Neymar has made me love soccer!

Asymphony5 said:The answer is simple. You like soccer because you grew up with it while Americans love their sports because they grew up with it. You have an emotional attachment to your teams and it keeps you loyal to the sport.

I don't understand why you are so concerned with this topic. Why aren't you concerned about Canadians, Australians, or NZ people who also do not care for that sport. Also, for the record I dont find anything beautiful about soccer. It's so boring to watch in my opinion.

co-sign

uPtoWnNY hit the nail on the head.

That said, I am an example of one who spent 45 years disrespecting soccer, and now it's my favorite sport.

So, keep faith alive!

Football (Soccer ) Rocks

BobPaisleyPark said:

Americans do seem to love sports involving incredibly big men crashing into each other in order to cause paralysis.

The rest of the planet remain bemused.

Pah! You're only paying attention to one aspect of the game.

These guys are incredibly skilled athletes...sheer poetry in motion!

But I can show ya better than I can tell ya...

Can't say that I really know why, but it really is a pity because our US Women's Soccer Team is stellar, and have proven themselves on the global stage to be the team you have to watch out for. They are actually quite liked around the world, not just for their prowess on the field but for their excellent sportsmanship; they're all incredibly gracious and humble ladies in how they carry themselves towards fans and the international press. Add that to the fact that they all pretty gregarious with so many distinct personalities- there's a player to fit almost any fan's preference or personality...they are golden, baby.

HEATHER MITTS- The Beauty Queen

She might remind you of your local Homecoming Queen from yesteryear, but she's can bust your nose wide open with a good corner kick.

HOPE SOLO- GOAL KEEPER WHO WILL WHOOP YOUR A**

Arguably a bit of a brat because she gets a lot of shine (every family has a show-off, right?), and she can be intimidating on field...but she's just damn good, and will take a dive and dislocate a shoulder, snap it back into place get back up and still make a save to keep your s**t from getting into the net...and will dare you to try to get a ball past her with this exact look on her face:

TOBIN HEATH- the Surfer Girl

Notoriously soft-spoken and chilled out

SYDNEY LARREUX- the Ingenue

aka Baby Larreux; she's the youngest member of out team who you can usually find all over social media 24/7 as that's what young people love to do. But what's important is that while she's still cuting her baby teeth on the US team, she has the rather miraculous ability to be put into games when we're down to the last nail biting minutes- and can score goals on cue the same way you ask a parakeet to sing

Christine Rampone

aka Mama Rampone, our oldest player in age, eldest sportsperson in experience, and our Team Captain. She has raised her babies on the football field right next to her every minute, with help from both hubby and her teammates. The jokes have always been that Rampone could run with the field nursing an infant and still get a goal in on your ass without breaking a sweat. After helping us this summer get our 3rd Olympic Gold during her career, she is retiring after this the current playing tour celebrating our win to be full time wife and mommy, and finally give her body a rest.

MEGAN RAPINOE (The Jokester w/ The Badass Magic Left Foot)

Aka "The Mauler" because when we score big she traditionally is known to maul her team mates at 80% running speed. This is the one who stole the fans heart at the World Cup for her flamboyantly blond spiked hair and equally flamboyant (but slightly self-deprecating) personality. She's the hipster of the group who's hair has it's own social media network accounts

Rapinoe's 'Do is Hair-Raising

With some extra time during the USA’s extended training camp in Los Angeles, we decided to interview one of the breakout personalities of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. That’s right -- we’re talking about Blond Ambition herself -- Megan Rapinoe’s Hair.

