I was wondering why so many Americans dislike soccer, and I thought that maybe to many Americasn consider it a "dame game" or a "girlie sport". . . because American women excel at it and American men don't. Also, American football may seem more masculine, what with all that tackling and bashing. Soccer may look too dainty to Yanks when pretty boys like David Beckham distinguish themselves so well. Soccer, of course, is as tough a game as American football -more so, in fact, because of fewer scoring opportunities - but all Yanks seem to see is small men in tight shorts. What do you think?

If it was feminine, it wouldn't be the most popular sport around the world. I presonally love it. Playing it, watching it, etc. :) I don't understand this fascination with American/Canadian football, infact I hate how it's so popular and overshadows soccer in this country, but to each his own. I'm just glad I had ESPN and ESPN2 for mucho world cup mathces. Tho I'm going to miss it now that the tournament is over. :(

If it was feminine, it wouldn't be the most popular sport around the world. I presonally love it. Playing it, watching it, etc. :) I don't understand this fascination with American/Canadian football, infact I hate how it's so popular and overshadows soccer in this country, but to each his own. I'm just glad I had ESPN and ESPN2 for mucho world cup mathces. Tho I'm going to miss it now that the tournament is over. :(


Ditto on all of the above. The only reason I suggested that Americans find soccer feminine is because they see women play it all the time, and when they see men play it, they're usually preening types. I don't find it feminine at all, but a lot of American men think male soccer players act like little girls whenever they so much as hurt their knees. :rolleyes:

It's too boring. Alot of running around and barely any scoring. The same could be said about baseball when it comes to scoring but you can still enjoy the pitching that is going on in a low scoring game.

I love to watch the game and I think it is a lot more interesting then American football. I guess people could think it was girly but I think the main issue is that it is boring to watch. People find it boring because there isn't very much scoring. There is a lot of pointless running around without the score changing.

It's too boring. Alot of running around and barely any scoring. The same could be said about baseball when it comes to scoring but you can still enjoy the pitching that is going on in a low scoring game.
Hate to agree with Bobby on anything but, in this case, i do :lol:

I love to watch the game and I think it is a lot more interesting then American football. I guess people could think it was girly but I think the main issue is that it is boring to watch. People find it boring because there isn't very much scoring. There is a lot of pointless running around without the score changing.


Well it's obvious you are not a real NFL fan to say soccer is more interesting. Soccer????? Better than the NFL??? You really got to be kiddin me-lol

lol. I have never really been a big football fan. I haven't given it that much of a chance though. I just like the game of soccer more because I have played it since I was a kid.

I love soccer and would watch it over football anyday.

Americans don't watch enough football (soccer) these days. All we, Americans do is b*tch, moan, and complain about the beautiful game. People, AMERICAN/CANADIAN FOOTBALL is NOT FOOTBALL, SOCCER is FOOTBALL. Quit whining and get used to the sport. If they don't like it, they can bite it.

No, I don't think American's find it to be too feminine. Every Country has their sports that they're most into, and for America those sports are basketball, football, and baseball, while soccer, (football for the rest of the world) is more popular elsewhere. I think it's just as simple as that. Personally, I love playing soccer, but have never been a big fan of watching it. It's just not my thing.

I dont find it girly..it's just not enough action...

All I have to say on the matter is this:

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

And this is coming from someone who LOVES American football as well. I definitely love both. (Hell, for the "Football trifecta", I ALSO like Australian-rules, which is a completely different can of worms from EITHER of the other two)

All I have to say on the matter is this:

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

And this is coming from someone who LOVES American football as well. I definitely love both. (Hell, for the "Football trifecta", I ALSO like Australian-rules, which is a completely different can of worms from EITHER of the other two)
YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Like an Eastern Electric Can Opener

It's too boring. Alot of running around and barely any scoring. The same could be said about baseball when it comes to scoring but you can still enjoy the pitching that is going on in a low scoring game.

The whole..."lots of running around and barley scoring" can be said of hockey, too (well, obviously skating lol), but that's popular in America....

I think one thing is that it's not covered in the US media that much and there aren't a lot of good US clubs, so I think a lot of Americans forget about it until the World Cup or the Olympics. Besides, they've got American "football," baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, and tennis to keep them busy....

But this forgets equestrian, cricket, polo, and my favorite sport...CYCLING!!! (just to name a few). It's like Little Mel said...every country has their own sports.

The whole..."lots of running around and barley scoring" can be said of hockey, too (well, obviously skating lol), but that's popular in America....

