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By the way, most all Americans have played soccer at some point in their lives, and guess what, we still don't like it.
Dude, you're an idiot. Why would you come to a website dedicated to the NBA, filled with red-blooded Americans, and argue why soccer is the "greatest sport in the world"?
There are many reasons why Americans don't care for soccer, the least of which is that it's boring. However, it's you, yes you, "soccer guy", that turns me off from the sport so much........"soccer is the most popular in the world", "more people watch soccer then any other sport", "The world cup is......blah blah blah blah".
Shut the up already and enjoy soccer and quit bothering us about how great it is. If we felt that it was really that great, we'd watch a game or two, but we don't, so off.
By the way, most all Americans have played soccer at some point in their lives, and guess what, we still don't like it.
One thing to consider...no pro teams worth mentioning until now.
Why don't you go get bent, you little prick! I have NEVER said soccer is the greatest sport in the world you ing moron! I was answering Mike's claim that the Superbowl is the most watched sporting event in history, WHICH IS NOT TRUE!
Why don't you read a bit before going off and insulting, you piece of !
I addition to this, you're telling me to stop talking about soccer IN THE "OTHER SPORTS" section, in a thread ABOUT ING SOCCER!?? You have to be ing re ed.
You don't like soccer? Then stay the away from threads like this
Last edited by MaNuMaNiAc; 06-21-2007 at 07:29 PM.
Obviously Beckham's popularity is based on reasons other than solely his play. That said, I do hope he is able to lift the MLS to another level.
Yes, a lot of Americans have played the sport, but typically those tend to be either the sons and daughters of the upper middle class or those of the nation's burgeoning Hispanic community. Football and baseball are the staples of middle class white bread America. Basketball remains the penultimate sport for African-Americans and Indiana as well as whatever cities currently host a successful NBA franchise, such as San Antonio.
Although I like a good Euro match or Premier League game I rarely ever watch them because they're just not shown or pumped up over here. I didn't even know the damn Champion's League final was on ESPN2 until the game was almost over and I happened to see it on the guide. When I'm in Spain visiting family I like to catch a match or two if possible due to the excitement.
Single event buddy. Every year. One game. No one TV show, program, event even comes close. Sure if you want to take a total of all cup games once every 4 years you are going to get more numbers, just like you will every four years for the Olympics. But once a year, every year, more people around the world are tuned into one program more than any other... ever. 50% of US households annually watch the Super Bowl. Can you show where where it says 50% of the world's households as a whole sit down and watch the world cup? , I'm not sure 50% of the world's households HAVE tv to watch it. Super Bowl worldwide estimates are 800 mil-1 bil, every year. Esitmates for the world cup are around 1 - 1.3 bil, once every four years. Supposedly around 3.9 bil tuned into the Olympics in Athens. I guess if you take Super Bowl's 1 bil a year you would have Olympics-like numbers, too. Dwarfing that of soccer.
The US has the #1 watched single sporting event yearly in the Super Bowl.
The US also has the #1 attended spectator event. The Indianapolis 500 is the single largest one-day sporting event in the world, drawing almost one-half million spectators.
The largest crown in soccer history was just under 200k at a game in Rio, I believe. , NASCAR has 10 or so races a year that draw over 200k to it, to include the races at Texas Motor Speedway. , in college football, some teams (Tennessee, Michigan) get over 100k every weekend for college football games.
So, I guess Americans are either xenophopic or have longer attention spans or are able to mentally digest more sports; or some or all.Why is it a put down of America just because the world hasn't figured out how to make their own sports... that don't involve goat heads.
Very true. Most of us played it in gym class as kids...even way back in the 70s. Since the 80s, kids across America have joined (read: are forced into by yuppie, overprotective parents) organized soccer leagues. Today, every kid in America plays soccer, but they still DON'T watch it. They watch American sports. My uncle coaches soccer. He says by the time kids reach high school, almost all of them drop soccer for football (or basketball, baseball or lacross).