With some extra time during the USA’s extended training camp in Los Angeles, we decided to interview one of the breakout personalities of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. That’s right -- we’re talking about Blond Ambition herself -- Megan Rapinoe’s Hair. The spikey blond coif gained tremendous notoriety during the tournament in Germany, taking on a life of its own and even inspiring Nike to producea t-shirt with its likeness on it. The star U.S. midfielder was too busy to chat with us due to her intense training schedule, but her Hair was kind enough to answer 11 Questions for ussoccer.com.

ussoccer.com: Do you ever sense any jealousy, or is it awe, from the hair of any opponents?
Rapinoe’s Hair: “I think it’s more awe, and I think I’m the reason why Megan is able to play well. I do the distracting, as opponents clearly stare at me during matches while Megan runs by them. It’s a one-two punch.”

ussoccer.com: Being that you are now a celebrity hair-do, what other celebrity hair do you admire?
RH: “David Beckham, of course. We often trade hair secrets via BBM. David’s Hair has been setting trends for a long time, and I can only hope to have his Hair’s staying power and versatility.”

ussoccer.com: Just how much product do you need for maximum “spikage” on game day?
RH: “Truth be told, it’s not that much. People have misconceptions that Megan uses a lot on me. It’s more about the post-shower blow dry than the quantity of product. There, one of my secrets is out.”

ussoccer.com: Headers: Like ’em or hate ’em?
RH: “Headers do provide a great photo op for the hair, but it sometimes impacts my volume. Still, I know Megan has to head in the game or Pia will get mad at her. Therefore, as a compromise I’ve come to with Megan, if she heads a ball, she must re-fluff me as soon as possible.”

ussoccer.com: How did you react when you found out you would be on a Nike t-shirt?
RH: “Well first, I said to myself, it’s about time. But of course, I was very honored as well. The t-shirt allowed people who aren’t blessed with hair this good to at least wear it on a t-shirt. Case in point: Megan’s road roommate, Lori Lindsey.”

ussoccer.com: What do you think of Megan Rapinoe’s talents as a soccer player?
RH: “Seeing as though I have a bird’s eye view of all her soccer skills, and it’s the best seat in the house, I am going to say I really enjoying being able to bounce around defenders and wave at them as we go by.”

ussoccer.com: Ever thought about ditching the blond and going with another color, like blue or pink?
RH: “No!”

ussoccer.com: We know that Megan’s foot passed the ball to Abby’s head against Brazil, but do you feel like you contributed to the goal?
RH: “Well, like many fans who were jumping up and down in their living rooms, I too was jumping up and down on top of Megan’s head, screaming ‘Abby’s open! Abby’s open! Kick it to Abby! Kick it to Abby! You know she’s clutch!’ So, I will take the majority of credit for that goal.”

ussoccer.com: It seems like everyone always just wants to pat you. Thoughts on that?
RH: “Are you allowed to touch the artwork in the Louvre? I think not.”

ussoccer.com: What teammates’ hair is in your class?
RH: “Well, there’s a lot of great hair on the team that just doesn’t get the props it deserves. Lauren Cheney: Bouncy, curly, spunky, but sophisticated. Tobin Heath: Natural beauty, I just got out of the ocean and I still look good. Ali Krieger: All business on the field with a tight bun, but brunette bombshell off the field. Buehler/Rampone: Our resident gingers, always a good thing.”

ussoccer.com: Is there any truth to the rumors that you have been seeing Stu Holden’s hair?
RH: “I think Stu’s Hair is fantastic, but I will have to refer you to my publicist on that.”

then last but not least: our secret weapon

WAMBACH

Try as they might, teams cannot take this woman out. As our team forward, she is a one woman scoring machine. Opponents always complain about her, other coaches are always worried about her...the woman is so talented that she really is a target... andpeople do the best they can to take her out any way they can, yet usually fail. I've seen this girl have her leg broken, get sucker-punched in eye, had her head split open seeping blood (all accidental of course according to our opponents ), and she keeps getting up like the Duracel Bunny and scoring away . Beyond that, she is (in spite of her masculine, imposing size) always incredibly positive and gracious. Abby Wambach is a true class act.

and this is who being groomed to pick up some of the score work while Abby starts taking on elder team mate duties from Rampone, right next to Abby going for the goal at every opportunity:

ALEX MORGAN- The "Ferarri"

