Why isn't football / soccer that popular in North America, United States / USA ?
- Thread starter nightwanker
- Start date
Well considering that the majority of all NBA and MLB players are international player, I would say that it has been pretty successful. Not to the point of soccer, but give some credit where credit is due. The three top Japanese baseball players of recent years are all in MLB rightnow.
Futbal is very popular in Amerika ! :dunno:
I was a little disappointed that he never got to kick the ball in the comic strip.
:1orglaugh
I suppose every team plays a similar style as Barca? There is nothing worse than watching shitty soccer being played at the Pro Level.
America will go "kicking and screaming" into joining "The World" in admiring soccer someday. ESPN is starting to introduce Premiership highlights into SportsCenter which means nothing to Europeans but is very important for Americans and American soccer fans. Of course, ESPN just let the Champion's League broadcast head out the door to Fox which helps American Soccer Fans but hurts American sports fans.
The problem with pro soccer is the flopping/diving/awarding of the penalty kick. Being so severely rewarded for, in essence, cheating, is something that Americans will have a hard time stomaching once it happens against the US Men's National Team at a critical point, say in the next World Cup.
The U.S. Men's team has been artificially inflated going into several World Cups, however, there is REAL AMERICAN talent on the squad now, and I stand by the statement that we're a legit #12 in the World.
The U.S. Women are loaded and will win the Women's World Cup. That's a no brainer.
:1orglaugh The Simpson's always sum it up for Americans..
Soccer is for dudes that couldn't even make the high school band.
I love it when people assume that because it is their opinion that it is fact.
Yep, but in this case it is da troof!!
Yep, but in this case it is da troof!!
Well in my opinion it isn't "da troof" So I guess I'm right and you are wrong, since all opinions are facts now.
Why?
WTF do people start these sport pissing contests?
God, there are many facets to football-soccer and football-American that make each very interesting. Both require teamwork, period. The aerobics and sheer athleticism of the former is definitely not "fairy" (I hope "fairy" was a joke, I'll assume it was). The continually evolving strategy, with cycles of change every few years, of the latter is why football-American is so undervalued for those that "don't get into it" (largely foreign viewers who haven't had the chance -- honestly, study American football formations and plays and you'll quickly get into it, especially the "lesser known" positions on the line, guards, tackles, ends, etc...).
I love to watch football-soccer on Fox Sports and other channels, and Americans should learn the rules and sit back and watch it. Heck, people watch auto racing for the rare events and crashes, so how is that different? I also enjoy getting into the latest strategy trends in football-American, wholly undervalued in the media because they focus on the "skill positions" instead of the 11 man team that is working as just that, a team. Especially the evolution of football-American, where just a few years ago, running backs were thought to be dead and passing the only way. Ha!
But that all aside. If you want to talk about a sport that requires a lot of skill, toughness, aerobics and general pain, hockey is hard to best. Sorry, gotta say it, I've meet and seen a lot of athletes in my time, but hockey -- the sheer prowess and aerobics with the skill and the toughness, the skating aspect really adds that extra bit to it. And as someone else mentioned in the NBA thread, win or lose, broken nose or not, these guys still manage to shake hands at the end of the game. Now that's a sport!
I'm not saying hockey is the best. I'm just saying what kind of athletic it takes to play. People shouldn't try to piss on different sports as better or worse. I still love football-American for its team strategy that always evolves. And I still love football-soccer for the type of skill I see played worldwide over the ages, quite thrilling and it will always be.
WTF do people start these sport pissing contests?
God, there are many facets to football-soccer and football-American that make each very interesting. Both require teamwork, period. The aerobics and sheer athleticism of the former is definitely not "fairy" (I hope "fairy" was a joke, I'll assume it was). The continually evolving strategy, with cycles of change every few years, of the latter is why football-American is so undervalued for those that "don't get into it" (largely foreign viewers who haven't had the chance -- honestly, study American football formations and plays and you'll quickly get into it, especially the "lesser known" positions on the line, guards, tackles, ends, etc...).
I love to watch football-soccer on Fox Sports and other channels, and Americans should learn the rules and sit back and watch it. Heck, people watch auto racing for the rare events and crashes, so how is that different? I also enjoy getting into the latest strategy trends in football-American, wholly undervalued in the media because they focus on the "skill positions" instead of the 11 man team that is working as just that, a team. Especially the evolution of football-American, where just a few years ago, running backs were thought to be dead and passing the only way. Ha!
But that all aside. If you want to talk about a sport that requires a lot of skill, toughness, aerobics and general pain, hockey is hard to best. Sorry, gotta say it, I've meet and seen a lot of athletes in my time, but hockey -- the sheer prowess and aerobics with the skill and the toughness, the skating aspect really adds that extra bit to it. And as someone else mentioned in the NBA thread, win or lose, broken nose or not, these guys still manage to shake hands at the end of the game. Now that's a sport!
I'm not saying hockey is the best. I'm just saying what kind of athletic it takes to play. People shouldn't try to piss on different sports as better or worse. I still love football-American for its team strategy that always evolves. And I still love football-soccer for the type of skill I see played worldwide over the ages, quite thrilling and it will always be.
I don't remember what I said in this thread years ago, so I'll say something anyway.
I think the reason that association football ("soccer") is not more popular in USA is because the two reasons that make it so popular elsewhere are not part of American culture or otherwise lacking in the sport here.
Americans have an attitude of islolationism that crosses over into their sports. The biggest event in world association football involves...the rest of the world- it's an international competition. The three major American sports don't have any international competitions- other than letting Canada play in the World Series just to justify the name and to make fun of how badly they suck at it. No offense Canada.
