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2010-06-12 -Short Attention Span Theater-
Stop the Presses: Score of the 1st World Cup Match 1-1
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Posted by Beavis 2010-06-12 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ]  Top

#1 "I truly believe that, even though many Americans say they hate soccer, if they gave it a fair chance -- if they took the time to actually watch a World Cup match or two -- they would still hate soccer. I don't know why this is, but apparently it's not going to change. I've given up arguing with guys who tell me how boring soccer is, but will happily spend four hours watching a baseball game in which 97 percent of the action consists of batters calling timeout."
Link
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 00:55||   2010-06-12 00:55|| Front Page Top

#2 European Conservative

If you can read German then http://usaerklaert.wordpress.com/2006/09/10/die-ultimative-einfuhrung-in-american-football/ will help you understand why football is so great and thus why people who are used to it will find soccer boring
Posted by JFM  2010-06-12 02:22||   2010-06-12 02:22|| Front Page Top

#3 Pooh. What Americans aren't interested in is watching professional soccer. Possibly a quarter of all American kids play weekend soccer at some point in their youths. Both the trailing daughters played spring and fall seasons for the better part of a decade, and Mr. Wife and I cheered them on.

Goggle "youth soccer Cincinnati" to get an idea of the possibilities in just one Midwestern city.
Posted by trailing wife 2010-06-12 02:33||   2010-06-12 02:33|| Front Page Top

#4 Soccer is good for kids. It's builds up their little muscles so they can handle the rigors of football and hockey without undue injury.

Posted by Shipman 2010-06-12 05:56||   2010-06-12 05:56|| Front Page Top

#5 Soccer is NOT a spectator sport. It is a great sport to play! But watching it? Puh-leez. I'm watching world cup games because I live overseas and everyone is doing it, not because they're actually interesting. Last night's South Africa-Mexico was a snoozer.

Soccer has much to do with culture and little to do with the actual sport. It's why baseball is popular, and the journalist above is deliberately ignoring that reality.
Posted by gromky 2010-06-12 06:41||   2010-06-12 06:41|| Front Page Top

#6 if they took the time to actually watch a World Cup match or two

Uruguay vs France.

Just sayin'...
Posted by Pappy 2010-06-12 07:23||   2010-06-12 07:23|| Front Page Top

#7 Was it Uruguay vs. Paraguay that caused a war in the '60s?
Posted by trailing wife 2010-06-12 09:21||   2010-06-12 09:21|| Front Page Top

#8 El Salvador and Honduras. Last use of P-51 Mustangs and F4U Corsairs in nation vs. nation war, as far as I know.
Posted by ed 2010-06-12 09:52||   2010-06-12 09:52|| Front Page Top

#9 The world cup looks tacky next to the Super Bowl. The Stanley Cup is more appropriately matched as it matches the sugar bowl and and the orange bowl to create an over all nice little matched set.
Posted by rjschwarz 2010-06-12 10:22||   2010-06-12 10:22|| Front Page Top

#10 the constant drone of vuvuzelas is annoying too
Posted by Frank G 2010-06-12 10:44||   2010-06-12 10:44|| Front Page Top

#11 Appears the World Rights Watch groups are extending a 'pass' to the African National Congress (ANC) government of South Africa during the conduct of the Cup....or perhaps forever. The genecidal farm murders and land seizures continue with little mention, all in the name of African unity and equal rights. Too bad we have an oil leak in the Gulf or Barry would most certainly be there cheering them on. He has so very much in common with the ANC crowd.
Posted by Besoeker 2010-06-12 12:17||   2010-06-12 12:17|| Front Page Top

#12 >>rjschwarz

>>The world cup looks tacky next to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl viewership: 200 million
World Cup viewership: More than 1 billion

Seemly, there are a lot of people that disagree with you.

As for the old jingoist "they don't score", I was quite satisfied with the South Korea-Greece match today. Korea smoked the 2004 Euro championship like a fine cigar. It was 2-0, but without a good keeper, it could have been 8.
France-Uruguay was ugly, but packing it in was the only way they were going to stay in the match. And no one remembers when Dean Smith ran games in the 20s with the four corners. That must have been like watching paint dry. But all people remember now is that he won a lot.
The knock-out round is where you see the finest soccer.
Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2010-06-12 12:54||   2010-06-12 12:54|| Front Page Top

#13 Soccer is gay compared to football, I don't care what any nancy says to the contrary.
Posted by Jefferson 2010-06-12 13:05||   2010-06-12 13:05|| Front Page Top

#14 I was wrong about Americans watching the World Cup. My niece, now in 8th grade, has a 24-comment thread on Facebook on the subject -- the girls feel very strongly about the various teams.
Posted by trailing wife  2010-06-12 13:25||   2010-06-12 13:25|| Front Page Top

#15 I think for professional soccer to become big time in the U.S. they need to add time-outs for commercials (that is where the big bucks come from, not gate receipts) and they need to do away with the off-side rule. American sports culture craves offense oriented matches. 2:1 final scores just don't offer enough pay-off. College fastpitch softball sees similar scores, but has more offensive action to keep the attention - in my opinion.

