How many games will YOU attempt to watch?

I will try to catch the finals, unless Germany or the U.S. does well.

Stupid poll options....

I don't watch soccer, but I don't think it is pathletic and boring....bah...no choice. :p

I will try to watch them all but my timezone may hinder that so I may have watch some on a tape delay basis :(

Soccer World Cup?? What is this? I thought it was the Football World Cup or have the Americans re-named it? Stick to your Yankieball and let the rest of us get on with a decent sport.

i want to watch them all, but i´m going to a music festival 12-15 june, so i´ll problary miss some of them during that period.

its funny how the people who call football, 'soccer' are crap at football :lol: i will try to watch all the matchs or catch them on match of the day.

:mad: @Cornmaster....

;)


Mr. Pres.: It was already determined in another thread that soccer is known worldwide in MANY different names.;)

Crap at soccer?

We will see...

I voted for the last option.
There is minimal coverage of the goings on in Japan and Korea here anyway, and I have a truckload of work to do, and I find soccer about as interesting as podiatry in slow motion.
'Pathetic and boring.' Nice choice of words there, Foxy.:goodjob:

Originally posted by animepornstar
i want to watch them all, but i´m going to a music festival 12-15 june, so i´ll problary miss some of them during that period.

Four years ago Holland played against Belgium on my birthday...this time my birthday (june 13th) features China - Turkey...:rolleyes: You won't miss muhc on that day anime...

Originally posted by MrPresident
Soccer World Cup?? What is this? I thought it was the Football World Cup or have the Americans re-named it? Stick to your Yankieball and let the rest of us get on with a decent sport.

Might as well call it hockey with a ball. If I ever want to watch a bunch of people heading balls, I'll rent a porn flick, which will, at least, have an outside shot at being entertaining.

Get off your horse, rump boy, errr President Rump Boy, it's a boring game. I almost rather watch a cricket match that goes on for 3 days.

BTW, enjoy your World Suck.

Flatlander Fox
Crap at soccer? we will see

whos your team US? :lol:

Originally posted by BeerCur


Might as well call it hockey with a ball. If I ever want to watch a bunch of people heading balls, I'll rent a porn flick, which will, at least, have an outside shot at being entertaining.

Get off your horse, rump boy, errr President Rump Boy, it's a boring game. I almost rather watch a cricket match that goes on for 3 days.

BTW, enjoy your World Suck.

Now there's no need to offend people.

BeerCur Might as well call it hockey with a ball. If I ever want to watch a bunch of people heading balls, I'll rent a porn flick, which will, at least, have an outside shot at being entertaining.

Cricket goes on for 1,4,5 days not 3, so u r wrong. when you try to agrue with someone it helps to get your facts right. :D

Your opinions are as vaild as the next person so don't try to change other and hence respect people's opionions :goodjob:

I agree, there is no reason to get one's panties in a wad about their particular favorite game.

I REALLY don't have a favorite soccer team, but I will root for the U.S. and German teams to win, while NOT watching any of the games.

P.S. If anyone couldn't tell, I have a tongue in cheek approach to soccer, since living in Europe for 5 years brought me face to face with the hooligans/fans of the World's game.

Originally posted by Civman10


Cricket goes on for 1,4,5 days not 3, so u r wrong. when you try to agrue with someone it helps to get your facts right. :D

Your opinions are as vaild as the next person so don't try to change other and hence respect people's opionions :goodjob:

Just having some fun,... God knows the USA is the focal point for many hecklers... Feels good to be on the otherside.

Its Football Not Soccer :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :die: :die:

yes FOOTBALL!
FOOTBALL!
FOOTBALL!
who invented the word soccer?

Originally posted by philippe

who invented the word soccer?

It's true that the game known as "football" in most of the world (not just the UK) is known as "soccer" in the US, but we didn't just pull the word out of the air so that we could call our quasi-gladiatorial extravaganzas "football." In fact, you Brits actually invented the word. "Soccer," when it first appeared in the 1890s, was spelled "socca," which was short for "association" or "association football," meaning football played according to the rules laid down by the British Football Association. It was also called "socker" until the current form "soccer" appeared around 1895.

The "er" suffix of "soccer," incidentally, was often used in late 19th and early 20th century slang, and can also be found in the transformation of the name of the British game "rugby" (named after the Rugby School in England) into the popular term "rugger."

From http://www.word-detective.com/121800.html

well....the FA was founded to make a clear difference between football and rugby anyway.

"Soccer World Cup?? What is this? I thought it was the Football World Cup or have the Americans re-named it? Stick to your Yankieball and let the rest of us get on with a decent sport."