The other appeal is the microcosm of the regional teams. The rest of the world feels about them the same way that we feel about our HS and college or minor league teams, but with athletes who are competing on the same level as our major league. In the English football league you can have 30 teams and it represents all of the major metropolitan areas, but for the US to have the same you'd need hundreds of teams. Even if you only had 50 teams, one for each state, people wouldn't feel the same way because LA doesn't care about San Francisco, and vice versa.
And as big of fans tackle footballers have, they don't have the same level of tradition that world association football has. Some teams have been in the same place for over a century, compared to American teams that are bought and traded to other cities and have name changes and new teams. As more time passes people will more and more become dedicated to "soccer" and hockey and other sports that have caught on, but we do have some tradition of the top three and that's why they will always be more popular here.
I think the reason that association football ("soccer") is not more popular in USA is because the two reasons that make it so popular elsewhere are not part of American culture or otherwise lacking in the sport here.
Americans have an attitude of islolationism that crosses over into their sports. The biggest event in world association football involves...the rest of the world- it's an international competition. The three major American sports don't have any international competitions- other than letting Canada play in the World Series just to justify the name and to make fun of how badly they suck at it. No offense Canada.
The other appeal is the microcosm of the regional teams. The rest of the world feels about them the same way that we feel about our HS and college or minor league teams, but with athletes who are competing on the same level as our major league. In the English football league you can have 30 teams and it represents all of the major metropolitan areas, but for the US to have the same you'd need hundreds of teams. Even if you only had 50 teams, one for each state, people wouldn't feel the same way because LA doesn't care about San Francisco, and vice versa.
And as big of fans tackle footballers have, they don't have the same level of tradition that world association football has. Some teams have been in the same place for over a century, compared to American teams that are bought and traded to other cities and have name changes and new teams. As more time passes people will more and more become dedicated to "soccer" and hockey and other sports that have caught on, but we do have some tradition of the top three and that's why they will always be more popular here.
american gridiron is for obese retards who need padding because they're pussies. LOL
i dont know why gridiron lovers keep arguing because they know that their 'sport' is shit yet they're still in denial
There's a reason ...
Just ask any Rugby bloke who has been exposed to former American football athletes who are new to Rugby. They'll tell you about how they hit and how they, typically, break something (on two people) -- if they aren't warned first that they cannot hit like that.
With pads, you can increase the sheer kenetic force without breaking something. It's not being a pussy, it's called fun. At least that's what one British immigrant said that I played with in high school during his first, spring training, and playing "hamburger" for the first time (2 linemen + 1 back on each side, offense and defense, on a 5 yard wide "field"). "Now I know why you Yanks love this" after his ass was thrown back in the air about 5 yards.
The next time you watch an American football game, remind yourself how much we must be "pussies" when someone's body going flying through the air. And not because he jumped, but because he was literally hit with a kenetic force that launched his 200-250lbs. body into the air at several G forces.
There's a reason why shoulders are separated regularly in American Football. Because it often delivers several thousands of lbs. per square inch, enough to launch another body not merely backwards, but in the complete and opposite direction it was traveling. That's just a shoulder.
The best way to tackle is to not merely hit your facemask dead center on someone's number, but use your neck-chest (take your neck exercises seriously when warming up, and never put your head down, always up) along with the "launch" of your legs into their body, "jacking them up" and pushing them backwards. That can easily be a total, kenetic force spread over several square inches (possibly a square foot) that could never be attempted in Rugby.
Again, I love Rugby and its toughness, and I even played it in college (we didn't have an official, varsity team at my Alma Mater, just some club associations). But American football is about the sheer kenetic forces you can deliver, because you're wearing pads, and it is beyond hard on your joints. But damn if it isn't more fun because of it! It's like bumper cars with bodies, only bodies too can have structural failure.
There's a reason why we wear pads.
Just ask any Rugby bloke who has been exposed to former American football athletes who are new to Rugby. They'll tell you about how they hit and how they, typically, break something (on two people) -- if they aren't warned first that they cannot hit like that.
With pads, you can increase the sheer kenetic force without breaking something. It's not being a pussy, it's called fun. At least that's what one British immigrant said that I played with in high school during his first, spring training, and playing "hamburger" for the first time (2 linemen + 1 back on each side, offense and defense, on a 5 yard wide "field"). "Now I know why you Yanks love this" after his ass was thrown back in the air about 5 yards.
The next time you watch an American football game, remind yourself how much we must be "pussies" when someone's body going flying through the air. And not because he jumped, but because he was literally hit with a kenetic force that launched his 200-250lbs. body into the air at several G forces.
There's a reason why shoulders are separated regularly in American Football. Because it often delivers several thousands of lbs. per square inch, enough to launch another body not merely backwards, but in the complete and opposite direction it was traveling. That's just a shoulder.
The best way to tackle is to not merely hit your facemask dead center on someone's number, but use your neck-chest (take your neck exercises seriously when warming up, and never put your head down, always up) along with the "launch" of your legs into their body, "jacking them up" and pushing them backwards. That can easily be a total, kenetic force spread over several square inches (possibly a square foot) that could never be attempted in Rugby.
Again, I love Rugby and its toughness, and I even played it in college (we didn't have an official, varsity team at my Alma Mater, just some club associations). But American football is about the sheer kenetic forces you can deliver, because you're wearing pads, and it is beyond hard on your joints. But damn if it isn't more fun because of it! It's like bumper cars with bodies, only bodies too can have structural failure.
Saffron Taylor
Official Checked Star Member
To be honest, football (or soccer as you guys call it) is all we hear about over here in England. I can get quite over rated for non footbal fans, lol.