Ditto TW's comment on youth soccer though - anytime the kids and their friends are playing, it's worth watching.
Posted by Rob06  2010-06-12 13:28||   2010-06-12 13:28|| Front Page Top

#16 I coached my daughter's AYSO team for three years. Some of the best fun I've ever had.
Posted by Steve White 2010-06-12 13:59||   2010-06-12 13:59|| Front Page Top

#17 I have coached, played and refereed soccer games. I have a basic appreciation of the game and its nuances ( couldn't spell subtle as a plural adjective ). An average person would have it too if they bothered to watch.

In have a work collegue who, as I do, loves American football, who was dragged to an under 16 soccer game only a few months ago by his girlfriend.

He told me he gained a new appreciation of the game after watching a real soccer game with young adults; didn't quite understand all the rule, but did understand its worldwide popularity and how tough the game really is to play.
Posted by badanov 2010-06-12 14:11||   2010-06-12 14:11|| Front Page Top

#18 BTW: On my teams, I ran four halfbacks and three forwards.
Posted by badanov 2010-06-12 14:33||   2010-06-12 14:33|| Front Page Top

#19 I'm watching, but not a big fan. In real football, when the ball is on the ground, it's called a "fumble" :-)
Posted by Frank G 2010-06-12 15:27||   2010-06-12 15:27|| Front Page Top

#20 That U.S. equalizer against English might be one of my favorite bad goals in World Cup history. I LOLed for a good minute

English is rattled - they're all going, 'WTF?'

1-1 England/U.S. at halftime
Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2010-06-12 15:32||   2010-06-12 15:32|| Front Page Top

#21 Seroba. watcj pit rer trolllen

Hailz!
Posted by Shipman 2010-06-12 15:33||   2010-06-12 15:33|| Front Page Top

#22 Damn England is rattled... bring in the Snake! Go long!
Posted by Shipman 2010-06-12 15:34||   2010-06-12 15:34|| Front Page Top

#23 When the U.S. Army tried to introduce baseball in Germany, they totally failed.

It's interesting that baseball is far more popular in Japan and South Korea although both nations are also football (soccer for that small minority in the world) enthusiasts.

Football definitely is not for wussies. When I was 20 I played in the highest German amateur league for a while. Try to run at full speed and have someone kick your ankles and you understand what I mean.

The vuvuzelas need to go though.
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 15:37||   2010-06-12 15:37|| Front Page Top

#24 @Frank G

In real football, when the ball is on the ground, it's called a "fumble" :-)

Yeah right. In real football we actually use our feet. Just because you have kickoffs and boring field goals doesn't entitle you to call it football. I suggest "throw and carry ball" instead.

Disclaimer: I actually like American Football. Hockey, too. Baseball, not really.
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 15:40||   2010-06-12 15:40|| Front Page Top

#25 Neither soccer or American football can cpmpare with RUGBY!!
Posted by Deacon Blues 2010-06-12 15:44||   2010-06-12 15:44|| Front Page Top

#26 Rugby is pretty cool and definitely a tough sport.
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 15:47||   2010-06-12 15:47|| Front Page Top

#27 Disclaimer: I actually like American Football. Hockey, too. Baseball, not really. Posted by European Conservative

I'll take hiking or cross-country skiing, a swim at the spa in Schwangau, followed by dinner at Hotel Ruebezhal.
Posted by Besoeker 2010-06-12 15:51||   2010-06-12 15:51|| Front Page Top

#28 Lovely region
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 16:12||   2010-06-12 16:12|| Front Page Top

#29 In my next life, I've asked to come back as a Bavarian gasthaus keeper.
Posted by Besoeker 2010-06-12 16:16||   2010-06-12 16:16|| Front Page Top

#30 The magic ingredient is the chaotic element of an oval ball bouncing wherever it wants. The skills needed to anticipate it can seem superhuman. Add in the suspense of play that cannot stop until there is a score or a penalty. The strategic dimension of an equal chance of possession for both sides every time play starts. No offside rules or positional rules- any player can be wherever he wants at any time. And not too many other rules either- they just slow things down.
Australian football. Check it out.
Posted by Grunter 2010-06-12 16:20||   2010-06-12 16:20|| Front Page Top

#31 LOL EC - I wassa a casting out the bait and caught a big one
Posted by Frank G 2010-06-12 16:29||   2010-06-12 16:29|| Front Page Top

#32 "And not too many other rules either"

Yeah right, that's why you need umpires to explain the rules to the public every 5 minutes.
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 16:32||   2010-06-12 16:32|| Front Page Top

#33 USA vs England 1:1

Suddenly a tie doesn't seem so boring anymore, does it?
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 16:34||   2010-06-12 16:34|| Front Page Top

#34 No a tie is still boring. I can't believe they didn't arrange for shootoffs in the initial rounds. That's just lame even if it would have probably meant an English victory.
Posted by rjschwarz 2010-06-12 17:28||   2010-06-12 17:28|| Front Page Top

#35 A tie was perfect today. England and the United States are about even in soccer, and the score reflected it.
Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2010-06-12 18:04||   2010-06-12 18:04|| Front Page Top

#36 In real football we actually use our feet.

Uh, no. We would call this "kickball". The sport where you advance the ball by foot is more properly called football.

Your pansy sport's true name is "association football". This is a bit long, so we shorten it to "assoc football". This is still too long, so we shorten it again to "soccer".

PS I watched the America-England game tonight, staying up late to do so (2:30am - 5am). What a wankfest. Why even bother playing the game if it can end in a tie? Seriously.
Posted by gromky 2010-06-12 18:13||   2010-06-12 18:13|| Front Page Top

#37 I actually saw the Duke Carolina game where Dean went into the four-corners from the opening whistle. Duke was up 7 - 0 at the half. It was actually pretty funny to watch.
Posted by remoteman 2010-06-12 19:40||   2010-06-12 19:40|| Front Page Top

#38 "Your pansy sport's true name"

"Your" is the whole world minus the North American colonies :-)
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 20:06||   2010-06-12 20:06|| Front Page Top

#39 Delightful sillies, all of you. Those who know, know that the only proper spectator sport is gymnastics, in either of it's flavours. ;-)
Posted by trailing wife 2010-06-12 20:44||   2010-06-12 20:44|| Front Page Top

#40 Ah yes :-)

The word derives from the Greek gymnos ("naked"), because athletes exercised and competed without clothing.
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 20:47||   2010-06-12 20:47|| Front Page Top

#41 because athletes exercised and competed without clothing.

What we wore/they wear is quite close enough to go on with, European Conservative.
Posted by trailing wife 2010-06-12 20:56||   2010-06-12 20:56|| Front Page Top

#42 You're a tease tw :-)

The Olympics certainly gained when they admitted female beach volleyball :-)
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 20:58||   2010-06-12 20:58|| Front Page Top

#43 60 days to go...
Posted by badanov 2010-06-12 21:00||   2010-06-12 21:00|| Front Page Top

#44 England has come a long way in World Cup play since 1950. Now they've managed a tie with the US.
Posted by eLarson 2010-06-12 21:09||   2010-06-12 21:09|| Front Page Top

#45 Bad - Ima barely waitin for the NFL camp openings, especially with the lockout forecast 4 next year
Posted by Frank G 2010-06-12 21:34||   2010-06-12 21:34|| Front Page Top

#46 Gee - American football, or rest-of-the-world football?

Howzabout neither? They both bore the pants off of me (as do most other sports, too).

What kills me is the sportscasters - they talk about a GAME as though it's truly life and death instead of money (and yeah, prestige). Guess that's why god invented the "Mute" button.
Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2010-06-12 22:07||   2010-06-12 22:07|| Front Page Top

#47 For anyone interested in the World Cup, a nice resource all on one page.
Posted by tipper 2010-06-12 22:43||   2010-06-12 22:43|| Front Page Top

#48 Very nice, tipper
Posted by badanov 2010-06-12 22:51||   2010-06-12 22:51|| Front Page Top

#49 A famous football star once said:

People think that football is about life and death. They are wrong. It's a lot more important :-)

It may take another 50 years but America will surrender to football.
Posted by European Conservative 2010-06-12 23:55||   2010-06-12 23:55|| Front Page Top

23:55 European Conservative
23:48 junkirony
23:43 crosspatch
23:41 crosspatch
23:37 crosspatch
23:28 junkirony
23:25 mojo
23:18 Frank G
23:10 Charles
22:51 badanov
22:48 Shieldwolf
22:46 bman
22:43 tipper
22:11 Barbara Skolaut
22:07 Barbara Skolaut
21:53 Barbara Skolaut
21:39 KBK
21:34 Frank G
21:29 Frank G
21:28 KBK
21:27 junkirony
21:23 trailing wife
21:17 Secret Asian Man
21:09 eLarson









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