[Jawbone54]

I became a serious fan after I graduated high school and lost my appetite for basketball. After watching and keeping up with it for so long, I still can't REALLY figure out why people in the States have little interest in the beautiful game.

Is it the low scoring? An NFL game can have a score of 14-7, which would be the equivalent of an average 2-1 soccer game, but no one would care.

Anyways, if you don't like soccer/football, vote as to why you don't like it.

If you do like soccer/football, then vote as to why you think Americans don't enjoy it.

[exca1ibur]

Too slow.
Not enough shots on goal.
No players I can relate to.

If the field shrank by half, it might be more interesting. They tend to just stay in the middle of the field going back and forth too much for me.

NFL is more like chess to me. You are planning your move each play vs. what moves the opponent is planning while trying to manage the clock. Once the action starts for each play it is moving quick. The 2 minute drill is like speed chess. (See Monday Night game) Not to mention the 'HITS'. Damn! Hockey and Basketball you have fast pace and tons of shots on goal for it to be exciting.

[goMac]

My girlfriend and I are both soccer fans, although she's a much bigger fan than I am.

[olePigeon]

Because it's not Hockey or Rugby.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

If the field shrank by half, it might be more interesting. They tend to just stay in the middle of the field going back and forth too much for me.

I think that's why they have "Arena" sports. American Football, soccer/football, etc.

[Jawbone54]

Americans like rugby?

[TheWOAT]

Basketball, Football(American), Baseball, Hockey, Golf, College Football, College Basketball.... then soccer. I dont think there is room enough for soccer. All of those sports fit in to a certain time of the year..
Football = fall and winter
Baseball = Spring and Summer
Basketball = Winter and Spring
Golf = Spring, Summer
Hockey = Fall, Winter, Spring
THose seasons are not exact, but just shows how there is always soemthing going on with sports other than soccer...

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Too slow.
Not enough shots on goal.
No players I can relate to.

Hockey...often slow.
Baseball...very slow.
Golf...sloooooow.

It's not about the shots on goal. It's about the build up to every shot.

If the field shrank by half, it might be more interesting. They tend to just stay in the middle of the field going back and forth too much for me.

NFL is more like chess to me. You are planning your move each play vs. what moves the opponent is planning while trying to manage the clock. Once the action starts for each play it is moving quick. The 2 minute drill is like speed chess. (See Monday Night game) Not to mention the 'HITS'. Damn! Hockey and Basketball you have fast pace and tons of shots on goal for it to be exciting.

So soccer players kick the ball around a little bit around midfield in order to set up their players for just the right moment to make a run. The only difference between the two sports in that regard is that in the NFL, the teams take about 30 seconds to set up their next play by stopping the action, getting in a huddle, and talking about what they're about to do.

Don't get me wrong; I'm a massive Cowboys and LSU fan, but I don't get just what it is about soccer than people absolutely despise.

Hockey is pretty exciting, but mostly because of the hits. There is a huge amount of talent required to be a good hockey player, but it's not really visually impressive most of the time.

Basketball has really started to bore the crap out of me, at least as far as the NBA is concerned. Who cares how many shots are attempted? They're so predictable. Back up a big guy, give him the ball, and let him either drop step, jump hook, or dish out to the perimeter for a shot. Sure, the occasional dunk makes things more interesting, but basketball is becoming a very DISinteresting sport (the college game is still good to watch).

[brassplayersrock²]

it's bloody boring

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by TheWOAT 

Basketball, Football(American), Baseball, Hockey, Golf, College Football, College Basketball.... then soccer. I dont think there is room enough for soccer. All of those sports fit in to a certain time of the year..
Football = fall and winter
Baseball = Spring and Summer
Basketball = Winter and Spring
Golf = Spring, Summer
Hockey = Fall, Winter, Spring
THose seasons are not exact, but just shows how there is always soemthing going on with sports other than soccer...

This is what I think the real "problem" is. The other stuff gets the blame for why soccer gets the shaft in America, but how can you invest emotions into a sport when you already have two or three sports that you're really passionate about?

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

I think that's why they have "Arena" sports. American Football, soccer/football, etc.

