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Why soccer doesn't catch on in the USA


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I played when I was a kid (left half). 

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I KNEW it :lol:

 

There's no doubt that a lot of soccer fans are !@#$s.....nobody can deny that. But there are still a lot of people who just love the game, pure and simple. I'm much more enthusiastic about the Bills and the NFL. Nothing can touch that. But I still consider soccer a great game and I love most everythign about it - even when there is little or no scoring. But yeah, there are a lot of soccer fans who take things to a new level of stupidity, and they should be shot. I don't really think there are many of those on this board, though. Most of us have relatively civil conversations about the game until a handful of others come along and piss in our cheerios :lol:

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I agree totally. I played for almost ten years as a kid (goal and sweeper). It was fun to play, but then as now watching soccer is akin to a root canal without novocaine.

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That's how I feel about most baseball games, so I know what you mean. I will never pass up a chance to play, but God forbid I have to watch it.....I love my Braves, and I enjoy the world series most years, but beyond that I'll pass. Same is true of golf. I love to play, but I won't watch it unless it's something really unique going on.

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I watched the first 20 minutes of the Sweden-Trinidad game today and NOTHING HAPPENED.  How can you have a sport where nothing is happening most of the time?

 

Soccer is like watching hockey except it takes 5 minutes for the ball to go from one end of the field to the other and if we're lucky, we get one scoring opportunity every 10 minutes.  Most of the players don't even run - they're either jogging or standing around while watching 2-3 players do something at any one time.

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The main story of that game was Trinidad's first ever appearance in the WC, and the fact that they didn't lose a game where they were supposed to be blown out. Nobody, including their fans, expected them to win....they were just excited to have their country represented on the world stage. Not much happened because the Trinidad keeper went out and they had to play with 10-men instead of 11, which really closed down the game because they had to restrict what they could do on offense.

 

Now if that doesn't really do anything for you, then it doesn't do anything for you :lol:

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Then what is the #1 sport and how do you judge that? By attendance? By perception? By participation????

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You're kidding, right? You really can't figure out what the number one sport in the Rochester area is, while posting the question on a fuggin' football message board? You spend alot of time hanging out on a Rochester soccer message board? Yeah, didn't think so.

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That can't be argued, but were talking Rochester here, not regional. Plus minor vs major.

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You asked what the number 1 sport was in Rochester. I'm sticking with football. I think you'll find far more Rochesterians that describe themselves as Bills fans than Rhinos fans. If I am correct in that assessment, the fact that more Rochesterians are football fans and fans of the Bills when they don't have a football team but do have a soccer team pretty much tells you all you have to know about how popular soccer is in this country and what its potential is.

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You're kidding, right?  You really can't figure out what the number one sport in the Rochester area is, while posting the question on a fuggin' football message board?  You spend alot of time hanging out on a Rochester soccer message board?  Yeah, didn't think so.

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IN ROCHESTER. ;)

 

Are they the Rochester Bills? No. I was talking about sports teams in Rochester. Also, the Bills are a major league team, the Rhinos are a minor league team. Did you graduate from the VABills school of logic or are we just talking about different subjects?

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If I am correct in that assessment, the fact that more Rochesterians are football fans and fans of the Bills when they don't have a football team but do have a soccer team pretty much tells you all you have to know about how popular soccer is in this country and what its potential is.

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Thanks captain obvious. Point to me one time on this message board where anyone has ever said soccer compares to football in terms of popularity in America. You can't, because no one has ever made that statement.

 

You're talking about the closest thing America has to a national sport in football. Even given the popularity of football in America, there isn't one sport that basically shuts down the country for a major game...not even the Superbowl. America is a country of many sports with differing levels of popularity. That's one of the great things about sports in America....there is something for everybody. Hell, even the WNBA has its place.

 

This whole time I've been talking about sports IN Rochester. The Yankees probably have a bigger following than the Rhinos also, but it doesn't say much about local team support in the community. The Red Wings are the local baseball team, they're also a minor league team so comparing them to the number of Yankees fans would be an equally stupid comparision.

 

In terms of community team support, the Rhinos are in a class of their own, even up against the more traditional American sports of baseball and hockey.

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I have to say I was really impressed with how well Rochester supports their minor league teams. The Rhinos started up after I had already moved away, but the Red Wings and Amerks games were always good draws. You could take the family for cheap, too, and it was always a great time. I'm sure the rhinos games are no different. I tell you what, I'd take Rochester over Atlanta any day when it comes to being a quality sports town.

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Thanks captain obvious. Point to me one time on this message board where anyone has ever said soccer compares to football in terms of popularity in America. You can't, because no one has ever made that statement.

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Did you even read what Darin was responding to? Here is the quote Darin responded to

 

If every U.S. city followed soccer like Rochester, it would be the #1 sport in the country. It is a weird phenomenon that has this community extrememly divided. Soccer lovers vs. Soccer haters. Not much room in the middle.

 

To which Darin said soccer isn't even the number 1 sport in Rochester. So what do you think the number 1 sport is in Rochester?

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IN ROCHESTER.  ;)

 

Are they the Rochester Bills? No. I was talking about sports teams in Rochester. Also, the Bills are a major league team, the Rhinos are a minor league team. Did you graduate from the VABills school of logic or are we just talking about different subjects?

