FINALLY . . . It's Over!!!

[Ddawg]

The World Cup is BY FAR AND WIDE the greatest sporting event on the planet. NOTHING comes even close to it. It makes the Super Bowl and anything here dometically look like Saturday morning girls softball (that comparison acutally isn't all that far off).

I am sad it's over...

#1 Respectfully I disagree. NCAA's "March Madness" is the world's single greatest sporting event. Nothing compares - nothing comes close to the action, scoring, nail biting, upsets and pure entertainment value.

#2 Would have to be the second to last weekend of NFL Playoff's - w/ 8 teams in the hunt!! 4 NFL games, 2 on Saturday & 2 on Sunday - football as it was intended!!!!


#3 World Cup Soccer - for fan involvement & the world excitement.

[SpiffCoug]

I'm a soccer guy. I love the sport. I feel for those sport fans who don't get it. I think they're missing out on great competition. I think they're afraid they would come to like soccer and don't want to be perceived as a "soccer-guy" because then they'd be uncool. So they put down the sport. Call it boring. Say it will never catch on.

But I really believe they're afraid to like the sport. I think they don't want to give it a chance, because they're afraid they will come to appreciate it. I think they don't want to follow the sport and come know the teams and the players, because they're afraid they'll become fans of the sport.

But when soccer reaches that tipping point. I know it's been said for years that it's going to happen. But it really is. I think the tipping point will happen in the next 10 years. I think by the time the World Cup is done in 2022 after being held in the US, the MLS will be well followed, and will be considered an acutal "major league."

Until then, I don't care if people follow soccer. I care that I follow soccer. I think it's a great sport that many American sports' fans would love if they gave it half a chance.

[snoscythe]

*sigh* If only it were only 4 more years until we had to deal with self-righteous soccer fans, trying to convince those of us who find soccer boring that we are some how dysfunctional in our concept of sport since we don't enjoy "the most popular sport in the world."

The reason soccer is the most popular sport in the world is because it is the sport of poverty. You can develop skills on any surface with anything roundish in shape. Not true of any of the "Big 4" sports that require more infrastructure and equipment. Even baseball in the 2nd and 3rd world countries would be dead if not for MLB pouring money into player development programs in the Carribean and Middle-America. Football? Hockey? Equipment alone precludes 80%+ of the world from ever dreaming of playing pee-wee leagues. Basketball? Only recently has that come on, and even then only during the recent prosperity wave in Europe and Asia that got gymnasia built. Still out of reach of all but the upper-class in those countries though.

Then there's soccer. Kids play in leagues in Africa with balls made of rags tied together. Kids in Yugo play in leagues on asphalt patches smaller than most American McMansions. Try doing those things with football, basketball, baseball, or hockey. It just doesn't work--you need money to provide some semblance of the real thing to develop skills.

Until the US reverts to poverty or runs out of land like Europe, soccer will remain the sport that kids in America play until they are old enough to appreciate/graduate to the more skilled sports that cost more money. Everywhere else in the world, it will remain popular because they don't have the cash or space to do it right.

[CougarClaw]

Awesome reply.
It would help if you read what I wrote for some of it though...Let me help:

Uhhh, what reasoning of mine doesn't make sense? I said it's stupid that scoring a single goal is often enough to win a game. Why would you bring up the BYU/UCLA game as a counter-argument? BYU dropped like 50 points on UCLA. That was a VERY entertaining game. With regards to Utah's 3-0 win over BYU . . . yeah, that game sucked....

BYU/UCLA is perfect because a single score WAS enough to win the game but if that wasn't enough I added the following in the original post:

? Or if you say that you did like the game because BYU scored so MUCH, what about Utah's 3-0 win over BYU?

This time however, you say the game sucked because our Cougars lost, but Utah would disagree with us whole-heartedly. To them, that game rocked, but more importantly-- one score decided the game. Now let me see if I remember everything you said correctly:

When scoring a single goal in 90 minutes of play is often enough to win the game, then the sport has serious issues.

Again, I seriously don't think you mean to say that American Football in all of its glory sucks because a single score can easily be enough to win the game. So therefore my conclusion: (please read: I'm right, you're wrong ) You didn't make sense.

