equipment used in other sports and you only need a ball to play? Just say you like it and move along...don't give a generic "I'm a sheep, I follow what's popular" answer...there are better answers than that, like "I fell for the beauty of the game"..."National pride"...etc etc...
 
I don't mind soccer. I pay attention to International soccer the most. World Cup will be a prime example of GREAT soccer. Go USA (even though we play England first game, yikes)
 
"Football" as it is called elsewhere outside the US is a very strategic game that I used to think was pretty boring but as in golf until you have played the sport you don't realize the talent level people have. High school soccer here is getting better every year and our USA team is finally starting to compete. Tune in on June 12th and root for the USA!! If we can beat England it could turn the tide for our team and anything is possible. Most people don't give us a chance, but that's why they play the game.
 
Wow, the ignorant jagoffs that think soccer players stand around and that football is a real mans sport should get a new pair of undies ready for this one:

"According to a Wall Street Journal study of four recent broadcasts, and similar estimates by researchers, the average amount of time the ball is in play on the field during an NFL game is about 11 minutes."

Football Games Have 11 Minutes of Action - WSJ.com
 
I'm a huge college football fan but I also love international soccer and can't wait for the World Cup. I can understand how people may find it boring but what bothers me most is how people (mainly in the U.S.) can disrespect the sport by taking all kinds of jabs at it.

Think of the reasons why we love Iowa Football games.......the tailgating and atmosphere are second to none, people grew up cheering for the Hawks, or went to school in Iowa City. My ex girlfriend could've cared less about football until I brought her to her first Iowa game, after that experience she was hooked. Not because the sport all of the sudden became so much more interesting to her but because once you've experienced a fall Saturday in Iowa City you can't help but cheer for the Hawks.

I imagine this is how it is in the majority of the rest of the world. Kids grow up cheering for their soccer teams, kicking a ball before they can even run and getting together with friends and family to cheer their team to victory. I imagine soccer tailgating and crowd enthusiasm (on the Elite Pro Level) is just as crazy if not crazier than Iowa City and this is the exact same experience that draws us to Iowa City every weekend from September thru November.

So while you may find soccer a little on the boring side, you can't deny that the passion the fans have for the sport is not too far removed from the same reasons we love Iowa Football.
 
IowaSS said:
"Football" as it is called elsewhere outside the US is a very strategic game that I used to think was pretty boring but as in golf until you have played the sport you don't realize the talent level people have. High school soccer here is getting better every year and our USA team is finally starting to compete. Tune in on June 12th and root for the USA!! If we can beat England it could turn the tide for our team and anything is possible. Most people don't give us a chance, but that's why they play the game.
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In Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland (some people), South Africa, and many other English speaking countries, the people call the sport soccer. I appreciate and respect the game, but please don't try to tell me that everyone outside the US calls it "football;" that simply isn't true. Also, the sport is not the most popular in the world because it is "beautiful" or because it is overly entertaining. The primary reason it is the most popular in the world is that when it first started to have codified rules in the early/mid-1800's, it became quite popular in England, France, and Spain. Those three countries then spread the sport to their colonies, which was a HUGE percentage of the world, and it remains popular in Europe and those colonies today. In places that weren't colonies or didn't have close ties with those three countries, soccer still lags behind in popularity. Also, the statement about the game being easy to play financially is also at least partially true. Sports (all sports) are popular because of the culture of the country, not because of the intrinsic value of the sport.

All that being said, I am really looking forward to the World Cup and think the US will hopefully make it to the quarterfinals. England will be tough, but with Ferdinand out, that will really help the US.
 
I have never heard the "Soccer players stand around" argument before.

That is among the lamest anti-soccer talking points I have ever heard. You hate soccer because of the standing around? American football is, literally, 6 seconds of action follwed by 40 seconds of standing around. Golf is literally nothing but standing around. 2/3 of the players on a baseball field are not involved in every play...they stand there.


Look, I'm nolt soccer's white knight. If you don't like it, I don't care. If you don't understand it, I can see how it would bore you.

But seriously, on a college football discussion board, to complain about soccer players standing around? That is beyond stupid.
 
GhostofBTT said:
I have never heard the "Soccer players stand around" argument before.

That is among the lamest anti-soccer talking points I have ever heard. You hate soccer because of the standing around? American football is, literally, 6 seconds of action follwed by 40 seconds of standing around. Golf is literally nothing but standing around. 2/3 of the players on a baseball field are not involved in every play...they stand there.


Look, I'm nolt soccer's white knight. If you don't like it, I don't care. If you don't understand it, I can see how it would bore you.

But seriously, on a college football discussion board, to complain about soccer players standing around? That is beyond stupid.
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I never mentioned other sports; I mentioned soccer. Stop trying to justify soccer's boring aspects by bringing up other sports that could be considered boring. "Well, baseball and football are boring" is not an argument that makes soccer exciting.
 
CWBhawkeyes said:
I never mentioned other sports; I mentioned soccer. Stop trying to justify soccer's boring aspects by bringing up other sports that could be considered boring. "Well, baseball and football are boring" is not an argument that makes soccer exciting.
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You're right, it does not make soccer exciting. What sports do you consider more "exciting" than soccer?
 
Soccer is more than a game, it's a culture. Strange that when looking at the ENTIRE world, only people in the USA have trouble embracing it or at least recognizing it as extremely relevant.

Another reason that it is so popular, is that it only really requires a round object to play. The poor and unfortunate of the world can still play it without buyng a bunch of equipment. One kid in the neighborhood needs a ball, and a whole slew of children are entertained.

It really is a beautiful game when you look at it as a whole.
 
What is wrong with just being a fan of sports in general? The passion and the intensity... I love Football, love College Wrestling, love MLB, the Olympics, and Soccer. Why do you have to consider something lame and tear it down? That's simply called ignorance.

And to say things like "we speak American..." Wow, that really helps the case.

Oh and here's something no one has seen fit to mention yet...

Maybe it's shown because 33% of this country is Latino and soccer is huge to the Latino community. Just because Joe-Six-Pack in What Cheer Iowa thinks it's boring doesn't mean the rest of us do.

Go back to reading your Penthouse and watching Nascar. By the way... I bet over 75% of the people who hate soccer and complain about it's lack of athleticism LOVE Nascar.
 
GhostofBTT said:
I have never heard the "Soccer players stand around" argument before.

That is among the lamest anti-soccer talking points I have ever heard. You hate soccer because of the standing around? American football is, literally, 6 seconds of action follwed by 40 seconds of standing around. Golf is literally nothing but standing around. 2/3 of the players on a baseball field are not involved in every play...they stand there.


Look, I'm nolt soccer's white knight. If you don't like it, I don't care. If you don't understand it, I can see how it would bore you.

But seriously, on a college football discussion board, to complain about soccer players standing around? That is beyond stupid.
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Sorta like starting a thread just to trash disc golf, eh sparky?
 
CWBhawkeyes said:
I went to a game last night and there were a whole FOUR SHOTS ON GOAL in a 1-0 game. I've heard the argument that it's the most demanding sport physically--yeah, no. Half the guys are standing around the entire time doing nothing. Why does anyone play or care about soccer at all?
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The same reason they show gridiron-football and basketball in europe
 
I cannot wait for the World Cup to start! Come on you Yanks!!! Go USA!!!!!!!!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImH6s7kIsWw[/ame]
 
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