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Initially I stated that soccer wasn't the number one sport in Rochester. It isn't. Pretending that the BILLS aren't Rochester's team (where do those BILLS hold their training camp anyway?) or exist in some kind of vacuum is just another typical pathetic attempt by an American soccer fan to prop up their fringe sport in the face of overwhelming contrarian evidence. Whatever, man.

 

But trying to compare me to VA is certainly helps your credibility on the subject. :lol:

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Initially I stated that soccer wasn't the number one sport in Rochester.  It isn't.  Pretending that the BILLS aren't Rochester's team (where do those BILLS hold their training camp anyway?)  or exist in some kind of vacuum is just another typical pathetic attempt by an American soccer fan to prop up their fringe sport in the face of overwhelming contrarian evidence.  Whatever, man.

 

But trying to compare me to VA is certainly helps your credibility on the subject.  ;)

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Semantics. Let's pick on VA.

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American kids dream of scoring the winning TD in the Super Bowl, making that last second basket to win the NBA Finals,  or hitting the game winning homerun in the World Series

 

Soccer?  That's some place Mom and Dad pick them up from

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There are a LOT of kids playing it these days. Who knows if they'll stick with it or move to other sports, but the numbers have gone up dramatically.

 

I took my 6-y.o. nephew to some of his games last month when bro & s-i-l were at drill weekend. He scored 6 goals in one game. Granted they're playing the cluster offense.... He got in trouble for trash-talking the other team. After one of his break-aways, he walked up to a kid on the other team (the Yellow Tigers) and said, "Who's the tiger NOW?!?!?" ;)

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There are a LOT of kids playing it these days. Who knows if they'll stick with it or move to other sports, but the numbers have gone up dramatically.

 

I took my 6-y.o. nephew to some of his games last month when bro & s-i-l were at drill weekend. He scored 6 goals in one game. Granted they're playing the cluster offense.... He got in trouble for trash-talking the other team. After one of his break-aways, he walked up to a kid on the other team (the Yellow Tigers) and said, "Who's the tiger NOW?!?!?" ;)

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:lol::lol:

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I think another reason soccer doesn't catch on is because a lot of Americans value toughness in their athletes. I hate soccer players acting like they got shot when they get touched by another player. For God sake's, players get carried off on stretchers & come back in the game like nothing happened. If that happened in the NFL or NHL, those guys mostly likely would have a major injury. That said, I'm enjoying the World Cup more that I thought I would. The only thing that ruins it is that 98.56% of the players are total sissys. :lol: Make soccer full contact and that might draw some more viewers. ;)

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I think another reason soccer doesn't catch on is because a lot of Americans value toughness in their athletes.  I hate soccer players acting like they got shot when they get touched by another player.  For God sake's, players get carried off on stretchers & come back in the game like nothing happened.  If that happened in the NFL or NHL, those guys mostly likely would have a major injury.  That said, I'm enjoying the World Cup more that I thought I would.  The only thing that ruins it is that 98.56% of the players are total sissys. :lol:  Make soccer full contact and that might draw some more viewers.  ;)

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The problem is that Americans do not watch the NHL. I know there are some regions that have a big fanbase, but if you look at the overall perception of the NHL, it does not seem as a sport that dominates in attendance and ratings. On the other hand, are baseball players tough athletes. I have seen baseball games where two players bump into each other and they make it look even worse than soccer players do.

 

In the end, it does not matter. I would much rather the NHL gained popularity in the US than soccer. Soccer does fine without the US involvement and is not struggling to survive as the NHL is. Although capturing the US market for soccer would be a big accomplishment and would bring a lot more revenue.

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I think another reason soccer doesn't catch on is because a lot of Americans value toughness in their athletes.  I hate soccer players acting like they got shot when they get touched by another player.  For God sake's, players get carried off on stretchers & come back in the game like nothing happened.  If that happened in the NFL or NHL, those guys mostly likely would have a major injury.  That said, I'm enjoying the World Cup more that I thought I would.  The only thing that ruins it is that 98.56% of the players are total sissys. :lol:  Make soccer full contact and that might draw some more viewers.  ;)

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That actually really pisses me off, too. I'm okay with a little bit of acting here and there to try and get an advantage, but I saw that stretcher gimmick today by some kitty Swede and it was pathetic! The four little medic guys come in, carry him off while he's gyrating in apparent agony, then I hear the announcers talk about who is going to sub in for him. Like you said, the SECOND the guy got off the field, he was ready to go back in....wtf??? If I see any US players doing that I'm going to vomit.....have some friggin self respect for gosh sakes!

 

I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying it so far, though. I was listening to them talk about some of the African teams that were in the cup, and how so many of them had fought through all the adversity of civil conflicts and such that were going on in their respective countries, and how many of them were hoping for peace back home at the same time they were trying to compete in the largest sporting event in the world. That is some serious sh--. I was also really interested hearing about how Trinidad and Tobago was the smallest country to EVER qualify for the World Cup, and how they had such a strong fan base who came to support them even though nobody had any expectations of winning. I love stuff like that.

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