2nd youngest on the team after Baby Larreux, other coaches have nicknamed her after the Italian vehicle not only because she is a beautiful girl, but incredibly strong and fast. In the same breath as saying her name, they usually refer to her speed and forwarding skills as "a problem". She and Abby Wambach are like the Batman & Robin of Women's Soccer- together they're just BAM! POW! BOOM!-ing all over the soccer field

There are tons more and they all are important, but these are some of the women we have reppin' the US hard in The Beautiful Game. It's so sad that we don't even have enough State teams for them all to play on full time, that some really only get to play on our National Team... and those that do play on the few scattered teams we have, they're paid criminally low incomes in comparison to other American sports- all while kicking ass around the world and taking names and playing their hearts out. Hopefully having brought home Olympic Gold again will raise some new awareness and crowd interest, otherwise we will be losing our players to other countries so that they can make a decent living

[Edited 10/21/12 14:14pm]

[Edited 10/21/12 14:17pm]

Ladies and germs...Jerry Rice!

Timmy84 said:

Hudson said:

The real reason is that American men are intolerant of anyone who doesn't like the same things they do, and most of them think soccer is a wussy sport.

Speak for yourself.

Those aren't my opinions. That's the way most American football fans are in this country. The only thing worse than AF fans are NASCAR fans. I live in one of the bluest states in the nation and I hear about Jimmie Johnson way more than any homosexual needs to.

Hudson said:

Timmy84 said:

Speak for yourself.

Those aren't my opinions. That's the way most American football fans are in this country. The only thing worse than AF fans are NASCAR fans. I live in one of the bluest states in the nation and I hear about Jimmie Johnson way more than any homosexual needs to.

lol then you don't wanna live in NC then. It's NASCAR country. I remember being little watching car races on TV though and catching up to hear about racers. I think sports fans tend to be very loyal so I don't see the bias lol

Short answer: because they think it's boring.

Long answer: there is a perception that it is boring, because compared to most other sports, there is a lack of obvious structure. The ball meanders back and forth, and rarely finds the goal. There are not enough downs, innings, beginnings, ends, to indicate momentum for the attention-span challenged American audience. Compare to baseball, which breaks down statistics for every pitch up to 3-4 against a left handed pitcher with runners on base etc etc. Compare to football which pauses constantly to assess the next goal to achieve--3rd and 2, etc. Compare to hockey, where fighting is allowed Compare to basketball where they score every time you blink.

I'm sure soccer has the same details, but without knowledge of it, they watch for a moment or two in an effort to be diplomatic, and they see what looks like a lot of chaos without much indication of who is doing better. And they say "eh this is boring, lets see what other six thousand games might be on TV right now"

The root of these beliefs is the fact that most people in the US didn't grow up watching soccer. Those that do watch it like it just as much as any sport. I don't love it, but I cartainly don't think it sucks, as I hear so many of my friends say who just don't take the time to get to know it. Meanwhile their wives hate baseball because all they see is a bunch of men with uncomfortable underwear standing around spitting. Why is that?

[Edited 10/21/12 20:29pm]

I've seen some soccer games. They're FAR from "diplomatic". In fact sometimes they can get as grimy as some football players HERE. Don't think just because they wear shirts and short shorts and knee high socks and pleats that they're "more dignified". Sports are all about combat. Soccer players just have a different way of showing it. I think for Americans watching, it's almost eye candy for some folks. It's the same with football but Americans get more into the game with occasional "ooh look at him" exchanges.

[Edited 10/21/12 21:40pm]

You can say any sport is boring if you have no investment in any of the athletes or teams. I like lots of Tennis players which is why I find 2 people hitting a ball back and forth to be the most exciting sport to watch, but only the 4 majors. I think soccer will continually get better as people realize that soccer players have way better bodies. I could easily get addicted to any sport if I put some effort into it, but I have too many good TV shows to get addicted to sports.