They have been trying to force soccer down our throats for decades, but it's pointless. We have our own great sports which we love. Soccer is great exercise and fun to play (I play in a female league), but to watch?? Most boring sport in the world.
no offense Jelly, but what world? yours? the US? because last I checked everywhere else "soccer" is the most watched, so I'd think twice about claiming "in the world".
My ranking... as most influential, well-known, famous male athletes of the last half century.... (some of the people on the list would be ranked higher had the marketing media giant we know today - as aided by the internet - existed in their day)....
1) Michael Jordan
2) Pelé
3) Tiger Woods
4) Maradona
5) Muhammad Ali
6) Ronaldo
7) Michael Shumacher
8) Magic Johnson
9) Larry Bird
10) Joe Montana
11) Lance Armstrong
12) Pete Sampras
13) Mickey Mantle
14) Ronaldinho
15) Zinedine Zidane
16) Roger Federer
17) Cal Ripken Jr.
18) Oscar de la Hoya
19) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
20) O.J. Simpson
21) Andre Agassi
22) Yao Ming
23) Dale Earnhart
24) Jerry Rice
25) Wilt Chamberlain
26) Johann Cruyff
27) Bjorn Borg
28) Jack Nicklaus
29) Michel Platini
30) David Beckam
31) Emmitt Smith
32) Franz Beckenbauer
33) Brett Favre
34) Jackie Robinson
35) Sugar Ray Leonard
36) Lou Gehrig
37) Hugo Sánchez
38) Lothar Matthäus
39) Gabriel Batistuta
40) Paolo Maldini
My opinion of course...
Last edited by Phenomanul; 07-23-2007 at 08:33 AM.
When LT retires, he'll be up there.
BTW, where's Peyton?
That's due to the fact that in the states basketball, baseball, and football are force fed to the TV viewer, more than anything else. Before I forget, I cannot think of a more boring televised sport than baseball. At least soccer offers two 45 minute halves of continuous action. Now that there is an established and well-run professional soccer league in the US and there is an opportunity for those American kids who are good enough to make it to get paid, I have a feeling you will see more and more sticking with soccer past their prepubescent years.
That is where the impact of Beckham will be greatest, in elevating the MLS enough globally to raise league revenues enough to raise the average player's salary to rather attractive levels for American talents.
No doubt it is the most watched sport in the world. That is an objective statement and has nothing to do with how exciting it is to watch. If "most watched" is an indication of quality, then moronic reality shows would reign supreme throughout the western world (and for years Baywatch was THE #1 most popular show in the entire world, so that must have been the absolute best, most high quality, exciting program television had to offer).
Like I said, that soccer is the most watched sport is a fact that can't be argued. My statement that soccer is the most boring sport in the world is clearly a subjective viewpoint. That's obvious and shouldn't need explaining.
Last edited by Jelly; 07-23-2007 at 06:37 AM.
They're hardly force fed, Marcus. Face it, Americans actually love their sports. I suppose the 60 thousand or so people who pack a football stadium on Saturdays and Sundays are forced there? If people didn't love the sports, they wouldn't watch. In my opinion, America is already blessed with the most exciting sports in the world and there is no chance of any other sport overtaking any of them. Our hosting the world cup 13 years ago didn't even get people into it. Beckham is here as the latest ploy to raise interest in the game, it may become slightly more popular for a short while, but then it will fizzle out pretty quickly as it always does.
Only because there are other sports owners bent on making sure that soccer doesn't cut into their revenue pie. The media follows suit and keeps soccer out of the limelight. Hence, generation after generation of Americans keep tuning soccer out.
Below Troy Aikman and Dan Marino somewhere in my Top 100 list...
Soccer will grow in popularity in the U.S. as its Latin population increases. It will never be one of the major sports, however. That is why the soccer stadiums being built have 20,000-25,000 seats as opposed to the palaces in Europe the size of our American football stadia. Cultures get set in their ways -- that is why a sport that is popular in one country is considered boring in another. Americans prefer sports that involve a lot of scoring. 115-110 basketball games are more popular than 80-75 ones. 38-34 football games are more popular than 14-10 ones.
