Why do Americans not care about Soccer?

[Fingolfin269]

In the NFL, they only time in the 40, but as I mentioned, many of the corners, recievers & safeties ran track in college. For those that did, I'm sure they ran 10.3 or faster.

And really the argument is kind of moot anyway since the main reason most of us don't watch soccer is because our best athletes don't play soccer. If they did, we would have a soccer roster full of NFL wide recievers/corners/running backs, potentially some NBA and MLB guys as well.

 

[Anubis]

It appears foriegners don't care about soccer either only selling about half the seats at FIFA World Cup. NFL playoffs, NBA Finals, NHL playoffs are always sold out months ahead of time.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0615/World-Cup-stadiums-What-s-with-all-the-empty-seats

no they just don't want to go to SA. its literally that simple

 

[Fingolfin269]

no they just don't want to go to SA. its literally that simple

This is probably true. I'll bet if the World Cup were in the US this year that all of the venues would be sold out.

 

[KeithTalent]

Mainly because the final seconds of any game are dramatic and having some ambiguous amount of time "added" at the end of the match (from the spectator's & scoreboard clock's point of view) serves to dampen any build up in the final moments.

Also, as far as final stoppage happening "when there is no threat to score" is bullshit. The game is supposed to be played for 90 minutes (actual game time, not counting stoppages), not 89:49 or 90:19.

If the losing team takes their sweet fucking time setting up a corner kick in the 90th minute they deserve to have the whistle blow on them while the ball is half way from the corner to the post.

This is why they have referees. You get cards and/or additional time added for delay of game. Not knowing the precise second of when it will end makes it even more exciting I could argue. If you see a team with ball in their own end near the end of the game and you knew there were only 4 second left, you'd just throw up your hands and call it over. Not knowing when exactly that final whistle will blow leaves it tense as you watch them continue to play it out.

For American Football the clock is extremely important because that is how the game is played, in short bursts with a lot of stoppage. Soccer is not like that, it is more fluid with constant motion, which is why the timing system works well for it.

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

no they just don't want to go to SA. its literally that simple

Yes, definitely this.

KT

 

[IndyColtsFan]

For reference, Deion Sanders ran a 10.21 in the 100 & Darrell Green ran a 10.08. I'd like to see a soccer player do that.

While googling, I saw a reference to Deion Sanders running a 4.5 40 -- BACKWARDS!! The reference claimed it was a true story, and if so, that is incredible.

 

[djnsmith7]

I highly encourage anyone calling out an NFL corner, receiver or safety to watch the NFL combine highlights of the 40 being timed. After you've done that, do what I did & pull the Wiki data on the 40 & 100m from these guys. It's insane how fast they are & how hard they train to be this fast.

I've never been an Ohio State fan, but holy crap from hell was Ted Ginn Jr. amazing to watch whenever he took a punt return.

Reminds me of my favorite punt / kick returner, The Rocket, just a tad faster.

Oh yea, let me see a soccer player beat The Rocket in a foot race. lol

BTW, Ted Ginn Jr. ran a 4.28 40 with a foot injury.

 

[KeithTalent]

Take the top 10 NFL players and top 10 soccer players and make them run a 40 or 100. I'd place my bet on the NFL players.

Not sure that I said it was simple, except for maybe saying it was simply boring.

The simple argument goes both ways. Soccer advocates discuss strategy and act like their game is the most strategic game in the world and dismiss American football as a simple "brute" sport. That is assinine, as the NFL is second to none when it comes to strategy and planning.

You quoted the guy that said it was simple and gave a thumbs up.

The NFL is almost all strategy, that's part of what makes it so fascinating when done well, but so much of it is pre-prepared strategy before game and in-between plays.

Soccer, again when done well, can be simply amazing to watch, more so from the passing and plays developing on the field, less so, though not always, from the prepared strategies.

Again, that may be, but the overall athleticism of all soccer players compared to all football players? I would lean towards the soccer players. I honestly do not care either way though, I watch both sports for different reasons.

KT

 

[djnsmith7]

No matter how hard I try, I can't watch a soccer game (World Cup or not) for more than about 5 minutes.

 

[SP33Demon]

Clock management in the NHL is about as important as it is in soccer.

Ever heard of pulling a goalie and when to do it? And Power plays + line changes, no clock strategy there. /chuckle

 

[KeithTalent]

No matter how hard I try, I can't watch a soccer game (World Cup or not) for more than about 5 minutes.

Ah, so I'll stop reading your arguments since you admittedly have a very myopic view of things. How can argue against the athletes in the games when you cannot even watch 5 minutes of play? :hmm:

Thanks for the heads up.

KT

 

[Anubis]

No matter how hard I try, I can't watch a soccer game (World Cup or not) for more than about 5 minutes.

its because you are waiting for the commercial where there is none :awe:

 

[ShockwaveVT]

This is why they have referees. You get cards and/or additional time added for delay of game.

Stopping the clock to treat injuries, issue cards, spot the ball after a foul, retrieve a ball kicked far out of bounds, et al. is perfectly fine. Stop the clock, deal with the situation, restart the clock and continue counting to 90. The point is that the matches are to last for 90 minutes of soccer. Not 90 minutes and an ambiguous amount of time to be determined at whim of the referee who thinks the losing team should get an extra 15 seconds to finish their final shot on goal.