Which haven't really caught on.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by goMac 

My girlfriend and I are both soccer fans, although she's a much bigger fan than I am.

[Jawbone54]

[brassplayersrock²]

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by TheWOAT 

Football = decent sport, but moves kinda slow (get out of the huddle and play the damned game)
Baseball = boring as hell. barely anything ever happens
Basketball = college is good, NBA is a complete bore
Golf = i like it, but man is it slow
Hockey = i don't get what people like - nobody ever really has possession, the rules with the lines are lame, and shots deflect around too much

Right, we have a full slate of sports, but Baseball can get tossed completely. It's boring any they're all on steroids. Hockey can't even be played in most of the country.

I really think Americans just haven't taken the time to appreciate soccer. It doesn't have big hits, but it has absolutely amazing moves - try a few yourself. When they do score, it's usually amazing. The near-scores are usually great plays. I don't get the hits thing - why not watch boxing or UFC if you just want some barbaric crap? Saying we already have other sports is like saying we already have Budweiser and Miller, why would we need beer that tastes good?

[analogika]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

it's bloody boring

i think that applies to ANY sports you're not actually interested in, so it's not really a criterion.

[Jawbone54]

Good point about hockey. Two-line passes and such slow the game way down.

If Americans can appreciate NASCAR, for God's sake...then why can't we like soccer?

[Sealobo]

come on guys... it's ALL about the commercial break. go figure.

[sek929]

I say the US has to many other prominent sports to fall in love with soccer.

I played soccer all my life, but it's wicked boring to watch on TV. I think it's the most beautiful sport to play....but I barely watch it.

I love watching football, meh on baseball (I usually fall asleep), and I hate basketball (a point every two seconds, yay!)

[MacosNerd]

In a word, BORING. It doesn't matter where the game originated, i.e., not an American sport, but rather it has little ability to grab and keep my attention.

[wallinbl]

I think the reason most people find it boring is that they don't understand/appreciate what they're watching. There is more going on than a few guys kicking a ball around in the middle part of the field, which is the common description I hear from the people that claim boredom. Much like the NASCAR fan will tell you that it's more than a series of a thousand left turns.

[Doofy]

The other side of the coin is "why don't Brits like the gridiron?".
I reckon the preference for sports is inherited (either from parents or peers), thus one tends to watch what everyone else is watching. Unless you're an awkward poopie like myself who watches sumo, beach volleyball, kabaddi and formula off-road.

But wait. There's also another factor. I've noticed from afar that colonials are extremely interested in assigning numbers to their sports so that the average blue collar down at the bar can say "it was this big" to his buds. For example, who's the best all time running back? It's easy to judge, because you've got an accurate measure in rushing yards. Likewise with the batting averages, etc.. Not so easy with soccer.

I remember a number of years ago the UK motoring mag Evo ran a piece about the San Bernardino Pass, ending with something like "it's probably the best road in the World". Cue a letter from an angry colonial banging on about Pike's Peak because it's xxx long and has xxx corners and rises xxx above sea level. Numbers made the game. Doesn't matter that the San Bernardino Pass corners might be just so and that the Pike's Peak corners might be boring - it's quantity, not quality, which counts.

Having said that, I hate soccer with a passion. Go Cowboys!

[Rumor]

It makes me tired watching them run back and forth.

I've tried, but it doesn't interest me. Then again, neither does NASCAR, baseball, basketball, hockey (except the fights) and many other sports. The only sports I tend to watch now days are football, boarding sports (snow, wake, skate, etc), bmx, motorcycles and fighting (UFC, Pride, etc).

[cjrivera]

I think the anchors on the TV show "SportsNight" summed it up best...

"We'll bring you the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and because we've got soccer highlights, the sheer pointlessness of a zero-zero tie."

"I know we promised you soccer highlights, so let me just tell you that Columbus beat Miami one-nothing, Dallas beat San Jose one-nothing, Chicago beat Colorado one-nothing, and New England beat Kansas City 2-1 in an offensive slug fest. A modest proposal - make the nets bigger."