Soccer will never be a high-scoring sport unless it gets bas ized beyond all recognition.
By the way, CaptMike, the NBA Finals gives the Super Bowl a run for its money year in and year out in terms of global viewership, though 90% of it is outside the United States, as opposed to the Super Bowl, where 95% of it is in the United States.
Just like we Americans forsake the metric system for no other reason than spite, we dont watch or like "futbol".
Its an American "superior by being different" complex. Doesnt make it right, but certainly makes it true.
Americans love sports that have an established pro league and however many decades of their parents shoving the game down their throats (as a spectator sport) because their parents did the same. There is nothing exciting about watching a baseball game. Most such affairs are low scoring and dull as . Football is king but how many commercial breaks must be squeezed into a broadcast? Ditto for the NBA.
Anyways, look at the current state of the top 3 pro team sport leagues:
A 'roid abuser is about to break MLB's signature all-time record and it is clear that a large number of stars were roided up over the last couple of decades.
The NFL seems to have more of its players in trouble with the law than any other league, with Vick being the latest and greatest.
Now we have a ref shaving points in the NBA. And the NBA has its fair share of miscreants and idiots.
The primary reason soccer has taken a back seat historically has been that a competent pro league never came into existence. Now it has. Soccer matches offer much more continuous action than baseball could ever dream of. And it's uninterrupted. And it's over in 2 hours or less. You can't point to the past with Pele or the '94 World Cup because this situation is considerably different. Also, I'd say now that the MLS offers sports fans a league that doesn't have any of the baggage that the other pro teams sports leagues are dealing with right now.
Last edited by Marcus Bryant; 07-23-2007 at 04:07 PM.
The one barrier to soccer in the states is that the average American sports fan is too lazy and too complacent to change their ways. Following soccer requires some mental effort to get up to speed on the rules of the game, the players, etc...."Low scoring" is a misnomer (see baseball).
The World Cup Final Game and certain semi-final games draw more viewership than the Super Bowl.... I don't know where you've been getting your numbers....
Why should we change our ways? We're happy with our sports. We love our sports. Change our ways?? What an arrogant suggestion.
You are seriously deluding yourself with most of what you've said in your past few posts. it's fine if you think baseball is boring. I, and millions of others would disagree, but I'm not here to convert people. Besides, I maintain the exact same sentiments about soccer...nothing exciting in watching a ball bounce from man to man to man...often with with no scoring....for 90 minutes. And saying soccer is hard to understand??? Please. Two teams try to get a ball past the opponents goalie. I hardly think following such a game requires any "mental effort" compared to our sports, which are far more complicated and which is probably why some people find them boring. The fact that soccer is continuous only makes it more monotonous and boring to me. Soccer can't match the chess-like strategy behind football. And It takes FAR more viewer education to understand an American football game. Soccer is just too simple and basic for me. Sorry. (and by simple, I am not saying it's simple to play. I've no doubt they're all superb athletes. Doesn't make 'em fun to watch).
Wait...1 billion people watch the Super Bowl every year?
Are you serious?
It's more like 90-120 million, worldwide.
Racism, Violence, and Corruption are not present in American sports?
Racism
We've been known to throw bananas at black people too. Our very own Baseline Bums would throw bananas at Daryl Dawkins and dance around in a gorilla suit during his games in SA. A more current example, the entire NASCAR fanbase.
Violence
The last Spurs game I went to concluded with one of the biggest fights I've ever seen going down in the parking lot. Drunk people fight in America too.
Corruption
Do I even have to address this? Boxing? Donaghy? Pete Rose? STERIODS!?
America, yeah!
Dude, go to China and they will tell you the same thing.pfff... thats because to Americans, the world has a population of 300 millionOutside your little world, football superstars are bigger than anything the US has produced, EVER!
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