Why the hell is soccer so popular?

[Jzero]

The only reason soccer is not the #1 watched sport in the US is because TV networks don't want to carry a game where you can't show 30 seconds of advertising for every 10 seconds of game play.

 

[spherrod]

it's a universal language and is playable with very little equipment without access to a sports ground. It can also be beautiful to watch - witness the pass from Carlos Alberto to Pele in the 1970 World Cup Final, it's almost art!

Now that I've said that - Spurs for the Premiership! New season starts on Sunday in England with the Community Shield

 

[Medicine Bear]

Originally posted by: manohartvs
Soccer is according to me the game which requires maximum talent, amazing Hand/eye/leg co-ordination.
I cannot believe you think it is boring. Are you telling us this because you saw one of those slow games where teams are trying to possess the ball and then slowly score, because I have great respect for every soccer player. You need absolute fittness to play the game because you are running non stop for 90 minutes(with a small half time-non cheerleader-break).

Please learn to play or try playing to see how challenging, yet fun the game is.

Maybe that is is. When I have gone to watch my cousins play it has almost always been a game where it seemed they weren't even trying to score. Just constant passing.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: broon
Serious answer: Not every kid is built to play basketball or football. You can be any size and play soccer. You can also mess around or practice with only a couple of people or even by yourself.

Actually, just like any sport, there is a 'preferred build' for soccer. It is a quickness sport, and as such a larger player has a definite disadvantage in the sport. But like any sport, there are those players that will go the extra mile to be good at a sport that others said was physically impossible due to their build, like a short basketball player, small framed football player, or a slow soccer player.

The cool thing about soccer is that there isn't any exact science to playing it. Basketball touches on this a bit when it comes to choosing a defensive strategy, man to man versus zone defense, but Soccer is much more robust. There are multiple player-setups and different defensive strategies as well as offensive strategies. There are different teams that are big on ball skill, then there are teams like the brazilians that are big on 1 touch passing and moving the ball among a group of players, and then there are the english that like to play long ball, which is a big kick and run game. You will see teams that swear by their wingmen as a critical goal scorers and then other teams that don't even have wingmen.

 

[Kalbi]

Originally posted by: Jzero
The only reason soccer is not the #1 watched sport in the US is because TV networks don't want to carry a game where you can't show 30 seconds of advertising for every 10 seconds of game play.

if they showed soccer on TV nobody would watch...

 

[spherrod]

Originally posted by: SuperTyphoon
soccer is called football in spanish, i don't know why, but it makes more sense.

it's called football everywhere but the US I believe....

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Kalbi

Originally posted by: Jzero
The only reason soccer is not the #1 watched sport in the US is because TV networks don't want to carry a game where you can't show 30 seconds of advertising for every 10 seconds of game play.

if they showed soccer on TV nobody would watch...

Judging by the programming on ESPN channels....enough people would.

 

[astralusion]

when he said cultural thing i don't think he meant your personal racial identity i think he meant americans in general don't follow soccer the same way that the rest of the world does...i know where i live however, as long as i've been alive there have been way more kids playing soccer than any other sport...i mean it's inherently more coed, especially at younger ages (i mean i'm not saying girls can't play football/baseball, i'm just saying it's not as typical)...and the entire aspect of it being cooler? i have no idea, i think it's a better sport, but if someone else were to prefer football or something and actually be any good at it, i can't see why they wouldn't play it.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Rogue
Because soccer is for pansies who hate full on physical contact and like to run away from people all the time.

Ha. I'm guessing you've never played soccer. There's full-on physical contact and the only protective gear is shin guards.

 

[manohartvs]

Originally posted by: SuperTyphoon
soccer is called football in spanish, i don't know why, but it makes more sense.

Foot - Ball
Ofcourse it does. You play by using mostly your feet. It is the right term and is used almost everywhere outside this country.

 

[habib89]

it's just getting "cooler" because everyone in the world, but the US plays it and is their most popular sport.. i'm with you though, i don't understand it.. a huge ass field and all you do is run back and forth, practicing your acting when you trip over soem dude's shoelace...

however, when i went to china a few years ago, it was during world cup time, and man.. it was everywhere.. it was pretty exciting

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
I dont think most of you read the OP.
He's asking why its such a popular YOUTH sport. Not why its so popular world wide.

Personally I think its popular with kids because give a 3yr old a ball. They cant throw it or hit it... but they CAN kick it and usually quite well. Take into acount that its also very athletic and "even" as far as team play is concerned so that nearly everyone on the field gets to participate in it (unlike baseball or football where its more or less isolated to a few key positions). So kids start playing it EARLY and simply continue on with it until they out grow it or find interest in something else.

Ok, that is very true. Soccer is considered a 'poor sport' because you can give a kid a ball and he can start learning the sport. I remember our coach used to tell us to go every where with our soccer balls and this is pretty much true. You can practice soccer while running, or by yourself in your backyard, or in a parking lot. You can also make up hybrid/extremely fun sports like soccer-tennis and soccer-baseball (omgz kickball!) This lends soccer to being a very fun sport to get into but a very hard sport to master.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: Rogue
Because soccer is for pansies who hate full on physical contact and like to run away from people all the time.

Ha. I'm guessing you've never played soccer. There's full-on physical contact and the only protective gear is shin guards.

lol. i bet he was being sarcastic because it's too trolly to be real, but it's true. i got pwned in soccer a few times when i played in high school. it's not for pansies... i've seen some brutal sliding kicks take people out and bloody them up. it takes quite a bit to see some red or yellow!!

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: miri
You need to be European or South American to understand. I was in Spain when the local team from Sevilla won the national championship and that city went crazy.

I was in Germany when the Germans won the world cup in 1989. you want to see a county i mean whole country go nuts?... that was crazy. germans were drunk for weeks after that.

 

[PawNtheSandman]

It is popular because poor people can play it. If everyone had money, Hockey, Golf and Polo would be bigger sports among young kids.

 

[Medicine Bear]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: miri
You need to be European or South American to understand. I was in Spain when the local team from Sevilla won the national championship and that city went crazy.

I was in Germany when the Germans won the world cup in 1989. you want to see a county i mean whole country go nuts?... that was crazy. germans were drunk for weeks after that.

And that is different from Germany any other time how exactly?

 

[spherrod]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: miri
You need to be European or South American to understand. I was in Spain when the local team from Sevilla won the national championship and that city went crazy.

I was in Germany when the Germans won the world cup in 1989. you want to see a county i mean whole country go nuts?... that was crazy. germans were drunk for weeks after that.

1990?

 

[manohartvs]

Originally posted by: Medicine Bear

Originally posted by: manohartvs
Soccer is according to me the game which requires maximum talent, amazing Hand/eye/leg co-ordination.
I cannot believe you think it is boring. Are you telling us this because you saw one of those slow games where teams are trying to possess the ball and then slowly score, because I have great respect for every soccer player. You need absolute fittness to play the game because you are running non stop for 90 minutes(with a small half time-non cheerleader-break).

Please learn to play or try playing to see how challenging, yet fun the game is.

Maybe that is is. When I have gone to watch my cousins play it has almost always been a game where it seemed they weren't even trying to score. Just constant passing.

My Point!!!
Watch any English premier league game, or Spanish la liga etc.

 

[Kelemvor]

Soccer has been popular as a kids sport for decades. It was just never popular as a professional sport because the US had crappy soccer teams. But with them doing infinitely better lately (last 10 years) than they did before, it just gets lots more press.

I was born in 1974 and all the kids played in the park and rec soccer leagues. I player from the time I was 5 or 6 until I entered high school.

 

[astralusion]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: Homerboy
I dont think most of you read the OP.
He's asking why its such a popular YOUTH sport. Not why its so popular world wide.

Personally I think its popular with kids because give a 3yr old a ball. They cant throw it or hit it... but they CAN kick it and usually quite well. Take into acount that its also very athletic and "even" as far as team play is concerned so that nearly everyone on the field gets to participate in it (unlike baseball or football where its more or less isolated to a few key positions). So kids start playing it EARLY and simply continue on with it until they out grow it or find interest in something else.

Ok, that is very true. Soccer is considered a 'poor sport' because you can give a kid a ball and he can start learning the sport. I remember our coach used to tell us to go every where with our soccer balls and this is pretty much true. You can practice soccer while running, or by yourself in your backyard, or in a parking lot. You can also make up hybrid/extremely fun sports like soccer-tennis and soccer-baseball (omgz kickball!) This lends soccer to being a very fun sport to get into but a very hard sport to master.

yeah in regards to youth i think this hits the head...i mean 5 and 6 year olds have difficulty playing a sport like football, and while soccer at this age is generally just a mass of kids moving around a ball and doesn't really represent the game as they progress, they're able to start early and pick up basics when they're really really young

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: spherrod

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: miri
You need to be European or South American to understand. I was in Spain when the local team from Sevilla won the national championship and that city went crazy.

I was in Germany when the Germans won the world cup in 1989. you want to see a county i mean whole country go nuts?... that was crazy. germans were drunk for weeks after that.

1990?

yea thats it. sorry it was a long time ago.

 

[jspeicher]

and if you want to get into soccer, dont watch MLS...get fox sports world and watch premier league.

 

[91TTZ]

I used to play soccer, but then I got into football. I find football much more exciting because it's more physical. I've found that skinny dweebs like soccer because they have no upper body strength and can only kick.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: PawNtheSandman
It is popular because poor people can play it. If everyone had money, Hockey, Golf and Polo would be bigger sports among young kids.

So you think a talented soccer played would want to give it all up to play golf?

 

[manohartvs]

Originally posted by: Kalbi
all you need is a ball and feet to play. baseball you need glove, bat, ball, 2 teams, etc. basketball you need a court, football you need a LOT of people and equipment.

What do you mean?