The American Spectator : Soccer to Me

LaneyB| 6.16.10 @ 6:17AM

Soccer is just the kick ball we played at recess only the grownups running after the ball get paid for its pointlessness. ESPN, newspapers, and any other media attempt to fill time and space with hype and hysteria can promote this World Cup thing all they want. Nobody in these fifty states cares.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:19PM

Well, apparently you do. In fact, you care enough to post a disparaging comment on a website after reading an article about soccer.

MHK| 6.17.10 @ 5:29PM

Soccer sucks. I love reading articles by people intelligent enough to agree.

Heather| 6.17.10 @ 8:45AM

What an ignorant mentality and perception of the sport. The same could be said for football, baseball, and basketball. ALL of those sports were played at recess, and only grownups (who are talented enough at it to excel) get paid for it.

And myself and several other MILLIONS of fans in these fifty states do care. Why do you think there's so much coverage? Just because you are too narrow minded to indulge in different sports, that does not mean the rest of us aren't entertaining ourselves with a sport that requires extreme athleticism, endurance, and skill.

Americans like you need to get their head out of their butt and realize that we are NOT the only people in the world that matter. We are not the best. And we do not enjoy the best things. We sure as hell think we do, but we turn a pompous nose up at the things of other cultures as if we are too good.

and FYI to the editor... BASEBALL IS BORING!!
It drags on for a LOT longer than 90 minutes, and most of it is just players standing out in the field twiddling their thumbs or sitting in the dugout waiting to bat. I think the fans get more exercise drinking the beer required to intoxicate oneself to a point where even that lousy sport can become exciting.

CalMark| 6.17.10 @ 10:07PM

Just 'cause the rest of the world loves it doesn't mean that we have to.

In fact, this country was founded by people who weren't like everybody else, and were proud of it.

The point of this article is that the "elites" (read: self-anointed liberal socialists) love to tell us soccer-averse Americans are inferior.

You like soccer? Good for you. You want to bad-mouth baseball? Go ahead.

But...you want to be a European? Or a South American? Or you think we're not as good as them? Well, then, join them. That's right, move out of my country.

I assure you, we real Americans won't miss you one bit.

ME| 6.21.10 @ 4:39PM

CalMark's response is characterized by the simplistic notion that all Americans think like him and those that don't somehow want to be members of another country. Reminds me a great deal of socialism. Everyone has to think the same way. Screw the individual. This is America, go somewhere else if you want eat pizza or tacos or drive a Nissan or drink Guinness or play fancy foreign invented sports like golf or tennis.

I'm also sick of the "I hate soccer because of liberals pushing it down my throat" bullhockey. You hate soccer because you don't know anything about it. I can understand some people not liking the game. I don't care for baseball (especially on TV and tennis bores me to tears), but I don't waste my time trying in vain to convince others that they're idiots for enjoying it, because baseball was based on a girls' knockoff of cricket called Rounders.

Jacob| 12.14.10 @ 10:04PM

ME, I love the way you think.

DW| 6.17.10 @ 7:30PM

I am one of the few conservatives at a very liberal Ivy League university (redundant i know). I don't agree with much these people think. After seeing so many crazy commentaries on soccer by conservatives though I really find it difficult to relate to this kind of mentality. Is this the kind of thought you put into everything you believe? Or is this just the way you feel? I thought that was what the liberals did? I don't care for the NBA but I have respect for those who play it and see why people would like it. I just don't like it myself. I have nothing harsh to say about it though. Yet there has been one article after another trashing soccer for no rational reason. How am I'm supposed to believe your other arguments are well thought out when you're making such petty and useless arguments?
I like to read this site to help stay informed. I guess informing me that "soccer sucks" must be pretty important to the advanced conservative mind. It's frustrating to see you people conforming to the stereotype. There are better sites with more important things to say.

Richard Baker| 6.16.10 @ 6:45AM

World Cup. Big whoop.

brutus6| 6.16.10 @ 3:12PM

Yep, watching soccer is boring.

So why did Lisa date the guy for four years?

ADHD| 6.16.10 @ 4:48PM

If soccer was/is so boring to watch, then how come is it broadcast upon national television networks (both private and government) everywhere but North America? Also, if it's intellectuals that are runts, how come do people as distinguished as the late Russian composer Dmítriy Shostakóvich get passionate everywhere else?

[This is aside from India and Pakistan, where cricket rules - and all of it soon to be banned by Islâm in the latter as well as eventually everywhere else in the "dar al-Islâm"? As to China, give it time: they'll welcome it before too long. Certainly Japan (long a baseball-country!) has been improving, and so has Australia...]

I'm by no means anti-American (far from it!), but why do we need to be contemptuous of anything that's non-American? [And lest you think your American system of measurements is better, even Britishers and Canadians aren't so happy about your keeping liquid measurements smaller than THEIR "Imperial" equivalents!...]

Kenny| 6.16.10 @ 6:50AM

The rest of the world plays soccer because .... well, that's about all most countries are up to playing.

And by the way. There was a article in yesterday's Wal Street Journal "The Fading Art of Goal Scoring" detailing how the average number of World Cup goals has steadly been declining for the past 60 years.

This is becasue teams focus in possession rather than scoring. This, of course, has only made a boring sport even more boring.

ADHD| 6.16.10 @ 4:53PM

In the end, ANY sport can be boring to watch! Enough people don't like it when an American "football" game has to stop, start and stop, start and stop 'ad nauseam'. One of the beauties of soccer is about how it keeps on going until the referee's final whistle OR somebody genuinely gets hurt - and woe's anybody who does that deliberately to somebody!...

Yes, although I don't watch ANY sports regularly, I remember as a child how passionate one could be about 'soccer' (football everywhere else in the world but North America!) in Europe...

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:21PM

As much as I like football (I'm nuanced enough to like more than one sport as opposed to the author), it does stop and start a rediculous amout of time. QB hands off to the RB for a 2 yard gain. How exciting!!!! Wait 40 seconds for an imcomplete pass and then 40 more for another short run. Now it's time to punt! Yipeee!!!!

ME| 6.21.10 @ 4:45PM

No Kenny, the scoring has declined because the World Cup is so important, teams take conservative strategies when they play, trying to avoiding risks and giving up needless goals. Soccer fans get this and realize it's all part of the drama, just like when a baseball player lays down a sacrifice bunt trying to move a runner to second.

Soccer is a massively exciting sport because of the constant tension and activity. It can be like a chess match or a heavyweight prizefight where two sluggers figure each other out, both waiting to land a knockout blow.

Boredom is in the mind of the beholder and is usually a product of the fact that the person being bored doesn't know much about what they're watching. It's just like when you introduce your kids to something you like and they roll their eyes and make goofy faces.

Around here, it's almost exactly like that.

mdr| 6.16.10 @ 6:55AM

So thankful you wrote this article! Our son plays hockey, and we are passionate about that sport. ANYONE at whatever level of athletic ability can run out and play soccer--they may not play it well, but they can try. Not just anyone can lace up a pair of skates and play a game of hockey. In order to even attempt to play the game, you must have some level of ability, then you improve from there. My son has willingly gotten up at 4:30 in the morning--when he was just 7!--to be at the rink by 5 for a 5:30 A.M. game. Hockey is not glamorous and it's not just for bragging rights that your kid is actually able to play a sport. The parents are just as dedicated as the kids. And let me tell you what--no self-respecting hockey player writhes around on the ice every time an opposing player bumps into them. Unlike those pathetic drama queens participating in the World Cup. They're worse than NBA players! If for no other reason, their wussiness would turn me off the sport completely. Now with the msm using this as another means to belittle our country, I have the best reason yet to SHUN SOCCER. They can take those obnoxious vuvuzelos and shove 'em where the Constitution doesn't shine!

breffnian| 6.16.10 @ 9:05AM

The fact that anyone can play soccer is one of the reasons I like it.

Tomas| 6.16.10 @ 12:32PM

I find it very interesting, mdr, that you love hockey, but hate soccer. Can't you see the similarities?

I grew up in a hockey town. No, it wasn't in Canada, but it might as well have been. Twenty miles from Ontario, we tended to look north rather than south. Hockey Night In Canada was as much a religion for us as Catholicism (trust me, only Vatican City is more Catholic than my home county).

When soccer was introduced, it was embraced by the community wholesale. It contains the same camaraderie, the same skill set, the same passion that hockey requires. And, here is the rub, the goal, and method, of both games is exactly the same: use a team to move a single object - puck, ball - down the field - rink - and get that object past a goal tender into a netted space. Off sides? Yep. Can't touch the object with your hands? Yep. Similarity in field of play restrictions? Yep.

The world loves soccer because it is such a perfect game. And anyone can play it: it's not kick ball. You just need a ball.

It's football.

Get it? Foot. Ball.

Get over your xenophobia, kids.

-

loulou| 6.16.10 @ 1:46PM

Soccer players DELIBERATELY use their heads to hit the ball. I call that stupid. Can you say brain damage?

ADHD| 6.16.10 @ 5:01PM

Why is it stupid to hit the ball with your head when it's usually light and it hasn't been struck that hard?

The head takes the place of the forbidden hands...

Heather| 6.17.10 @ 8:33AM

And deliberately tackling another person to the ground (where helmets are needed and intensive body protection mandated), is some how LESS stupid?

Sam| 6.16.10 @ 12:37PM

Your right, mdr. Not every kid can play hockey. The parents have to have enough money to afford hockey which is by far, the most expensive sport.

ME| 6.21.10 @ 4:50PM

The great thing about soccer is that anyone can go out and have a kick around, but playing the game and playing it well. Let's put it this way, try playing hockey with you feet instead of a long stick you can hold in your hands. Doubt you could do it, much less the running required in a game.

Yes, soccer has some playacting but pro hockey has ridiculous fighting and unconscionable violence that has nothing to do with the game. Neither of these is intrinsic to each sport, making them just talking points for people who want to trash two great games.

Charles Jackson | 6.16.10 @ 7:21AM

So much anger over...soccer? I mean, the World Cup occurs only every four years and I get kinda interested only b/c the USA has a USA team. And, may I add, that the sentiments expressed here by some readers are astonishingly over the top - it's just a game, folks. Get over it.

Thom Burke| 6.16.10 @ 11:53AM

We'll get over it, Mr. Jackson, when the elitist Euro-wannabes quit calling us xenophobes, or in the case of Time magazine, racists.

Tomas| 6.16.10 @ 12:37PM

I'm American, Mr. Burke, not an "elitist Euro-wannabe," and I'LL call us xenophobes. The rest of the world embraces this sport, and we do not. Don't you think that says something about us?

Bydand76| 6.16.10 @ 1:21PM

Tomas,
Well, by the same token I guess the rest of the world is xenophobes since they havent embraced "American Football".

Not only that but you are operating under the facade that we HAVE to embrace soccer simply because the rest of the world does. What gives?

Frankly, I don't give a good GD what the rest of the world thinks about us!

Now, Rugby? There's a REAL sport!

Pro Libertate!

loulou| 6.16.10 @ 1:39PM

Tomas says he's an American but maybe he's an American like Barack Hussein Obama is an American.

The Third World embraces soccer. We don't. Don't YOU think that says something about us?

Will| 6.16.10 @ 3:07PM

Yes, because Britain, Germany and France are third world.

Did you know that Communist Cuba has embraced baseball? Doesn't that say something about us?

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:25PM

As a soccer fan, which it is called here in America, SOCCER.... I'll say that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Tomas. We don't have to embrace the sport because other countries like it. We should embrace it because it's a good sport.

Nick| 6.16.10 @ 7:28PM

Tomas,

"The rest of the world embraces this sport, and we do not. Don't you think that says something about us?"

Yes, it does.
It says something about American Exceptionalism. It shows that Americans ARE different from the rest of the world.

We are special. We are the cream of the crop. We are descendants of people like my great-grandfather, who came to this country at 17, alone, with a few bucks in his pocket.

The best the world had to offer, would sell everything they had to get here. And, apparently, they didn't like soccer!

generic Brand| 6.17.10 @ 1:10AM

American Exceptionalism should mean we take part in every sport and strive to show that our way of life produces the most competitive participants. American Exceptionalism does not mean NOT EMBRACING something simply because the rest of the world does.

Feel free to hate on soccer. I've decided to expand my horizons and find the best in every sport, from the World Cup every four years (OH MY GOD! That's soooo frequent) to the Super Bowl and Master's every year and the individual seasons that encompass them.

Nick| 6.17.10 @ 9:29AM

Americans are not rejecting soccer " because the rest of the world" embraces it. The market place has decided.

Do you think Americans have meetings to decide what they are going to embrace and reject?

Also, if you think following every sport is "expanding your horizons," why don't you try reading about war and the people who fight them. They are the exceptional ones.

Appleby| 6.16.10 @ 7:33AM

We here in Ontario are enjoying World Cup futbol in all its flag-waving and party-going and dancing in the streets. We really enjoyed it all in 2006 as well. Oh, there are the usual whiners who hate seeing any flag waving save the Maple Leaf (and of course in Canada they hate even THAT flag, since patriotism is so, well, AMERICAN) -- but for this month, especially here in Toronto which is turning into a police state due to the G20 arriving shortly (our commuter rail line has actually advised commuters to pack water and snacks as unannounced disruptions are GOING to happen as they struggle to get to work) we welcome something to enjoy together.

As for baseball, our team has not won anything since 1992 -- the captain of the last Leafs team to win the Stanley Cup just turned EIGHTY, and so on. Canada has no World Cup team.

And oh, by the way, only the Americans seem to be whining about how much they hate whatever the rest of the world enjoys. Last weekend was the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On Speed Channel we were treated to a commentator who continually compared the 78th running of the greatest sports car race in the world to the 24 Hours of Daytona, a race that not only nobody attends, but nobody watches -- it is great because it is held in America, instead of France.