1) It's Yankee, not Yankie
2) Soccer is an English term by orgin, we adopted it
3) We have a very popular sport in which OUR NATION refers to as football. Therefore we do not refer to soccer as football. What AMERICANS refer to as soccer and football is our own choice, you may call it what you wish. Both sports are great in my eyes and I will call them as my cutlure refers to them. As you will in your culture. NOBODY is changing the name of the game, call it what you like.
4) US kicked Portugal's ass in a game that is "not ours", how do you like those apples? Now get off your high horse and treat all fans of the game with the same respect you desire yourself.

Just a quick reminder, the US excels in MANY sports which is a disadvantage for us when building a World Cup team. Soccer is still a growing sport in which we will continue to improve each World Cup. If soccer were as popular in the US you would see the same type of talent as we have on our basketball team on the pitch every four years. I don't think you would be laughing at our team then, in fact it would be a drubbing each and every year as we deliver in most sports in which our country takes to heart.

Be glad it is taking us a while to catch on, because once we do you will know it. Trust me on that!

GO USA!

I enjoy watching Ireland, Germany, Nigeria and the US.

The only teams I dislike are the South American teams. Too much grabbing and holding, especially Argentina. They tend to be shorter guys who grab onto your shoulders and pull themselves up to head the ball. I mean is this just me or is this call a no-brainer?

CLEAN IT UP! There is no way a 5' 7" man is going to head a ball over a 6' 2" man. Common sense!

Brazil (Brasil) is awesome though, not taking anything away from Argentina, but Brazil plays a great game. Always fun to watch!

On the same note though the South American teams are the best ball handlers, the US is making strides but they have a lot of work to do to reach their level.

What is most appealing to me is the interest soccer generates world wide, it truly is amazing!

Originally posted by maddskillz
a growing sport in which we will continue to improve each World Cup

Umm.... I dare say we didn't improve a whole lot between 1994 (2nd round) and 1998 (0-3-0, 1 goal scored I believe)

Originally posted by MrPresident
Soccer World Cup?? What is this? I thought it was the Football World Cup or have the Americans re-named it? Stick to your Yankieball and let the rest of us get on with a decent sport.

(I know the above is a troll, but...)
What do the Koreans call the sport? The Japanese? Chinese? Germans? Mexicans? Russians? When I watch soccer/futball/football/Fußball/Футбол on the Spanish stations here, they list the national teams playing by the Spanish names for them. The USA is listed as Estados Unidos de América or EUA. Germany is Alemania. So, should we get bent out of shape because they spell and pronounce the names of other countries differently than the way the citizens of those countries would spell and pronounce them? Why should the word for this sport be any different? I would think it would be arrogant and somewhat jingoistic if the citizens of Deutschland sneered at the citizens of Mexico for referring to Germany as Alemania. Will you b*tch at Russians for spelling the sport's name as Футбол?

I have many friends from South America, Europe, and the Far East (Taiwan, Vietnam, Phillipines, China, etc) here in the USA with whom I regularly play football. But, we all call it soccer. They called it something else in their home countries, but they do not cringe at calling it soccer here. Why? Because they like being able to communicate. Guaranteed if you come here and talk to most Americans about football, they will think you are referring to American Football -- gridiron football. When I have travelled to Europe, I referred to the sport as football when discussing it, because I wanted to be understood. It's a big world, it's a great sport, and it goes by multiple names. I've always admired it (as a player) for the way it brings different cultures together. The sport itself is like a common langauge that crosses cultural boundaries. I am happy to call it football, but here in the USA, I will call it soccer. And regardless, I won't make an a** of myself over what other folks call it.

Like PieceMaker said; football, soccer, what's the difference. We can apply both terms here.

It's still the World Game, regardless of what Americans think. :D

So, should we get bent out of shape because they spell and pronounce the names of other countries differently than the way the citizens of those countries would spell and pronounce them?
Americans are not pronouncing the name of the game differently they have given it a completely different name. There is a difference.
1) It's Yankee, not Yankie
You are right about this and from now on I will refer to your sport as Yankeeball. Thanks for the correction.
If soccer were as popular in the US you would see the same type of talent as we have on our basketball team on the pitch every four years.
No you wouldn't. You think you would but you wouldn't.

Football was invented in England. I know that some people will debate this but the fact remains that the first FA established was the English one. So don't you think we have the right to name the sport. The name we chose was football. I accept that this must be translated into separate languages and I do not oppose this. However what I do oppose is that Americans taking our name and giving it to a sport that hardly deserves it. Then, if that wasn't enough, they decide to rename our sport with a name we discarded a long time ago. America should get with the rest of the world and respect what is the greatest sport on this planet.