I think one thing is that it's not covered in the US media that much and there aren't a lot of good US clubs, so I think a lot of Americans forget about it until the World Cup or the Olympics. Besides, they've got American "football," baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, and tennis to keep them busy....

But this forgets equestrian, cricket, polo, and my favorite sport...CYCLING!!! (just to name a few). It's like Little Mel said...every country has their own sports.
one reason I don't like hockey. :lol: As for soccer it's boring. I remember when I was school we always would be forced to play soccer in P.E. You would think it would remain popular since lots of kids play it but I guess they're like me...they find football to be a real sport. :D

Hate to agree with Bobby on anything but, in this case, i do :lol:

I agree with Bobby too. :eek:

As for the comparison to hockey, at least hockey has some contact and action when they arent scoring.

I guess the general concensus is that soccer is more boring then feminine.

I never really cared much for soccer, but i watched a lot of the world cup games with my friends (any excuse to sit in a bar on a Saturday at noon) and i have developed an appreciation for the sport. It is a very physically punishing game.

Yes, soccer is low scoring, and the lack of scoring leads to a lack of something else that we Americans love... STATISTICS!

Soccer would have had to establish itself in the U.S. a long, long time ago to have any chance of really being a 'successful' sport here. As of now, there's no chance of that happening... there are already three major sports, which overlap on the calendar like crazy, plus a fourth (hockey) which is very popular in a lot of areas of the U.S... then there are the major golf and tennis tournaments thoughout the year... there's no room for soccer, even if it was exciting to watch...

I like watching World Cup matches as well, but those only come along every four years. And we know that the U.S. team isn't going to win anything, which is another reason why it won't catch on here.

For about the last 30-35 years, all we've heard is that soccer is the next big thing... it kind of started when Pele signed to play in the...hmmmm, I'm not even sure what the league was called... was it the North American Soccer League, or something like that? He signed with the New York team (the Cosmos?)... Anyway... he was the greatest in the history of the sport, and soccer was supposed to take the U.S. by storm... it didn't.

And the soccer gods thought that by getting kids to play it would make them grow up and love the game...that hasn't happened either, we're on our 2nd generation of kiddie soccer leagues...only thing is, what those kids do running around on a Saturday morning ISN'T soccer...

Soccer can be extremely suspenseful (due to the lack of scoring), and suspense is one of the things that makes it so popular...that, and the fact that it requires no equipment, other than the ball itself... even basketball needs a ball AND a hoop... but because only a ball is required, even kids in poorer countries all over the world can play it, and learn to play it well.

And while I understand the comparisons with hockey in terms of scoring, hockey is a much faster game... also, the net in hockey is only 4 ft high by 6 ft wide... I wonder how teams can score at ALL... a soccer net is about 3/4 of a mile wide, and they STILL can't score!

(btw, I know it's actually only 24 ft wide, not 3/4 of a mile, and it's 8 ft high)

Also, re: the fans... NBA and MLB teams usually have to actually win a championship before their fans riot in the streets, overturn cars, and torch local businesses (think Boston and especially Detroit)... but soccer fans are way over the top... During the 2002 World Cup, violence in which twenty people were injured broke out between supporters of the Brazilian and Argentinian teams... the episode occured in a village in Bangladesh.

In fact, one soccer-inspired civil disturbance actually led to a 100 hour war between El Salvador and Hondouras in 1969 that left 6,000 dead and 12,000 wounded... man, and people think the U.S. goes around starting wars for no reason?? I would submit that the Carribean superpowers are even worse! (the war wasn't about soccer per se, but the soccer match ignited it...)

Anyway, add this to the fact that soccer fans in Europe are common thugs, and Americans don't like a bunch of low-lifes telling us what sport to watch..

That's a new one on me. I've never before heard soccer regarded as "feminine". It's a great sport, not feminine at all. I do like soccer, but American football more, because I grew up with it, and it's so much a part of my culture. American football, and everything surrounding it is exciting to me. I can see how other countries get enthusiastic about soccer. In an earlier post this summer that I wrote from Frankfurt, Germany, I remarked how into the World Cup the people there were. The atmosphere was fantastic. As an American observing all this, it was fun watching people having fun and getting into supporting their team and country.

As an aside, I recently heard an interesting comparison of Soccer and Rugby: "Rugby is a hooligan sport played by gentlemen; soccer is a gentleman sport played by hooligans." It's just one of those expressions that might have an element of truth in it, but I found it interesting. Soccer, at least outside the United States, appeals to people from all backgrounds. It was designed to be non-violent, as one friend told me. But that hardly makes it "feminine" in my opinion. Another thing I like about soccer is that it enables many people to participate in a sport where neither one's height or size are important for success. Plus, all that running around is aerobic and healthy. You have to be in shape to play it, and it will help you stay in shape.