[brassplayersrock²]

nascar people wtch for the crashes. hockey = the fights. soccer, um, um, for the lightning strikes?
Lightning Strikes Soccer Field

[pooka]

Originally Posted by analogika 

i think that applies to ANY sports you're not actually interested in, so it's not really a criterion.

I dunno. I love playing soccer. Out of all the sports I played growing up, I found it to be the most demanding and personally rewarding. Aside from rugby, the level of brutality that can be reached is as close to battle as you can get. American football, hockey, etc lose a bit of that with the equipment and bear like size of more serious players.

All that said, I find watching anyone else play anything (soccer, football, ping pong, halo) to be so ****ing boring I'd rather split my penis down the middle with a razor blade. Maybe if I had children and could mock the other parent's children would I be able to find some pleasure in it. How 90,000 people manage to suffer through the drive, the noise and the assholiery of everyone involved all to root for some pricks they don't even know (and probably aren't even from their own state) I will never know.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

If you do like soccer/football, then vote as to why you think Americans don't enjoy it.

Not true.
It is the most widely participated in recreational sport in the US.

The question should be why don't Americans like professional soccer. And that is because there are no good professional franchises here and because its boring to watch relative to the other popular sports.

People here play it and like playing it but the spectator side to it in the US offers less entertainment than other sports.

[TheWOAT]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

Right, we have a full slate of sports, but Baseball can get tossed completely. It's boring any they're all on steroids. Hockey can't even be played in most of the country.

I really think Americans just haven't taken the time to appreciate soccer. It doesn't have big hits, but it has absolutely amazing moves - try a few yourself. When they do score, it's usually amazing. The near-scores are usually great plays. I don't get the hits thing - why not watch boxing or UFC if you just want some barbaric crap? Saying we already have other sports is like saying we already have Budweiser and Miller, why would we need beer that tastes good?

I forgot to mention occaisional events like Boxing and UFC. Also the most attended sport in the US is high school football. I also forgot about tennis... no wait, no I didnt.

I think most Americans have seen soccer, and a good percentage would probably enjoy World Cup soccer (if it were live)... BUT as someone who enjoys the World Cup, I cant find any interest in MLS or Mexican League soccer. League play = boring (to me).

As for the beer analogy... it sucked. I find football, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, boxing to be all equally compelling and the players/participants to be all very talented... They are all Guiness to me... UFC = Budweiser.
Soccer is different because I dont give a rats -ss about the regular season. Most casual sports fans care very little abuot the regular season of any sport.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Hockey...often slow.
Baseball...very slow.
Golf...sloooooow.

It's not about the shots on goal. It's about the build up to every shot.

Hockey, like basketball depends on the teams. You can have half court action or you can have full court action like watching a Pheonix Suns game against Golden State. Run and Gun. That type of action can't happen in soccer, ever. Golf I can get into knowning the difficulty of it and trying it. I can appreciate the skill of the professionals.

Shots on goal are important to me because you see progress and the build up is there because the team is in a position to scrore. In soccer there are very little setup plays around the goal such and basketball, hockey, or even football (When in the red zone) to have that excitement of a team about to score. With Soccer its possible to go 10-15 minutes without even getting to midfield. Basketball and Hockey it's impossible. The game is kept moving back and forth, hence giving more action. Football, it depends on the teams, but with giving them downs the teams get the opportunity to. Its a battle of field position, and that is what makes it exciting especially in a close game.

So soccer players kick the ball around a little bit around midfield in order to set up their players for just the right moment to make a run. The only difference between the two sports in that regard is that in the NFL, the teams take about 30 seconds to set up their next play by stopping the action, getting in a huddle, and talking about what they're about to do.

Don't get me wrong; I'm a massive Cowboys and LSU fan, but I don't get just what it is about soccer than people absolutely despise.

Hockey is pretty exciting, but mostly because of the hits. There is a huge amount of talent required to be a good hockey player, but it's not really visually impressive most of the time.

Basketball has really started to bore the crap out of me, at least as far as the NBA is concerned. Who cares how many shots are attempted? They're so predictable. Back up a big guy, give him the ball, and let him either drop step, jump hook, or dish out to the perimeter for a shot. Sure, the occasional dunk makes things more interesting, but basketball is becoming a very DISinteresting sport (the college game is still good to watch).[/QUOTE]

Basketball its about the matchups. Post up plays depend on the personel. If you have no low post game, you can't back a guy down. So this depends on the teams.