Also, as for scoring. You mention BYU-UCLA was so entertaining because we "dropped like 50 points on UCLA". well it certainly helps that each football "goal" is equal to 7 points inflating the actual scoring but let's do some quick math using your numbers.

about 50 points /about 7 points per "goal" = 7.1 "goals"

so a related soccer score might have been 7-0. That would NEVER happen in soccer right? and certainly not recently?....right? right?

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world- ... korea.html

Now before you dismiss little "North Norea" as not as impressive an opponent as UCLA remember this was a World Cup match - The only ones playing were the top 32 teams out of more than 204 entries. That counts for something. Portugal's 7-0 win was just as lopsided and surprising as BYU's romp over UCLA

The REAL point is even the soccer scoring argument breaks down when you take away the football multiplier.

So are you a soccer fan yet?

[CougarClaw]

*sigh* If only it were only 4 more years until we had to deal with self-righteous soccer fans, trying to convince those of us who find soccer boring that we are some how dysfunctional in our concept of sport since we don't enjoy "the most popular sport in the world."

The reason soccer is the most popular sport in the world is because it is the sport of poverty. You can develop skills on any surface with anything roundish in shape. Not true of any of the "Big 4" sports that require more infrastructure and equipment.

Until the US reverts to poverty or runs out of land like Europe, soccer will remain the sport that kids in America play until they are old enough to appreciate/graduate to the more skilled sports.

Self-righteous.
huh. Does liking a sport make one self-righteous? I didn't say anyone was wrong for not liking a sport. I was defending the accusation that I enjoy a "boring" sport that has "serious" problems. Feel free to not like it to your hearts content, but expect a defense when you (generally) say I have poor taste for liking it.

As for the poverty sport, I don't disagree at all except that I've thought most sports exemplify this. How many MLB kids come from Cuba or other poor countries? how many NBA kids learned from inner-city halfcourts with broken pavement and chains? Public education in this country is largely free which gives all kinds of kids access to other sports like Football and Track. I'm not from Utah if that's your base of reference; is that how it is in Utah?

[snoscythe]

*sigh* If only it were only 4 more years until we had to deal with self-righteous soccer fans, trying to convince those of us who find soccer boring that we are some how dysfunctional in our concept of sport since we don't enjoy "the most popular sport in the world."

The reason soccer is the most popular sport in the world is because it is the sport of poverty. You can develop skills on any surface with anything roundish in shape. Not true of any of the "Big 4" sports that require more infrastructure and equipment.

Until the US reverts to poverty or runs out of land like Europe, soccer will remain the sport that kids in America play until they are old enough to appreciate/graduate to the more skilled sports.

Self-righteous.
huh. Does liking a sport make one self-righteous? I didn't say anyone was wrong for not liking a sport. I was defending the accusation that I enjoy a "boring" sport that has "serious" problems. Feel free to not like it to your hearts content, but expect a defense when you (generally) say I have poor taste for liking it.

As for the poverty sport, I don't disagree at all except that I've thought most sports exemplify this. How many MLB kids come from Cuba or other poor countries? how many NBA kids learned from inner-city halfcourts with broken pavement and chains? Public education in this country is largely free which gives all kinds of kids access to other sports like Football and Track. I'm not from Utah if that's your base of reference; is that how it is in Utah?

MLB invests gobs of money into player development in the Caribbean and Middle-America. The only players that don't come from inside those systems come from Cuba or Asia--other countries that pour gobs of money into baseball.

As for your inner-city courts with broken pavement and chains--you make the assumption that other places are putting their money into broken pavement and chains. Our broken pavement and chain nets are vestiges of the post-WWII boom. As for "free public education" that gives our kids access to sports, that "free" education comes from property taxes paid by everyone in your neighborhood. It's traceable back to American wealth--we have enough money that we don't mind chipping in some extra taxes to fund football and track. You've probably noticed with the recent downturn many schools are cutting back on programs like sports and band. You don't have to be rich in America to enjoy these things, because America as a whole pays for it.

