Soccer is the most mind-numbingly boring sport to watch second only to curling. Why is the world so silly with it?
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Team Nachos
Quote: (06-23-2014 10:57 AM)player Wrote:
Football is the most popular sport in the world because it is so easy to play: you just need two people and a ball. It's incredibly intuitive and you don't need an exact pitch, net, bat, hoop, racket, or protective clothing. I was in a shithole village in Africa, with no electricity or running water: the kids still had a ball to play with and could make goal posts with random stuff e.g. clothing.
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:21 AM)kosko Wrote:
But one major flaw is that Americans can't fuck with that softy/flop shit. Even me as a middle of the fence soccer fan it drives me nuts. I can't handle physically elite men acting like frail queers when they get tapped on the shoulder. It's one of the biggest complaints Americans and Canadians make about the game.
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:21 AM)kosko Wrote:
it's the drama before the goal which makes it all worth it.
Quote: (06-23-2014 10:57 AM)player Wrote:
The harder question: why isn't football as popular in America as in the rest of the world?
Some possibilities:
- low scores
- not enough breaks in the play, so TV stations cannot play as many adverts (less of an issue for state-sponsored TV abroad)
- less popularity in the past means top American athletes go into American football, basketball or baseball; as such America has never produced a Pele / Ronaldo / Messi who would increase popularity.
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:56 AM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
#2) The USA likes to compete and win. And the World Cup is this huge sporting event where we are not the favorites. So it is an odd position that most Americans do not like. Rest assured though, Americans do know if our best athletes played soccer, rather than the big three sports, we would be at the top year in/year out, and we may not really get competition to be honest.
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:59 AM)username Wrote:
Soccer will never be #1, #2, or even #3 in sports in the US unless something crazy happened like the US winning 3 world cups in a row.
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:12 PM)Moma Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:56 AM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
#2) The USA likes to compete and win. And the World Cup is this huge sporting event where we are not the favorites. So it is an odd position that most Americans do not like. Rest assured though, Americans do know if our best athletes played soccer, rather than the big three sports, we would be at the top year in/year out, and we may not really get competition to be honest.
This is incorrect. America would not dominate the competition.
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:15 PM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:12 PM)Moma Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:56 AM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
#2) The USA likes to compete and win. And the World Cup is this huge sporting event where we are not the favorites. So it is an odd position that most Americans do not like. Rest assured though, Americans do know if our best athletes played soccer, rather than the big three sports, we would be at the top year in/year out, and we may not really get competition to be honest.
This is incorrect. America would not dominate the competition.
You are saying that the USA, who can already play with Germany, Portugal, England, Brazil in head to head competition and at least hold their own would not dominate if we had our best athletes out there, athletes who are quite frankly 3 to 4 levels more athletic in every aspect possible than our current team?
I completely disagree. The article I referenced talked about having Calin Johnson for a goalie, and believed that if he took a few weeks to just learn the position would probably be the best goalie in the world. He is 6'5" with a 46" vertical and damn near perfect hand eye coordination.
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:22 PM)Cyr Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:15 PM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:12 PM)Moma Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:56 AM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
#2) The USA likes to compete and win. And the World Cup is this huge sporting event where we are not the favorites. So it is an odd position that most Americans do not like. Rest assured though, Americans do know if our best athletes played soccer, rather than the big three sports, we would be at the top year in/year out, and we may not really get competition to be honest.
This is incorrect. America would not dominate the competition.
You are saying that the USA, who can already play with Germany, Portugal, England, Brazil in head to head competition and at least hold their own would not dominate if we had our best athletes out there, athletes who are quite frankly 3 to 4 levels more athletic in every aspect possible than our current team?
I completely disagree. The article I referenced talked about having Calin Johnson for a goalie, and believed that if he took a few weeks to just learn the position would probably be the best goalie in the world. He is 6'5" with a 46" vertical and damn near perfect hand eye coordination.
If Calvin Johnson spent a few weeks learning the position, he would still be nowhere near the best in the world. The skills required to be good at 'soccer' are not the same as for American sports- although being able to run a 4.5 40 would probably help, he certainly wouldn't be unstoppable.
In football, it is easy for a weaker team to shepherd together a side, and 'hold their own', under good management. However, it is much harder to actually put together an elite side that is in a position to win trophies.
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:15 PM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
You are saying that the USA, who can already play with Germany, Portugal, England, Brazil in head to head competition and at least hold their own would not dominate if we had our best athletes out there, athletes who are quite frankly 3 to 4 levels more athletic in every aspect possible than our current team?
I completely disagree. The article I referenced talked about having Calin Johnson for a goalie, and believed that if he took a few weeks to just learn the position would probably be the best goalie in the world. He is 6'5" with a 46" vertical and damn near perfect hand eye coordination.
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:30 PM)Moma Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:15 PM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
You are saying that the USA, who can already play with Germany, Portugal, England, Brazil in head to head competition and at least hold their own would not dominate if we had our best athletes out there, athletes who are quite frankly 3 to 4 levels more athletic in every aspect possible than our current team?
I completely disagree. The article I referenced talked about having Calin Johnson for a goalie, and believed that if he took a few weeks to just learn the position would probably be the best goalie in the world. He is 6'5" with a 46" vertical and damn near perfect hand eye coordination.
America is always quoting these stats about height and vertical. They have all this stuff in other countries but it doesn't have any bearing on having a great football team. It will take more than that, bro and they are not head to head with Brazil..I could get a bunch of schulbs to play against the spurs, that doesn't mean I'm on par with them.
Let's not get over zealous here, pal
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:25 PM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:22 PM)Cyr Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:15 PM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 12:12 PM)Moma Wrote:
Quote: (06-23-2014 11:56 AM)It_is_my_time Wrote:
#2) The USA likes to compete and win. And the World Cup is this huge sporting event where we are not the favorites. So it is an odd position that most Americans do not like. Rest assured though, Americans do know if our best athletes played soccer, rather than the big three sports, we would be at the top year in/year out, and we may not really get competition to be honest.
This is incorrect. America would not dominate the competition.
You are saying that the USA, who can already play with Germany, Portugal, England, Brazil in head to head competition and at least hold their own would not dominate if we had our best athletes out there, athletes who are quite frankly 3 to 4 levels more athletic in every aspect possible than our current team?
I completely disagree. The article I referenced talked about having Calin Johnson for a goalie, and believed that if he took a few weeks to just learn the position would probably be the best goalie in the world. He is 6'5" with a 46" vertical and damn near perfect hand eye coordination.
If Calvin Johnson spent a few weeks learning the position, he would still be nowhere near the best in the world. The skills required to be good at 'soccer' are not the same as for American sports- although being able to run a 4.5 40 would probably help, he certainly wouldn't be unstoppable.
In football, it is easy for a weaker team to shepherd together a side, and 'hold their own', under good management. However, it is much harder to actually put together an elite side that is in a position to win trophies.
I believe he would be one of the best. I've watched the World Cup, they are great at what they do, but none of those guys is nearly as big or quick or strong as Calvin Johnson. And I doubt any of them have hands that are any better either. He would have to learn the position, where to go and when. He would have to learn how to react properly. But his genetic potential would be not of comparison.
And I am not saying we could just take these guys from other sports and win right now. I am saying that if these guys all played soccer from the age of 4 like in other countries, then we would dominate.
As for Johnson, the reason it is mentioned is because what Johnson already does is close to being a goalie, he already naturally and has worked both to have the skills to be a goalie.