Originally posted by MrPresident

Americans are not pronouncing the name of the game differently they have given it a completely different name. There is a difference.

You mean like Americans calling Deutschland "Germany"? Its a completely different name, that's for sure. Definately sounds different from "doych-land" I would say. I don't know of anyone condemning us for calling that country by a different name, though. I guess most folks understand that cultures differ.

You are right about this and from now on I will refer to your sport as Yankeeball.

Please feel free to do so. If you should come here to visit, certainly do so then. You may find from time-to-time that you have to explain to others what you mean when you use that term, however.

Football was invented in England. I know that some people will debate this but the fact remains that the first FA established was the English one. So don't you think we have the right to name the sport.

Actually, no, not anymore. I think FIFA now has the right to set the sport's standards, including its name. But, we could debate that endlessly. What do FIFA call it? "Football". What do the English call it? "Football". You're in agreement anyhow on its official name.

However what I do oppose is that Americans taking our name and giving it to a sport that hardly deserves it. Then, if that wasn't enough, they decide to rename our sport with a name we discarded a long time ago.

The majority of Americans do not really care about futball. They think it is a boring, lame sport and don't believe it deserves their attention. I happen to disagree with them. It is an awesome sport and I wish it were more popular here. I think Americans who denigrate futball are only expressing their ignorance -- about futball. They have not played it or learned enough about it to appreciate what is happening on the field.

Likewise, I see your comment here: "a sport that hardly deserves it", and I think I see the same attitude based in ignorance. It sounds like you think the sport Americans call football is a lame sport, not worthy of your attention. I don't care if you like that sport or not, but I do think you don't understand it. And apparently you feel a bit threatened by it.

I can't tell you how the American sport called football evolved and came by that name. But the fact is it did. And it became popular here long before what you call football started to make inroads here. It makes perfect sense that, in order to avoid confusing the two, they should be referred to by different names. "Football" is popularly understood here to mean gridiron football. "Soccer" is an excellent alternative, given the situation. I can't see why that is worth such resentment.

America should get with the rest of the world and respect what is the greatest sport on this planet.

Those in America that love this sport already respect it and some would even agree that it is the greatest sport on the planet.

Ditto that piecemaker.

Should we Americans spell color, colour and center, centre, and replace all our words with Z's with S's or else be faced with the diatribes of aristocrats like Mr "Bunghole" President :egypt:? Two different cultures mate, and BTW we, Americans, live in the better one... Now go drink a beer at the local pub, take the Apple to your Flat and crash and get over it... :D

Anyways the USA beating a team from a country the size of New Jersey doesn't seem that big of a deal; Although beating England, the Size of New England, might actually make it on the news, I wouldn't bet on it... Small fries are for small people... Basketball is the sport that the world loves more than any... Soccer, yes Soccer, is for the Europeans and South Americans and not too many after that.

~Matthew

Basketball is the sport that the world loves more than any... Soccer, yes Soccer, is for the Europeans and South Americans and not too many after that.
You don't travel much outside of America do you?
You mean like Americans calling Deutschland "Germany"? Its a completely different name, that's for sure.
It is not a completely different name. It is a translation. Deutschland is German. Germany is English. The English are not using Deutschland to describe something else. They have just translated it. Much like football has been translated into many different languages. The Americans have taken the name football and used it for a different sport. That is not a translation. There is a difference.
You may find from time-to-time that you have to explain to others what you mean when you use that term, however.
Much like you will have to do when you travel abroad.
It sounds like you think the sport Americans call football is a lame sport, not worthy of your attention.
You misunderstood me. I do not believe that Yankeeball is a bad sport. Far from it. I quite enjoy watching a game from time to time. What I meant was that the term football should be used for a sport that employs the foot far more often than Yankeeball. As I see it only occassionly does the ball touch the foot. So that is why I said that sport doesn't deserve the name football. A sport like Australian Rules Football has far more claim to the name than Yankeeball.
It makes perfect sense that, in order to avoid confusing the two, they should be referred to by different names.
Of course it does. So refer to Yankeeball as soccer and football as football and the problem will be solved. However I doubt you will see that as a practical solution.

Basketball is the sport that the world loves more than any... Soccer, yes Soccer, is for the Europeans and South Americans and not too many after that.
:crazyeye: Surrealistic! :crazyeye:

They should have named soccer as american football, and american football as soccer. That way, noone would have to be confused about what they were talking about since almost the rest of the world use the word football.

Football = fotboll, fussball, etc.

