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As an American woman, who has fallen in love with soccer over the last 10 years, I believe that the average dumba## American thinks that soccer is a no talent sport fit only for girls and small children. Not until you actually try to play the sport do you realize how difficult it really is to be good! I have come to appreciate how incredibly fit and athletic and skilled soccer players are. Then again, I'm a europhile. I despise the American culture of big money, fat "athletes". Most people in this country know nothing about soccer, and children here will continue to want to play football and baseball and basketball because their parents have no appreciation for soccer. It is sad.
I know soccer is growing here and has been for a while, but this isn't Europe or Africa or Asia or South America where our sports scene is somewhat 'limited'.
The sports scene is not limited at all. Guys like Dirk Nowitski, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Nene and Steve Nash have had way more success in basketball than any American has ever had in soccer (despite coming from significantly smaller countries). So the idea that the sports scene is limited in other countries is off. I mean, a lot of European athletes could probably give you the business on the tennis and basketball courts as well as the soccer field. If the European sports scene were so limited, then the Greeks would not have humiliated the US in international basketball competition.
Scotland produced greats like Dalglish, Jinky Johnstone, Archie Gemmill and Dennis Law etc. Scottish football has been in the doldrums of late. However, there was a time in the not so distant past where a lot of Scots were among the best footballers in the world. Maybe this was why.
As an American woman, who has fallen in love with soccer over the last 10 years, I believe that the average dumba## American thinks that soccer is a no talent sport fit only for girls and small children. Not until you actually try to play the sport do you realize how difficult it really is to be good! I have come to appreciate how incredibly fit and athletic and skilled soccer players are. Then again, I'm a europhile. I despise the American culture of big money, fat "athletes". Most people in this country know nothing about soccer, and children here will continue to want to play football and baseball and basketball because their parents have no appreciation for soccer. It is sad.
i salute the success of the american ladies soccer team but i cant help but wonder , if the likes of brazil spent anything like thier american counterparts on ladies soccer , would the usa be as dominant , developing countries tend to ignore ladies sport , germany are good at ladies soccer too yet the usa competes well against them despite their huge tradition so i may have it wrong
Last edited by irish_bob; 06-14-2012 at 09:13 AM..
Scotland produced greats like Dalglish, Jinky Johnstone, Archie Gemmill and Dennis Law etc. Scottish football has been in the doldrums of late. However, there was a time in the not so distant past where a lot of Scots were among the best footballers in the world. Maybe this was why.
scotlands poor form this past decade is indeed a mystery when you conside the outstanding players the country has produced
they should be much better than ireland ( and thats not saying much ) for example as we have a very small pick due to soccer only being the countrys third sport , outside the major citys in ireland , any decent soccer player ends up playing either gaelic football or hurling , the cultural pressure to play native games is very great in rural parts , i lament at our over reliance on the so called granny rule , i doubt scotland has many players who speak with cockney accents and who,s only tie to scotland is that their granny once ate a scotch egg
But the top players from the USA are not that good. This is not to say that guys such as Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan aren't good players or haven't made contributions on the international stage. It's just that we're a country of over 300 million and yet we have never produced a real, international star.
you misunderstand me , due to europe being so far away and the time difference , americans are at a disadvantage to watch the global stars live or even on tv , the world cup will likely be held in the usa again sometime in the next twenty years but my point is , america is too far removed from the epicentre of the game for it to make serious inroads among the general population
here in ireland , we only have an ameteur league but thousands of people take the boat or short plane journey to the uk each week during the english and scottish league season to watch games , thier is no time difference either so everyone is home from work to watch the games on tv ( highlights shows )
Thats not true though. Its all about dedication. Look at footballers. Look at Messi. Messi played football everyday when he was younger and he still does. The same with Ronaldo, Zidane, Pele and all the other greats. I played football everyday when I was younger. You have to have a love for the game and an interest and a commitment to it.
Thats my point. Its not the first sport on the a kids mind in the US is it. Here is an example. I grew up dreaming of being like Pele, Maradona, Dalglish and the likes of Ronaldo and Pele. Kids in America grow up dreaming of being like Micheal Jordan and Babe Ruth. Thats the difference the interest in the sport.
soccer isnt the first sport in the majority of irish kids minds either , outside dublin , the GAA dominates , trust me , i grew up in rural ireland , as wonderfull an orginisation as it is , the GAA is the biggest reason why we struggle at international level in soccer or rugby
As an American woman, who has fallen in love with soccer over the last 10 years, I believe that the average dumba## American thinks that soccer is a no talent sport fit only for girls and small children. Not until you actually try to play the sport do you realize how difficult it really is to be good! I have come to appreciate how incredibly fit and athletic and skilled soccer players are. Then again, I'm a europhile. I despise the American culture of big money, fat "athletes". Most people in this country know nothing about soccer, and children here will continue to want to play football and baseball and basketball because their parents have no appreciation for soccer. It is sad.
Actually, no. Speaking as an average... dumbass American, as you say, I DON'T think soccer is a no talent sport fit for girls and kids. Most Americans actually have a decent amount of respect for the game and and do at least appreciate its mark on the entire world.
..... but we just.... don't.... care that much. And I really don't see why that's a crime to some of you. It's like I always say (and you have to agree): In the most of the world, soccer is life. In America, it's just another sport.
And I really don't feel like getting into another soccer vs. whatever else argument, but I'd just like to point something out to you. Calling people who don't like soccer or don't care about soccer as much "dumb" and having this smug attitude about it doesn't really make the sport any more attractive.
Just sayin'.
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