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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.
This post is full of misconceptions.
First of all, a soccr match lasts 90 minutes (two halves of 45 mins) and not 3 hours. However, that time is all action and there are no timeouts or breaks for TV commercials.
Second, the rules in soccer are equally as intricate as in other sports. The offside rule, for example, generates endless discussion.
Third, you do get the occasional "fluke" score but no more than in any other sport and they are quite rare.
Fourth, soccer is popular for kids in the USA because a) it requires little outlay on equipment and b) more importantly, it has been converted into a non-contact run-around sport. The soccer American kids play is not the same as is played in the rest of the world.
Finally, soccer transcends national wealth and is played by rich and poor alike. That is the beauty of it. It is fundamentally non-elitist.
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.
You havent traveled much have you? Most of the world is poor? Have you ever been outside the U.S.?
First of all, soccer games are 90 minutes long. Only knockout games in tournaments have OT and PKs and then the games will be about 3 hours but that is very rare.
Second, you have to be in top notch shape to play soccer. Even the most talented players get bench for not being in top notch shape (i.e. Ronaldinho). The average soccer player runs anywhere from 8 to 12 miles a game.
When I played soccer in high school, we had one of the top high school football teams in the state. Many of the players went on to play at Division I schools. When the players were acting up in practice, guess what the coach threatened to do for punishment? They threatened to send them over to our practice. It never happened because that made them straighten up really quick. They knew our practices were punishing. We started every practice with a 4 mile run that included lots of rough terrain and hills. We then did hills and wind sprints. After that, the actual practice started and many times other sports were ending their practices before we even finished our warm ups.
Soccer players are not less evolved. To say so is absolutely ridiculous. A study was done a few years back by Princeton University on what athlete made the most complete athlete. The result was male Brazilian soccer players and Russian Women Gymnast
I can accept you not caring for the sport but to bash it in the manner you do just shows your ignorance. Any true sports fan will learn to respect another sport even though they dont care for it.
I played soccer for years and I can tell you that it isnt cheap. If you want to play around the neighborhood, it is. But that goes for any sport. We use to play football with a $5 ball from Wal-Mart, baseball with a .99 cent baseball and $10 bat, basketball with a $7 basketball, and even played street hockey with a .99 cent tennis ball and sticks we found in the woods.
You can play any sport for cheap. But, if you play competitively, all sports are expensive.
First, some Americans consider baseball and hockey to be as boring/uncool as soccer. In fact, both MLB and the NHL have struggled with revenue shortfalls in recent years. MLB, I believe, is far healthier today than it was a few years ago. Nonetheless, many Americans think baseball is a dull sport devoid of hard-hitting action, and prefer to watch football or basketball.
Personally, I think one reason that soccer will never be as popular as other sports is that it does not lend itself very well to Sportscenter highlight reels. In basketball, you'll always have at least 10 dunks to show. In football, even though they don't score much (35 points is just 5 scores after all), there's always hard hits and the consequent crushing of ribs to show. People enjoy the skill and strategy that goes into football, but there's also a blood lust. In soccer, there's not much scoring, and there's little violence, so I'm not quite sure how you market that to an audience that is in constant search of excitement and stimulation.
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.
I'm sorry but there is nothing remotely more exciting about hockey or baseball than soccer-but then again that's my opinion.
Soccer is a sport anyone can play? That's precisely what got me interested in it! I'm a relatively (4 yr) new fan of the sport and interestingly I got into it as I started to travel internationally. Since literally the whole world can play soccer we see the world's greatest play each other. I'm a huge fan of college football but the fact that no one outside our country cares for it much limits its potential. It's not in the Olympics and there's really no intl. tournament. Same with sports like Cricket only being popular in a few countries. Is it truly the best competition when you only have a small portion of the world playing it?
By the way, how many NBA players do you think came from wealthy backgrounds? You can play basketball just as cheap since B-ball goals are ubiquitous in cities.
Anyways, I'll take the best of both worlds. I watched France lose to Mexico earlier today and I'm about to watch the NBA finals game 7
It already is shedding this image. Most of the soccer bashers I knew have either gone to indifferent or they actually appreciate the sport now.
The thing is that people bash soccer without actually knowing anything about it. When they actually learn the game many of them have this moment where they realize it is actually a good sport that is entertaining.
Now, that I have said my peace, cue the CD Soccer Bashers and their unintelligent, uninformed comments.
Nope, I'm in my mid 20's, grew up in the 90's when soccer was becoming more common for kids in the USA to play, I played soccer from 4th grade thru high school, fun as hell to play may I add. But it is super boring to watch. I agree with a previous poster, I'd rather watch NFL football teams score 21-24 points a game.
I am a gal and I love soccer.
Not everybody can run 90 minutes and show that much ability quite easily...
Btw, other than in the Olympic games, which one-sport-only competition gathers that many people from all over the world?!
There must be something good to it, right?
Youtube guys like "Van Basten" and "Garrincha" and you will see what an exciting sport is all about.
Yeah, right, only poor people who have nothing else to play like soccer.
Nope, I'm in my mid 20's, grew up in the 90's when soccer was becoming more common for kids in the USA to play, I played soccer from 4th grade thru high school, fun as hell to play may I add. But it is super boring to watch. I agree with a previous poster, I'd rather watch NFL football teams score 21-24 points a game.
You do realize that an NFL team only scoring 21 to 24 points is like a soccer team scoring 3 or 4 goals, right?
I'm sorry but calling soccer boring where there is constant action for 90 minutes but then saying you prefer watching NFL games where there is only 12-14 minutes of game play in a 3 hour and 15 minute span is completely foolish.
You do realize that an NFL team only scoring 21 to 24 points is like a soccer team scoring 3 or 4 goals, right?
I'm sorry but calling soccer boring where there is constant action for 90 minutes but then saying you prefer watching NFL games where there is only 12-14 minutes of game play in a 3 hour and 15 minute span is completely foolish.
Rj, while I generally tend to agree with you, and you are right about 21 to 24 points being like a 3 or 4 goal game, I have to call into question your view that someone thinking football is more exciting than soccer is foolish. (I actually find both to be equally exciting. I love most football codes the same). Soccer just isn't going to connect to everyone, the same way American football won't. No matter how exciting you find it, others will find it dull and uninteresting to watch. That doesn't make them foolish, it just makes them different.
That said, those who try to denigrate the sport instead of just saying ''not for me'' and moving on, well, those people are foolish.
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You can play basketball just as cheap since B-ball goals are ubiquitous in cities.
