Why isn't football / soccer that popular in North America, United States / USA ?
- Thread starter nightwanker
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soccer = socialism: Every player is equally important.
Americans prefer Am. Football: One commander-in-chief (aka Quarterback) leads the attack across the field (= fascism ???)
HUAC would have deemed European football as unconstitutional!
Americans prefer Am. Football: One commander-in-chief (aka Quarterback) leads the attack across the field (= fascism ???)
HUAC would have deemed European football as unconstitutional!
is it seeking to become more popular here in the States since the arrival of Beckham???
Why isn't football that popular in America?
This question has been raised on the football thread (sexy girls there).
I already have some thoughts about that, but want to read what others say and not give this thread a direction.
Easy,not enough scoring. That's why they have changed the NHL over the past decade or so,to try to increase scoring.At lease there is a lot of hitting and a fast pace in hockey,soccer is just to damn slow for most people,myself included.I think that soccer is really a sport better played than watched.They should try to bring back indoor soccer or shrink the field in the MLS and maybe that will stir more American interest.
nightwanker
Proud first owner of FreeOnes Playing Cards
And has been Baseball...
Europes #1 has been our Football since sports got popular.
nightwanker
Proud first owner of FreeOnes Playing Cards
I guess we just wanted to get rid of the Beckhams.
^so we get punished over here???:1orglaugh I actually quite like the man
thats what the mls was aiming for, but beckham is just here for money.
Football/soccer = England
America has rebelled against England for centuries. We created our own sports as a result.
Our Football in place of Rugby.
Baseball in place of cricket.
Basketball just for the hell of it.
We kept certain sports because they applied to the social elite on this side of the Atlantic as well - like golf, tennis, etc.
Our sports became more about tradition and history overtime, and they are no longer about rebellion - just history. Just like the rest of the worlds history is now rooted in soccer, we are rooted in our sports. Change is a hard thing everywhere.
In short - we are rebels and we aren't changing for anyone.
America has rebelled against England for centuries. We created our own sports as a result.
Our Football in place of Rugby.
Baseball in place of cricket.
Basketball just for the hell of it.
We kept certain sports because they applied to the social elite on this side of the Atlantic as well - like golf, tennis, etc.
Our sports became more about tradition and history overtime, and they are no longer about rebellion - just history. Just like the rest of the worlds history is now rooted in soccer, we are rooted in our sports. Change is a hard thing everywhere.
In short - we are rebels and we aren't changing for anyone.
That's a really interesting angle,KFD,and now that I think about it,it seems to have some validity.
Aces&Jacks
Retired Mod
In American Football, there is sooo much going on that teamwork is of utmost importance and you are rarely ever bored. The Quarterback, the Runningbacks, the Receivers, the Line backers, the Safeties etc. each with a crucial role to play in helping to determine the outcome of the game. The technique and skill required to play each position is unique so there is always battles within the main battle to keep your attention. Yet, each minor battle is waged so that the entire team can be successful. This is the epitomy (sp) of the word teamwork.
Compare that to Soccer where everybody runs back and forth up and down the field. One team mate kicking the ball to other team mates and the other guys trying to get the ball. The only way that one member can help another is by yelling "The ball is coming your way". Great teamwork there. Let me not forget all the teamwork that goes on when all the guys stand together to prevent a free kick. Then for 30 secs or so, about 5-10 times per game (I'm guessing) in what seems like a 4 hour game (I'm guessing) something exciting happens. Someone gets close to shooting the ball in the net. Run some picks and get a few passing assists and that's It. I think people get so excited about it because they wait so long for something exciting to happen that when it does it's euphoric.
nightwanker
Proud first owner of FreeOnes Playing Cards
American Football seems to be "Okay, let's wait another five minutes for the cheer leaders and the commercials, than let's all rumble together, throw some flags and wait another ten minutes for any decision, if maybe the whole crowd on the field is said to be some centimeters in the one or the other direction."
Sometimes someone runs across the whole field, nobody can stop him and his way is blocked free by his teammates - quiet amazing in a roundup tv-show -, but so rare, even rarer than goals in "soccer".
Our football / soccer is brilliant through it's simplicity.
Everybody can play it everywhere.
For us it is nearly like a divine game.