You folks ought to grow up. Really. Quit whining. We really do not care whether you like futbol or not. Really. We do not care.

canuckistani| 6.16.10 @ 9:56AM

Just more pandering to the multitude of solitudes , er cultures, in Toronto. Bet you a loonie that if Canada ever gets into the final, the sales of Italian or Portuguese flags will still outsell it. Sad, perverted nostalgia.
The game is boring, overhyped more than NFL (believe it) and leaves nothing but a sense of loss when you witness possessional tedium like the sort we've had for the last week. Reminds me of F1 racing, another eurotrash bygone sport, or Cricket, that has been co-opted by the third world as a way to gentrify the colonies.
Don't get me wrong, baseball is right up there with overindulgent fantasies as well.
Soccer will become interesting when it penalizes BS dives aggressively and loosens up the offsides rules to enable more aggressive play. Consider basketball's over and back rule: once the ball is carried offensively over the center line, it cannot go back in a defensive manoever, then a foul is called.
They won't even consider instant replay on goals that affect millions of people's sensibilities.
It's an old sport, tinkering is a huge diplomatic problem, but men have become smarter and faster and have ground the game into a somnotic bore.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:27PM

Wow, you're quite the sports expert (rolls eyes)

loulou| 6.16.10 @ 1:41PM

" We really do not care whether you like futbol or not. Really. We do not care. "

Oh, really? You do care about all the freebies you get from the US though, don't you?

Appleby| 6.17.10 @ 7:34AM

Freebies? USA? Who? What? All I ever seem to get is the invoices.

Frank Tavos| 7.16.10 @ 3:35PM

Appleby isn't a real Canadian. Did you notice how he spelled "futbol". Soccer is as about as popular here as it is in the US. In other words, it appeals mostly to immigrant groups who can't let go of the old country ways. Mostly, it's a sport for boys. Hockey and real football (ie: American of Canadian) are sports for men.

Lullaby's, Legends and Lies| 6.16.10 @ 7:39AM

I'm so proud of our Country for rejecting Soccer (and the Metric System too, although to a much lesser degree), no matter how many times they announce to us, that Soccer has finally arrived in America. No offense to the rest of the World (although I don't really care if they take offense), but Soccer is a poor Nation's Sport, all you really need to play the game, is a ball. Just a ball? Get the hell out of here!! We're a rich Country, and we like games that involve lots of expensive equipment, the more expensive the equipment the better. And what makes it so great, that we don't like Soccer, is that it pisses off the rest of the World so much. "We love Soccer, why don't the Americans love it too?" Number One, it's too boring, Number Two, I'd rather watch Golf, Number Three, it's just Gay!! We hate Soccer so much, that we named, arguably our favorite, or second favorite sport Football, which apparently is the "official" name for Soccer to the rest of the World. Oops!! Sam Kinison used to have a skit on America hating Soccer, but I don't remember how it goes anymore, but that was 20 years ago, but it still applies today. Screw Soccer!! Who cares who wins the World Cup!! Is it over yet?

Another rejection that I love, is that America has basically stopped watching Indy racing, in favor of NASCAR, and that pisses off the rest of the World too. We don't play fair!! God Bless Us!! USA, USA, USA!! The rest of the World? Screw em'.

L. Ross| 6.16.10 @ 10:31AM

Nice. Very Nice.

loulou| 6.16.10 @ 1:42PM

Amen.

brutus6| 6.16.10 @ 3:03PM

Hey, Lullaby's, the Metric System couldn't be all bad. After all, it gave us the 9mm bullet, eighteen of which, when seated in their cases, fit nicely in the palm of my hand, double stacked within the grip of my Springfield.

And speaking of Springfield, every time I hear anything about the World Cup, I think of the Simpson's soccer spoof where Springfield gets a soccer stadium, and the townspeople attending start a riot over their sheer boredom.

Wish I had seen Kinison's soccer skit.

Will| 6.16.10 @ 3:09PM

That is actually very funny. I don't know if you are intentionally being ironic and satirical, but if you are, you are a very funny man.

brutus6| 6.16.10 @ 3:55PM

Thank you, but I must give credit where it's due: back in the 80's humor columnist Dave Barry said Americans had rejected everything about the Metric System except the 9mm bullet.

ADHD| 6.16.10 @ 4:57PM

Just wait until you get into mathematics or anything scientific! Once you get involved with stuff like that, metric with its basis upon powers and logarithms of 10 swiftly outclasses what is based upon powers and multiples of 2.

It's not always that uncompromisingly defying the rest of the world at every possible turn is the best thing to do. Isn't it better to accept when something is out there to be learned?...

Nick| 6.16.10 @ 7:45PM

ADHD,

The field of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration still uses the English system in America.

There are lots of science and math used in the HVAC/R field.

The Fahrenheit scale is more accurate than the Celsius scale, by the way. The Fahrenheit scale having 180 gradations, or degrees, between the freezing and boiling point of water. As compared to the 100 degrees of the Celsius scale.

Lullaby's, Legends and Lies| 6.16.10 @ 8:18PM

Hey Nick: If they say the Metric System is so damn good, then why haven't any one of those Metric Loving Countries, ever landed on the Moon, and kicked over our English System loving American Flags (All five of them)? And I don't care if the Scientist at NASA might have been using the Metric System back then to get up there and back. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't? But NASA is an American Agency, and America collectively says that the Metric System can kiss our ass!! And Soccer still sucks!!

Nick| 6.16.10 @ 11:11PM

Lullaby's, Legends and Lies,

Excellent points! Ha-ha!

ADHD| 6.16.10 @ 11:09PM

Why is one scale more accurate because of having 180 gradations as to another's 100? Sooner or later you get into fractions in either case, which only extends accuracy in all cases!

Fahrenheit is based upon what the majority of white human-beings would describe as really hot or really cold; Centigrade/Celsius relates to the freezing and boiling points of water (a very simple and ubiquitous compound: H2O) - which means that - contrary to what you're saying - it's the 100-degree scale that's more accurate!

Nick| 6.16.10 @ 11:23PM

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz! Wrong, ADHD.

A fraction of a degree in the Fahrenheit scale will always be more accurate than a fraction of a degree in the Celsius scale, assuming the sensing equipment is calibrated correctly.

Since digital thermometers used in commercial applications today are only accurate to one tenth of one degree, or one decimal point, the Fahrenheit scale is the more accurate of the two.

Scientists only converted to the metric system because they were too lazy to do the mathematical conversions.

Stammon| 6.17.10 @ 4:42AM

Oh Jiminy Christmas!!
What a stupid argument.
Celsius is based on the phase changes of water, and Fahrenheit is based on the temperature of a Horse's ass and the length of Fahrenheit's instrument.
Bend over and I'll show you.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 9:14AM

Now, THAT was funny!

Heather| 6.17.10 @ 8:54AM

And it's people like Lullaby's, Legends and Lies that makes me wonder.. "hmm... Why exactly does the rest of the world hate us so much?"

Oh yeah, because America is full of pompous, apathetic, uncultured, uneducated rednecks who put more emphasis on how much a sport costs rather than how much skill a sport requires.

Yeah... that's right. Now I remember.

Nick| 6.17.10 @ 9:35AM

And it's bleeding hearts like you, Heather, that make me wonder why don't you just leave?

Sock Her| 6.18.10 @ 12:25AM

"why do they hate us so, boo hoo"

God. Bleeding frigging heart lib.

Dude my dog can kick a ball, but he can't score any goals, so he has about the same talent as all those "great" world cup soccer players.

Curly Smith| 6.16.10 @ 7:43AM

The World Cup provides us with a peek into the left's illogic. The NFL and NASCAR are reviled because they're uniquely American and we Conservatives are often scolded for our nationalistic fervor. Then along comes the World Cup... it's all nationalistic fervor. Contrary to what the author wrote, I say that the World cup is beloved around the world for its passion and its peasantry. It's the modern day Roman Circus that, like the modern Olympics, is supposed to enthrall the masses as your professional athletes beat professional athletes from other countries. It's supposed to distract the peasants from the lack of employment opportunities, the looting of the treasury, and the tightening of the slave collar.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:29PM

Quit politicizing sports. Yeah, some on the globalist left only like soccer because it's "global" and what not. But you should be smarter than to try and politicize a sport. For Pete's sake, its a good sport. Have you played? It's fun and the World Cup athletes are high quality. But yeah, slavery and whatnot.

Jonas| 6.20.10 @ 12:33PM

Thank you -- I haven't laughed as much in a long time. I guess if people watch a car go around and around and around and around in a circle has nothing to do with "distract[ing] the peasants from the lack of employment opportunities, the looting of the treasury, and the tightening of the slave collar" as US traitors ... sorry, corporations ... sell out the American worker so they can hire workers in other country and pay them less than a living wage.

And American football is a moronic sport -- how can a "game" with four 15-minute quarters last for four hours?

Lullaby's, Legends and Lies| 6.16.10 @ 8:06AM

Umm, excuse me, what? Was that a Pro, or Anti World Cup Soccer comment? U might want to spell out your words in the future, if U R able. Arnt U, or R U 4 Soccer?

Peterk| 6.16.10 @ 7:51AM

what is with the visceral hatred towards soccer. Why can't you allow those of us who enjoy the beautiful game enjoy this quadrennial event in peace. I don't complain about the baseball World Serious being in actuality of a competition between only teams from two nations. I don't rant and rave about why it takes 4 hours to play a game that is supposed to take 60 minutes. But even more so I'm surprised at "conservatives" who denigrate a sport that in actuality reflects best the free enterprise system. Think about it. soccer has only 17 laws, of which a number concern only equipment and the dimensions of the field of play. There is but one referee who has 3 assistants. The referees word is final. Only one player has a clearly defined role ie the goalkeeper, all other players are allowed to move about the field at will even exchanging places with other players on the team as needed.
No look at American football, an army of officials on the field who seem to constantly dropped flags for some violation of the innumerable rules. Like the federal government American football is constantly jiggering with the rules to affect they outcome that they want. Action is limited. A study was recently published that established that in the 4 hours it takes to play a football game there was in actuality about 12 minutes of action
And don't get me started about baseball. I've played the game and it bored me to tears.

so as someone else wrote Quit your whining, it is unbecoming

Grzmlyk| 6.16.10 @ 8:29AM

And as I wrote to that someone else, shut the hell up.

In this country - until O'Mussolini figures out how to indoctrinate every last one of us - we have a right to our opinions. When we voice opinions that disagree with yours, it is not whining. It is disagreement. Whining is what YOU are doing by posting your ridiculous jeremiad. And you so self-righteously preen about not complaining about American sports - and then proceed to complain about them.

In a word, Mr. self-satisfied, pseudo-enlightened citizen of he world, soccer sucks. It is boring. It is sports-lite. However, it is the perfect sport for a feckless intellectual runt.

Enjoy.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:31PM

Pot, meet kettle. My opinion is disagreement, yours is whining. I find it funny you're both telling some to "shut the hell up" and referencing our 1st amendment rights the next paragraph.

But if it makes you feel better, blame soccer for the nation's woes.

Jonas| 6.20.10 @ 12:35PM

"In this country - until O'Mussolini figures out how to indoctrinate every last one of us - we have a right to our opinions."

I'm so glad the Right (the fascists) discovered that it's OK to criticize the government and the president. After all, for the eight years of Bush's reign, we were subjected to the fascists' determination that any critique against the imperial president was tantamount to treason. I guess the traitors calling for armed insurrection now are freedom fighters, not the filthy traitors they really are, right?

Scot| 6.16.10 @ 9:14AM

THe reactions by "conservative" or anyone really that doesnt like soccer are like this because we have been called out by people like you that do like soccer as crazy, unenlightened fools for not liking it. We would love to just let you be and enjoy your soccer if you would just let us be in hating soccer. But since your side started the fight we are going to finish it.

I for one dislike soccer but i also dislike watching baseball. The only difference is that baseball is fun to play. Soccer is popular with moms with kids in America, only. The reason is that it is easy to organize leagues. You dont need to be good or know anything to coach it and all you need in equipment is a few balls and a flat field. So it isnt that moms expect their kids to grow up playing soccer. Just the opposite, it is a great beginner sport for kids to launch into real sports like football, basketball or even baseball.

So enjoy your soccer. Me ill enjoy my basketball. And anticipate the college football season. While the world has one sport to get up for I have many. While most the world is only good at one sport we in America are good at many. Have fun but dont insist that I participate in it with you.

Grzmlyk| 6.16.10 @ 9:32AM

But you don't grasp the mindest of the emasculated liberal:

Wah! Wah! Wah! I can't enjoy my soccer until every single person on the planet feels about it exactly the same as I do!!! Wah! Wah! Wah!

In other words, their world view, when it comes to sports, is exactly of a piece with the rest of their would view. Diversity if great as long as nobody gets out of step.

Sam| 6.16.10 @ 12:44PM

Let me first say that I am a huge soccer fan.

These comments are all frustrating. How dare the left hijack the great game and use it as a tool for shaming conservatives! I don't like how you all ignorantly bash soccer, but know that the left also has no clue about the game other than it is 'foreign' and just for that reason, they want to appreciate it.

In fact, that makes the left even more disingenous than the right.

So let me just say on behalf of true soccer fans and not obscenely tolerant lefties- stop dissing soccer!
If you don't like it or don't want to watch it-FINE!
You don't have to! Just stop blaming the great game of soccer because of some stupid liberals. You don't hate the constitution and the libs force their false interpretations of it on you all the time!

Sam| 6.16.10 @ 12:47PM

Because honestly, most libs care as little about soccer as you do. They just want to pretend to care in order to feel tolerant and shame you.

Bottom line: Don't blame soccer for the actions of liberals!

ADHD| 6.16.10 @ 4:59PM

Precisely!! There are people around who enjoy soccer yet who can be as arch-conservative as anybody else (though not always the way Americans may envision themselves)!

DonDuke | 6.16.10 @ 7:53AM

My thoughts on the World Cup (from my blog)-

"Now before all those 5′7″ guys named Ian and Sean try to convince me how gross and un-cool I am that I can’t understand the “magnificent” game, let me apprise you of something. After 8 games over the last 3 days, there were a total of 12 goals scored. Except for one game, Germany vs Australia, where Germany scored 4 goals, there would have been only 8 goals in 7 games. Considering the length of playing time is 90 minutes per game, that amounts to roughly 1 goal every 79 minutes. Can somebody set my alarm clock?"

brutus6| 6.16.10 @ 3:47PM

At 5'7", Sean and Ian's more ground-hugging center of gravity would make them ideal athletes for downhill skiing. And it would make Sean and Ian much more fun for us to watch on the telly.

Appleby| 6.17.10 @ 7:42AM

Back in the days of the Six Teams in hockey, the players were just about the size of soccer players today. (The joke was that a French Canadians centre of gravity was close to a good restaurant.) Today the players are blundering behemoths the size of American Football players and NA$CARs and normal sized people can no longer play.

I agree with those who said that Americans like sports that cost huge mounts of money and pay $12,000 per minute to gigantic babies whose sole interest in life is to cripple each other on the field and get arrested for trying to cripple other people off the field.

If you want to watch this, knock yourselves out. I do not demand that your sports be removed from the Earth. I turn them off and watch something else. Why can you not do the same?

JohnD| 6.16.10 @ 8:14AM

I love NFL football, MLB baseball and ice hockey (although the NHL is a poorly run, Mickey Mouse league - see the 100% upsets in the playoffs, where the best team in hockey by far, Washington, gets eliminated in a flukey, gimmicky series with poor, nonexistent, officiating that allows a losing team to clutch and grab their way to the 2nd round).

That said, I can tolerate soccer, though watching it takes a lot of patience. And in any event, we should be supporting our USA team, as they have become pretty good, as evidenced by their draw with England.

Wouldn't it be fun for the USA to win it all, and instead of rioting we all show up for work the next day? We could show the infantile Euros how a country of adults reacts to a Championship on a world stage.

Le Cracquere| 6.16.10 @ 8:44AM

Even more amusing would be if the American team won the World whateveritis, and Americans met it with the reaction it merited: indifference or failure to notice, accompanied by third- or fourth-page news items. The soccer religionists would burst a collective aneurysm.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:34PM

Yeah, considering 17 million Americans watched a World Cup game on at 2 in the afternoon, I'm guessing it would get a little more play than 3rd page news items. But, I'm guessing you would still care enough to make a snarky comment about how little you care about soccer.

Frank Tavos| 7.16.10 @ 3:55PM

JohnD.: If you don't know anything about a topic, you would be well advised to say nothing about it, so you don't sound like an ignoramus.

The Washington Capitals are clearly NOT the best team in hockey. They have some good offensive players who were made to look like incompetent fools by a hard-skating, tight checking Montreal Canadiens team backed by the superb goaltending of Jaroslav Halak. Sorry, buddy, the Habs beat them fair and square. Better luck next year.

PS: Even if they had made the Finals, the Caps would have lost to the Blackhawks anyway. By the way, the Hawks are currently the best team in hockey. I do agree with you, however, that the NHL is poorly run. Gary Bettman is a New York lawyer who hasn't the faintest idea of how to run a hockey league. Only a Canadian should be allowed to be commisioner of the league.

Louis Jenkins| 6.16.10 @ 8:54AM

Soccer? Who the heck watches soccer? I'll stick to football, baseball, and an occassional stock car (?) race when I watch.

johbow| 6.17.10 @ 8:43AM

Only 3.5 billion people around the world compared to 500 million for baseball. How about live and let live.

Heather | 6.17.10 @ 8:59AM

Amen!! I can't believe people are saying baseball is more entertaining than soccer. Of ALL the sports, Baseball is the longest, slowest, most pointless game out there. But why do I go and still subject myself to that endless torture of a game? Because camaraderie is fun and so is getting intoxicated enough to be excited about a ump that makes bad calls and a team who sits most of the game hidden in a dugout.

Bram| 6.16.10 @ 9:03AM

Soccer is boring to watch. Even the people who claim to love soccer know it. That is why they blow horns, sing songs, drink vast quantities of beer, or just beat each other up to pass the time while the game drones on.

As for the kids, I carefully avoided signing my kids up for soccer. I have seen other families give up their evenings, vacations, and every minute of free-time for the never-ending soccer season. Baseball & Softball, Field Hockey, (real) Football, and Wrestling all have seasons that start and stop at specific points in the year. Not soccer - it's a permanent commitment. No thanks.

JimP| 6.16.10 @ 9:10AM

Amen, Lisa! And another thing, the soccer fans have it backwards. We non soccer fans didn't start the griping. It was the soccer fans/players who have been trying to shove soccer down America's throat for the last 30+ years that started it all and are the problem. The lefties and their self esteem movement are trying to remake America into a European country. American exceptionalism is reflected in our sports. They are difficult and require athletic ability, skill and dedication to play well, and often physical courage. No one in America griped about soccer until the soccer types began hectoring US, in denigrating ways, and tried to elevate the skills required to play their game as on par with to those needed in baseball, basketball, football and hockey. Sorry soccer fans, your sport is a gross motor skill game. That's what kicking a ball is. Occassionally you bounce one off your skulls. Try that with a Nolan Ryan or Stephen Strasbourg fastball. Anyway, we don't mind you enjoying soccer, but shut up and enjoy it and stop pushing it on the rest of us and you will never hear a word from us. We'll be busy watching or playing the other sports mentioned.

breffnian| 6.16.10 @ 9:56AM

why is kicking a ball just a "gross motor skill" but not throwing and catching ?
And why an earth would you want to bounce a fastball off your skull?

JimP| 6.16.10 @ 10:07AM

Why? Because that's how human motor skills breakout from scientific studies. It requires more coordination to throw a baseball than to kick a soccer ball. Sorry, that's just how it is.

breffnian| 6.16.10 @ 10:29AM

Yeah, but your hand is way more coordinated and is controlled by a huge amount of cerebral cortex compared to the foot. Which just makes what soccer players can do with their feet all the more remarkable.

JimP| 6.16.10 @ 11:08AM

LOL And not everyone's brain can use the cortex to make those hands coordinate well. That is what makes throwing and catching more remarkable than kicking. ALL the scientists say so. You have unbridled faith in science don't you? Just like not everyone has the manual dexterity to be a brain surgeon. This is a classic example of turning logic on its head. If soccer players were actually doing remarkable feats of kicking they would score a whole lot more goals. But by all means continue to delude yourself that soccer players are on a par with guys like Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Mickey Mantle (switch hitting is soooo easy because it takes more brain power which is readily available to everyone-LOL), Hank Aaron, Pete Maravich.... I could go on all day. Thanks for the laughs, Breff.

breffnian| 6.16.10 @ 11:33AM

I'm not saying it's easy to hit a fastball or throw a touchdown pass. It's also not easy to kick a football like Pele. If kicking a ball is so easy why is everyone not playing at the world cup? The point is, soccer players excel at what they do, just like Joe Montana or Jerry Rice. The fact that the foot is a blunter instrument doesn't change that. They just do remarkable things with their feet. They don't score more goals because there are defenders trying to stop them and a huge goalkeeper in the way and it's not easy to score a goal.

If you saw a man writing with his foot would you be impressed?? Or would you say "so what, the hand is much better"

Will| 6.16.10 @ 3:14PM

You are being very illogical. Anyone can throw a baseball, just as anyone can throw a soccer ball. But it takes special skill to throw a fastball, just as it takes special skill to hit a perfect cross in soccer. Please, accept that both accept incredible skill to play well, and get on with your life.

JimP| 6.16.10 @ 9:53PM

Will,

Sorry but you are one failing the logic test. And it's not my logic, it is scientist's logic. It's a fact. You soccer guys need to accept reality.

Scientist| 6.17.10 @ 1:47AM

Yes, Will. You fail terribly. It is my logic; therefore it is fact. Man has been holding a club and using it in coordinated attacks since the dawn of time. And man has also been picking up rocks and throwing them for the same length of time. Therefore, the ability to throw and hit has been hardwired into man's brain. So they are much more adept at throwing and hitting then they are at kicking. It is logic, can't you see that Will?

Soccer players are people who have terrible coordination, because they can't throw a fastball or hit a fastball. Soccer players can only KICK a ball that is traveling along a curve or move their body in the way of said ball. Soccer players can't use an extension of their bodies in the form of a bat to swing at a ball that is traveling towards them and expected to be within a confined area. Therefore they are uncoordinated. Duh, Will. I hope that I have corrected your illogical failure of logic.

Will| 6.17.10 @ 4:19AM

You're undermining your own argument. Yes, the hands and arms are much more sensitive and much better connected to the brain than the feet. That makes what great soccer players can do with their feet even more extraordinary- it's harder to do with the feet. They actually have fantastic co-ordination.

JimP| 6.17.10 @ 7:13AM

LOL Very good Scientist. Your sarcasm aside you're starting to get it. Throwing balls is sooo easy. That's why Obama looked worse than a "sixth grade girl" (no offense to lady ball players who DO know how to throw) throwing out the first pitch. Any spaz can kick a ball. Stop by the school yard sometime and watch ALL the kids kicking balls. Not all will be throwing and catching baseballs.... or hitting them. Notwithstanding your caveman analogy, only their best athletes were designated to throw the rocks and spears. The Obama type throwers carried the rockbags, or stayed behind in the cave with the girls. Clubs weren't used until the beast was down which means it wasn't moving. Or they were used against other cavemen which is a whole different game. One which I'm sure you know nothing or you wouldn't have made the statement.

Thanks for the repartee and keep up your efforts to grasp the truth.

Will| 6.19.10 @ 1:26PM

The caveman stuff is complete crap. I can't quite see how it backs up your argument, as all it shows is that the hands are better connected to the brain and more sensitive than the feet.
Anyone can throw a ball, just as anyone can kick a ball. It takes incredible skill to do either at the top level- the idea that throwing is somehow immensely difficult, whilst kicking is very easy, is rubbish.

breffnian| 6.16.10 @ 9:15AM

The US/England game was one of the best of the tournament so far. Basically, the US beat a team of superstars by teamwork and effort. They ran their socks off for 90 minutes for their country. They got a tie which gives them a great chance of progressing to the next round. Why not celebrate an achievement by fellow Americans instead of dissing their sport because it's "foreign" or "boring"?

Steve A| 6.16.10 @ 9:58AM

Hey Breffnian,
Nothing like a good, old fashioned tie score to get the excitement level ramped up to the stratosphere. The fact that you refer to a tie as a win (beat a team of superstars) illustrates the lameness of the game & those who celebrate a tie game. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

breffnian| 6.16.10 @ 11:08AM

Well it was an exciting game I thought. And the US may not have beaten the Brits by goals but they outplayed them and possessed the ball better. And they came within the width of a goal post from winning the game. You don't always have a winner in a soccer game, but there will be a winner at the end of the tournament and the object right now is to get to the next round. The winner at the end of the first round at the Masters usually isn't the winner on Sunday.

cuban pete| 6.16.10 @ 9:40AM

JimP:
You nailed it.
American Liberals Denigrating Athletics-The ALDA movement latched on to soccer because "everyone" could play and you could live with the fiction nobody is keeping score.
I'm 64 years old. As a youngster I had to try out for a team. I'll never forget the week following my try out for Little League. I was nine years old and my palms were sweating as I opened up the letter saying I had been chosen. The letter also warned that although I had been picked it was possible I could still get cut before the season began.
In any event several of my buddies didn't get picked but they endured and did other things including playing football, etc.
Baseball was and is a tough teacher. You are up to bat and you either succeed or fail before GOD and man. Nowhere to hide. But that's how you learn.
The ALDAs have tried to level all sports, give everyone a trophy and pretend no one loses. It is just easier with soccer.

JimP| 6.16.10 @ 10:04AM

Pete: Amen, brother. I was a spaz at baseball as a kid. But I wanted to play. I hit rocks in the backyard day after day to learn the hand eye coordination to hit. I bounced balls off the walls of our house for hours on end to learn how to field. I became good enough to excel in Little League and was a pretty good HS player. Didn't have the talent to get a scholarship of get drafted, but have never had one single regret. I still love baseball. I played a few pickup soccer games with the HS varsity players before graduation and they asked me to go out for soccer because I was already (without ever playing the game) on par with them.

Your point about batting is 100% right too and a great point. Failing publicly and continuing to try builds character.

Sam| 6.16.10 @ 12:52PM

Again,
all of this is bs and the left is WRONG!
Soccer is just as competitive as any other sport and everyone doesn't win. In fact, the best teams rarely get upset as easily as in baseball, football, or hockey and don't get me started on hockey!
I mean, how can the two worst teams in a conference (Montreal and Philadelphia) be the two teams competing for a spot in the finals?
In soccer, the better team actually does win and if they're not the better team, then they tie. It's more authentic

Steve Q| 6.16.10 @ 10:05AM

Cuban Pete,
Agree. The only thing missing is if they could incorporate an Obama Restraint Medal for teams that let the other team win or do not run up the score.....

Anthony| 6.16.10 @ 10:17AM

Lisa, I'm with you 100%. Give me a Yankee game any day.
The more the tedious MSM attempt to shove the World Cup down our, (dare I say, protective cup), the more I ignore it.
World Cup soccer hysteria is a prime example of how the media are in the propaganda business, not the news business.The elites have determined that America will love soccer, OR ELSE!!!
Gee, I can't wait for Ghana to play Turkey, I'll be on pins and needles all night. What's the over/under, on this one?

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:38PM

What elites have determined this? ESPN (the one actual sports network here) broadcasts games live and does highlights...during the day, during one month every 4 years. That's 1/48 of the time. Is that "determining America will love soccer, OR ELSE!!!!)???????

Jaime| 6.16.10 @ 10:29AM

Vuvuzelas are not a soccer tradition. Those noise-making devices are something proper of the South-African crowds, but everybody else hates that. Some teams even officially complained to FIFA about vuvuzelas and their noise, but FIFA announced it will not prohibit its use in the Stadia, because it is a tradition in South Africa and they are the hosts of the tournament. So, please continue hating the vuvuzelas, I do too, but please don't treat vuvuzelas as something proper and universal to soccer-loving people, because it is not so.

astorian| 6.16.10 @ 10:35AM

Unlike Ms. Fabrizio, I don't hate soccer. I jsut don't like it, and find it tedious to watch. I’m not a soccer fan, and never have been ( I won’t say “and never will be” because my 6 year old plays it a little, and if he ever joins a league, OBVIOUSLY I’ll encourage him and come to his games). So, if you ARE a soccer lover, and don’t like what I’m about to say, at least I’ve acknowledged my prejudices up front.

Soccer is a silly game. Don’t take that the wrong way- ALL games are silly, when you get right down to it. That’s part of their charm. Athletes in ALL sports are entertainers, nothing more. If you find it fun to watch them do their thing, whatever it happens to be, that’s fine by me. But can we all acknowledge that NO sport is really important, in the grand scheme of things? Babe Ruth didn’t cure cancer, and neither did Pele. Johnny Unitas didn’t bring peace to the Middle East, and neither did Giorgio Chinaglia. LeBron James hasn’t put an end to air pollution, and neither has David Beckham.

Sorry to belabor the point, but sports just aren’t that important. If we watch them, we should do so solely for our own amusement. Whether your favorite spectator sport is baseball, soccer, hockey, horse racing or anything else, your favorite sport is nothing more than an enjoyable waste of time.

Now, like most Americans, I’d be perfectly happy to tell Europeans and South Americans, “You guys enjoy your favorite silly games, and we’ll enjoy ours.” Like most Americans, I don’t want to insult or ridicule soccer, I want to IGNORE it, as I always have. The problem is, soccer fanatics (especially the Europeans and Europhiles) are almost never content to leave it at that.

The idiots who’ve tried to market soccer in America have never tried to sell it as a fun game, or as family entertainment. They've never tried to tell us, "Bring the kids to a soccer game- we guarantee you'll have a great time!" THAT approach might actually have WORKED! Rather, their approach has always been to SCOLD Americans, to NAG us! They invariably try to tell us that soccer is “the WORLD’s game,” as if that’s supposed to impress us, as if we Americans have some kind of moral obligation to embrace the game just because Europeans do. They act as if soccer is more than a silly game. They act as if it’s an art form, one that all sophisticates appreciate. Their attitude suggests that only an uncouth yahoo could fail to love it.

Well, news flash for marketers: nobody is going to be nagged into liking a game. Nobody is going to be shamed into watching a sport. And nobody in America CARES that every other country seems to love soccer. If you want Americans to watch soccer, try to convince them it will be fun. But…

1) Don’t ever try to sell soccer as more than entertainment. It's just a game, not a metaphor for life (actually, as much as I like baseball, I'd give this same advice to many baseball fans!).

2) If your efforts to win Americans over fail, don’t take that as a personal affront.

3) The USA is hardly the only nation that prefers other sports to soccer. Canadians prefer hockey. Cubans and Venezuelans prefer baseball. In China and India, soccer stirs very little passion. But do soccer fans ever work themselves into a frenzy, griping about those “stupid” or “arrogant” Chinese, Indians, Cubans or Canadians? No! Why is failure to love soccer only seen as a moral failing in OUR country, and nowhere else?

4) We Yanks don’t care whether Europe ever embraces our sports. We KNOW that Europeans don’t care a whit about Brett Favre or Derek Jeter, and that doesn’t offend us in the least! So, why do Europeans and Europhiles get their panties in a wad that we don’t care for THER sport? The NFL tried to sell our brand of football in Europe, and the Europeans were kargey unimpressed. Do Americans get angry about that? Do we vilify Europeans for failing to appreciate our "beautiful game"? Of COURSE not! We understand that many countries already have sports they like better than our football, and we're content to say, "To each, his own." It would be nice if soccer buffs could show similar insouciance about what other sports fans like.

Mario| 6.16.10 @ 2:56PM

I love soccer, I also enjoy a good game of american football, hockey or basketball... not so much baseball, but I hold nothing against those who love it. In fact I don't really care what sports anybody else likes and have many friends that don't care for any sport.
Assuming most of the posts here are from fellow conservatives, I'm feeling a little embarrased to share philosophic outlook with so many (not all)morons. This one size fits all approach betrays a lot in common with the Obama-Pelosi-Reid way of thinking.
I agree with ASTORIAN about the idiot europhiles who "get their panties in a wad..." , but don't forget also the americans (like Fabrizio) who launch into uprovoked diatribes against soccer and those (american or not) who enjoy it.

cls| 6.16.10 @ 10:39AM

Yes, soccer is mind numbingly dull, but so are basketball, baseball, golf, boxing, etc; so what does it matter if another one is broadcast to the inert masses.
However, since sports are considered a reflection of the national psyche, imagine what it would be like if the favorite games were ultimate fighting and robot wars.

L. Ross| 6.16.10 @ 10:41AM

I love the vuvuzelas. They increase my reflexive speed to change the channel to some thing I might enjoy.

L. Ross| 6.16.10 @ 10:44AM

I was a high school wrestler. I enjoy watching the sport, but I can understand that other people don't, so there is virtually no genuine, competetive wrestling to watch. I get it. Similarly, the vast majority of Americans will not watch a soccer game. Why can't the soccer snobs get that?

Robert Pinkerton| 6.16.10 @ 12:02PM

IMHO (This is as much of a question as an assertion.) snobbery often shares the suite of traits with long-nosed busybodiness.(?)

davelnaf| 6.16.10 @ 10:46AM

Soccer is a great game to play, but an absolute bore to watch as a spectator sport when compared to football. Therefore, it is something of a wonder why there is such persistence in trying to get us to like the game. If anything it is kept on life support in this country because we have so many foreign born people here. And, despite this, it is something of a wonder why the sport’s presence in the US isn’t an even bigger nuisance than it is.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:41PM

Who are these people "trying to get us to like the game" ????

Who is knocking on your door demanding you turn your TV to the World Cup?

Dan| 6.16.10 @ 11:19AM

As someone who's played soccer, baseball, basketball, and football and always made the team, I have to throw some cold water on this pile-on hatefest and disagree on a few points.

The "anyone can play it" attitude won't get you on the team in high school. This is one of the most intense, vigorous, energy draining sports (at least the way American schools play it) out there, and you better be darn good if you want to really compete. I don't care how fast you or your reflexes are, if you haven't developed the coordination the game requires, you've got some catching up to do.

In terms of people poo-pooing watching this year's world cup, I can understand where you're coming from. If you haven't played seriously the game yourself, you're not going to be in-the-moment, living vicariously to the point where slower games are still keep you on the edge of your seat.

Let me also say that Lisa has it right in that this "focus on possession" makes for some boring games, but the beginning of the tournament is, of course, a time for teams to play it safe. Our teams (in school) always played a 'full steam ahead,' balls-out game and subbed about as often as a hockey game to keep that momentum. Playing it safe never scored enough goals to amount to much, and you had to trust your defense to be able to take care of the other team's offense if your forwards lost the ball in one of many runs. I'll hand it to you, the total shots on goal in the USA/England was ridiculously low.

Aside from your home team, I wouldn't suggest watching to many of these bottom-bracket matches as teams are either playing it safe or blowing the other out of the water. I expect the truly good ones to come near the end of the tournament, and will then give some of my precious time to watching what should be some great games.

Tom Phillips| 6.16.10 @ 11:25AM

Wow, it's a good thing you wrote this article. I was getting excited about the World Cup matches and enjoying rooting for the US. Thanks to you throwing a wet blanket over my burning excitement I've been saved! Now I can concentrate my TV watching on reality shows & the commercial-packed baseball games and golf tournaments. WHEW... that was a close one! Thanx again!!!

Seek| 6.16.10 @ 11:29AM

The only people who hate soccer are those who never played the game. Casting the sport as some sort of One World plot to emasculate U.S. sovereignty -- Esperanto and the UN with a large ball, if one will -- misses the excellence of the game's skills and nonstop action. If it's higher scoring you seek, there's always indoor soccer.

Ms. Fabrizio is no more a sportwriter than a film critic.

Bram| 6.16.10 @ 12:10PM

I played 4 years of soccer in Junior High and High School. I have never in my life watched a complete soccer game I didn't play in. I've tried, can't do it, it is mind-numbing. Sissies kicking the ball and back and forth, falling down and crying whenever another player comes close, and no cheerleaders.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 5:38PM

I'll bet that watching YOU play soccer was mind-numbing. In fact, reading your attempt at grammar is mind-numbing. Did you run out of Kleenex in high school?

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:43PM

Good point, no cheerleaders. You've suuuuuuuuuure won me over...

Nate| 6.16.10 @ 11:42AM

Lisa Fabrizio --

I'm astonished by the stupidity of your article.

I don't care whether you like soccer or not.

But I don't understand how you could be so bigoted against and fearful of Muslims that you could somehow work in their supposed 'hatred' for us as having something to do with a dislike of soccer.

It's tortured reasoning based upon phony assumptions.

Now, Lisa. Surgery is available for people whose heads are trapped inside their own asses. If you have sufficient medical coverage, I suggest you see your doctor to find out if surgery is right for you.

Josh Marihugh | 6.16.10 @ 2:47PM

Geez, Nate...have you ever read Lori Z (Snark and Boobs)? Lighten up.

L. Ross| 6.16.10 @ 6:39PM

Nate, Lisa isn't bigoted and hateful towards muslims. I am.

jwm| 6.16.10 @ 11:47AM

Soccer became popular in the US because the Moms decided it was the "safe" sport. Their little over protected darlings could play on the grass with little or no risk of getting hurt. Also, it is coed in the US. Got to have equality, right? Soccer was also the first sport where all the kids received their trophy, no matter how poorly they played. Have to have equal outcomes, right?

Sam| 6.16.10 @ 12:57PM

Soccer is only co-ed at the 5-year-old level you idiot!

Gipper| 6.16.10 @ 11:55AM

Many sports are more fun to play than to watch.My favorite used to be Bronx Handball. You see seniors after a hard days work trying to kill eachother with a hard rubber ball and nobody watches.. Soccer, people go to games to riot.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 5:14PM

You've gotten to the essence of the faux-sport of soccer, Gipper! I went to the Seattle Sounders game last Thursday night with 35 thousand fans, I regularly attend DC United games at RFK stadium, and I'm watching the World Cup right now with 70+ thousand fans...and the rioting has been non, uh, -existent.

You've embarrassed yourself with such a stereotype.

cUFFS| 6.16.10 @ 12:29PM

The USA is the only county that holds a world
championship but doesn't invite the rest of
the world.

Bram| 6.16.10 @ 12:59PM

They are welcome to watch.

Robert Pinkerton| 6.16.10 @ 12:37PM

I suggest that vuvuzelas fulfill a function similar to car horns (for them without cars) as envisioned in the bumper-sticker slogan "Honk if you ----- -----."

Sheila| 6.16.10 @ 1:28PM

jwm - you nailed it. As far as I'm concerned, a "soccer mom" is the perfect pejorative for Clinton/Obama voting women. All their little darlings get trophies, no one gets injured, and it's all so wonderfully egalitarian - golly gee, no wonder mommies are all natural democrats. I' m an equal opportunity "hater" - I generally find watching all sports rather boring, other than a brief time when I had an interest in televised tennis and NFL games (I watch my son's football games out of duty, not pleasure). Oh, and Tomas - we're just not all as stupid as you think. I'm sure you're an American - as in Latin American - which is why you are sooo comfortable labeling the rest of us xenophobes. Since it's coming from the left, I'll wear that label proudly, along with racistsexisthomophobeantisemitehaterrightwingextremist. So sorry, but I just don't play that diversity game, and yes, they are "words - just words."

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 5:54PM

You're a bitter woman, Sheila. Can't wait for your son to read that it is an absolute struggle for his mother to watch him participate in organized sports, something that teaches much more than simply how to play a game.

loulou| 6.16.10 @ 1:44PM

Illegal aliens love soccer. What does this tell you? Just saying.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:45PM

They also like living in America. They also like burritos and tacos. They also like oxygen.

Ed| 6.16.10 @ 1:57PM

Soccer is OK as a kid's game, but the present day game is boring. Forty years ago, college scores were typically in the range of 5-3, and were interesting to watch. The pace of soccer used to be like hockey's. Modern soccer can never compete with a wide open game like NCAA football.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:47PM

Except soccer is watched and played by literally billions worldwide whereas NCAA football is strong in a country that accounts for 4.53% of the world's population. So, actually NCAA football can't really compete with soccer.

gene hauber| 6.16.10 @ 2:55PM

where can i start? first of all, soccer is not hockey. hockey requires extreme skating skills and stick handling skills......not easily acquired or maintained and physical courage and a certain immunity to pain.

I gave a pastor friend of mine from Liberia 4 soccer balls to take back with him to his church so the kids could play. some were used and an almost new one....he looked like he won the world cup when i gave them to him.

Second, soccer is played in the poorest or poor countries 'cause they need nothing but a ball or someone's severed head to play with......sorry 'bout that.

I see no reason to import that low level of unimaginative entertainment anywhere in this country.....kinda like dogfights and cockfights. I think i digress.

Soccer is boring, boring, boring...period.

The violence in the stands mimics the violence you find in the hopeless squalor of the places that really enjoy soccer.
Do you think that one of those mindless blowers of the vuvuzela would ever tire of blowing it in your ear?? I don't think so, not in his lifetime, it's just too much fun.

Wait till they import them (vuvuzelas) here. WOW, I CAN'T WAIT.

loulou| 6.16.10 @ 3:52PM

gene hauber: You are too funny! You nailed it. Soccer is indeed a sport played in Third World countries. And that includes England. And the hooligans... scary.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 4:48PM

Good call, Genie. No need to import unimaginative entertainment when NFL players run dogfighting rings and sexually assault women in nightclubs, when NBA players pack heat, "draw down" on each other in the locker room, and assault fans (hey, loulou...we call that reverse-hooliganism), and MLB players can't tell the truth about anything during Senate testimony.

Beau Briggs| 6.16.10 @ 3:02PM

Not surprised that a baseball lover would hate soccer. Baseball is currently losing to soccer w/the youth of the country. Keep crying & watching boring baseball, real football (not throwball) doesn't need you. There is a reason it's the world's game.

Anthony| 6.16.10 @ 3:24PM

Dear Beau; Not only are we baseball fans not crying, frankly, we don't give a rat's penalty kick as to who needs us or not.
Yes, we will continue to enjoy the athletic thrills and strategy involved in this exciting (thinking) game of baseball.
As for your pithy comment, that there's a reason why soccer's "the world's game", bad argument dude, there's a reason why the UN is still the international organization loved by the world to, do you really want to go there?
Go Yankees!!!!

Nate| 6.16.10 @ 3:37PM

Yankees suck. Red sox rule.

Tim*| 6.16.10 @ 5:23PM

Soccer's somethin' gym teachers use to kill time in gym class .

Kelly | 6.16.10 @ 3:18PM

Come on Lisa mens world cup only comes around every four years.

Kelly J| 6.16.10 @ 4:05PM

Lisa - the NFL rules in all ways possible

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 4:43PM

I am one of those rare people who is conservative and love soccer, specifically the English Premier League, for the following reasons:
A. No break in action, 90 minutes (plus stoppage time) of continual play.
B. No more than 2 hours to watch an entire game. Get in, get out!
C. The crowd involvement - at least in the EPL - with the singing and Ooohing and aaawwing adds to the enjoyment. They add to the flow of the game on the field.
D. The set plays, when successful (a goal), is by far more enjoyable than any play in basketball or hockey.
E. The athleticism, team play by average-build players (no freaks of nature) is more relateable
F. Fewer prima donna's.
G. The announcers add to the game, not take over.
H. No touchy-feely player profiles. I don't know anything about the players personal lives. Just how they play the game.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 4:57PM

Bob...

With respect to "F.", I have to say that the dramatic reactions and the dives orchestrated to deceive the ref absolutely kill the game. The game has gotten so fast that we need to incorporate instant replay to aid the officials, and they, in turn, need to hand out cards by the fistful in order to rein it in.

ADHD| 6.16.10 @ 5:11PM

Actually, it's harder to avoid the cards than it once was: a hand-ball foul once upon a time would only call for a free-kick (or a penalty-kick in the penalty-area if the defending team is guilty thereof). Now it can entail a yellow card if anything about it is deliberate. Furthermore, 2 yellow-cards in ONE game becomes a RED card (it used to be 3).

As to players' theatrics, I dare say that the punishments against them ARE already becoming severer - and if those rogue-events continue, things will get ever-worse for them!...

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 4:49PM

I'm reading a conservative site that is part of my daily regimen in absolute disbelief. I see the use of so many liberal tactics and techniques to spew bile and nonsense about a once-every-four-years tournament that involves teams from every continent, and I'm stunned at the phantom arguments, the shallowness, the double standards, the stereotypes, and the flat-out lies.

"The rest of the world complains because we...don't share their love of the game." Source that, Fabrizio. The rest of the world probably doesn't care, and besides, FIFA is one of the few world organizations that the US doesn't foot the bill for...thank goodness. This bit of fiction echoed throughout the comments ("we didn't start this argument") has all the earmarks of a child stomping around the house with his hands clenched in tiny little fists of rage. I give quarter to no one with respect to our appreciation of other cultures in the US. We do that better than ANYONE, and I'm gobsmacked at the thin skin on display here.

"... if our best athletes forewent football, baseball, and basketball..." then you'd see Kyle Rote, Jr. win the Superstars competition over football, baseball, and basketball players. Oh, wait, the professional soccer player DID that several times 3 decades ago. How could that have happened, Fabrizio?

As such a staunch Connecticut conservative and baseball purist, Fabrizio, how have you allowed Little Leagues in areas of your state to forego keeping score? No winners, no losers, no life-lessons learned. Nice work.

Great job, too, of not bending to the name of a sport (futbol, fussball, calcio, futebol, pilka nozna, etc.) that is played primarily with, uh, feet. I played in college, and my teammates (comprised of a heart surgeon, military aviators, architects, bankers, teachers, a photographer, coaches, etc.) and I still call it "soccer"...and we're content.

"...while dating a native of Italy who played on a team here, I was compelled to waste my time watching soccer up close and personally every Sunday for four years. I was also forced to play on my junior high school team where my blazing speed and lightning-quick reflexes were similarly squandered in that same pointless pursuit." So, now you're a victim, eh, Fabrizio? What happened to your free will? Or...did you merely support the guy you were dating, which probably seemed like the right thing to do at the time. (Did he dump you or vice versa...and is that what really lives at the center of your personal soccer meltdown?) I'll take the self-assessment of your speed and reflexes in, ahem, JUNIOR high school at face value. How did your skills rate in high school, college, or professional sports, where the difference in talent is logarithmic, not geometric? Denigrating the skills of professional athletes as "...kiddies who were only allowed to shag foul balls for the ones who could actually play the game" is not only laughable but is typically the emotional lashing out of the uneducated, the non-athlete, and the envious.

My suggestion is this: put your "responsible adult" pants on and just play through it! Support our Men's National Team when they take the field, like any red-blooded American would do. If you can't learn to enjoy any aspect of this quadrennial festival, learn to channel your negativity into something productive. By the way, the 2016 World Cup will take place in...wait for it...four years. Start digging the hole to bury your noggin in now.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 5:26PM

(2010 + 4 = 2014. Geez...math in public.) That's the 2014 World Cup that'll take place in...count it...four years.

GW| 6.16.10 @ 6:51PM

That's pretty good. I don't know why sports has to be politicized but I guess many readers here at AmSpec think everything should be.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 11:19PM

Most of it, G-dub, has to do with perspective and knowing how / when to "pick your battles". A good number of these AmSpec posters don't have the first and can't discern the other. Disappointing...and it all started with Fabrizio.

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 4:56PM

Any sport that uses a gimmick - penalty kicks - to decide the winner of its most important games when they end tied is not a serious sport worthy of respect. It's not much different from cutting-the-deck to decide a winner. It's largely based on luck - will the goalie dive the right way? - and if your champion (see: China vs. US in the Women's World Cup) is likely to be decided mostly by luck, you're a silly, unserious sport.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 5:04PM

Doesn't the NHL use a shootout to determine a winner for regular season games? Why don't they just keep skating until there's a real winner. What "a silly, unserious sport".

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 5:51PM

Clearly, you know nothing about hockey, and you can't read. I wrote about soccer's "most important games" and you responded about the NHL's "regular season games." Nice comparison of apples and oranges.

Furthermore, the "shootout" doesn't determine the winner as much as it determines who gets the extra point for standings purposes. And more furthermore, the NHL does NOT use the shootout for playoff games, and it CERTAINLY doesn't use it for its championship series games. There's something called sudden-death, and they play until there's an outright winner. In point of fact, the hockey players DO "just keep skating until there's a real winner." See, you squishy-brained soccer fans need to know what you're talking about before you reveal yourselves in all your ignorance.

And the reason soccer can't use sudden-death is because the games could go on, conceivably for days, before another goal is scored.

What a silly, unserious poster you are, JR_annapolis.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 6:21PM

Ahhh, little andrew...

Ad hominem attacks are for losers.

I actually know a good bit about hockey, and I watch our Washington Capitals...live or on CSN...whenever possible. My mocking of your black/white view of sport was by no means a defamation of the NHL, but a mocking of your black/white view of sport. I hate it when I have to spell it out.

I don't know a single soccer player who agrees with a penalty shootout as a way to decide a game. Period.

You can save the sophomoric "squishy-brained" and "all your ignorance" stuff. I'm confident that my academic, military, and professional resumes and accomplishments...based on what I've read from you...more than compares.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 6:25PM

...but then again, andrew...ad hominem attacks are par for the course for liberals.

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 6:52PM

Sorry to burst your bubble, JR, but I've never voted for a Dem in my life, I have Mark Levin streaming on my computer right now, and my email address starts with "dittohead."

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 6:55PM

And it wasn't ad hominem. I wrote about soccer's "most important games" and you responded about hockey's "regular season games." It was most definitely hominem. (And that would be poetic license, so don't bother criticizing it.)

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 6:45PM

I figured you probably knew hockey (which is why you only mentioned regular season games and shootouts), but the fact that you deliberately compared apples to oranges called for a light ad hominem. And you're not spelling anything out here, because you MISspelled your original point, so to speak. You're just trying to dissemble, to distract for your original misstep.

My post referenced IMPORTANT soccer games, including its championship games. YOUR post referenced regular season games. There was nothing black/white in my post to mock, inasmuch as I was ONLY talking about the sheer idiocy of using penalty kicks to decide soccer's most important. The only thing worth mocking was your non sequitur.

Which means, you DIDN'T make your point. You in effect made mine. Because you COULDN'T point to any other sport - including hockey - to rebut my argument about silly, stupid ways of deciding the winners of important games. And you inadvertently made my point by referencing hockey, a sport that DOES keep skating until they have a winner of their most important tied games, unlike soccer, which uses a gimmick.

And you further made my point when you revealed that you "don't know a single soccer player who agrees with a penalty shootout as a way to decide a game." So it IS a silly, unserious way to decide important games after all. My VERY point. And yet soccer uses it - contrary to the desires of EVERY soccer player you know - to decide the winner of its most important games that end in a tie. Why? Because it's a silly, unserious sport, and that's the only way they can declare a "winner" short of re-writing the rules to create more offense.

That's what I meant by squishy-brained. I made an observation and yet you, in your desire to defend the game (or to mock me), chose to address something I never said. THAT is squish-brained, irrespective of your academic, military, and professional accomplishments.

Having said that, I would like to sincerely thank you for your service to America. You're a better man than I. Seriously.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 10:54PM

I'm not a "better" man than anyone. Save it for my brothers and sisters who never made it home.

So, it was "light ad hominem" at 1845L, and it "wasn't ad hominem" at 1855L. You can continue to debate that with yourself. As an el Rushbo and the Great One listener, it is probably less than your best effort to cast aspersions online that you otherwise wouldn't if we were standing beak to beak.

All sports cannot resolve ties in the same way (black/white). The NHL uses a shootout during the regular season, and it changes to sudden death in the post season. The hockey cycle is sprint / rest / sprint / rest...and it is grueling. I watched the Caps go into 4 periods of overtime against the Islanders and the Pens years ago, and play, obviously, slowly eroded. Unbelievable tension and excitement, but the play cycle can support it to a point. Apples.

The variable soccer cycle is run/sprint/jog for an hour and a half, interrupted by a 15-minute break, covering anywhere from 6-9 miles. Add another 30-minutes of extra time, and add another 2-3 miles. 3 subs allowed.

At some point, a dearth of fresh legs and an abundance of lactic acid build-up will drive the game to a halt. Oranges.

FIFA rules employed in less-than-common circumstances don't make a sport "unserious". That's a ridiculously broad brush to paint soccer with. When goals no longer count, when winning no longer matters, or when judges (e.g., figureskating) can selectively determine the outcome of the contest, then I'll know that a sport is no longer pure.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 1:39PM

I can't save it for your brothers and sisters who never made it home. I wish I could. But I'm happy to save it for you and your brethren who did make it home.

As for your lengthy reply, it was off-point. My ONLY point was that the silly way soccer declares the "winner" of its most important tied games is enough to render the sport "silly."

That says NOTHING about the athletic abilities of its players. It speaks entirely to the poor way the sport is conceived and executed. NO OTHER major (and probably minor) sport risks deciding its champions in such a capricious way. The reason soccer suffers this silliness is because its powers-that-be refuse to consider rules changes that would more often ensure that its most important games are decided by the GAME of soccer and not by a near-arbitrary, luck-induced gimmick. Because the rules consign the sport to such a state that scoring is rare, they need to use a gimmick. It's not the sport's fault, it's the fault of the rules and the rules' stewards who refuse to fix obvious problems.

And you know this is true, because you don't know ANY soccer players who like the PK means of declaring winners. If the vast majority of players themselves don't like it, why the hell haven't the games "stewards" fixed it?

Because it's an unserious, silly sport. Not because of the athletes (who are arguably the best athletes on earth), but because of the rules, and the rules' guardians.