However, done is done. (gjort är gjort)

Oh yeah, Soccer is so incredibly popular in India, China, Russia, and America therefore it has too be the most popular sport in the world. Hate to break it to you Europeans, but the borders of the world do not end at the edge of Europe. Europe comprises less than 5% of the world population... It's a bit like saying English or Spanish is the most spoken language in the world and disregarding that 1.5 billion people who speak Chinese, makes it the most spoken language. And guess what, the Chinese love Basketball, along with a lot of other countries. That's the bases of B-Ball being on top... So take your incongruous comments else where. :-P

Originally posted by MrPresident

It is not a completely different name. It is a translation. Deutschland is German. Germany is English. The English are not using Deutschland to describe something else. They have just translated it. Much like football has been translated into many different languages. The Americans have taken the name football and used it for a different sport. That is not a translation. There is a difference.

Well, of course it is a translation. It is the expression of the same concept in a different language. But languages are mutable so that, although two or three nations may speak the same language, they do not always use the same terms. I'm assuming you're from England. I'm from the USA. We both speak English, but here are examples of different terms we use to express the same things (UK/USA): bonnet/hood, garden/yard, lorry/truck, boot/shoe, kit/uniform, lift/elevator (please forgive if I misspell UK terms). Note that many of the UK terms are used to describe other things in the USA. Please don't go French on me and start demanding language purity for English!

Now you may be implying that the Americans deliberately took the name "football" and hijacked it for use in naming American Football, perhaps with the intent of subverting the use of that name when describing what we call soccer. That's not what you're suggesting, is it? I don't think there was any attempt to marginalize footie when it came time over here to provide an official name for what we now call Football.

You misunderstood me. I do not believe that Yankeeball is a bad sport. Far from it. I quite enjoy watching a game from time to time. What I meant was that the term football should be used for a sport that employs the foot far more often than Yankeeball. As I see it only occassionly does the ball touch the foot. So that is why I said that sport doesn't deserve the name football. A sport like Australian Rules Football has far more claim to the name than Yankeeball.

American Football was originally very similar to rugby but has evolved into the sport it is now. The forward pass was added to the game well after it had become popular and the name had been attached. Similar to rugby, the game originally provided for scoring by carrying the ball over an endline and/or by kicking the ball through a goal. This is not unlike Australian Rules Football, which you say has a greater claim to the name "football." Actually, even with the modern forward pass, a significant percentage of points are still scored in the game with the foot.

But I don't disagree with your logic. The name football is an obvious name for what is called soccer in the USA. From what I've seen of Australian Rules Football, "punchball" or "fistball" might be a more appropriate name for that sport. And American Football might have been called "carryball". Also, what most of the world calls "football" could have very logically been called "kickball". Ahhh, could have/should have. It's totally academic at this point.

So refer to Yankeeball as soccer and football as football and the problem will be solved. However I doubt you will see that as a practical solution.

Do you seriously think that is a practical solution? If so, I will question your judgement. It is not practical at all. I propose a more practical solution: understand that football is called "soccer" in the USA and accept that; understand that different cultures sometimes call things by different names and don't be offended by that; understand that, by whatever name the sport is called, it is loved around the world, including here in the USA. (Admittedly, I am concerned somewhat about the practicality of my suggestion as well.)

Does anyone think this thread has gotten out of hand? Its not as if all Americans call football, soccer anyway. Generally people feel football is a more popular sport because it has a world cup whereas there is no Basketball world cup, unless I am missing something.

Why have a world cup of basketball anyway?

The U.S. would win it EVERY four years, (With FRY coming in second, or maybe Canada) and that's not good for world advertising. Just because the ENGLISH can't play basketball (Or don't want to), doesn't mean that it isn't popular.

Mr. Prez, RELAX already. We would call it (soccer) football over here too, but there is a much better sport already called that here.:)

I am extremely amused at the indignation of the poor Europeans over the word soccer. It's just a word! For those of you who are too sensitive to handle it, perhaps you should get some culture, instead of accusing others of having none.

I lived in Europe for 5 years, visit regularly, and still call it soccer. I can speak 2 OTHER languages (One albiet badly:)) and I STILL call it soccer.

When I am at the pub, with some of my Irish friends, and I call it soccer, they can understand me, AND they don't get their panties in a wad about it.

I suggest that those of you who get offended receive some sensitivity training on this matter.:D

Originally posted by MrPresident
It is not a completely different name. It is a translation. Deutschland is German. Germany is English.
Small quibble - Deutschland is indeed a German word; Germany, however, is borrowed from Latin germania. Your point, tho, is not harmed by this tidbit.

