Kirsty ([info]orolin) wrote,
@ 2007-01-12 16:27:00
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"soccer"
So, in light of Beckham's £50 a minute transfer to LA Galaxy, I've just been reading this article on Yahoo, and I'm actually quite suprised at how Americans seem to view football (or "soccer").

"..the reason America hasn't taken to the so-called "beautiful game" is not a lack of sophistication, but a wealth of superior and noisier entertainment options. Americans know enough about soccer to consider it the "boring game.."

WHAT?! So for football to be good it's not about talent, it's all about the fireworks and fights?! Maybe we should stage wrestling as half-time entertainment or something. I'm glad I live in a country that really loves football and appreciates the skills and talent needed instead of just wishing it was more like a soap opera.

"Athletic excellence is all well and good, but it pales in comparison to colorful characters, rich rivalries, wild feuds and other assorted mayhem."

That is truly ridiculous..

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[info]sparklinblossom
2007-01-12 04:55 pm UTC (link)
Boy, doesn't that cast my fellow Americans and I in a good light. *rolls eyes*
Man, I will definately watch soccer/football now that Becks is over here. :D

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[info]tehgenius
2007-01-12 04:57 pm UTC (link)
You should hear what America thinks of Cricket.


xx

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[info]orolin
2007-01-31 11:24 pm UTC (link)
Ah, that's okay. Half of us think tht's boring anyway lol

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[info]jimwise
2007-01-12 05:40 pm UTC (link)
To you, ridiculous. To me, entertainment.

We don't view the British as being snobby because they believe that Americans are unclassy. Lol, maybe I'm bitter, but what I think is ridiculous is that people try so hard to be PC about the traditions and customs of OTHER countries, because they are poor, underdeveloped, etc. But when the public talks of America, they're allowed to say and think whatever the hell they want simply because we're a stronger country (arguably) in terms of economic and military strength. Boo.

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[info]orolin
2007-01-31 11:34 pm UTC (link)
I think it's just about time that the most popular and appreciated sport in the rest of the world was appreciated in the US. I know that that article was a horrible generalisation, but it just dismays me to read that a lot of Americans will truly feel that way about football. America doesn't have to be PC about Britain's customs and traditions, we're not a poor underdeveloped country, but when a "real sport" is considered nothing more than punch-ups and fireworks it's a little sad, especially when it's the top sport in practically every other country.

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[info]jimwise
2007-02-01 03:09 am UTC (link)
I'm sorry, it still doesn't make too much sense to me. :o) I don't understand why we have to love a sport simply because everyone else does.

But regardless of that, there really is a lot of appreciation for the sport anyway. It's the most popular youth sport here, and one of the most popular for high school and college. I mean, we already have our own sports that are super popular. I don't see why this is a big deal CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?? :o)

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[info]fakeplasticuser
2007-02-01 06:31 pm UTC (link)
My fundamental objection to most sports that are very popular in America is 'time outs', I don't understand their purpose in the game. You don't see people doing the same in football/cricket/rugby/tennis/golf do you? Anyway, that's just a personal thing.

My other objection is to the butchering of college football[soccer]. Not only does the NCAA allow rolling subsitutions (which is really fucking dumb), if a match ends as a draw, they play 'overtime' in the hope of havng a winner. WHY CAN PEOPlE NOT COPE WITH A SPORT WHERE THERE CAN BE A DRAW?

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[info]jimwise
2007-02-02 02:17 am UTC (link)
I like your objection to timeouts. Although, really, the only sports that use them are American football and basketball. Baseball uses them fairly infrequently. And I guess hockey, but I don't watch quite enough of it to know how often they are used.

And I think I am on the pro side of overtime. As a player and an athlete of other sports where there is no overtime needed, I can only imagine the supreme frustration of having spent several hours putting 110% of physical and mental effort into doing your best to win a game/match/meet/etc.. and then having it end in a draw? Yes yes, you play for the fun of the game.. but just as much, I play to win. So, in conclusion, overtime is for the players, not for the fans! :o)

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[info]fakeplasticuser
2007-02-03 06:41 pm UTC (link)
As a player of cricket, I'm entirely content to play for 7 hours (in my case) or to watch a game that lasts 5 days and is a draw. I just think it's a cheap thing designed to make football more attractive to the american psyche, which is geared toward winners and losers.