In soccer the setup plays happen so far away from the goal, and the area of coverage is so far spread it just bores me. The pace is just too slow for me to get any shots on goal. You have to ping pong it to get in. A goalie might get a dozen shots at him, where as hockey, for example would get 80-90. The shots on goal are a factor because displays opportunity to score and keeps the game moving.

[TheWOAT]

OH crap... I forgot reason NUMBER ONE

Soccer is hard to gamble on. The stats are limited, there is no way to quantify how well a team plays, and most poeple dont know enough to bet on it.

Football is a gamblers dream... NBA attracts gamblers in the playoffs, as does MLB and NHL. Soccer? I know of ZERO people who gamble on soccer (non World Cup).

[Powerbook]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Too slow.
Not enough shots on goal.
No players I can relate to.

If the field shrank by half, it might be more interesting. They tend to just stay in the middle of the field going back and forth too much for me.

NFL is more like chess to me. You are planning your move each play vs. what moves the opponent is planning while trying to manage the clock. Once the action starts for each play it is moving quick. The 2 minute drill is like speed chess. (See Monday Night game) Not to mention the 'HITS'. Damn! Hockey and Basketball you have fast pace and tons of shots on goal for it to be exciting.

And that is not slow??? I can watch NFL for some ten minutes - then I get sleepy because nothing ever happens. *zzzz*

PB.

[starman]

I don't like soccer because it's so damn boring. It's soooooo loooooooong between scores.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

come on guys... it's ALL about the commercial break. go figure.

What he said. Before soccer catches on in the States, it needs to be on TV more. And before it gets on TV more, it needs to have a two-minute built-in commercial break after every five minutes of play.

[Powerbook]

Originally Posted by starman 

I don't like soccer because it's so damn boring. It's soooooo loooooooong between scores.

So for you: long time between scores = boring?
Have you ever heard of that what's called "game"? There are many 0:0 games that are more thrilling than some 19:0 rampage.

PB.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Powerbook 

So for you: long time between scores = boring?
Have you ever heard of that what's called "game"? There are many 0:0 games that are more thrilling than some 19:0 rampage.

Goes back to the numbers, as I said earlier.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

Shots on goal are important to me because you see progress and the build up is there because the team is in a position to scrore. In soccer there are very little setup plays around the goal such and basketball, hockey, or even football (When in the red zone) to have that excitement of a team about to score. With Soccer its possible to go 10-15 minutes without even getting to midfield. Basketball and Hockey it's impossible. The game is kept moving back and forth, hence giving more action. Football, it depends on the teams, but with giving them downs the teams get the opportunity to. Its a battle of field position, and that is what makes it exciting especially in a close game.

In soccer, a goal can result from an instant of ingenious creativity, completely unexpected. It can also come from a slow build up, a run down the touchline, a well-placed cross, and a skillful header - a process which is calculated and practiced to death. Maybe I'm not as into the "chess match" aspect as I am the creative process.

Soccer manages to encourage creativity without sacrificing the rest of the team in the process (not typically the case in modern basketball).

No goal is ever the same, and you never know what a talented player is going to come up with, especially someone like Ronaldinho, C. Ronaldo, Kaka, etc.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by TheWOAT 

I find football, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, boxing to be all equally compelling and the players/participants to be all very talented... They are all Guiness to me... UFC = Budweiser.
Soccer is different because I dont give a rats -ss about the regular season. Most casual sports fans care very little abuot the regular season of any sport.

Boxing over UFC?

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

It makes me tired watching them run back and forth.

I've tried, but it doesn't interest me. Then again, neither does NASCAR, baseball, basketball, hockey (except the fights) and many other sports. The only sports I tend to watch now days are football, boarding sports (snow, wake, skate, etc), bmx, motorcycles and fighting (UFC, Pride, etc).

If I want to see violence, I'm going to be watching UFC. That's pretty much the only thing my father-in-law wants to watch.

