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re: Lets talk about americas lack of interest in soccer
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:10 am to bayoubengal03
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:10 am to bayoubengal03
quote:
Don’t know anything about youth soccer, what would need to change?
cut our fields in half
0
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:10 am to pvilleguru
Right. Sort of how the AHL used hybrid icing this year. I think having an internationally standardized game sort of hurts soccer. Basketball has different rules by league, as does hockey and baseball. It allows for some sort of innovation and you can use minor leagues as a sort of testing ground for ideas. The basic game is the same, but college, pro, and international basketball all have different rules, and the sport is richer for it.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:14 am to Baloo
the problem is that soccer is run by europe who loves bureaucratic systems and leviathons
the second problem is that FIFA is possibly the most corrupt organization in the fricking world
the second problem is that FIFA is possibly the most corrupt organization in the fricking world
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:22 am to WestCoastAg
Personally I only try to get into soccer during one event and that's the World Cup and I'll tell you why I can never get into it.
It is frustrating to see the team I'm rooting for take 15 seconds to jog down the field as the defense shadows him without really doing anything only for him to get within goal-scoring distance so some guy on the other team can just run up and kick the ball to the other side of the field. And then repeat.
It doesn't matter how the points are scored for Americans. 1, 2, 6, it doesn't matter. Its about scoring opportunities because that is what is most exciting and soccer simply doesn't offer as many scoring opportunities as the popular sports in the US do.
It is frustrating to see the team I'm rooting for take 15 seconds to jog down the field as the defense shadows him without really doing anything only for him to get within goal-scoring distance so some guy on the other team can just run up and kick the ball to the other side of the field. And then repeat.
It doesn't matter how the points are scored for Americans. 1, 2, 6, it doesn't matter. Its about scoring opportunities because that is what is most exciting and soccer simply doesn't offer as many scoring opportunities as the popular sports in the US do.
This post was edited on 5/29/13 at 11:23 am
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:24 am to WestCoastAg
alot of factors in play on the issue. one could be the lack of championship level play from the U.S national team, the country loves a winner. if we were to win a world cup i think you would see even more people wanting to actually learn and understand the game.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:25 am to kywildcatfanone
quote:
Soccer is for elementary-high school kids.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 11:56 am to theGarnetWay
Personally, I'd rather watch a club match. On the International stage, the players have very little time to practice together so they don't have much chemistry. Club teams basically play together year round which allows them to play faster.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 12:36 pm to Baloo
quote:
ONE. It's not American. Americans hate international sports unless we absolutely dominate them. Tennis has waned in popularity the same exact moment we stopped winning all of the time. We love golf as an international sport, because Americans win about half of the majors, and are always in contention.
TWO. American soccer fans are the worst. The basic campaign has been to treat the game like it's sports broccoli, as if it's better for you. and no one likes to be told that. They've gotten better, but there's still this tendency to play the "you just don't understand it" card, which also comes out of the defensiveness borne out of decades of attack from the mainstream. So I get where it comes from.
Also, there's the reflexive need to bash American soccer, which is better than even Americans give it credit for. We're not Brazil or anything, but people act like we're Luxembourg or something. That goes back to point #1.
THREE. It rewards stalling. There's defense, and then there's the simple refusal to play offense. If you are outmatched, you go into a bunker and you stall. You don't even try to score if you're truly outmatched, and play for a 0-0 tie. It's pretty cynical play, and it's also pretty common in international soccer, which Americans are more likely to be exposed to. Basketball added a shot clock to get past this problem, lacrosse has stall warnings and is tinkering with a shot clock, and hockey's rink design pretty much prevents stalling. Soccer has done little to prevent stalling, and it's f'n brutal.
FOUR. Offsides. Soccer has actually been willing to tinker with offsides over the decades, making it friendlier and friendlier to offense. But the offsides trap is a fricking abomination. It rewards teams for NOT PLAYING DEFENSE. And it's one thing to prevent guys from totally cherry picking, but seeing the ball at 20 yards out and have no one near the goal just because every defender is at the 18 is just ridiculous. It severely limits the offense and reduces scoring chances. It's exploiting the rulebook to stop teams from scoring by not playing defense. Step up. He's offside, no play. It is awful to watch. People don't mind great defensive plays that involve athleticism or toughness. But watching a guy step forward to put a guy behind an imaginary line as an effective strategy is just contrary to the ideals of sport in general. It's awful. It chokes the life from the game.
great post
there's an ongoing perfect storm of reasons for Americans not to embrace soccer
Posted on 5/29/13 at 1:43 pm to molsusports
Soccer is great to watch if you are having a hard time sleeping. I refused to let my kids play past age 5...fricking awful.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:03 pm to pvilleguru
quote:
Personally, I'd rather watch a club match. On the International stage, the players have very little time to practice together so they don't have much chemistry. Club teams basically play together year round which allows them to play faster.
I find it interesting that it's the exact opposite in Rugby. The club game is built around the International game which is much bigger and better attended. Yeah they play more matches in club ball but only the best of the best club players get chosen for international caps. Don't get me wrong I love club rugby but nothing is bigger and better than a good International Test Match.
Which kicks off this weekend with the British and Irish Lions Tour. Can't wait!