Not knowing the precise second of when it will end makes it even more exciting I could argue. If you see a team with ball in their own end near the end of the game and you knew there were only 4 second left, you'd just throw up your hands and call it over. Not knowing when exactly that final whistle will blow leaves it tense as you watch them continue to play it out.

For American Football the clock is extremely important because that is how the game is played, in short bursts with a lot of stoppage. Soccer is not like that, it is more fluid with constant motion, which is why the timing system works well for it.

KT

Again, if the game is meant to be played for 90 minutes, it should be played for 90 minutes. Not 90 minutes 10 seconds one match and 90 minutes 15 seconds the next. Whether or not a team is in the midst of moving the ball forward has no bearing on when 90 minutes of gameplay expires.



The reality of the situation is that FIFA has arranged the rules and the officiating to be the absolutely most simple and basic and to require the absolute minimum of equipment and gear. I'm surprised you haven't picked up on this.

Its my position that some of these sacrifices are no longer necessary given the state of modern technology.

 

[djnsmith7]

Ah, so I'll stop reading your arguments since you admittedly have a very myopic view of things. How can argue against the athletes in the games when you cannot even watch 5 minutes of play? :hmm:

Thanks for the heads up.

KT

That's at a time...lol...It doesn't mean I don't come back to the game later & watch another 5 minutes. That's plenty of time to see how fast, or not so fast, they sprint up & down the field. Besides, I grew up around soccer for most of my life, & I ran with a few of them in track. You don't have to watch a full game to see that they aren't faster than those I've referenced.

I've seen enough professional soccer to substantiate my arguments.

 

[djnsmith7]

its because you are waiting for the commercial where there is none :awe:

No, it's just boring to watch.

The numbers speak for themselves. Anubis referenced what he perceived to be a competitive 100m time of 10.3, & in any other context, that would be a fast time.

But when you compare it to 10.21, 10.08 & 10.02, well, yes, the numbers speak for themselves.

 

[SP33Demon]

This is why they have referees. You get cards and/or additional time added for delay of game. Not knowing the precise second of when it will end makes it even more exciting I could argue. If you see a team with ball in their own end near the end of the game and you knew there were only 4 second left, you'd just throw up your hands and call it over. Not knowing when exactly that final whistle will blow leaves it tense as you watch them continue to play it out.

For American Football the clock is extremely important because that is how the game is played, in short bursts with a lot of stoppage. Soccer is not like that, it is more fluid with constant motion, which is why the timing system works well for it.

KT

Meh, why can't they just publicize the clock? It doesn't make it exciting because it takes strategy out of the game. If they're so worried about the last play of the game, just make a rule that the game cannot end on XYZ play. They're short changing themselves by keeping the clock a "mystery".

 

[Anubis]

Meh, why can't they just publicize the clock? It doesn't make it exciting because it takes strategy out of the game. If they're so worried about the last play of the game, just make a rule that the game cannot end on XYZ play. They're short changing themselves by keeping the clock a "mystery".

its not a mystery its shown on the TV as well as in stadium scoreboards, that every one can see, and once it hits 45 or 90 the 4th official will announce how much stoppage time there is and the clock just keeps counting

 

[IndyColtsFan]

You quoted the guy that said it was simple and gave a thumbs up.

Sorry, I misquoted. I was "thumbs upping" the part where it says the strategy involved in soccer pales in comparison to the NFL.

The NFL is almost all strategy, that's part of what makes it so fascinating when done well, but so much of it is pre-prepared strategy before game and in-between plays.

For me, the most exciting part of a Colts game is seeing Manning step to the line, glance at the defense, and change everything up through audibles. I can't get enough of it.

Soccer, again when done well, can be simply amazing to watch, more so from the passing and plays developing on the field, less so, though not always, from the prepared strategies.

I just can't get into it no matter what I try.

Again, that may be, but the overall athleticism of all soccer players compared to all football players? I would lean towards the soccer players. I honestly do not care either way though, I watch both sports for different reasons.

Sure, if you want to lump all players together, that 360 pound defensive lineman obviously won't out run a soccer player.

 

[KeithTalent]

Stopping the clock to treat injuries, issue cards, spot the ball after a foul, retrieve a ball kicked far out of bounds, et al. is perfectly fine. Stop the clock, deal with the situation, restart the clock and continue counting to 90. The point is that the matches are to last for 90 minutes of soccer. Not 90 minutes and an ambiguous amount of time to be determined at whim of the referee who thinks the losing team should get an extra 15 seconds to finish their final shot on goal.




Again, if the game is meant to be played for 90 minutes, it should be played for 90 minutes. Not 90 minutes 10 seconds one match and 90 minutes 15 seconds the next. Whether or not a team is in the midst of moving the ball forward has no bearing on when 90 minutes of gameplay expires.



The reality of the situation is that FIFA has arranged the rules and the officiating to be the absolutely most simple and basic and to require the absolute minimum of equipment and gear. I'm surprised you haven't picked up on this.