As for calling you self-righteous--I don't think everyone who likes soccer is self-righteous. It's only those who decide that those who dislike soccer are somehow backwards for our preference and lay claim that they are in the right simply because soccer is the most popular sport in the world. You are free to enjoy soccer on your own, but when you begin to take the tack that we are backwards for not enjoying soccer, that's when you become a self-righteous fan.

[Bluma]

I watch a little for pretty much the same reason i watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. It's just a chance to see people from around the world. As far as sport goes, it is probably up there with paint drying for me. I keep watching, wondering A ) why they don't make it easier to score, B ) why they don't make it harder to move the ball across the field, or C ) why they don't make the field smaller so they can miss shots more easily.

If you are going to make it easy to move the ball from one end of the field to the other, score as much as they do in basketball. If you are going to make it hard to score, make progressing across the field harder. Kicking the ball back and forth over a huge field is just boring to watch. Bowling is more exciting. Golf is more exciting. Heck, chess is more exciting. To make matters worse, they call it "football" and get their panties in a wad when Americans rightfully call Walter Camp rules gridiron football simply by "football". They say "oh you use your hands" when they are the ones that don't realize that humans have opposable thumbs and actually grab onto objects. (Oh yeah, Goalies pretty much only use their hands if you exclude punts). It makes sports far more interesting when you get to use all your limbs and extremities playing it.

In football, when some player breaks free down the field, it is a big deal, since their are 11 guys trying to stop him. In soccer, you see someone break down the field and think "oh this may be that one time in fifty where they actually kick the ball past the guy with the differently colored uniform, long sleeves and gloves, into the goal".

[SpiffCoug]

In football, when some player breaks free down the field, it is a big deal, since their are 11 guys trying to stop him. In soccer, you see someone break down the field and think "oh this may be that one time in fifty where they actually kick the ball past the guy with the differently colored uniform, long sleeves and gloves, into the goal".

This is why soccer IS great. Any moment could be THE moment. It could be the ONE chance all game your team gets. And if they make that ONE play, they win.

I think Americans get this point. Americans couldn't talk about anything except that ONE play against Slovenia that robbed us of the win or THE goal against Algeria.

What Americans haven't quite gotten yet is how to get them to care more about the other games where that ONE play doesn't matter to the team you're following. This is where soccer can indeed be considered boring. If you don't have an interest in Portugal - Ivory Coast a 0-0 game could be quite dull.

Soccer is very much about the buildup. The anticipation. That one play. That one chance. That one lost opportunity.

I said it in my other post. Soccer is much closer to a tipping point than people think. Ratings were up 41% from 2006. Granted the numbers are still relatively low, so a 41% increase still doesn't produce a huge number. But that shows a lot of growth. And remember, South Africa is several hours ahead of the US. Watch the ratings in 2014 when they're in Brazil and just one hour ahead of eastern time.

Also, if anyone is interested in following soccer more closely, I'm more than willing to go with anyone to an RSL game. Help you understand some of the nuances. And just have a good time.

Don't be afraid to enjoy soccer!

[CAFB_04-12]

I don't follow soccer for two reasons only: 1) pansy flopping of the players just to kill time and 2) I don't understand the rules.

That is all.

[Metallicat]

I'm a soccer guy. I love the sport. I feel for those sport fans who don't get it. I think they're missing out on great competition. I think they're afraid they would come to like soccer and don't want to be perceived as a "soccer-guy" because then they'd be uncool. So they put down the sport. Call it boring. Say it will never catch on.

But I really believe they're afraid to like the sport. I think they don't want to give it a chance, because they're afraid they will come to appreciate it. I think they don't want to follow the sport and come know the teams and the players, because they're afraid they'll become fans of the sport.

But when soccer reaches that tipping point. I know it's been said for years that it's going to happen. But it really is. I think the tipping point will happen in the next 10 years. I think by the time the World Cup is done in 2022 after being held in the US, the MLS will be well followed, and will be considered an acutal "major league."

Until then, I don't care if people follow soccer. I care that I follow soccer. I think it's a great sport that many American sports' fans would love if they gave it half a chance.

I have to disagree with you Kitic. I was just talking to a friend the other day about how we tried to get into but just couldn't. It's just not our thing. Sure, we turned it on for a few moments here and there, especially while the US was playing, but other than that it's just not an attention grabber.