(Sodak quickly jumps out of the ring...)

Oh yeah, Soccer is so incredibly popular in India, China, Russia, and America...
:lol: Football is not popular in Russia?
what planet are you from?

To everybody that says Football is not the most popular sport in the world:

Look at this forum

Originally posted by alephz

:lol: Football is not popular in Russia?
what planet are you from?

Ask the average Russian and I believe they will say... "Hockey is very major in Russia, so is tennis, so are many other sports. "

Sure soccer, and they call it soccer too (at least when speaking English), is watched and played, as it is here in the USA. But the most popular? nope, nada, nay... Then again it's all a matter of opinion... hehe


To everybody that says Football is not the most popular sport in the world:

Look at this forum


Of course all the sludge is going to rise to the top at world cup time. :crazyeye:
You should come back next January and see how Soccer is fairing next to Football (The Grid Iron).

Well, i'd like to make some considerations:

1th -

There are two valid opposing points in this discussion: one, that the USA's sport isn't really football, because it isn't played with the feet. I agree with that. I would also add that the oval thing they play with is hardly a ball, so not only "foot", but also"ball" is not deserved. Perhaps "Kickegg" :crazyeye: would be a better name :D.

Two, it's not practical to think that name will be changed. The countries adopted their own names for each sport and they will keep them as they are.

If i'm not mistaken, despite the fact that Tyranossaurus Rex means "King of the Terrible Lizards", they are not lizards at all, at least to the most modern theories... But no one say that the name should be changed just because of that.

SOME DAY, if that gets important enough, people will create a standart. If not things will stay the same. I leave the matter for when it matters.

For the sake of Understanding, I'll call the games Soccer and Football.

2th -

Mr. Prez, RELAX already. We would call it (soccer) football over here too, but there is a much better sport already called that here.

On what grounds you clain that Football is superior to Soccer? I don't see why it's intrinsically better.

When i was a kid, i tought that Football was a ugly violent sport, that required no skill at all, because all you have to do is throw a ball and them carry it under your arm. It's unfair, and when i got ESPN at home, i saw that it's a very cerebral sport, that requires lots of skill and a defined tatics. It's indeed very cool, altough i think it lacks pace, because it's turn-based.

Soccer, on the other hand, is very fluid, continuous, vibrant. You can understand that concept, since basketball is preety much the same in that point. Also, it's all about skill. Unlike football, when you have players whose only contribution is the strenth, in Soccer EVERYONE must have skill, even if some does not have a commendable amount of it.

Both have it's own merits. Neither is superior by nature to the other. Only thing is, there is the undeniable reality that football appeals to the americans, while soccer IS the most beloved sport of the whole world.

I think the basic reason to that is that it's very cheap to play. All you need is a soft sphere, people and space. No real need to have armours (as football) or nets (as tennis) or bats (as baseball), When i was a kid, i used to play in a neighbour's garage using balls made of old socks. that's how cheap it is to play.

There's also a factor that i never understood. once, in an advertising about the Major League Soccer, i saw the image of one of the players with a swollen purple eye and a cut in his forehead, and the comentary "Who said it's not a man's game?"

That's how wrong you people understand Soccer. It's not about roughness, it's about grace, lightness. If Media try to sell to the americans that soccer is about having gladiators in the field, than i can understand why they dislike it. It will never be as rough as Football, and will feel like a "sissy game" as i saw some calling it.

Perhaps if you try to watch and pay attention - as I did with Football - you will see the merits of Soccer, and understand the reason why it's loved worldwide.

Oh, and believe me, the reason why there is no other world cups other than soccer is not because "all the world knows and fears that USA will win always". You may feel surprised with it, but there is talented people everywhere, not only within your borders.

Just to help you with memories, Brazil once won the pan-american tournament over USA, and, in last olimpics, the dream team did got the gold medal, but won the semi-final by ONE point, with the other team having (i don't remember wich, it was from eastern europe) the ball on their hands.

Other example is when the Spurs won the championship, they played the MacDonald's Tournament in Europe, and the Italian team really gave them a hard time, and they took the lead only in the last quarter.

With more and more foreigns playing the NBA, how can you think that only Americans can play it well?

Well, Flatlander, altough i have quoted and questioned you, this does not refer personally to you, it's a consideration that i think is valid for everyone in this discussion.

3th

Soccer, yes Soccer, is for the Europeans and South Americans and not too many after that.

Well, mister BeerCur, you happen to be very wrong at that. See, FIFA have more associates than the United Nations. It's a worldwide organization, able to create a single sport competition that draws almost - if not as much - attentions a the whole Olimpic Games.