,,,Plus, all that running around is aerobic and healthy. You have to be in shape to play it, and it will help you stay in shape.


How true! I was always an athlete, and could play baseball, basketball or football all day long when I was a kid...But when I was 11 years old, my family was visited by a couple of my cousins, who came over from Germany...they were 18 and 20 years old...

We kind of introduced them to baseball (taking them to a Mets game), and I played some basketball with them as well as showing them some things about (American) football.

They also showed us some things about soccer, and I remember very distinctly running around our back yard and kicking a soccer ball around with them... they also showed us some great 'moves' (which we were never able to figure out)...but one thing I remember most is how unbelievably TIRED I was after playing with them for an hour or so... and it wasn't really the running that did it...I could run all day... it was the constant starting and stopping that wore me out, more so than any other sport I played... the other sports allow you to 'rest' a little, even while on the field, but these guys were in really fantastic condition, and it was hard to keep up with them.

So I agree with you, Yooch...I never considered soccer to be a 'feminine' sport, and I've actually always had the utmost respect for the conditioning of soccer players. It's just that soccer will never become 'huge' in the U.S.... and I'm perfectly OK with that...we have enough sports to try to follow!

Tweety, you're right. Soccer won't ever become huge in this country, and I'm ok with that as well. I'm just glad that in other countries they have something to be excited about like we have (American) football and other sports.

I appreciate your observations.

Tweety, you're right. Soccer won't ever become huge in this country, and I'm ok with that as well. I'm just glad that in other countries they have something to be excited about like we have (American) football and other sports.

I appreciate your observations.



Thanks!

One other thing about soccer that makes it a little different from 'our' sports here in the USA... there doesn't seem to be as much 'strategy' in the game... NFL football, for example, is a 'Monday morning QB's DREAM'! Coaches face decision such as whether to punt or go for a 4th and inches.. whether to go for an easy PAT or try for the 2 pt conversion, etc... and these decisions are endlessly debated by fans and commentators... (should Osborne have gone for two against Miami in 1983?)

Baseball, same thing... pinch hitting decisions, whether or not to try a steal, hit and run, which pitcher should we bring it to pitch to THIS particular batter...again, a 2nd guesser's paradise... (why did Lasorda have Neidenfurer pitch to Jack Clark in that situation?)

In soccer, I just don't see THAT type of strategy as being a factor...probably because it's pretty much a 'continuous' game, whereas there is time for decisions in these other sports... I don't know when these types of decisions come into play in soccer, other than substitution decisions... (is there such a thing as a Monday-morning "striker"?)

Of course, it could be argued that soccer is a continuous game and, by virtue of that, lends itself more to 'spontaneous' creation of plays, rather than 'set' plays such as those run in (American) football... and I can see that argument... in a way, basketball is the same way... yes, there are 'plays' that are run...but some of the most exciting basketball games are the ones where the teams fast break and run up and down the court a lot...less set plays, more creativity with the ball... there's something to be said about BOTH styles of play...

One other thing that American fans don't like about soccer players is the fact that, it seems like one little bump with another player will send a guy to the ground as if every tendon in his body just exploded... then, 10 seconds later, he's right back up and running around again... this may be the similar of the NBA "flop" (i.e. trying to draw an offensive foul), but in any case, it doesn't sit well with a lot of American sports fans.

Great observations. Your last point, too. I've wondered about that as well. Here's this guy in agony on the field, and then he's up and around in no time. Yeah, it doesn't set well with me either. Some dramatics, perhaps?

I don't really watch sports, but to me Soccer is just as interesting, if not more interesting than Football. Just for the fact that it takes such skill to dribble and control the ball.

there's a lot of dumb things that people like to call sports on tv like poker, omg nascar!, and it gets even dumber darts (which i like to play but hate watching!) well you know what i mean. Us americans are corney when it comes to sports as much as i hate to admit it!

I don't really watch sports, but to me Soccer is just as interesting, if not more interesting than Football. Just for the fact that it takes such skill to dribble and control the ball.


Agree with that completely...I'm amazed at what soccer players are able to do with the ball... to be able to control it the way they do while running at a high rate of speed... if I tried to do that, there'd be no way of knowing WHERE the ball would end up going. I'd kick it like one time and never catch up to it...

The other thing I'm amazed about is seeing what a player is able to do with the ball when he's double or triple teamed... these little moves they do to escape those situations... just amazing. One of the keys is to be able to use BOTH sides of the foot when handling the ball...