Rules define a sport. Soccer's rules - especially the rules governing how to declare winners in the most important games - define the sport as poorly conceived and poorly administered. That, to me, signifies a silly, unserious sport.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 5:08PM

"I can't...". Geez. What you can do is get down to Walter Reed or another VA hospital or spend some time tending to a local veteran's cemetery. If you find yourself at Arlington or Normandy, it will bring you to your knees.

Everything I wrote was designed to make my point. I'm satisfied with how I crafted my argument and statements, and I'm satisfied with the accuracy of all of the above. I think that I've completed my objective. You've now drifted off of your "silly, unserious" theme to include a declaration that soccer, as a sport, is poorly conceived. Right. 17 rules...a 120-yd by 80-yd field...1 ball...2 teams...2 goals...been around for hundreds of years in one form or another. Poorly conceived? Hardly.

Will| 6.16.10 @ 6:25PM

Penalty shootouts are rare, as the players play 30 minutes of extra time after the end of the regular 90 minutes. If 2 teams are equal at the end of 120 minutes play, in the knock-out stage, that clearly there is nothing to seperate them. Therefore, they can decide it using penalties, which are extremely tense, and wonder ful entertainment to watch.

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 6:51PM

Penalty shootouts are largely based on luck. "Will the goalie dive the right way?" Name another serious sport that decides the winners of its most important games in such a capricious manner? You can't. Baseball doesn't use a home run derby after 18 innings of postseason games, football doesn't use a field goal kicking contest after two extra periods of playoff games, hockey doesn't use the Shootout after two or three overtimes of playoff games.

Soccer needs to use PKs - even if allegedly only rarely - because it's a flawed sport, and no one has the guts to change it to increase scoring.

Will| 6.17.10 @ 4:25AM

Soccer is the most natural of all the major sports, excepting athletics, because it is the least contrived- there are, as someone has already said, just 17 rules, and variants of soccer have been played for thousands of years. It is not a flawed sport, it is the natural ball sport.
I don't see the problem of it being based on luck. If 2 teams are drawing after 120 minutes of continuous play, then clearly neither is really better than the other. So I don't see anything wrong with penalty kicks (which, for sheer drama and tension, beat almost anything in any other sport) in that situation.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 8:26AM

"...then clearly neither is really better than the other"???

Or, then clearly the rules are so bass-ackwards as to not allow the better team to be revealed.

If the rules were written to allow some actual scoring, and THEN teams were drawing at, say, 5-5 after 120 minutes of play, THEN you could argue the teams are equal in talent. But the sheer absence of scoring makes it impossible to identify the better team, ESPECIALLY when luck is needed to proclaim a "winner."

Will| 6.17.10 @ 1:18PM

Luck is ever present in sport, particuarly so in sports, like football or soccer, that are dependent on the bounce of the ball, so I can't see the problem with penalties.
Furthermore, it's not about luck. A penalty kick, against a 6' 5'' goalie, with the crowd booing you down, to win the match, is unbelievably psychologically difficult. It takes real strength to do a good penalty under those conditions.

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 5:05PM

Jr...good point. I would add, however, some leagues' refs are more tolerant than others when it comes to players "taking dives". I've seen refs bypass warnings and throw up yellows and in some cases reds. My point about prima donna's, I was referring to over the top chest pounding, excessive celebrations which delay the game, not to mention actions off the field such as gun/drug offenses, rapes, and the occasional double homicides.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 5:23PM

I hear ya, Bob. I made a similar point about on-court / off-field "activities" by NFL, NBA, and MLB players to an earlier post.

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 5:16PM

...I do get a kick (no pun intended) out of the visceral negative reaction by some sports fans. Folks, this is a real sport that requires superior athleticism, unlike - one could argue - baseball or golf.

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 5:57PM

Bob, most critics don't deny the athleticism of soccer players. The critics focus on the unwatchability (so to speak) of the sport. Just because an activity involves athletes doesn't mean the game is enjoyable to watch. And the athleticism of the players says nothing about the sheer idiocy of some of the rules.

I haven't seen a single critic focus on the players' athletic abilities.

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 6:36PM

The comments that soccer is a kids sport, a sport for people who could not make the baseball or golf teams (wow), are criticisms that implicitly denies the athletic ability of soccer players. As far as "unwatchability" of the sport, this is a problem that is unique to the U.S. as every other country in the world bucks this assertion. It's just not consistently pushed in this country and if your only exposure to the sport is watching a MLS game, your problem begins there. Suggestion: When football season ends in Feburary, get up @ 10:00 am, pour a cup of cofee, tune into Fox Soccer Channel and enjoy a live game between, say, Arsenal and Chelsea and really watch watch what's going on with the play on the pitch. Enjoy the announcers and the crowd chants. You might become a convert!

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 7:05PM

Bob, I think there's a heavy dose of sarcasm in the comments about it being a kids sport, or about it being for those who couldn't make the golf or baseball teams. Maybe sarcasm isn't right; maybe I mean exaggeration to make their points.

FWIW, I loathe soccer but I consider the professionals who play it to be neck-and-neck with basketball pros as far as being the world's best athletes. They are athletes, for sure. But the game itself - because of the rules, and the governing bodies' refusal to change them - is a joke at the competitive national and international level, primarily because of the paucity of scoring.

I do think the worldwide appeal can be attributed more to economic and cultural reasons rather than the "watchability" of the game, and the fact that most of the rest of the world doesn't have access to the quantity of more-watchable sports we have here in America. What choices do most of the rest of the world have, really? If they don't watch soccer, they don't watch anything. If we don't watch soccer, we have a smorgasbord of other sports to watch.

Now, as to your points about the announcers and crowds, I agree wholeheartedly. When I had Sirius in my car I would often put on a live English soccer game because the background sounds (the crowd) and the announcers made the broadcast exciting. I mean that seriously. It's also why I like European golf on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the background. The announcers make it work.

Will| 6.17.10 @ 4:27AM

You are being extremely patronising. In England, they have rugby, cricket and field hockey instead of football, baseball and hockey, and they play golf (it was invented in Scotland, after all), and they have a range of other sports, some of which are big in the US, some not. They do have access to a quantity of watchable sports.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 8:31AM

As an American of Scot heritage, it pains me to say that it's likely the game of golf was "invented" by the Dutch. The jury's out. And yes, the Brits play golf...but do they WATCH it? My point was about sports' watchability, not playability.

As for English watchable sports, funny you should cite one of the first-world, most advanced countries. My point - economic and cultural - was directed at most of the OTHER countries for whom soccer is the be-all and end-all sport. It's that way because of economics. It's big in England for cultural reasons, not economic reasons.

And the fact that you cited field hockey (!) and cricket (!) only further proves my point about why even the English choose to watch soccer instead.

Will| 6.17.10 @ 1:15PM

You're right field hockey is crap, but cricket is actually a great sport.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 1:41PM

I kinda knew I shouldn't include cricket in my comment, because when I watch it, I try like hell to understand it. I'd like to understand it, and if it were televised more in the States, I'd make the effort (along with rugby, another awesome sport I haven't figured out yet).

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 9:06AM

Well said, Will. Track + field and cycling are also popular in Europe. In fact, I was in Cambridge over a month ago and happened across the Edinburgh 10K on television. It certainly wouldn't cause everyone to be glued to the channel, but it certainly was a choice. I think on the same trip I saw parts of a men and women's triathlon from Sydney, Australia. Hmmm, sounds an awful lot like another choice.

If there is a sport that doesn't interest me, I simply don't devote time to it. Seems like common sense. The sweeping and erroneous generalizations presented by so many soccer-"loathing" posters attempting to sound authoritarian are really lowering the bar for AmSpec.

Tim*| 6.16.10 @ 6:02PM

Soccer is a time killer for the guys ,who couldn't make the baseball & golf teams .

RAMIII| 6.16.10 @ 6:08PM

The reason Football (soccer) did not make it mainstream in the US is because it is not advertising friendly.

Who watches golf? Most football games put me to sleep. Heh.

I love the game of Football, it takes skill to play well, not just anyone can play it once you get past the sixth grade.

I thought this article was rather childish. As a previous post asked -- why did the author put up with this nuisance for 4 years?

Is there bitterness in there somewhere?

RAMIII| 6.16.10 @ 6:12PM

btw Lisa, maybe you should put your "blazing speed and lightning-quick reflexes" to the effort of writing articles, then they wouldn't be "squandered" like they were.

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 6:17PM

You say football/soccer takes skill to "play well." Could you define "play well" in the context of a football/soccer game? Could you explain how "play well" is revealed when most games end in a tie and provide 2 or fewer total goals?

Is the purpose of the sport not to score and win, but to just "play well?"

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 6:22PM

If you can be satisfied with players who "play well" while virtually zero scoring takes place, why not just get rid of the goals? If it doesn't require goal scoring to enjoy the sport, if "play(ing) well" is sufficient to enjoy the sport and is an end in itself, just get rid of the goals altogether. Right?

That would be the logical extension of your "play well" sentiment in the context of a sport where scoring is the exception rather than the rule. Of course I walk on thin ice when I ascribe logic to football/soccer fans.

Will| 6.16.10 @ 6:28PM

205 teams entered qualifying for this world cup. 32 qualified for the finals.
In the end, 1 will win.

So actually, its not about playing well, it's about winning the most important sporting competition (after the Olympics) in the world.

Will| 6.16.10 @ 6:30PM

If you want foreign sports, play/watch cricket or rugby. Very different sports, but absolutely wonderful.

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 6:39PM

Andrew:... The comments that soccer is a kids sport, a sport for people who could not make the baseball or golf teams (wow), are criticisms that implicitly denies the athletic ability of soccer players. As far as "unwatchability" of the sport, this is a problem that is unique to the U.S. as every other country in the world bucks this assertion. It's just not consistently pushed in this country and if your only exposure to the sport is watching a MLS game, your problem begins there. Suggestion: When football season ends in Feburary, get up @ 10:00 am, pour a cup of cofee, tune into Fox Soccer Channel and enjoy a live game between, say, Arsenal and Chelsea and really watch watch what's going on with the play on the pitch. Enjoy the announcers and the crowd chants. You might become a convert!

Andrew| 6.16.10 @ 7:08PM

Bob, I think there's a heavy dose of sarcasm in the comments about it being a kids sport, or about it being for those who couldn't make the golf or baseball teams. Maybe sarcasm isn't right; maybe I mean exaggeration to make their points. Clearly they're wrong, if that's what they believe. My son played 4 years of HS soccer and was his HS's Male Athlete of the Year last year (not just for soccer; he also played hockey and baseball).

FWIW, I loathe soccer but I consider the professionals who play it to be neck-and-neck with basketball pros as far as being the world's best athletes. They are athletes, for sure. But the game itself - because of the rules, and the governing bodies' refusal to change them - is a joke at the competitive national and international level, primarily because of the paucity of scoring.

I do think the worldwide appeal can be attributed more to economic and cultural reasons rather than the "watchability" of the game, and the fact that most of the rest of the world doesn't have access to the quantity of more-watchable sports we have here in America. What choices do most of the rest of the world have, really? If they don't watch soccer, they don't watch anything. If we don't watch soccer, we have a smorgasbord of other sports to watch.

Now, as to your points about the announcers and crowds, I agree wholeheartedly. When I had Sirius in my car I would often put on a live English soccer game because the background sounds (the crowd) and the announcers made the broadcast exciting. I mean that seriously. It's also why I like European golf on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the background. The announcers make it work.

Mr. LeMans| 6.16.10 @ 6:52PM

I'm a 52 year old American male. Born of German parents. I played soccer well enough to play varsity for my high school's team. I can tell you, playing soccer at a high level is fun--watching it--even my own team--is tedious. The point about soccer (futbol)
being a game for the poor masses is right on. Anyone can play it anywhere. Any six year old can look like a soccer player. Games like hockey and baseball are both more cerebral and brutal. Take the conditioning a soccer player needs and raise to the 5th degree to play hockey. Take the fine muscle control and deft reflexes of a Pele or Beckenbauer, and see how many 100mph fastballs or 12 to 6 curve balls they can hit.

If you REALLY want speed and coordination, try badminton...

Franz
(Mr. LeMans)

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 7:03PM

franz...I must say this is the first I've heard of hockey being "cerebral" or baseball as "brutal", but oh well. I would agree wholeheartily that bad soccer is extremely tedious to watch but top-notch soccer is pure joy to watch; the ball control, team play, set pieces, etc. The problem in this country is most fans' exposure to soccer is of the bad kind, i.e. mls and women's pro. The ball is always in the air and out of control and the "shots" always miss 20 yards to the left or right and 20 feet high.

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 7:23PM

Andrew: I would disagree with the assertion that officials ruin the game and make it "unwatchable". One of the elements I appreciate is the fact that the rules don't change. I won't claim be be a soccer purist or go into the ethereal explanations of the beauty of a zero-zero tie but a low scoring game is fine with me. It's about creating opportunities, lanes, and eventually shots on goal. The good teams generally control the ball and create more opportunities to score. There are elements of chess involved in the game that is enjoyable. Actually, you're really not watching top-notch soccer at the World Cup because the teams are comprised of "allstars" who really don't have time to gel as teams. I urge you to watch English Premier Soccer and give it a chance. It not, whatever. It's just the heavy sarcasm and visceral negative opinions of the sport are bewildering.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 8:36AM

"...and eventually shots on goal." Therein lies the watchability problem - "eventually."