Other sports fits in, but soccer is growing more and more apart from the olimpics, because it has enough strengh to survive on it's own. It actually drew too much attention itself in the olimpics, something that you couldn't see in your press, but is a plain fact.

Also, it's representation is so varied that there are 6 subdivisions of the FIFA (confederations), each one representing a populational area. Check the FIFA website (www.fifa.com):

- AFC (Asia Football Confederation)

- CAF (Confédéracion Africaine de Football)

- Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Football Association)

- Conmebol (Confederaión Sudamericana de Fútbol)

- OFC (Oceania Football Confederation)

- UEFA (Unión des Associations Européennes de Football)

As you can see for yourself, there are representatives from all over the globe, a fact that can be seen in the world cup. Except for 3 games (Germany 8 X 0 Saudi Arabia, Brazil 4 X 0 China and Portugal 4 X 0 Polony), all the matches were even and anyone could win. This does not look like the kind of sport that is played in a limited space.

Now, i'm not saying that other sports are not loved anyway. I, for one, DO love basketball, i play it a lot (though i'm not very good), and i follow the NBA (I'd say GO Lakers GO but i see no point) and the Brazilian championship whenever i get a chance...

But there's no comparison between how much soccer is representative and how much basketball is. To say that is to simply ignore the pure facts of reality.

Well, i think that's all i had to say.

By the way, from end of december to end of february Soccer is out of season, both in Europe and in South America (and preety much in everywhere else, because almost all adopts the European Calendary). In the rest of the year, it'll demolish any one that you try to confront with it. I question myself if even in that period it won't.

regards :) .

Good post fredlc... I appreciate you thoughts as I do anybody else that has posted on the board so far... though, I might not show it sometimes (okay, always... lol)

Soccer is wildly popular in the world. There can be no doubt about that. What I've been saying is that there are many sport out there, and there's one that's probably more popular, in basketball.

Going back to the theme of the show (The Board) I do not like to watch soccer; although it is fun to play. It's a bit like hockey, which is also fun to play, but force me to watch a NHL game and I'm asleeep after about 2 minutes. It took me a couple years, in soccer, just to figure out what offside was... hehe.... But seriously teach thy own... What ever floats your boat.. What ever makes you go ding-dong. I'm just trying to make the board interesting.... lol

btw... about the name soccer.. what about Australian football... looks like American football more so than Soccer... should we rename it too?

~Matthew

"By the way, from end of december to end of february Soccer is out of season, both in Europe and in South America"

Not in England. In fact the Christmas season is usually the time when the leaders make a claim for the title. Although I accept that we are a special case playing so many games and all.

"force me to watch a NHL game and I'm asleeep after about 2 minutes."

I can't watch hockey games because I can never follow the puck (spelling?).

Ok I have decided that Americans can't be pursued to change the name of their sport from American Football to anything else. So I will accept that they have to call football 'soccer'. However I ask one thing and one thing only. Please refer to the World Cup not as the Soccer World Cup but as the World Cup (or even the football World Cup).

Originally posted by MrPresident
"By the way, from end of december to end of february Soccer is out of season, both in Europe and in South America"

I've seen seasons that reach the other year in Brazil, but when something unexpected happens that forces an extention.

I always imagined that England league also begun in one year and were finished in the other. Perhaps i was wrong at that.

When is the season off there?

Football in England usually stops in June and starts agin in late August however this season in ended in May because of the World cup. Russia and Japan and a few others play during the summer instead however I think they have a mid season break in Japan.

Generally over Christmas there are more games than usuall...I think he did state the correct answer, its just the person who he quoted was talking about something slightly different.

Fredlc:

The :) Smiley was placed after my statement to somewhat note the lighthearted comment. I personally like football better than soccer, and was stating so in a "light" way...

Unfortunately, their is no World Cup of Basketball... But if there was, a team of Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, Duncan and Kevin Garnett would be fielded by the U.S. (If it were so important to the country, these guys would play for us.)

Nobody else in the world could stand up to that team... Early '90s though, the FRY team would have been VERY tough to beat, providing you could get them to stop killing each other...:(

I don't question the popularity of Soccer at all...

I just call it a different name.:D

I will edit the poll at the top in the interest of world peace...:)

fredlc, to call futbol a graceful, non-violent sport belies that you don't watch the english league! ;)

Thank you for the point about ease of play. As fredlc mentioned, many around the world play soccer instead of another sport simply because they can. He played with balled up socks. My youth coach, who was from Botswana, played with a tennis ball - the only ball they had in their village. All you need is a round object and an open space. On weeknights, I play at an open field. We have a real ball, but shirts suffice for goalposts. Some Mexican laborers join us in their blue jeans and cowboy boots before going home. Good fun!