Hudson said:

You can say any sport is boring if you have no investment in any of the athletes or teams. I like lots of Tennis players which is why I find 2 people hitting a ball back and forth to be the most exciting sport to watch, but only the 4 majors. I think soccer will continually get better as people realize that soccer players have way better bodies. I could easily get addicted to any sport if I put some effort into it, but I have too many good TV shows to get addicted to sports.

lol you just pretty much proved my point on why some prefer soccer over football.

[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/supernova638/th_0.gif[/img:$uid]

[Edited 10/22/12 0:22am]

I'm Dutch, so I love ice skating.

And the season is about to start again

soccer sure is a FUN game to play

but it can be a hellish (extremely boring) experience to watch, other than the elite clubs/national teams...

JoeTyler said:

soccer sure is a FUN game to play

but it can be a hellish (extremely boring) experience to watch, other than the elite clubs/national teams...

I know EXACTLY what you mean. Playing soccer back in high school was FUN as FUCK. Like I said I kicked a mean soccer ball back then.

Timmy84 said:

JoeTyler said:

soccer sure is a FUN game to play

but it can be a hellish (extremely boring) experience to watch, other than the elite clubs/national teams...

I know EXACTLY what you mean. Playing soccer back in high school was FUN as FUCK. Like I said I kicked a mean soccer ball back then.

I absolutely loved to shoot penalty kicks...the fear of failing at something supposedly "easy"...(it wasn't)

JoeTyler said:

Timmy84 said:

I know EXACTLY what you mean. Playing soccer back in high school was FUN as FUCK. Like I said I kicked a mean soccer ball back then.

I absolutely loved to shoot penalty kicks...the fear of failing at something supposedly "easy"...(it wasn't)

Yeah those goalies were no joke!

hmm well hello! wanna play?? wanna shoot some kicks?

She's got some nice legs.

TD3 said:

"We" like provocative titles for our threads don't we Bob?

I think hate is pretty strong word and incorrect, indifferent is a much better word.

American culture is entrenched in our seasons our cycles for sports, it damn near impossible for another sport to take root. If you don't know college sports (basketball and football) are huge in the States. The only time most Americans give a damn about Golf or Tennis is when an American is number one. The main factor for many Americans viewing Soccer as boring in part because they don't understand the game.... its nuances. Many American's view baseball a boring. Low scoring games wouldn't be seen as a duel between the pitcher and batters... how a catcher calls a game and a pitchers throws or the defensive plays.

I do have question about Soccer and it's scheduling, how does that work? From afar it seems those gents play soccer year around without much of a break.

------------------------

[Edited 10/21/12 9:07am]

I think thats the main point to why it has never really caught on like it has in Europe and South America (India's no 1 sport is cricket and not football for example, so football is not the no. 1 sport in every major country bar USA). It just has no room to compete, despite the sport being alot older then any USA based sport LOL.

So somewhere in history, for whatever reason, the US just seemed to not take to football?

And personally I hate the hardcore stats that baseball and american football are known for. My fav sport is formula one though and its easy to criticise that sport aswell LOL.

[muttering under my breath]hippie bastards[/muttering]

I absolutely love watching my daughters' soccer games - they are 12 and 10. It's fun and simple, and there's no commercialism to ruin it.

It's a great women's sport. Can't stand watching guys soccer, it just seems pansyish. Don't worry, our American feelings toward it will change in a generation (or less)

breese said:

I absolutely love watching my daughters' soccer games - they are 12 and 10. It's fun and simple, and there's no commercialism to ruin it.

It's a great women's sport. Can't stand watching guys soccer, it just seems pansyish. Don't worry, our American feelings toward it will change in a generation (or less)

I just love to see the women in action. You can tell they're SERIOUS WITH IT. The guys do act like bitches. Least the professional soccer players here... don't even get me started on Beckham.

breese said:

I absolutely love watching my daughters' soccer games - they are 12 and 10. It's fun and simple, and there's no commercialism to ruin it.

It's a great women's sport. Can't stand watching guys soccer, it just seems pansyish. Don't worry, our American feelings toward it will change in a generation (or less)

Given that people have been saying that for at least a generation already, I doubt it.

Soccer is painfully boring to watch.