[gulmatan]

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

On the other hand, football is nothing more than a no skill boxing on a field rivalry as well as a homophobic, gay-bashing, womanizing--portray women as sluts, whores, t&a shows and beer-guzzling, overly macho pigs hell-bent on treating women as maids and sex slaves. HOW DISGUSTING!!! I'm glad I HATE football.

[Kerrigan]

it's a game, properly speaking

[MallyMal]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

What about when this happens?
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,...798795,00.html

[Ghoser777]

So are you criticizing the game or FOX?

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

Global unity. P-shaw.

I won't deny the teamwork and friendly competition of the World Cup. And I get good laughs when a guy stubs his toe or something and guys rush out to the field with a World War I surplus stretcher to take the injured guy off the field.

Ten seconds later, he's walking around and ready to re-enter the game.

Originally Posted by gulmatan

On the other hand, football is nothing more than a no skill boxing on a field rivalry as well as a homophobic, gay-bashing, womanizing--portray women as sluts, whores, t&a shows and beer-guzzling, overly macho pigs hell-bent on treating women as maids and sex slaves. HOW DISGUSTING!!! I'm glad I HATE football.

Nice how your knowledge of American football is so vast.

No skill? Ever tried to block a 330 pound man to keep him from your quarterback? Ever tried to throw a pass 25 yards down the field to a specific spot just trusting that your reciever is going to be there on time (a timing route)? How about trying to cover a guy who runs a 4.3 40 yard dash?

I don't see where football as a sport portrays women as sluts, whores etc.

I don't drink beer often, very rarely while I watch football. I'm not homophobic. I'm not macho and I treat my wife VERY well.

You are just ignorant.

BTW, I think soccer fans drink plenty of beer too. You know, Germans, Irish, Brits are all known to knock a few back.

[Spliffdaddy]

soccer is so un-manly that there are places in the US they won't allow it to be played.

[Spliff]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

You forgot to mention all the fakery--diving, whining about non-existent injuries, and all-round poor sportmanship.

[Salty]

Dude... pro sports in general isn't about the sports. It's about manipulating systems to get what you want... like anything else when fame and money are involved.

[Hawkeye_a]

I prefer soccer over american football. why ? fast paced. fun. wide appeal (anyone almost anywhere, with the exception of the US) know how to play it, No special equiptment needed, just a ball.

With FIFA underway....it occured to me.... if there ever was a "universal" language/bond...it isnt english... it's football (aka Soccer). it's global (almost). Some nations choose to belittle it cause of their own pride....well...to them i say this... it's your loss.

Not to criticize American football, cause to be completely honest i dont understand it myself...but having been to numerous college games...i didnt find it terribly exciting to spend 3 hours watching a one hour match. but thats just me.

Cheers

[wallinbl]

The sport you should be picking on is baseball. I still don't get how my fellow Americans will watch baseball but not soccer. Baseball is only topped by chess on the boring to watch scale. Hell, baseball is boring when you're playing. You bat 4 or 5 times in 3 hours, and you might field the ball 10 times. In the mean time, you stood around, sat around, and chewed on some sunflower seeds.

[Mastrap]

I don't get American Football. Rugby, now that's a proper man's game. And there's beer involved too.

[TETENAL]

Actually chess is not boring to watch.

[Adam Betts]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

The sport you should be picking on is baseball. I still don't get how my fellow Americans will watch baseball but not soccer. Baseball is only topped by chess on the boring to watch scale. Hell, baseball is boring when you're playing. You bat 4 or 5 times in 3 hours, and you might field the ball 10 times. In the mean time, you stood around, sat around, and chewed on some sunflower seeds.

Chess is actually not bad if you become involved with the game, analyzing the moves. Watching with numb brain it'll be boring as hell of course.

I don't get baseball either. It's too stat-driven game for my taste but I do respect people who like baseball or any other sports I dislike, unlike original poster here.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by Spliff

You forgot to mention all the fakery--diving, whining about non-existent injuries, and all-round poor sportmanship.

