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The primary reason soccer is not as popular in the US is Americans have not been conditioned to watch it on TV. With its lack of TV friendly timeouts soccer just does not work as a vehicle for commercials, thus it is not an American TV sport. Since Americans are slavishly obedient to the TV and need to be spoon fed what to think by TV presenters, soccer has not achieved the popularity of the other sports that are watched on TV.
To me, I honestly could care less what others think of the sport. It is my #1 sport as a fan and will be whether the U.S. wins the World Cup or is 3-and-done. There are just aspects of the sport that I really enjoy (non-stop action, every score actually meaning something, etc.) but it is not for everybody. If you don't like soccer, I could care less. Your tastes may be football/baseball/basketball. Mine is soccer. No opinion is better than the other.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AuburnAL
Because none of these other sports try to shove themselves down our throats. None of them take up valuable prime time tv slots on ESPN when they get fewer viewers than the WNBA.
LOL
Um, no, soccer is bashed and made fun of by people in the media all the time. I don't see MLS games taking up much SportsCenter time and World Cup TV ratings are definitely larger than WNBA ratings. Check back with me in a week when the ratings for the U.S.-England game are released.
To each, their own... But IMHO, I'd rather watch grass grow (which in effect is what I'm doing as my kid watches soccer on TV).
I don't see it as ignorant, close-minded, or similar because I don't like soccer. To me, it's a kids sport in this country and it probably won't amount to anything more than that. It's been tried professionally, but it just can't catch on like other sports do. No harm, no foul. It's just not what America is into right now.
To each, their own... But IMHO, I'd rather watch grass grow (which in effect is what I'm doing as my kid watches soccer on TV).
That's cool - we all have different tastes in what we like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stripes17
To me, it's a kids sport in this country and it probably won't amount to anything more than that. It's been tried professionally, but it just can't catch on like other sports do.
Not sure about that, however. Today, you're right it hasn't caught on mainstream (other than the World Cup, but that takes up one month out of 48, so is not really a realistic comparison), but it is so, so much more popular - as a spectator sport - than it was 20 years ago. Twenty years from now, who knows. It's just that the interest in it has been increasing so gradually - when the success/failure of overnight success keeps on being brought up - that not many have noticed how much it has grown.
To each, their own... But IMHO, I'd rather watch grass grow (which in effect is what I'm doing as my kid watches soccer on TV).
I don't see it as ignorant, close-minded, or similar because I don't like soccer. To me, it's a kids sport in this country and it probably won't amount to anything more than that. It's been tried professionally, but it just can't catch on like other sports do. No harm, no foul. It's just not what America is into right now.
We are a rich country. We have sports that are far more evolved than soccer. Sports like football, hockey, baseball and basketball are more intricate thus more exciting as a result. Soccer is popular in the rest of the world because most of the world is poor and only has soccer. Soccer is a sport that anyone can play. It has very little rules so anyone can immediately begin playing it. It requires little equipment. We as Americans are just spoiled. Compared to football, baseball, hockey and basketball, soccer just seems very rudimentary. Why do you think all Americans play soccer when they are toddlers only to give it up and play football, baseball etc when we we get older? Soccer is boring by comparison and we don't have enough interest to devote to a less evolved sport of guys running around a field for 3 hours and scoring 2 goals in a complete fluke like the goal we scored against England. Seriously, who wants to watch people run sprints for 3 hours just to see a final score of 1-0 or 2-1. Hockey is similar to soccer but at least there is checking, fighting, more shots on goal and more scoring.
We are a rich country. We have sports that are far more evolved than soccer. Sports like football, hockey, baseball and basketball are more intricate thus more exciting as a result. Soccer is popular in the rest of the world because most of the world is poor and only has soccer. Soccer is a sport that anyone can play. It has very little rules so anyone can immediately begin playing it. It requires little equipment. We as Americans are just spoiled. Compared to football, baseball, hockey and basketball, soccer just seems very rudimentary. Why do you think all Americans play soccer when they are toddlers only to give it up and play football, baseball etc when we we get older? Soccer is boring by comparison and we don't have enough interest to devote to a less evolved sport of guys running around a field for 3 hours and scoring 2 goals in a complete fluke like the goal we scored against England. Seriously, who wants to watch people run sprints for 3 hours just to see a final score of 1-0 or 2-1. Hockey is similar to soccer but at least there is checking, fighting, more shots on goal and more scoring.
Can you please let England & the rest of Europe know they are "poor"
We are a rich country. We have sports that are far more evolved than soccer. Sports like football, hockey, baseball and basketball are more intricate thus more exciting as a result. Soccer is popular in the rest of the world because most of the world is poor and only has soccer. Soccer is a sport that anyone can play. It has very little rules so anyone can immediately begin playing it. It requires little equipment. We as Americans are just spoiled. Compared to football, baseball, hockey and basketball, soccer just seems very rudimentary. Why do you think all Americans play soccer when they are toddlers only to give it up and play football, baseball etc when we we get older? Soccer is boring by comparison and we don't have enough interest to devote to a less evolved sport of guys running around a field for 3 hours and scoring 2 goals in a complete fluke like the goal we scored against England. Seriously, who wants to watch people run sprints for 3 hours just to see a final score of 1-0 or 2-1. Hockey is similar to soccer but at least there is checking, fighting, more shots on goal and more scoring.
Sorry...but I've been playing competitive ice hockey since I was like 8, and soccer for about 5 years now, and I'm hear to tell you, the amount of rules in both sports is pretty similar. Now that I really think about it soccer probobly even has more rules than ice hockey. Also, soccer is the sport of choice in many many weathy, developed nations. Does Western Europe ring a bell?? Soccer is an extremely intricate game that requires split second desicion making, a hell of alot of creativity, and true athleticism/ mental toughness. By the way, the vast majority soccer games don't last anywahere near 3 hours.
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