Its my position that some of these sacrifices are no longer necessary given the state of modern technology.

Then we start getting 3 hour games like we do with Football and even 4+ hour games like we do with Baseball! Good god, no thanks! D: The clock is an argument many make in favour of this game, me included. Micro-managing the clock will not improve the game. Again, it work for American Football because it is a game of an entirely different style and pace.

People complain about the game being slow, yet you want to slow it down even more? :hmm:

KT

 

[zinfamous]

I'm not anti American sports. But baseball is a terrible sport and I'm not foolish to believe that. It's just... awful.

Honestly, GA. You're too smart not to like baseball. It's absolutely an acquired taste, but all it takes is a few games watching with someone that really knows the game and you'd probably get it.

I grew up disliking it immensely, but then I got better after several roommates and friends got me hooked. I don't follow it as much as I used to, but one thing that no other sport can match with baseball is the quality of 1 v. 1 matchup.

A Hall of Fame pitcher vs HoF hitter is one of the most awesome moments in all of sports. Such a mental game.

 

[zinfamous]

Do soccer leagues / fans measure & report the speed of their players? You always hear about measurables in football and to some degree baseball & basketball.

Seems like there would be several measurables that would be relavent to soccer teams,
10 yard (meter) dash, 40, 100, and something like a 5k pace

I'm curious if guys like Ronaldo can run a 4.4 or they're more like 4.7.

Endurance is far more important in soccer. Football, with 2-7 second plays at a time, is all about quick bursts and sprinting.

 

[Zebo]

You quoted the guy that said it was simple and gave a thumbs up.

The NFL is almost all strategy, that's part of what makes it so fascinating when done well, but so much of it is pre-prepared strategy before game and in-between plays.

Soccer, again when done well, can be simply amazing to watch, more so from the passing and plays developing on the field, less so, though not always, from the prepared strategies.

Again, that may be, but the overall athleticism of all soccer players compared to all football players? I would lean towards the soccer players. I honestly do not care either way though, I watch both sports for different reasons.

KT

You're crazy. Many of our NFL have been in the Olympics many more have Olympic speed but go for the $$$ instead. Soccer none. Just compare our basketball players to the rest of the world and how we dominate without even trying. You just don't get it so I'll let Chris Rock explain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2Wy_xRHJd4&has_verified=1

 

[zinfamous]

You can, but we're discussing why soccer is not popular in the US and soccer advocates keep bringing up how popular it is with kids as proof it is "popular." The point many of us are making is that kids seem to completely lose interest in soccer by middle school or perhaps a little later, whereas with other sports, perhaps they don't participate in high school but the interest is still there in terms of watching/following pro sports.

Also, some of these soccer advocates make it sound like kids playing soccer is a recent development. It is not. Kids played soccer when I was in grade school in the early 80s and now that my generation is nearing 40, you'd think we'd be at the vanguard of bringing it to the mainstream. This obviously is not happening.

Every decade since the 70s, American sports fans have heard "This is the decade soccer becomes big in the US!" And every decade, the prediction is horribly wrong. No one can dispute that, as it is a fact; you might debate the reasons, but it isn't a popular sport among adults in the US. If you like it, that's fine, but the people here insulting Americans (they have no attention span!) and their sports (NFL players are fat brutes!) in general as some sort of defense of soccer is pretty lame. We just don't find the sport exciting for the most part. Now, if you took away some of the rules or lessened them (like the offsides), THEN maybe it would be a little more exciting.

exactly. There's several decades of data showing the incredible popularity of soccer among youth, and every damn year (or at least every 4 during the World Cup--the only time the US can be bothered to think about soccer) the argument is made that it will soon be established as a premiere American sport....yet it just hasn't happened.

Hell, they've been saying this since the 70s, in order to increase popularity for bringing Pele over to the US to join the very short-lived circus of the US's first attempt to establish a pro soccer league.

So...what happened to all those kids that were supposed to usher in the new era of pro US soccer athletes...and all the kids that were supposed to idolize them?

They stopped playing soccer ~12 years old. Just like they do now, just as they always have done.

 

[JD50]

Then we start getting 3 hour games like we do with Football and even 4+ hour games like we do with Baseball! Good god, no thanks! D: The clock is an argument many make in favour of this game, me included. Micro-managing the clock will not improve the game. Again, it work for American Football because it is a game of an entirely different style and pace.

People complain about the game being slow, yet you want to slow it down even more? :hmm:

KT

How does this even make sense? His argument is about the clock not showing the proper amount of time left in the game. The officials add the time on at the end of the game, how would it make the game longer if they stopped the clock for 3 minutes instead of adding an extra 3 minutes to the end of the game?

 

[JD50]

You're crazy. Many of our NFL have been in the Olympics many more have Olympic speed but go for the $$$ instead. Soccer none. Just compare our basketball players to the rest of the world and how we dominate without even trying. You just don't get it so I'll let Chris Rock explain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2Wy_xRHJd4&has_verified=1

Even the "fat and out of shape" linemen are incredibly athletic. Those guys moving shockingly fast for their size.