There were 7 shots on goal during the entire 90-minute Swiss/Spain game. I'm sorry, but for all the talk of chess and passing and lanes and opportunities, 7 SOG in 90 minutes is just not exciting enough to bother watching. That's not to say the things you mention aren't skill-based, but you could take away the goals and the goalkeepers and you'd still have 90% of the things that the soccerphiles say make the game good. That's a pretty damning indictment of the sport, IMHO.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 10:25AM

Another failure to present the boots on the ground picture / proper perspective. There were 34 shots in the Spain-Switzerland game, with 7 SOG. Shots were clanging off the posts and the crossbar, but you can't pull that out of the recap. Shots were just wide and dipping just a bit late. All of that in an effort to find that gap in the defense or around a sprawling keeper.

That's the perspective you lack when you cherry pick stats. Pretty disingenuous stuff. Talk about damning indictments.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 1:49PM

Shots not on goal aren't "shots." Without a goalie, those shots wouldn't yield a score. Counting shots NOT on goal artificially inflates the perspective that there's offense happening.

Imagine how many "shots" would be counted in a hockey game if they included shots that missed the goal entirely. The count would probably double or treble. It would be a false statistic.

If a shot had no chance of going in, then it's not a "shot" within the context of whether a game is exciting to watch.

Do home-run distance foul balls make baseball fun to watch? Hardly.

What makes a soccer shot enjoyable and exciting is the fact that either it results in a goal or it results in a save or a clanger. A shot that misses everything is...boring.

Make the goal bigger, remove one player from each team, and the shooters shots won't be "just wide" or "dipping just a bit late" and the defense won't have the near-impossible task of finding "that gap in the defense or around a sprawling keeper."

And y'know what'll happen? Goals will be scored! Egad, we can't have THAT, now, can we??

Goals will be scored, we'll have a winner after regulation or OT, and the silly, unserious PK will become extinct. The sport will be serious again.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 4:29PM

Andrew,

I think that you're using language / definitions that are so overly analytical or utterly pristine as to render them almost unrecognizable.

Tell Wayne Gretzky that a shot NOT on goal is not a shot. His famous quote that "100% of every shot not taken won't score" speaks to generating offense, to taking a chance, to contributing, to providing a spark, to striving to score...knowing full well that not every one of anyone's efforts will be successful, but without the effort you don't have a prayer of scoring or winning.

Shots whizzing around the goal most certainly ARE offense and, arguably, exciting at the time. It isn't scoring, but it is offense. It isn't ultimately productive, but it is offense...and I think that you could safely say it is by definition. I don't think that the definition of "offense" is "any attempt that scores or a blocked scoring attempt that would have scored".

Percentage is a common stat that tells a great deal about an offense's productivity / effectiveness. Power play percentage, 3-pt shooting percentage, on-base percentage...the list is almost endless.

In hindsight, or if your eyes were myopically fixed on any given goal line, shots that don't score are irrelevant. In the heat of the game, however, there's almost always a gasp or little surge of adrenalin which is enjoyable / exciting...although not, in the end, fulfilling. Technically, a shot that misses by a fraction of an inch has no chance of going in, but you don't know that when the puck comes off the stick or a ball comes off the foot.

Speaking of shots...and we are, I don't think that an admitted "loather" of soccer is the right person to define what is or isn't exciting about a shot in soccer. I think that the premise of your framework is flawed. The bending, dipping shot that is moving at the speed of heat...but misses...has promise. The next one that gets dialed in by the shooter and results in a goal is sublime!

Now, here's an opportunity to find some common ground: There is a small percentage of posters who openly wish for the US Men's Nat'l Team to lose. I think that even though you loathe the sport, you either still hope that our team is successful or you'll decide to remain indifferent. I'd be hard-pressed to imagine that you want us / US to see an early exit from the World Cup.

Thoughts?

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 1:53PM

What an exciting baseball game I just saw! There were 11 home runs and 6 triples! Wow, what fun!

Of course 9 of the 11 home runs were really just long, home-run-distance foul balls. And 5 of the 6 triples were really just line-drive fouls just outside the foul lines.

A shot not on goal is not a shot, just as a home-run-distance foul ball isn't a home run.

Tim*| 6.16.10 @ 8:04PM

Soccer : Run , Kick , Run , Kick , Run , Kick .

Come Back The Other Way ,Run , Kick , Run ,Kick , Run , Kick .

This Is Soooo Exciting !

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 8:40PM

By the way, this whole liberal sport/conservative sport argument is amusing as well. The NFL, which allegedly is a conservative sport, seems to be more liberal than most people in this post realize: It's dominated by a union; the coddling of players is very liberal; the "player- coach" concept smells of liberalism; the jock-sniffing antics of owners (can you say liberal); One commenter on NBC Sunday Night Football is a Stalinist; and irony-of-all-ironies............many
games are decided by a quasi-soccer player in shoulder pads.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 2:00PM

Bob, I'm guessing most soccer critics would be equally critical if asked about their FAVORITE sports, too. If I had an hour with Bettman, Selig, Goodell, or Stern I'd fill that hour with 60 minutes of suggestions.

My criticism of soccer lies in the fact that they're so unwilling to recognize and address the flaws that make the game largely unwatchable and uncompetitive...and silly (sorry, JR!).

There are tremendous athletes with fantastic skills who play soccer worldwide. It's too bad the game's infrastructure makes their talents so hard to see and appreciate.

Bob Grant| 6.18.10 @ 8:57PM

So lemme get this straight. Your criticism of the sport lies in the inherent rules of the game. I believe the NASL tried to change the rules in the mid-seventies to make it more Americanized, i.e, superficial tweaks to increase scoring (shortened field, different sized ball, offense -friendly rules, artificial turf) and improve "watchability" for the American fan (silly orange colored ball, uniforms) and it was a complete failure. What would you suggest? 20 x 20 yard goals, midget-only goalkeepers?

Tim*| 6.16.10 @ 8:45PM

Soccer ,Where The Girls Can Be Girls & The Men Can Be Girls.

Ohhh Run , Ohhhh Kick , Ohhhh Run , Ohhh Kick .

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 8:50PM

Methinks Tim was cut from his jr. soccer club in 6th grade.

Tim*| 6.16.10 @ 9:02PM

That's right Bob , I could only play lacrosse & wrestle in college . By the time I got to 6th grade ,they wouldn't let men play soccer anymore.

Will| 6.17.10 @ 4:30AM

Interestingly, in the rest of the world only girls play lacrosse. Does that make it a poor, unmanly sport? No. Enough of the abuse, everybody.

Tim*| 6.17.10 @ 7:16AM

That's Crap Will .

The Men's World Championship had 21 countries,The Women's Cup had 16.

The women's game has nowhere near the physical contact of the men's game.

Lacrosse| 6.18.10 @ 12:18AM

Actually there is a professional men's lacrosse league in the USA.

If you were in a bar fight who would you rather have getting your back, a lacrosse player or a girlie headband-wearing euro-weenie soccer player? I guess the soccer player COULD hit the dude with his man purse though.

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 9:10PM

I'm not a hater of things people watch or do in their spare time which is just as well. Otherwise, I would expand on the latent homosexual aspects of wrestling or the curious similarities lacrosse has to soccer.

Tim*| 6.16.10 @ 9:15PM

That's a whole lot of fruity talkin' your doin' there Bob .

Ernst| 6.16.10 @ 9:50PM

Dear Lisa Fabrizio, the way you feel about 'Football, Soccer or Fußball' I feel about Baseball and American Football. 40 years ago when I saw a football game on TV for the first time you know what I thought, America must be a sick country with so many misshapen men playing such a game. The other thought was, this got to be a circus act that is playing here. Than my brother in law set me straight about the game of football and why the players 'look' the way they look. Also, I could not understand why there is 'stop and go' and 'stop and go' and why the 2 sides start off every time with a bunch of giants running into each other, as if trying to kill each other. Baseball has got to be the most boring game for an uninitiated person. We used to play a form of baseball as kids, when none of us had a soccer ball available. We used a straight stick and a small leather ball and tried to hit it as far as we could and ran around a 4 corner field and called that game 'brennball'.

The reason I don't like football and baseball, I don't know the rules, the players, the finer points, the skill it takes for the particular positions a player plays, stratrgy etc, etc. The same goes for Soccer. I played soccer from the time I could walk until I became an adult and played amateur-soccer in an organized 'Liga'.

What happen in the World Cup with the awful noise of those horns is so terrible to my ears, that even I need to take the TV sound down to the point of not understanding the announcers any more. A short time later I turn off the TV completely. When the African fans think they must display this particular type of 'national pride', they shoot themselves in the foot. People around the world just turn them off and that is sad. Football at this level is only played once every 4 years and have it compromised in such a way is not necessary. The organizers need to find a way around the horns, or there is no viewer ship left by the middle of this tournament.

Bob Grant| 6.16.10 @ 10:07PM

Ernst...FIFA president's press release was disappointing. He basically said tourists should respect the traditions of the host country. The noise makers don't seem very hospitable however. Go figure tourists don't embrace mindless horn blowing that causes ear-drum piercing discomfort. Leave it to an African nation to shoot themselves in the foot. This will be the last international sporting event hosted in that country I'm sure.

JR_annapolis| 6.16.10 @ 11:03PM

Another good point, Bob. Sepp is creating a moral relativism between cultural expressions when, in fact, the vuvuzelas produce a damaging 120 dbs of B-flat noise. They are not only a hazard, they override everything else that is part of the game...cheers, songs, chants, fan reactions, communication on the field, etc.

Ban 'em, or allow a (e.g.) 60 db variant.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 8:41AM

FIFA's president got it wrong when he called soccer fans "tourists." They didn't choose to visit South Africa, it was imposed upon them when FIFA chose that site. They're not tourists, they're not guests. They're invitees, and as such the hosts should be more accommodating to their comfort and enjoyment.

When people choose to visit a foreign land, yes, they ought to defer to that land's customs and traditions. But soccer fans had no such choice.

James Rush| 6.17.10 @ 5:09AM

“…it turns dim people into thugs and bright people into bores.”

That’s probably the most apposite quote that I’ve seen with regard to the ugly game, and it was made a few years ago by the Daily Telegraph’s theatre critic, reviewing, of all things a play about soccer hooliganism, something that you Americans may recognise as another ‘sport’ we Brits have given the world.

You might be surprised to learn how many Britons and even Europeans are sick of the unrelenting coverage of the soccer. We have two types of ‘fan’ in England - the very stupid, i.e. those at the bottom of the social ladder for whom life revolves around a constant diet of football, football, football and lager (which is a nasty liquid rather like Budweiser but not quite as bland and tasteless). These fellows are characterised by very low attention spans and borderline numeric abilities, so soccer, a repetitive simplistic game of short-duration suits them.

The problem is the other type of fan - the men who run our media. They are articulate, intelligent and well educated. However they are also liberals and like all liberals they are thoroughly ashamed of their upbringing and the rugby and cricket they played at school. For them, a phoney pretence that they are lifelong soccer fans allows them to affect the common touch. Our ex-PM, Anthony ‘Tony’ Blair was the archetype - playing the ‘faux-yob’ and telling lies in an affected accent about notable football games he was supposed to have attended.

Despite their best efforts of these people force soccer upon us all year round, our summer sport is cricket, something that can lay a much more valid claim to be a world sport. They don’t have any interest in soccer in, for instance, India, Ceylon, Pakistan, and not much in New Zealand or indeed Australia (the old Empire, and some of us are not ashamed of our Imperial past).

I’ve taken many American friends to watch and in some cases even develop a passion for cricket, and while I concede that a game where after five days play there can occasionally be no result will not appeal to all, I can assure you that no-one at a cricket match displays the mindless racist xenophobia and inarticulate stupidity that characterises the typical ‘futbol’ supporter.

Besides, when there’s a lull in the game, my guests try to explain the intricacies of baseball to me.

It’s a steep learning curve…

So, America, don’t let yourself be cowed, bullied or harangued over soccer. Anything favoured by your euro-centric liberal elite should be regarded with mild contempt. Don’t buy into that hogwash about soccer being the world’s game. It’s not and I for one like the fact that when I visit the States, I’m in a soccer-free zone.

In common with far more of my fellow countrymen and women than you would be led to believe, I am hoping, as I do every four years that England will be despatched swiftly from the tournament in South Africa.

Regards,
James Rush

Ps - I enjoyed the asides on Centigrade Fahrenheit. The metric system is a clumsy nonsense and in many areas (computing, musical notation, etc) of no use. We’ve had the Centigrade scale forced on us by the BBC. When someone tries to tell me it’s 17 degrees I comment that this must mean two inches of ice in the streets or ask them what that means in ‘English’.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 9:40AM

James,

You're not actually in a soccer-free zone when you visit the States, but you can certainly dial in or tune out at your discretion. The game doesn't carry the Class System baggage in America that you assign to it.

I can't imagine consciously rooting for my country's national team to be readily dispatched from a tournament. Please don't change citizenship anytime soon.

Nick| 6.17.10 @ 9:52AM

Mr. Rush,

I, also, enjoyed your comments.

My grandfather's parents came from England, making us distant countrymen. My late mother said her grandfather always considered himself a "proper Englishmen," so I'm sure he would have had none of this metric system. Especially as a stone mason.

I don't even know if the American team is still in the World Cup, but I, likewise, hope they are knocked out early.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 10:40AM

Fortunately, Nick, you are a rare breed.

It wouldn't matter if it were the World Cup of Tiddlywinks, I'd find myself (most likely) screaming at the tv for the USA to win.

Nick| 6.17.10 @ 11:43AM

That is because you are a sheep, JR.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 11:57AM

Not even close, dude. It's called patriotism. Rooting AGAINST the US in a sporting event as an American makes you kind of a jerk. Even Andrew might agree with me on that one.

And definitely not a sheep, Nickie. Sheepdog would be more accurate.