I've never attacked the skill level or conditioning of pro soccer players.. I'm just trying to understand and explain why I do not believe it will ever catch on in this country... and, in my opinion, the single biggest reason is the lack of scoring and, therefore, statistics...

But I usually do watch World Cup matches when they're televised here.

I'd never want to GO to a soccer game though.

Agree with that completely...I'm amazed at what soccer players are able to do with the ball... to be able to control it the way they do while running at a high rate of speed... if I tried to do that, there'd be no way of knowing WHERE the ball would end up going. I'd kick it like one time and never catch up to it...

The other thing I'm amazed about is seeing what a player is able to do with the ball when he's double or triple teamed... these little moves they do to escape those situations... just amazing. One of the keys is to be able to use BOTH sides of the foot when handling the ball...

I've never attacked the skill level or conditioning of pro soccer players.. I'm just trying to understand and explain why I do not believe it will ever catch on in this country... and, in my opinion, the single biggest reason is the lack of scoring and, therefore, statistics...

But I usually do watch World Cup matches when they're televised here.

I'd never want to GO to a soccer game though.


Well stated and it pretty much reflects my thinking on soccer, too. Although I'd like to go to see a game once in person, just to see what it's like. Yeah, and at least the World Cup is exciting, even if one is not a regular fan.

Well it's obvious you are not a real NFL fan to say soccer is more interesting. Soccer????? Better than the NFL??? You really got to be kiddin me-lol
frankly, american football is pretty boring TOO.......Ill take hockey over either of them

And while I understand the comparisons with hockey in terms of scoring, hockey is a much faster game... also, the net in hockey is only 4 ft high by 6 ft wide... I wonder how teams can score at ALL... a soccer net is about 3/4 of a mile wide, and they STILL can't score!
^^^Thats a quote from someone else...and it made me laugh^^^
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

And while I understand the comparisons with hockey in terms of scoring, hockey is a much faster game... also, the net in hockey is only 4 ft high by 6 ft wide... I wonder how teams can score at ALL... a soccer net is about 3/4 of a mile wide, and they STILL can't score!
^^^Thats a quote from someone else...and it made me laugh^^^
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I THOUGHT those words looked familiar! :lol:

I don't believe feminine has anything to do with it. America has baseball in the spring and summer, football, basketball and hockey in the fall, winter and spring, so soccer just doesn't fit it in. Kids of today have as their heroes the stars of their particular favorite sport, past and presnt to look up to. Soccer doesn't have that luxury.

When kids are small their parents buy them a baseball, a football or a basketball as that's how they were raised and it's difficult to change these habits. Almost all schools have a baseball and baketball program. In small town America a tradition is for for families on a friday night to go to the high school gym and see their local school play basketball. It's a outing. Soccer is not a evening sport.

Football at a major school will get upwards of 50,000 on a saturday afternoon, can you imagine 50,000 fans attening a soccer match bewtween the University of Pitt, and Penn State.

One of the reasons for soceer and it's popularity across the world is the convience and the lack of equipment needed. all you need is a field and a ball. Nothing else and you can play.

Harvey

No, we consider it too boring. Or at least I do. Run, run, run, run, run, run, up this side of a huge field, and then run, run, run, run, run, run, run down the other side. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

No, we consider it too boring. Or at least I do. Run, run, run, run, run, run, up this side of a huge field, and then run, run, run, run, run, run, run down the other side. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I think one the intriguing aspects of soccer is the run, run, run. No slow down. To play soccer you must be in tremendous shape, as there are no breathers. In hoops, after 6 or 7 minutes the superstar is looking for a blow or a breather and is taken out. Football has it's offense and defense and half the time is spent cheering fo your teammates and in baseball, now it's pitchers every fifth day, with pitch counts and only give us six. In soccer you don't see overweight guys picking up a paycheck.

Still I'm not for soccer but I give a world of credit to those who can play this grueling sport on a day to day basis. Very nationalistic with country against country. Look how it is here with just one city against another.

Feminine would be the last word I would use in describing soccer. In the same breath I dislike rugby but it is one tough game.

Anyone for tiddlywinks or pick up sticks?

Harvey

I'd rather watch paint dry.

Many Europeans and South Americans feel the same way about American sports. That's what great about sports , you have those who love it and those who hate it.

I once saw a dart tournament and guys were going crazy. The only good thing was the beer. Is darts a sport? Archery is another sport with skeet shooting that can put me in slumber land.

Harvey

:sleep2: