Why Most Americans Consider Soccer Girly

[Quildavyr]

Originally Posted by Fifty

2. Many world class soccer players seem like pretty boys (the quintessential example of this being David Beckam)

You are probably joking.

Originally Posted by Fifty

3. The fights tend to be really really really girly.

It is not a boxing match

[warpus]

Originally Posted by illram

Basketball? Hockey?

Unfortunately I don't see soccer (football, excuse me!) taking off until Americans get good at it, and by "good" I mean competitive on an international level. None of this sweetheart one in a million world cup shots and then losing in the semi-finals.

The U.S. have a decent team; probably comparable to any of the minor European soccer powers.

Originally Posted by illram

Don't know when that will happen, because athletes go off to play other sports when they are young in the US. Soccer is pretty low on the totem pole. I don't find it boring at all, but it just isn't compelling to watch an MLS team stumble around knowing that they'd get cleaned out by any decent professional European team.

It's not really that bad; Toronto FC has a decent team this year and we're kicking ass. I've watched every game and haven't been bored at all

[Quildavyr]

Originally Posted by warpus

The U.S. have a decent team; probably comparable to any of the minor European soccer powers.

Which countries you mean as minor soccer power?San Marino,Andorra etc?

[warpus]

Originally Posted by Quildavyr

Which countries you mean as minor soccer power?San Marino,Andorra etc?

Let's say Poland, Greece, Scotland, Sweden, etc. The U.S. matches up well against these teams.

[BCLG100]

Originally Posted by illram

Basketball? Hockey?

Unfortunately I don't see soccer (football, excuse me!) taking off until Americans get good at it, and by "good" I mean competitive on an international level. None of this sweetheart one in a million world cup shots and then losing in the semi-finals.

Don't know when that will happen, because athletes go off to play other sports when they are young in the US. Soccer is pretty low on the totem pole. I don't find it boring at all, but it just isn't compelling to watch an MLS team stumble around knowing that they'd get cleaned out by any decent professional European team.

Another thing is that no-one in the rest of the world cares that the US doesn't like football. The only time anyone even notices football is in the US is during the world cup, where the majority of the time you support the opposing team because you'd prefer a team to win it who actually has the majority of the nations interest or more recently with the high profile transfer of David Beckham. For instance i could't tell you who is top of the league in America whilst i could name the top in the majority of European leagues.

[downtown]

My hometown Columbus Crew is the top MSL team at the moment

[Joe Harker]

This is a rather pointless thread, if you like American football or other sport then thats fine, i don't (some others may) attempt to destroy it by making rather rude remarks about it.

I find football the best, to play and to watch, of course you may not, I find American football very hard to watch because it is so stop start and the contious adverts inbetween makes it for me unbearable i would much rather watch(and play) rugby.

Also if you are going to accuse the whole of football of being pretty boys then you really haven't watch a Millwall match

[azzaman333]

Aussie Rules is best to watch IMO.

[Marla_Singer]

Footballers? Pretty boys?

[Quildavyr]

Originally Posted by Marla_Singer

Footballers? Pretty boys?
img ferraribery

He has great personality!

[Oda Nobunaga]

Originally Posted by illram

Basketball? Hockey?

Hockey may be popular in America to an extent, but it's barely a shadow of football and baseball, and barely a shadow of what it is in Canada, particularly with regard to the percentage of the population that actually likes it.

Of course, hockey suffers from being a winter sport, so has a hard time making itself a place south of the wintery areas (with the exception of California, but then some days it seems California defines itself by looking at what the rest of the United States do and doing the exact reverse).

[Masquerouge]

What is interesting is that the top 3 countries in the planet in terms of population have crappy, or inexistent, soccer team.

It's only a matter of time for China though since they like soccer and have a strong league (strong meaning "able to fill up stadiums"), the US has a league but it's not popular so good athletes will still go towards more rewarding sports, and India... India I guess has a soccer team. I guess.

And I think in the US, there is a vicious circle. Soccer is not popular -> the US team sucks -> soccer must be girly -> soccer is not popular...

[Dodge_272]

I'd welcome and encourage anyone who happens to think that football is girly by inviting them to play in my place this sunday morning, if they happen to be in Newcastle around 10.30.

[Joe Harker]

India I guess has a soccer team. I guess.

It does, rank 150thish in the world or something similar, however they love their cricket and 2020 cricket seems to be becoming the football of the asian sub contient.

[Masquerouge]

Originally Posted by Joe Harker

It does, rank 150thish in the world or something similar, however they love their cricket and 2020 cricket seems to be becoming the football of the asian sub contient.

Cricket is girly.

[Verbose]

Originally Posted by Marla_Singer

Footballers? Pretty boys?

Quite.

The modern face of English football, suspiciously like the old:

Becks' the exception, not the rule.

[holy king]

Originally Posted by Dodge_272

I'd welcome and encourage anyone who happens to think that football is girly by inviting them to play in my place this sunday morning, if they happen to be in Newcastle around 10.30.

i'd love to. our weekly game isnt that girly either.

[azzaman333]

Originally Posted by Joe Harker

It does, rank 150thish in the world or something similar, however they love their cricket and 2020 cricket seems to be becoming the football of the asian sub contient.

The money in India all goes to cricket, and it has started to show results on the field. I suspect similar will occur in China with soccer.

Here, soccer is pretty much third or fourth in line (depending on whether cricket is included along with Aussie Rules and NRL) yet we are one of the stronger teams in Asia, and managed to get through the group stages at the last world cup. But we probably have more depth due to the focus on sport in Australian culture.

[Dodge_272]

Originally Posted by azzaman333

The money in India all goes to cricket, and it has started to show results on the field. I suspect similar will occur in China with soccer.

Here, soccer is pretty much third or fourth in line (depending on whether cricket is included along with Aussie Rules and NRL) yet we are one of the stronger teams in Asia, and managed to get through the group stages at the last world cup. But we probably have more depth due to the focus on sport in Australian culture.

That's down to footballing genius' such as Mark Viduka playing in european leagues though more than anything.

[azzaman333]

Originally Posted by Dodge_272

That's down to footballing genius' such as Mark Viduka playing in european leagues though more than anything.

I'd have said Cahill or Kewell before Viduka. Viduka has traditionally been a poor player internationally. They still need to choose soccer over Aussie Rules or Rugby though.