It's so much fun to play it, and everybody who watchs it on tv or in the stadium plays or has played it himself - on the schoolyard, on any lawn in your hometown and on the street with friends, relatives and people who came along and you didn't know.
And if you can read the game, it is the most fascinating game on earth (and that says me, who I myself prefer hockey).
That it is the most popular sport and even game in the world did not happen at random.
Sometimes someone runs across the whole field, nobody can stop him and his way is blocked free by his teammates - quiet amazing in a roundup tv-show -, but so rare, even rarer than goals in "soccer".
Our football / soccer is brilliant through it's simplicity.
Everybody can play it everywhere.
For us it is nearly like a divine game.
It's so much fun to play it, and everybody who watchs it on tv or in the stadium plays or has played it himself - on the schoolyard, on any lawn in your hometown and on the street with friends, relatives and people who came along and you didn't know.
And if you can read the game, it is the most fascinating game on earth (and that says me, who I myself prefer hockey).
That it is the most popular sport and even game in the world did not happen at random.
I think I have answered this many times so I don't even know if I can remember all the things I dislike about it but...
The flaws with soccer are in no particular order:
1. Lack of scoring, It's not like I don't enjoy a low scoring defensive battle in sports, but with soccer it's usually so low that luck plays too much a part of each game where a lucky bounce of the ball could decide the entire game. In American football some lucky occurrence happens and you’re only down one score with a chance to come back. In basketball if you totally blow it on a play it only cost you 4 points at the most. In hockey there is still a good chance to come back, the same with baseball.
2. Lack of physical contact, I don't like a sport where you’re penalized for barely breathing on an opponent. I thought basketball was bad but because of the lack of physical contact allowed soccer has developed the best floppers in the world. If it got any worse it would be like having a bunch of ballerinas out there with a ball...oh wait in that they have to tough and lift each other at least.
3. They go backwards almost as much as they go forward. I don't want to see something where they pass forward, then back, then back some more, then forward, then back, then the other team gets possession somehow and it all starts over again. I don't mind smart strategic movement in sports, but when it gets to be a glorified game of keep away for long stretches then it goes to far.
4. Ties, sports should do everything reasonable to eliminate ties that they can. I want to see a definite winner. Who wants to go out and watch something where you know you might be witness to the mighty 0-0 or 1-1 tie. Sure other sports have ties but they are more rare. In American football were lucky to get a couple ties in an entire decade of hundreds and hundreds of games. You can't tie at all in baseball and in it's over 130+ years of history I can only really think of 2 games where it happened, both infamous and one was an exhibition. Even hockey has taken steps to cut down on ties.
5. Because of the way the game is structured there is just too many times where teams will screw around for most of the game because it might benefit them, like scoring early and doing nothing but going on defense the rest of the game hoping it will hold up. I can't imagine teams in other sports getting away with that kind of mindset and having it work. There are times where teams will town it down in other sports but those are late in the game when they are way ahead and have dominated to that point. I can't imagine in American football going ahead by a touchdown or in basketball going up by ten points in the first quarter and just saying, "Well were going to basically not try to do anything but keep the other team from scoring the rest of the game".
6. The way the offsides rule is structured in soccer is dumb, as opposed to the way it works in hockey. Just another opportunity to have plays were people screw around, and maybe if they changed it scoring would go up.
7. The way the game is timed doesn’t make sense. The clock keeps going when it shouldn't, and even worse when extra time is added you don't even know when it's going to end. It would be like if we covered up the clocks here and didn't tell anybody even the teams how much time they had left just for fun.
8. To be honest soccer players run a lot and need a lot of endurance, and maybe need to aim good...and that's about it. They don't fit my ideal of what an athlete should be like. To me an ideal athlete needs to be an physical specimen. (outside of any mental aspects to the game) They need to have a great combination of strength, explosive strength, endurance, speed, explosive speed, pain tolerance, agility, dexterity, hand eye coordination, and resistance to injury. In other sports, sure there will be people that are out of shape and do well from time to time, or have some other shortcoming but they usually give up an advantage to people that are better conditioned all things being equal. Even a lot of people built for speed will still have a nice build, like NFL wide receivers. I hate to say this but in soccer too many people look like they have a physique of a 10-year-old girl. There are professional bowlers that look like they could break David Beckham. Maybe for marathon runners I could see it, but even a lot of long distance runners look better.
I just don't think people over here are accustomed to skinny people running around in circles for an hour and a half hoping to see them score a couple of times maybe.
The flaws with soccer are in no particular order:
1. Lack of scoring, It's not like I don't enjoy a low scoring defensive battle in sports, but with soccer it's usually so low that luck plays too much a part of each game where a lucky bounce of the ball could decide the entire game. In American football some lucky occurrence happens and you’re only down one score with a chance to come back. In basketball if you totally blow it on a play it only cost you 4 points at the most. In hockey there is still a good chance to come back, the same with baseball.
2. Lack of physical contact, I don't like a sport where you’re penalized for barely breathing on an opponent. I thought basketball was bad but because of the lack of physical contact allowed soccer has developed the best floppers in the world. If it got any worse it would be like having a bunch of ballerinas out there with a ball...oh wait in that they have to tough and lift each other at least.
3. They go backwards almost as much as they go forward. I don't want to see something where they pass forward, then back, then back some more, then forward, then back, then the other team gets possession somehow and it all starts over again. I don't mind smart strategic movement in sports, but when it gets to be a glorified game of keep away for long stretches then it goes to far.
4. Ties, sports should do everything reasonable to eliminate ties that they can. I want to see a definite winner. Who wants to go out and watch something where you know you might be witness to the mighty 0-0 or 1-1 tie. Sure other sports have ties but they are more rare. In American football were lucky to get a couple ties in an entire decade of hundreds and hundreds of games. You can't tie at all in baseball and in it's over 130+ years of history I can only really think of 2 games where it happened, both infamous and one was an exhibition. Even hockey has taken steps to cut down on ties.
5. Because of the way the game is structured there is just too many times where teams will screw around for most of the game because it might benefit them, like scoring early and doing nothing but going on defense the rest of the game hoping it will hold up. I can't imagine teams in other sports getting away with that kind of mindset and having it work. There are times where teams will town it down in other sports but those are late in the game when they are way ahead and have dominated to that point. I can't imagine in American football going ahead by a touchdown or in basketball going up by ten points in the first quarter and just saying, "Well were going to basically not try to do anything but keep the other team from scoring the rest of the game".
6. The way the offsides rule is structured in soccer is dumb, as opposed to the way it works in hockey. Just another opportunity to have plays were people screw around, and maybe if they changed it scoring would go up.
7. The way the game is timed doesn’t make sense. The clock keeps going when it shouldn't, and even worse when extra time is added you don't even know when it's going to end. It would be like if we covered up the clocks here and didn't tell anybody even the teams how much time they had left just for fun.
8. To be honest soccer players run a lot and need a lot of endurance, and maybe need to aim good...and that's about it. They don't fit my ideal of what an athlete should be like. To me an ideal athlete needs to be an physical specimen. (outside of any mental aspects to the game) They need to have a great combination of strength, explosive strength, endurance, speed, explosive speed, pain tolerance, agility, dexterity, hand eye coordination, and resistance to injury. In other sports, sure there will be people that are out of shape and do well from time to time, or have some other shortcoming but they usually give up an advantage to people that are better conditioned all things being equal. Even a lot of people built for speed will still have a nice build, like NFL wide receivers. I hate to say this but in soccer too many people look like they have a physique of a 10-year-old girl. There are professional bowlers that look like they could break David Beckham. Maybe for marathon runners I could see it, but even a lot of long distance runners look better.
I just don't think people over here are accustomed to skinny people running around in circles for an hour and a half hoping to see them score a couple of times maybe.
nightwanker
Proud first owner of FreeOnes Playing Cards
In American football sometimes the last seconds are important,
sometimes the clock is ticked down while the players stand there waiting and leave the field, because the ball possessing team is allowed to wait two minutes or something...
The time should be stopped like in hockey or not be stopped like in football,
but this, if the ball is out, if it's not, who possesses the ball?, etc...
And that you can't live with the refereee deciding the lenght of the extratime (according to simple rules), maybe is caused in Hollywood-Movies where always 30 seconds take half an hour and the clock is shown in close ups every few seconds
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