Andrew| 6.17.10 @ 6:33PM

We're on the same page there, JR!

I'll watch ANY game/competition in which America is competing against anyone.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 7:18PM

Awesome. Go USA! Beat Slovenia...then Algeria!

Have a great night, Andrew.

Nick| 6.17.10 @ 11:35PM

JR,

Rooting for a sports team has nothing to do with patriotism.

Supporting our troops has everything to do with patriotism.

I'm much more interested in who won the Battle of Tarawa than who won the '35 World Series. It's called priorities.

I still hope the U.S. soccer team loses, quickly.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 8:09AM

James,

You're not actually in a soccer-free zone when you visit the States, but you can certainly dial in or tune out at your discretion. The game doesn't carry the Class System baggage in America that you assign to it.

I can't imagine consciously rooting for my country's national team to be readily dispatched from a tournament. Please don't change citizenship anytime soon.

tellok| 6.17.10 @ 9:06AM

Americans would also be vilified for all the nationalism soccer would create here if we would behave as soccer fans do around the world.
Most importantly, baseball is chess, all other sports are checkers. No comparison.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 9:30AM

We'll revisit your post after the NBA final in LA tonight. Will they riot? If history is any indicator...

Will| 6.17.10 @ 11:42AM

Baseball is like you or me playing chess. Cricket is like Garry Kasparov playing chess.

Bob Grant| 6.17.10 @ 9:56AM

In addition to JR's comments about the possibility of (shock) violence after tonight's game - book it - what about the game tellok compares to chess? I was visiting Detroit in 1984 when the "chess fans" practically destroyed the city after winning the World Series. The soccer-is-for-poor-people argument doesn't apply in this country. To the contrary, most families of serious, talented soccer players have to invest a small fortune in money and time to support their children's soccer endeavors.

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 10:48AM

Rgr that, Bob. There is no shortage of people (I'm reluctant to call them "fans", because as a fan, I've never been tempted to overturn a car or torch my town in the context of a victory celebration!) who are looking for an excuse to turn anarchist.

tellok| 6.17.10 @ 11:12AM

mmm...perchance because it was Detroit?

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 11:23AM

...or LA...or Chicago...or Montreal...or Manhattan, KS (mid-80s). Take your pick.

tellok| 6.17.10 @ 1:13PM

I don't recall baseball riots in Manhattan, just parades. Not sure about the others (Montreal?.)

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 2:19PM

Sorry, tellok...not singling out baseball for post or pre-event riots...just noting a few examples of additional out-of-control "fan" behavior at US locations and one in Canada.

LA - basketball
Chicago - basketball
Montreal - hockey
Manhattan KS - college football

ME| 6.17.10 @ 11:57AM

Lisa, as someone who's coached junior high school aged players, and seen girlfriends and wives hanging out at matches, I can honestly say you still probably know very little about the game. The World Cup for you is just an opportunity to type up an attention-getting knuckle-draggingly ignorant commentary about the world's most popular sport. (I only offer that description because I know how much it annoys people who don't get why baseball hasn't been as readily embraced by the world as McDonald's and Levis.)

You can't even offer a basic critique of the elements of the game beyond the vuvuzelas, that that the majority of non-South African fans also despise, and the old, cliched and totally ignorant suggestion that soccer players are somehow less athletic than those who play other sports. You comment in that regard is like a Brazilian saying that when they look at American baseball players and football linemen they see guys too fat to even manage to shag soccer balls. Except the Brazilians would say "footballs." It's not true of course, but Brazilians aren't obnoxious enough to denigrate athletes the way you did some of the fittest and most coordinated athletes on the planet. One of these days check out the Reggie Bush and David Beckham commercial, the one where Becks juggles an American Football. Check out the look on Bush's face. It says, "That is freakin' awesome."

Soccer boring? Ignorance of the finer details will always bore you. I'd think someone who can glue themselves to a TV to watch a 16 inning 1-0 "pitcher's duel" could at least have the honesty to recognize the excitement that comes from a game where the play is ongoing (so much that broadcasters don't run commercials during the play). Honesty is in short supply where soccer-bashers are concerned though.

Finally, I'm sick of the excuse that people hate soccer because left-wing bozos have blathered on about it being the game of the future. Who cares. Those people aren't the ones following the game fervently, like the 34,000+ who show up for Sounders games, or the full houses that turn out when the top European teams come to the US.

Sound and fury signifying nothing? That about sums up your wasted effort of a column.

Will| 6.17.10 @ 12:09PM

That's exactly what I wanted to say! Good lad!

JR_annapolis| 6.17.10 @ 12:13PM

Welcome, ME. Good stuff and, well, spot on.

If you are a Seattle type, my lovely bride and I were in town last week. I bought tickets to Thursday's match against our hometown team, DC United. Always a great atmosphere, a zealous crowd, a tremendous fan experience, and a very supportive city.

Sock Her| 6.18.10 @ 12:21AM

Americans don't say "spot on." We also don't say jolly good, here, here, cheers, or long live the queen. No wonder you like soccer. Fruit.

Will| 6.18.10 @ 12:43PM

What do you say: "hey, let's kill an Arab"?

ME| 6.21.10 @ 5:01PM

Plenty of Americans use the expression. But here's a classic American expression for you: Buzz off, doofus. Of course, what do you expect from someone who uses a pun that calls to mind violence against women. You stay classy.

Bob Grant| 6.17.10 @ 12:37PM

Tellok, true Detroit was a factor. After all, those genus citizens created Hell Night. The argument from both sides of which sport is more boring is interesting. Here's my take: I followed baseball up to the mid nineties primarily because of limited options, i.e, the internet boom and yet taken off and cable sports were spotty at best. When my entertainment options increased and my spare time decreased, I quickly gravitated away from baseball. I cannot commit 3+ hours watching a baseball game, nor the attention. The strike, absurd salaries, and steroid controversy officially ended it for me. The NFL is on my S&&t list as well. NCAA football is still tolerable, for now. I gravitated toward English Premier League soccer mainly because it's, in large part, everything American sports isn't: team oriented; focus on play and not off field soap opera's; understated media coverage, etc. I have freed myself from the American sports pregame show where the loud-mouth ex athlete, pen in hand, blathers on disquised as "analysis"; nothing more irritating to the ear than EX-JOCK BANTER. I'd rather have someone blow a vuvuzella in my ear.

Jones | 6.17.10 @ 7:38PM

Hey- our ancestors left Europe and came to America because in America they play football, and when the cowboys and the Indians sat down to the 1st Thanksgiving, it was NOT after having played soccer. When we arrived on Plymouth Rock in the Ninja, the Pinto, and the San Diego, it was with the full knowledge that we had played our last soccer game, and that once we got all the Indians off our land, that land would be covered with football fields. Even after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor they played football, because it was December and that's when the divisional races really shape up. So grill a beer and raise a hotdog to FOOTBALL!

Will| 6.18.10 @ 12:42PM

hahahahaha

RednekBlucollarWhiteskin| 6.17.10 @ 8:39PM

Kickball is for sissy foreigners who don't have the what-it-takes to play full contact sports like football or baseball. Ever slid into home plate? Ever take one for the team? That's full contact. Another thing: football and baseball have rules that are too complicated for your average foreigner to even understand.

ME| 6.21.10 @ 5:05PM

Slid into home plate? Oh, so tough for the heavily padded catcher. How about the slide tackling that breaks bones in soccer, ignoramous? Soccer has full contact, and unpadded (except for flimsy shin guards) Take one for the team? I doubt you've gotten up from your couch in the last decade long enough to take one for your Dachshund.

CalMark| 6.17.10 @ 10:13PM

Soccer is a symbol for everyone else: lots of pointless running around with very little substance (i.e., goal scoring). The rest of the world loves wasteful expenditure of energy and meaningless running around in pursuit of some Noble Goal (pun intended).

Americans, on the other hand, are all about efficiency and meaningful effort. Football and baseball feature lulls interspersed with fierce, usually productive, bursts of activity. Basketball is constant motion, but then, scoring is constant, too.

You like soccer? Fine. Watch it on TV. But don't tell me I'm a Neanderthal because I don't.

Because I'll tell you that there's some truth (only half-joking here) in the old American put-downs that people who don't like baseball (or football) with the visceral loathing that many soccer lovers feel are not real Americans.

ME| 6.21.10 @ 5:12PM

Yes, we will watch it on TV. Lots of us and lots of it.

You know, I don't think I can ever recall a bunch of people trashing baseball during the World Series or football (the US variety) during the Super Bowl. Most people who don't like a sport don't watch and that's that, and it's hardly un-American to do so, unless you want to start runninng people off who don't like apple pie or hot dogs, or drive Chevys or Fords. "Real Americans" are people who don't sit around talking about how others of their fellow citizens aren't "Real Americans."

Still, every time a big soccer event comes up you get the same predictable reaction from a certain group of people. It's reactionary and unnecessary. It says a lot about people who have to run other sports down to built theirs up.

Beckham| 6.17.10 @ 10:37PM

Even I don't like soccer. I just play it for the money and lads.

Edmund Sheringham| 7.16.10 @ 3:31PM

You would have sounded more convincing if you hadn't called it soccer.

Cruz8r| 6.17.10 @ 10:41PM

Wow, I think I was banned, hahahaha!

Bob Grant| 6.17.10 @ 10:44PM

Wow. Jones/Redneck/Calmark must be pulling our legs with their posts. Please tell us you are all goofing on us. Where do I begin...Efficiency? You mean to tell me 5 minute official reviews is efficient? Rainouts, unnecessary pitching changes, and extended conferences on the mound is efficient? How about the countless breaks in action during a typical NFL game?... Remember, in soccer you have 45 minutes of uninterrupted play (counting stoppage time) per half. Baseball a contact sport? Now that's a stretch even Gumby would be proud of.

RednekWhiteskinBlucollar| 6.17.10 @ 11:24PM

People keep on saying that kickball has 45 minutes of uninterrupted play. So what? It's still sissy kickball. Pitching changes are needed if your pitcher isn't doing too good. One batter even got killed by a fastball in the head. Now that's full contact. I'd like to see those kickball sissys stand up to that. You ought to know you can't play baseball in the rain, if you're an American. Besides the commercials give you a chance to get a beer or something and stretch your legs. Why are all those Africans blowing those horns all the time even when nothing special is happening? I do watch it a bit, just for the boredom.

RednekWhiteskinBlucollar| 6.17.10 @ 11:34PM

While we're on the topic of sports, I have a baseball question. When that fastball killed that batter, did they stop the game? Or did they just put a pinch runner on base?

ME| 6.21.10 @ 4:54PM

You can give us the answer when you're back on your meds, or better yet when you Google soccer and compound fractures, head injuries, etc. And if you think soccer is for "sissys" heaven help you when you get on the field with men who play it and will knock your sorry butt around for 90 minutes.

Bob Grant| 6.17.10 @ 11:39PM

The Africans mindlessly blowing those irritating horns is a completely different issue. I'm sure we would agree more often than not on the cultural aspects of a host country going out of their way to offend their guests with those horns. The "kickball sissys" take blows to the head all the time...Learn the game and you wont be bored!

RednekWhiteskinBlucollar| 6.17.10 @ 11:48PM

There's nothing to learn about kickball. Kick it in the net and you get a point. Which they never do. I just think they look sissy the way they prance around trying not to get hit. They don't get hit in the head by a hardball doing 90 mph that's for sure. But why do they blow those horns all the time?

Bob Grant| 6.17.10 @ 11:56PM

Your asking me why Africans do stupid stuff? I'm not sure what game your watching when you say they "prance around trying not to get hit"...you want high scoring, go watch the NBA (speaking of Africans doing stupid stuff).

Zero Goals| 6.18.10 @ 12:15AM

Question for all the soccer pansy apologists: If these guys are the best soccer players in the world, how come they can't score a frigging goal? I mean wtf right?

ME| 6.21.10 @ 5:13PM

We'd answer your question but none of us soccer enthusiasts are your fellow pansies.

Rich D| 6.18.10 @ 1:16AM

Lots of noise here on this.

Soccer is harmful to the heads of young kids.

If you want continuous action, watch Australian Rules Football - those guys are in great shape and not dressed like American football players. Ice hockey is also pretty much continuous. The other sports are too slow. Yawn...

Learn the Game (Bob Grant)| 6.18.10 @ 10:57AM

Go ahead and embrace your beloved high scoring sports like basketball. I hope your cable provider offers the BET channel because that's where it will be relegated to in the not-too-distant-future!

Patrick| 6.18.10 @ 8:17PM

You guys better get used to soccer, sooner of later it will be very popular in USA you like it or not. It´s just a matter of time.

Simon Jester| 6.19.10 @ 3:01AM

"But we draw the line on two subjects: our Constitution and our sports. These we do not import; we export them."

Ummm... how many people outside the USA play either baseball (*cough*rounders*cough*) or American football (*cough*rugbyinbodyarmour*cough*) ?

Jonas| 6.20.10 @ 12:38PM

After reading many of these comments, I have to say, what a bunch of douchebags you all are. Seriously. The waning of American power began in 2000. It's interesting that globalization is so very important when it's an American traitor ... sorry, corporation ... that needs to outsource your job, but globalization is wrong when it comes to a sport?

Douchebags. One and all.

fhdj| 7.1.10 @ 5:07AM

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Edmund Sheringham| 7.16.10 @ 3:29PM

From football to liberals and conservatives? Americans never cease to put a smile on my face. You hate the sport yet you dedicate so much time to arguing about it? Makes a lot of sense. I thought the right way to hate a sport was to do what everyone else does to American sports-not caring.

Frank Tavos| 7.16.10 @ 5:01PM

The English never cease to put a smile on my face. They're such asshats.

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