There's no question about the ridiculously idiotic fakery, but poor sportsmanship? That makes me think you haven't watched/played very much soccer. I'd consider it one of the most sportsmanlike professional games, especially when compared to the North American major-league sports.

greg

[Rob van dam]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

I prefer soccer over american football. why ? fast paced. fun. wide appeal (anyone almost anywhere, with the exception of the US) know how to play it, No special equiptment needed, just a ball.

With FIFA underway....it occured to me.... if there ever was a "universal" language/bond...it isnt english... it's football (aka Soccer). it's global (almost). Some nations choose to belittle it cause of their own pride....well...to them i say this... it's your loss.

Not to criticize American football, cause to be completely honest i dont understand it myself...but having been to numerous college games...i didnt find it terribly exciting to spend 3 hours watching a one hour match. but thats just me.

Cheers

Does American football really last 3 hours.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

The sport you should be picking on is baseball. I still don't get how my fellow Americans will watch baseball but not soccer. Baseball is only topped by chess on the boring to watch scale. Hell, baseball is boring when you're playing. You bat 4 or 5 times in 3 hours, and you might field the ball 10 times. In the mean time, you stood around, sat around, and chewed on some sunflower seeds.

Well, I guess I have to defend yet another American sport.

Definitely NOT boring to play baseball. I love it. If you want something difficult to do, try hitting a major league curve ball. THAT'S skill.

It's funny you brought up chess in the same post, because baseball is like a game of chess within a game of chess.

There is the strategy in the matchup between the pitcher/catcher and the batter. It's not just about throwing a ball and trying to hit it. Pitchers have tendencies, strengths and weaknesses, so do hitters.

So a pitcher with a strong slider might try to get ahead of the count by throwing his slider the first pitch. But the batter might be expecting that. So instead he throws a fastball on the outside corner for a strike. The batter "took" the pitch (meaning didn't swing) because it wasn't what he expected.

Now the pitcher has the advantage in the count 0-1. This puts the batter on the defensive. The count matters a lot more than just a statistic.

Count strategies:

0-0 - batter looks for a pitch he can hit well while pitcher tries to get a first strike
0-1 (1 strike) - batter becomes a bit more defensive, pitcher more agressive
0-2 - batter will swing at anything near the strike zone to hit a foul ball or put the ball in play
1-1 - basically the same as 0-0 except the advantage is with the batter
2-1 - pitcher looks to his more reliable pitches to try to get a strike, batter should see a good pitch
3-1 - the ultimate hitter's count. If you are a up there and get a 3-1 count, if you swing, you should be hitting something hard somewhere. Otherwise, just take the pitch.
3-2 - the full count - both are on the defensive, pitcher needing a strike, batter wanting not to strike out.

This doesn't even get into strategy involving combinations of outs, runners on base, inning, score, etc.

I love baseball. If you don't get it, that's fine, but don't call it boring.

I admire soccer players for their stamina and skill, but I could easily say that soccer is boring. When a 90 minute game ends up in a 1-0 tie, it could be said it is boring.

I could say all they do is jog around kicking a ball to each other.

I won't. Because I know there is more to the game that I don't understand. I played when I was a kid, so I "get it" a little.

Im sick of every four years the US getting a lecture from the rest of the world because we don't pay that much attention to soccer. But I bet if some day we (the US) came in with a great team, kicked everyone's ass and won the World Cup, our celebration would be read as jingoistic nationalism.

The rest of the world should enjoy having something at which they can beat us.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by Rob van dam

Does American football really last 3 hours.

With breaks between quarters, stopped clock in many situations, halftime, TV timeouts (for TV stations to run ads), etc., yes, it can run three hours.

And I've never been bored watching it on TV or in person.

[production_coordinator]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

On the other hand, football is nothing more than a no skill boxing on a field rivalry as well as a homophobic, gay-bashing, womanizing--portray women as sluts, whores, t&a shows and beer-guzzling, overly macho pigs hell-bent on treating women as maids and sex slaves. HOW DISGUSTING!!! I'm glad I HATE football.

I've never seen neo-nazis at an American football game.

I think they are both sports... anyone saying different has an agenda.