I love soccer, football, baseball, golf, tennis, hockey, basketball, motocross, skateboarding (street and vert), snowboarding, wakeboarding, UFC, and others I'm probably forgetting. I can name my favorite athletes from each sport, and manage to be reasonably informed of each.

I'm not expecting everyone to have such a broad range of sporting interest, but it is possible to love many sports at the same time, including soccer.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Dork. 

What he said. Before soccer catches on in the States, it needs to be on TV more. And before it gets on TV more, it needs to have a two-minute built-in commercial break after every five minutes of play.

Which would ruin the sport.

[Powerbook]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Goes back to the numbers, as I said earlier.

One day I'm going to invent "Amaracan Megaball!". The games will end 32637:4234 and 50% of the losing team will be shot. The winning team will be pelted with gold bullions and each of their wifes will get an additional pair of fake boobs.
All live on national TV.

PB.

[Captain Obvious]

Watch the last 5 minutes of pretty much any NCAA mens basketball tournament game and then come back and explain to me how exciting soccer is.

[el chupacabra]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

After watching and keeping up with it for so long, I still can't REALLY figure out why people in the States have little interest in the beautiful game.

I really cant understand why people would want to sit and watch other people run back and forth on a field regardless of the game. And especially dont understand why people get so enthusiastic and caught up in it. The money wasted in sports is no drop in the bucket, it could go a long way.

[Shaddim]

It seems that there's more strategy involved in American Football, and there's more complexity. There are literally 100s of different formations, 1000s of play variations, and it's highly concentrated into 5-20 second bursts. Soccer seems to drag on and on and the action gets scattered all over the place. Not to mention that 95% of the game is watching blokes jogging around on this huge field and then, after 30-40 minutes, someone kicks the ball into the goal (that part is exciting) and then it goes back to watching the guys jog around again. Soccer just requires more patience, with less payoff, than most people in the US are willing, or able, to show.

People in the US are addicted to contact and action; hitting, pushing, and all-out aggression in short bursts. Combine that with an avalanche of stats and replays and it's just a ton of information in predictable, measured amounts.

It's all about shortening attention spans, and the need for more concentrated stimulation.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious 

Watch the last 5 minutes of pretty much any NCAA mens basketball tournament game and then come back and explain to me how exciting soccer is.

That's the thing with basketball, it should be 5 minutes of play without all the pointless bullsh!t that precedes it.

Any sport that is interesting only in the final minutes of play is pointless.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious 

Watch the last 5 minutes of pretty much any NCAA mens basketball tournament game and then come back and explain to me how exciting soccer is.

Watch Celtic's injury time winner over AC Milan in the Champion's League last week.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

People in the US are addicted to contact and action; hitting, pushing, and all-out aggression in short bursts.

Not to sound like an ass, but... Have you ever played Soccer?

Playing defense and goalie all my life I can tell you Soccer has plenty of action, hitting, pushing, and all out aggression in short bursts.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Not to sound like an ass, but... Have you ever played Soccer?

Playing defense and goalie all my life I can tell you Soccer has plenty of action, hitting, pushing, and all out aggression in short bursts.

Yep. When I was younger I loved to play, but watching it was a snoozefest.

[starman]

Originally Posted by Powerbook 

So for you: long time between scores = boring?
Have you ever heard of that what's called "game"? There are many 0:0 games that are more thrilling than some 19:0 rampage.

PB.

Uh, no.

This is a typical soccer game:

Pass




dawdle dawdle dawdle



pass


dawdle


pass

pass

pass

goes to shoot and misses

(by now 42 minutes have passed)

I tried liking it, it doesn't work for me.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by starman 

Uh, no.

This is a typical soccer game:

Pass




dawdle dawdle dawdle



pass


dawdle


pass

pass

pass

goes to shoot and misses

(by now 42 minutes have passed)

I tried liking it, it doesn't work for me.

Honestly, this is what I get out of it as well. I have tried to watch it before and just can't get into it. I respect the players for what they do and can see the talent but it just doesn't hold my attention at all.

It's more fun to play that watch.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

My conclusion is: you people don't know much about hockey.

Two-line passes slow the game down? 80-90 shots on a goalie?

greg