This post was edited on 5/29/13 at 3:04 pm
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:10 pm to constant cough
Well, the big club teams basically are the best of the best (Barcelona, Man U, etc.). The national teams are the best of the best from that country. Don't get me wrong, nothing beats the World Cup. However, I find that the more exciting games are played at the club level.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:11 pm to tress4pres
quote:
Soccer is great to watch if you are having a hard time sleeping. I refused to let my kids play past age 5...fricking awful
Sounds like you're a shitty parent.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:15 pm to Sophandros
quote:
Good post.
Sounds like you think rugby should be bigger...
I've never watched Rugby. I have a buddy who cheers for a New Zealand team. I assume it is similar to football? Maybe with fewer stops in the action?
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:17 pm to WestCoastAg
quote:
but that has not translated into actual interest in the game as people age
Interest today is exponentially better than what it was 20 years ago.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:20 pm to pvilleguru
quote:
Sounds like you're a shitty parent.
It's just not for us. I was kidding of course about not letting them play but thankfully they showed no interest.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:22 pm to tress4pres
I don't think I there's a single sport that I actively dislike. Most people who say they hate soccer have never really given it a chance, particularly those over 30. To each his own I guess, but it strikes me as very closed minded.
This post was edited on 5/29/13 at 3:23 pm
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:24 pm to WestCoastAg
One of the main reasons is the general ignorant mentality that is being displayed in this thread toward soccer as being a "pussy sport," even though there is far more contact and action than you'll see in a baseball game and the players are required to be in absolute peak physical shape to even play the game.
Soccer isn't a pussy sport, and I'd equate the flopping and diving you see in soccer to the up-in-arms showboat complaints that you see Lebron do anytime a foul is called on him or a what cornerback does when he is called for a pass interference. It's not good for the integrity of the game but let's not act like American athletes don't do the same thing.
Another reason is the lack of exposure this country has given soccer, which blocks kids from seeing the beauty of the sport at the professional level and learning the rules early on. The main reason I've played soccer my whole life is because I went to 2 World Cup games in 1994 when I was only 5 and I fell in love with it right there.
Also, the sport requires much more than what the youth soccer players are taught in this country, and many of them quit the sport when they realize that actual fundamentals and balance are required to play at higher levels. Europeans know this from the moment they can even kick a ball.
So, I'd say that if soccer has a chance of becoming big in the United States (before we are all dead of old age), we need to:
1. Expose our youth to the worldwide professional level of the game and not discourage them from playing it out of fear of being called "pussies."
2. Give them a platform to learn the basic fundamentals so that they can nurture their skills and develop from there.
3. Invest in MLS so that big name players like Beckham, Henry, and Lampard continue to play here and create regional pride in their teams.
4. Eradicate the mentality that all soccer games that end in 0-0 draws are useless and boring.
5. Get everyone to play FIFA, because honestly, people learn to LOVE the game once they get hooked to FIFA.
Soccer isn't a pussy sport, and I'd equate the flopping and diving you see in soccer to the up-in-arms showboat complaints that you see Lebron do anytime a foul is called on him or a what cornerback does when he is called for a pass interference. It's not good for the integrity of the game but let's not act like American athletes don't do the same thing.
Another reason is the lack of exposure this country has given soccer, which blocks kids from seeing the beauty of the sport at the professional level and learning the rules early on. The main reason I've played soccer my whole life is because I went to 2 World Cup games in 1994 when I was only 5 and I fell in love with it right there.
Also, the sport requires much more than what the youth soccer players are taught in this country, and many of them quit the sport when they realize that actual fundamentals and balance are required to play at higher levels. Europeans know this from the moment they can even kick a ball.
So, I'd say that if soccer has a chance of becoming big in the United States (before we are all dead of old age), we need to:
1. Expose our youth to the worldwide professional level of the game and not discourage them from playing it out of fear of being called "pussies."
2. Give them a platform to learn the basic fundamentals so that they can nurture their skills and develop from there.
3. Invest in MLS so that big name players like Beckham, Henry, and Lampard continue to play here and create regional pride in their teams.
4. Eradicate the mentality that all soccer games that end in 0-0 draws are useless and boring.
5. Get everyone to play FIFA, because honestly, people learn to LOVE the game once they get hooked to FIFA.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:24 pm to Draconian Sanctions
I really dislike baseball (don't like to play or watch), but that's really the only sport I can say that about.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:26 pm to GumBro Jackson
quote:
I've never watched Rugby. I have a buddy who cheers for a New Zealand team. I assume it is similar to football? Maybe with fewer stops in the action?
Depends on which code of Rugby you're talking about. There's Rugby Union and then there's Rugby League. League has a set of tackles you can make before giving up possession similar to downs in football. Union is more continuous play like soccer but there are stoppages for penalties in the form of penalty kicks, scrums and line-outs., but usually the clock will still be running.
It should definitely be bigger. Rugby is more suited to the physical nature of play that Americans like.
Don't get me wrong I actually like Soccer a good bit it's just since getting into Rugby I've found I have little time for it. It's nice too cause it's played in both hemispheres so there is Rugby pretty much year round.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:29 pm to Draconian Sanctions
quote:
Interest today is exponentially better than what it was 20 years ago.
It depends on where you live. In Central Ohio, lacrosse is becoming big and taking away a lot of baseball players since they are both spring sports. From a HS boys perspective, in Ohio football is definitely #1, followed by basketball and baseball. After that I would throw soccer, lacrosse, wrestling and hockey in together.
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