Why do americans generally dislike soccer?Follow

I think it's about the relation between action and result. The points are just a smokescreen really.

Folks in the US really do think about sports in the context of "plays". We want to see a distinct action (or set of actions) and a distinct success or failure of that action. Games like Baseball and Football provide that sort of stimulation in spades.

A single pitch can be a strike or a ball. The batter could swing at it or not. Depending on the combination of those things, there can be a base hit or not. You see the action and the result of that action right there.

In football, it's even more dramatic. You have a complete set of men. A flurry of activity that's a clear comparison of the offensive and defensive play, and then a clear result. You gained yards, you lost yards, you stayed the same, or you scored.

Games like Soccer and Hockey just have a continuous flow of action that occasionally results in something. You don't gain yardage, or men on base, or anything like that. The ball just moves around all game long and occasionally ends up in the other guys net. At least in Hockey, you can have power plays when one or more team members are in the penalty box (about the only thing that makes Hockey just a bit more exciting then Soccer, that and the fights).


Basketball is kind of a hybrid. It's the same basic type as Hockey and Soccer, but the use of the hands gives the offensive players more ability to score. In that case, it really is about the number of points scored. Basically, there's more relation between an attack in Basketball and a score or no-score then in Hockey or Soccer. Personally, I don't find Basketball to be that exciting of a game either though. It's still just a bunch of guys moving a ball around constantly, except now instead of just getting an accasional goal, you've got continuous goals and it's about who gets more over the course of the game. Same basic problem IMO.


That could just be my personal preferences about sports though. To me, neither Hockey, nor Soccer (or even Basketball for that matter) really give the viewer the sense that one team or the other is advancing towards a score. The anticipation and buildup that you get in baseball as one team starts to load the bases, or in football as one team moves the ball towards the end-zone is what makes those games exciting. I just can't find it in me to get excited about a shift in game position in Soccer when 99 times out of a hundred, the end result will be no score change.

Edited, Thu May 20 21:45:41 2004 by gbaji

Right, because violence stemming from a soccer match is unheard of!

I like playing soccer.
I like playing football.
I like basketball, even though I really suck.
I love volleyball, pool, playing tennis, etc.
I love driving fast.
I love playing golf.

Of these activities I love to do...

I HATE watching soccer, volleyball, or tennis (well, sometimes I catch a tennis game, but very rarely).
I despise watching a NASCAR or even Indy race.
I really dislike watching golf.

Why do Americans, in general, dislike soccer?
Lots of reasons, here are mine:

1) I can't relate to any of the players. I don't have a hometown player to root for, I didn't grow up playing soccer so I can't "place myself" into the game.

2) Lots and lots of non-advancement. Like gbaji mentioned (and a good point), football and baseball, even basketball have more easily-measurable "advancements", though backetball to a much less degree.

The incremental nature of football and baseball simply leads to a build-up of tension, both for players and fans. This equates to excitement.

"Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, 2 men on base, Clark steps up to the plate...."


"The coach has called a final time out with 2 seconds on the clock. Count is 4th and goal..."

Now THAT makes for great moments.
There are easily recognizable methods of advancement--yards gained, based loaded--that soccer just doesn't have.

In soccer, it's so different. It's potentially hours of absolutely NOTHING happening (besides fouls...and kick outs, etc) until you have a sudden score outta nowhere.

It's simply the nature of the game, which is why soccer and hockey (to an extent) just have trouble catching on with the mainstream American sports fan.

----><-----

Another reason may be the relative complexity of games. Football has a lot of rules and a lot of options to achieve a desired objective.

Soccer, contrastly, has very few "alternatives". Yes, there are penalty kicks, throw-ins, all that stuff, but it's still "bland" in comparison to a plethora of play options and events a typical football game will contain.

Hail Mary.
Onside kick.
Field Goal
Touch down
Extra point
2 point conversion
Safety
Interceptions
Punts (and their blocks)
QB sneak, QB sack, laterals, etc. etc. etc.

Yes, soccer has a lot of stamina and fancy footwork involved, but those aren't well translated into a viewable, enjoyable experience. Fun performing, terrible watching.

Society.

Nothing too see here, keep going.

Edited, Mon May 24 18:34:58 2004 by tarv

Whatever Tarv, Tennis and Golf are as big in the UK as the US. Should I even bring up Cricket and Croquet?

well actually im american and soccer is the only sport i like. so i guess you shouldnt be so prejudice.

Tarv, must I continue to remind you that as our lapdogs you really have no say in what we decide to call things? When will you realize that our bending over of the red coats gives us free reign? And if that isn't enough, the fact that you can post in your current native tongue should remind you that soccer sucks.

And Canadian beer sucks, too.

Totem i bow to your greater knowlage of the subject of 'What it takes to be gay'. In all things but football Moe, in football matters we are the world authority, we invented football first and you just attached the word to a game that by it's very nature does not use the foot to move the ball.

yes but you have to score a TD first and you can't do that by kicking it.
Also I would think that the head coach would be very upset with the returner if on recieving the ball from a kick off, he put boot to ball and sent it flying back to the other team.

P.S i have played American football and i like the sport, it's baseballs that bores the **** out of me.

Edited, Tue May 25 16:09:49 2004 by tarv

Soccer is just soccer... America isn't used to it, so they exclude it from society..

"[ link ]website [ /link ]" - thats how...

Edited, Tue May 25 21:16:45 2004 by NaRgAr

I tried that - it didn't work...

actually, it's:

[ url=link here ] blah blah blah [ /url ]

Twiztid