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[info]o4fuxache
2007-01-12 06:45 pm UTC (link)
I think that's a really harsh generalization and takes into account only the passive sports fan and not the active sports fan.

In my very humble opinion, soccer/football is at two big disadvantages in the U.S.
- lack of tradition/knowledge
- lack of league

There's this really funny storyline in Sports Night how one of the anchors (Dan) doesn't think that soccer is a sport. But the more he talks about how much he hates it, the more we come to realize he really doesn't know anything about it.

Americans who don't know anything about American football, for example, generally find it to be an incredibly dull sport. And Americans who love American football for the athleticism of it (of which there are some, myself included) love it despite the fights, fireworks, bravado, etc... and not because of it.

I really truly feel that as soccer continues to be accepted in America, it will grow in popularity. What the U.S. needs right now is our own Beckham. We love basketball because we love Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and Cliff Robinson. We love baseball because we love Joe DiMaggio (I just butchered his name!), Babe Ruth and Sandy Kofax (okay I may be the only one in that league).

Ten years ago I don't even know that we had a soccer league... and if we did, it was quite small. Now we have. In two decades, it'll be bigger. In three, it'll be bigger. It may never be as popular as American football but then again... maybe it will be.

I just think that the article was wrong. And...

"Athletic excellence is all well and good, but it pales in comparison to colorful characters, rich rivalries, wild feuds and other assorted mayhem."

You can't tell me that that doesn't exist over in football-land by you. ;D

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[info]orolin
2007-01-31 11:29 pm UTC (link)
I know not every American thinks like that article, but it annoyed me so I had to write about it, heh. I agree that the US needs their own football star for it to really be appreciated. Maybe Beckham can act as an adopted version of that.. though he is getting on a bit now. They need some young, rising star that can impress America with his whole career. I'll keep my fingers crossed as it's about time that the main sport of the rest of the world is appreciated in the US.

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[info]jimwise
2007-02-01 03:14 am UTC (link)
I agree with a lot of this. Although I have come to really love American football a lot, my friends and I used to think it was SO DULL. I mean really, all of the stopping and starting and penalties and two yard rushes drove me crazy. But when I moved to a football-crazed area, I took the time to learn and love it.

Now, I don't really understand a lot in soccer. I understand enough to go cheer on my girls at school when they play, but all of the different flags and corner kicks and rules confuse me. It's not that I don't WANT to learn the rules.. it's that I already follow so many sports that I don't see the necessity in understanding soccer/football. Very short attention span I have. We also have nothing vested in the sport.

More two cents from me.

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[info]fakeplasticuser
2007-01-12 07:35 pm UTC (link)
As your flists resident Englishman in Americaland, I can note that Yanks don't really care about football. Whilst people cared about our university football team a lot [because we won the national championship], people would rather watch basketball or American football (which is a very, very stupid game).
The rivalries in American sport are weak compared to those in Britain (Celtic v Rangers anyone?) and it's essentially an overhyped multimedia circus.

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[info]orolin
2007-01-31 11:37 pm UTC (link)
It's true that sports in the US are all owned by big media companies, so really it all boils down to having the most fireworks and biggest "show", it's not much about the real talent. Hence why Beckham is being paid so much to go to LA, it's all about the media attention than his actual football ability.

And American football is very stupid. It's like a wimpy version of Rugby with all the pads and helmets.

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[info]jimwise
2007-01-13 05:59 am UTC (link)
Also, someone made me realize another point. Our soccer is HUGELY popular as a youth sport. Nearly nine out of ten kids play soccer at some point in their lives. It's very big in middle school, high school, and kind of big at college. I think it is true, that we just don't have a soccer superstar to help snag the media's attention. And thus, the public's support.

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[info]scatterbrain___
2007-01-13 06:50 am UTC (link)
It's pathetic. Football is for meatheads. Soccer (football, for you, as you know but just clarifying, hahah) is WAY more interesting. Unfortunately America is full of meatheads. FORTUNATELY I'm not. Yay. I'm hoping that since he's coming over here it'll get bigger. Eee.

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