[davesimondotcom]

And why does it have to be mutually exclusive that soccer is good therefore American football is bad?

I enjoy baseball, hockey, football and I never really try to compare them to each other because they are all so different.

[production_coordinator]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

I prefer soccer over american football. why ? fast paced. fun. wide appeal (anyone almost anywhere, with the exception of the US) know how to play it, No special equiptment needed, just a ball.

With FIFA underway....it occured to me.... if there ever was a "universal" language/bond...it isnt english... it's football (aka Soccer). it's global (almost). Some nations choose to belittle it cause of their own pride....well...to them i say this... it's your loss.

Not to criticize American football, cause to be completely honest i dont understand it myself...but having been to numerous college games...i didnt find it terribly exciting to spend 3 hours watching a one hour match. but thats just me.

Cheers

If you play touch or flag football... all you need is a ball. Most americans belittle soccer/football in the same way europeans belittle football.

Soccer is gaining popularity in the US. Give us a few more years and we will have consistently good teams.

[Rob van dam]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

With breaks between quarters, stopped clock in many situations, halftime, TV timeouts (for TV stations to run ads), etc., yes, it can run three hours.

And I've never been bored watching it on TV or in person.

Well that explains a alot.But i guess i dont watch it so that why i dont understand it.Can you also explain that body armour?I just dont get that either.There's rugby league and those guys dont wear any protective gear.

[production_coordinator]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

And why does it have to be mutually exclusive that soccer is good therefore American football is bad?

I enjoy baseball, hockey, football and I never really try to compare them to each other because they are all so different.

Same here... I enjoy them all... granted, I played american football in high school... but I find soccer very interesting... I even started watching cricket while in Wales... good stuff.

For american football and baseball... it's all about the situation... and if you don't understand the rules, it can be difficult to get into it.

[production_coordinator]

Originally Posted by Rob van dam

Well that explains a alot.But i guess i dont watch it so that why i dont understand it.Can you also explain that body armour?I just dont get that either.There's rugby league and those guys dont wear any protective gear.

Hockey has pads, cricket has pads, boxing has gloves... football is simply the most padded sport. Does that make it wrong?

It's been said that the pads actually cause more damage... because they can hit harder.

[Adam Betts]

Originally Posted by production_coordinator

Soccer is gaining popularity in the US. Give us a few more years and we will have consistently good teams.

Not to say you're wrong but how do you know about that?

From what I see, the interest in US soccer is still the same as it was years ago.

[Nivag]

Originally Posted by TETENAL

Actually chess is not boring to watch.

not when this happens

Drink fuelled my rage at love rival, admits chess player

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

On the other hand, football is nothing more than a no skill boxing on a field rivalry as well as a homophobic, gay-bashing, womanizing--portray women as sluts, whores, t&a shows and beer-guzzling, overly macho pigs hell-bent on treating women as maids and sex slaves. HOW DISGUSTING!!! I'm glad I HATE football.

You are so right! And American football fans are racist and violent, unlike European football fans!

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

On the other hand, football is nothing more than a no skill boxing on a field rivalry as well as a homophobic, gay-bashing, womanizing--portray women as sluts, whores, t&a shows and beer-guzzling, overly macho pigs hell-bent on treating women as maids and sex slaves. HOW DISGUSTING!!! I'm glad I HATE football.

Excuse me, while I go sit and think in solitude for a moment, to try to decide whether to laugh till my lungs hurt or vomit violently, and in which direction.

[Adam Betts]

Originally Posted by Adam Betts

Originally Posted by production_coordinator

Soccer is gaining popularity in the US. Give us a few more years and we will have consistently good teams.

Not to say you're wrong but how do you know about that?

Nevermind, you're right

World Cup ratings more than double
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

[pooka]

Originally Posted by Rob van dam

Well that explains a alot.But i guess i dont watch it so that why i dont understand it.Can you also explain that body armour?I just dont get that either.There's rugby league and those guys dont wear any protective gear.

Man, let me start by saying that I ****ing hate football. That out of the way, are you joking? Have you seen the average American football player? Even at the college level? They're freaks of nature.

edit:
You wanna play rugby against this mother****er?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...53685626218421

[Hawkeye_a]

As far as American sports, i liked baseball and softball, i was on my high school team in fact. As far as exciting....Ice Hockey. I attened an entire season of college hockey games and loved every minute. it was exciting from start to finish. But grid iron is....meh... overrated imo.

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

I don't get American Football. Rugby, now that's a proper man's game. And there's beer involved too.

I agree, american football is a great socializing event ie. tailgating, bar food, friends, Rugby is a true form of the American game, brutal, real, and all aout crazy.

[Velocity211]

I don't really like any sports at all, but I enjoy watching the World Cup every four years. Football is really stupid and is pointless to watch. I don't understand why so many people like it so much.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Adam Betts

Nevermind, you're right

World Cup ratings more than double
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

That's not really a good indication, since the last world cup games aired live here at like 3 in the morning.

[Obi Wan's Ghost]

Capture The Flag. That's a good game.

[Judge_Fire]

Lol, for the record I prefer watching the American one

(Used to play CB in a local team way back then...)

But soccer is more fun to play yourself, imho.

J

[nredman]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

On the other hand, football is nothing more than a no skill boxing on a field rivalry as well as a homophobic, gay-bashing, womanizing--portray women as sluts, whores, t&a shows and beer-guzzling, overly macho pigs hell-bent on treating women as maids and sex slaves. HOW DISGUSTING!!! I'm glad I HATE football.

YEAH!!!!! football beer and slutty women - THAT SUCKS!!!!

[Millennium]

Um, gulmatan, is your problem with football or with cheerleading? From the tone of your post it's difficult to tell.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by Rob van dam

Well that explains a alot.But i guess i dont watch it so that why i dont understand it.Can you also explain that body armour?I just dont get that either.There's rugby league and those guys dont wear any protective gear.

Well, the protective gear is so they don't have a career that lasts 35 seconds. If you saw me, you'd more than likely think I'm a very big man. Most people do.

When I was in high school, I was about 6'2", 220#. Fast and pretty lean. I was in a hotel on a baseball trip when the Denver Broncos came in. I was in awe of how big most of those men were.

Seriously, if you got hit by a 250 pound man who can run a 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds, you'd want pads, too. And vice versa, you couldn't hit someone as hard if you are not wearing shoulder pads.

It's not rare in American football to see a player who is 6'6" 300#. But these guys aren't fat, they are just very, very strong and usually quick and fast.

I've seen on TV a player, Larry Allen, an offensive lineman for the Cowboys, who is 6'3" 325# (probably more like 350#) where the goal was to see how many times a player could bench press 225# (~102 kg). Allen got on the bench and did over 50 repetitions. Without stopping. It was amazing.

We're used to watching the game from above on TV. But I've been on the sidelines for I-AA football games (that's one level below major college) and the game goes MUCH faster than you think it does when you see it on TV.

From what I've heard, seeing an NFL game up close and personal is almost scary. There are collisions that would permanently injure someone if they weren't wearing protective gear. It is a very violent, yet very graceful game.

I love football. The worst part of summer is not being able to watch it!

[Kerrigan]

Soccer is fun to play, but the World Cup blows.

It's kind of depressing how Europeans get so excited about it. The only sports loyalties which are worth getting real excited about are those to your university. Everything else is a bit prol.

Which probably explains why they always have problems with European sports fans being racist and having riots and that type of thing. They are not university educated.

[Kevin]

The BOTH are over-hyped and made to seem more important than they actually are.

[production_coordinator]

Originally Posted by Adam Betts

Not to say you're wrong but how do you know about that?

From what I see, the interest in US soccer is still the same as it was years ago.

Just look at high school soccer in the US. Not too long ago, soccer wasn't even offered for many high schools... now most schools offer programs.

When I was in high school... it was either american football/cross country, baseball/track or basketball/wrestling. Now they have a soccer team.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

It's kind of depressing how Europeans get so excited about it. The only sports loyalties which are worth getting real excited about are those to your university. Everything else is a bit prol.

Which probably explains why they always have problems with European sports fans being racist and having riots and that type of thing. They are not university educated.