I've read that long ago, people would play something resembling futbol with a severed head. Whatever is at hand... :eek:

Originally posted by Sodak
fredlc, to call futbol a graceful, non-violent sport belies that you don't watch the english league! ;)

Indeed, I don't see the english league that much. The European soccer i DO like is the spanish, probably the best league in the world.

There are a lot of players that play it hard. It's actually the ugly part of this sports reality. Even in our national team there are some of this quality, such as Roque Júnior and Lúcio.

However, my point was that this sort of rough play is actually against the rules. To use violence against the other team constitutes a foul, no matter how you do it. If the judge is honesty and is paying attention, you'll be penalized.

Football, on the other hand, will admit use of violence. Nothing against it, there are sports in wich violence is a unescaple part, such as box (or any kind of fight for that matter).

I never actually read a book on Football's rules, so correct me if mistaken, but you can legaly grab your adversarie if it's above the waistline, right?

Institucionalized violence in the sport.

Soccer don't admit it in the rules. Not all players, however, obey the rules. That's what i was trying to say.

It's not about violence same way that politics is not about stealing people's money. Oh, yeah, all politics are honest so this example don't work.

regard :).

Good last example. :D

Yes, the players test the limits all the time. Humans test the limits all the time, anything to win.

Originally posted by MrPresident
However I ask one thing and one thing only. Please refer to the World Cup not as the Soccer World Cup but as the World Cup (or even the football World Cup).

I agree. It is really unnecessary to refer to it as anything other than the World Cup. This is similar to how Major League Baseball refers to their final championship series as the World Series (and, please everybody, I am not interested in starting a debate in this thread about the appropriateness of that name for a championship series of a league located only in North America :crazyeye: ).

Calling it the World Cup is all that is necessary to properly identify the greatest sporting event on the planet!

Originally posted by BeerCur
Basketball is the sport that the world loves more than any...

~Matthew

GET REAL!!!!

Might as well say that badminton is the sport that the world loves more than any just because most chinese women and men know how to play it. Btw, basketball is not dominating in China, soccer even have a slight edge on that. So we can count China out.

Might as well say that badminton is the sport that the world loves more than any just because most chinese women and men know how to play it.

Or Ping Pong! Surely this is the world's most popular sport!!
:rolleyes:

Or Ping Pong! Surely this is the world's most popular sport!!
If you are going on numbers then surely cricket is more popular than any American sport.
I am not interested in starting a debate in this thread about the appropriateness of that name for a championship series of a league located only in North America
Actually is was called the World Series even when the only teams involved came from the East Coast of America. Lets just put it down to being slightly over ambitious.
To use violence against the other team constitutes a foul, no matter how you do it.
Depends what you consider violence. A shoulder to shoulder challenge is legal, at least in England. Also you often here someone in crowd shout 'get stuck in' which basically means put in a few hard tackles. Football is a contact sport so some degree of violence has to be allowed.
shirts suffice for goalposts
Jumpers for goalposts. ;)
Football in England usually stops in June
It usually ends in May. Third Saturday in May is when the FA cup is held (the best footballing competition in the world by the way). However this year the Premiership unusually held a week after the FA cup so it was held on the third Sunday.

Originally posted by MrPresident
Depends what you consider violence. A shoulder to shoulder challenge is legal, at least in England. Also you often here someone in crowd shout 'get stuck in' which basically means put in a few hard tackles. Football is a contact sport so some degree of violence has to be allowed.

Ok, ok, it's a point.

2 things:

1th:

You cannot coun't seriously the requests of the crowd. They'll get excited and scream most anything.

2th:

Keep things in perspective. Shoulder to shoulder contact is one thing. To have a guy in an armor running specifically to knock you down is another quite diferent.

Originally posted by fredlc
There are a lot of players that play it hard. It's actually the ugly part of this sports reality. Even in our national team there are some of this quality, such as Roque Júnior and Lúcio.

However, my point was that this sort of rough play is actually against the rules. To use violence against the other team constitutes a foul, no matter how you do it. If the judge is honesty and is paying attention, you'll be penalized.

I have to support the guy from that Island near France here.
That may be true for Brazil, but in certain regions of Europe that is completely different. It's not only okay but also enjoyed (by the fans) when someone tackles in a way that hits first the ball and then the opponent. That's not a foul usually. And it's far more 'violent' than running into each other in an armored suit .
Brazil traditionally played football focused on technical play. But Germany and England for example have always very much set on physical play. There's no portugese word for "Blutgrätsche" for a reason. :D

About 750 million people live in Europe so to whoever said that Europe´s population compared to the worlds are less then 5% is wrong. Unless, ofcourse, there are 15 billion people living on this planet, but I doubt it :D


Edit1: "...whoever said that..." = BeerCur
Edit2: Some spelling...