Not being university educated means you are a rioting racist? You need an academic degree to be a worthy sports fan?

That's some major bullshit you are posting here.

[Kevin]

Again people put too much importance on something as trivial as sports.

It's entertainment. That is all.

I would be more impressed if people put such importance on academics.

[Kerrigan]

Hmm Tetenal, you didn't seem to have any problem with the accusation in the OP, describing American football fans as homophobic rapists.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

I like American Football like a 100 million time more. Like totally. Word.

[runningdog]

i've grown up watching my brothers play soccer but i prefer American football to soccer. Soccer is okay but unless you see an incredible shot via breakaway or setup there just isn't a whole lot else to do strategy-wise. With American football there's numerous offensive and defensive setups. i love the hitting and the tackling. Spare me the flopping and acting in soccer.

i got to watch a few games on friday where Angola and Mexico ended in a 0-0 tie which on the scoreboard looks boring but there was some shots here and there. Then there was the other game the same day where Argentina just ran all over Serbia-Montengro 6-0 (that one pass/set up shot was pretty cool.) Again, soccer is okay but i can hardly wait for American football to startup again.

[starman]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

As I watch World Cup, Soccer is the REAL thing--intelligence, camaraderie, world appeal, teamwork, friendly competition, global unity. It promotes respect towards people, nationalities and brings the world together.

On the other hand, football is nothing more than a no skill boxing on a field rivalry as well as a homophobic, gay-bashing, womanizing--portray women as sluts, whores, t&a shows and beer-guzzling, overly macho pigs hell-bent on treating women as maids and sex slaves. HOW DISGUSTING!!! I'm glad I HATE football.

Watching grown men kick a ball around for a few hours and score one point?

Pass.

[Rob van dam]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Well, the protective gear is so they don't have a career that lasts 35 seconds. If you saw me, you'd more than likely think I'm a very big man. Most people do.

When I was in high school, I was about 6'2", 220#. Fast and pretty lean. I was in a hotel on a baseball trip when the Denver Broncos came in. I was in awe of how big most of those men were.

Seriously, if you got hit by a 250 pound man who can run a 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds, you'd want pads, too. And vice versa, you couldn't hit someone as hard if you are not wearing shoulder pads.

It's not rare in American football to see a player who is 6'6" 300#. But these guys aren't fat, they are just very, very strong and usually quick and fast.

I've seen on TV a player, Larry Allen, an offensive lineman for the Cowboys, who is 6'3" 325# (probably more like 350#) where the goal was to see how many times a player could bench press 225# (~102 kg). Allen got on the bench and did over 50 repetitions. Without stopping. It was amazing.

We're used to watching the game from above on TV. But I've been on the sidelines for I-AA football games (that's one level below major college) and the game goes MUCH faster than you think it does when you see it on TV.

From what I've heard, seeing an NFL game up close and personal is almost scary. There are collisions that would permanently injure someone if they weren't wearing protective gear. It is a very violent, yet very graceful game.

I love football. The worst part of summer is not being able to watch it!

Thanks for clearing that up. It explains alot.

[gulmatan]

Originally Posted by Millennium

Um, gulmatan, is your problem with football or with cheerleading? From the tone of your post it's difficult to tell.

Both! Football for its overly macho and homophobic/gay-bashing mentality. Not to mention, two-digit IQ/no/low menality nature and for the cheerleaders who have no self-respect and thus willingly allow themselves to be "sex kittens" for exploitation. Women should have more pride in themselves than to cater to males who are sexist pigs or a sport such as football as well as beer and car commercials that capitalize on the sexploitation of women.

[Adam Betts]

Originally Posted by gulmatan

Both! Football for its overly macho and homophobic/gay-bashing mentality. No to menion two-digit/no/low menality nature and for the cheerleaders who have no self-respect and thus willingly allow themselves to be "sex kittens" for exploitation. Women should have more pride in themselves than to cater to males who are sexist pigs or a sport such as football as well as beer and car commercials that capitalize on the sexploitation of women.

Classic post. You're seriously delusion.