I have to support the guy from that Island near France here.
That may be true for Brazil, but in certain regions of Europe that is completely different. It's not only okay but also enjoyed (by the fans) when someone tackles in a way that hits first the ball and then the opponent. That's not a foul usually. And it's far more 'violent' than running into each other in an armored suit .
Brazil traditionally played football focused on technical play. But Germany and England for example have always very much set on physical play. There's no portugese word for "Blutgrätsche" for a reason.


Sure, we here have the tradition of the technical play. It does not mean that we don't have brutes in the game too. In fact, we resent that their space in our national team have grown way too much in the last years, taking the place of more technical players.

I agree that Germany and England have a tradition of a far more physical play than us, and that's somewhat violent. And i won't argue with you that interpretation on "what's violent and what isn't" plays a huge role in whether the referee will book those as a foul or not.

However...

The players that excel in both this countries, through history, have been the ones that escapes from the stereotype and play a good, skilled game, such as, for example, Franz Beckenbauer for Germany and David Beckham for England. The skill is the star, even among the strength.

Also, and it's a fact, not a opinion, FIFA is against hard plays that endangers the physical constitution of the players. More and more they demand yellow and red cards in the event of exaggerated roughness and aggressive tackles, specially those criminal sliding ones from behind. So, we go back to the point of following the rules or not, and we add traditions in nation gameplay and connivance of the referees to the equation.

Finally, as you said, in Soccer it's a matter of how the referee will interpret the rule. In Football, there's no room for interpretation. It's legal, end of the story.

About 750 million people live in Europe so to whoever said that Europe´s population compared to the worlds are less then 5% is wrong. Unless, of course, there are 15 billion people living on this planet, but I doubt it :D

Being ignorrant I only consider Western Europe to be actually Europe -3% of the
world population as per
http://www.prb.org/
And as for England, if given the choice to join NAFTA or the EC they probably would choose NAFTA if only because they could call their horrible Cadberry's milk-chocolate, chocolate, and keep their money with a ugly picture of the witch or something of other. Besides which I only have five extremities on my right hand so anything past five percent is inconceivable.

Might as well say that badminton is the sport that the world loves more than any just because most chinese women and men know how to play it. Btw, basketball is not dominating in China, soccer even have a slight edge on that. So we can count China out.

Or Ping Pong! Surely this is the world's most popular sport!!

I hope you are not speaking ill of the great sport Ping-Pong... Or else I'll have to come over there and paddle your ass like your mum used to do. (Hey seriously, if you guys know what the hell is going on in China please let our CIA know!!! We're kinda clueless about them.)

If you are going on numbers then surely cricket is more popular than any American sport.

Hey cricket is a damn good sport... Allows for much drinking... In order to pass the time until it's over... LOL

~Matthew

to BeerCur...

Yes, you are ignorant.

That site divides Europe into north, south, east and west. The UK for example doesn´t count to western Europe according to their way of counting. You should pay more attention to the figures.

And calling the queen of england a witch is probably offensive to some people.

http://www.prb.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Other_reports/2000-2002/sheet1.html

This is out of topic, so this will be my last post :D

It may have escaped your notice but the United Kingdom is part of the EU and would be very unlikely to join NAFTA. We just have not changed our currency yet...

And as for England, if given the choice to join NAFTA Not to go off-topic but the UK (England doesn't do anything on its own - perhaps winning the world cup but thats about it) would never join NAFTA. If only because it is called the North American Free Trade Area and the UK is clearly not in North America. Anyway, the UK is happy in the EU since it is far and away our biggest trading partner. And as for the single currency I think we will join within 10 years. The numbers in favour of joining are rising every year (I think about 40% at the moment).
And calling the queen of england a witch is probably offensive to some people.
Damn straight. Luckily I'm not one of those people.
Being ignorrant I only consider Western Europe to be actually Europe
You are ignorant because in 2004 10 Eastern European countries are joining the EU.
About 750 million people live in Europe
Which Europe is this? I thought the population of Europe was more like 320 million people.

Which Europe is this? I thought the population of Europe was more like 320 million people.

Around 750 million are all the people on the European continent and what´s usually considered to be Europe.

The EU alone, has roughly 360 million inhabitants if I remember it correct. And like you said yourself, 10 more countries are waiting to join the EU, so it must be even more, right? :)