Soccer hate

[Duvall]

Soccer will always have a niche in American culture, but don't expect to see any matches regularly on prime time tv in your life time.

I mean, there are MLS matches airing in prime time on ESPN this summer. I would be surprised if that became *less* frequent over the years.

[DUKIECB]

"Basketball = NBA" to someone posting on "www.dukebasetballreport.com"??

Pretend you're English. Then Soccer = EPL. That's essentially what you're doing by ignoring all the professional basketball leagues worldwide by saying "Basketball = NBA".

Think of EPL, La Liga, etc as conferences in college basketball. Then the Champions League is the NCAA tournament and Europa League is like the NIT.

How do you watch it? Pick a team to support. Doesn't matter how. Find a bar in your area that shows the games. Go, drink beer. Make friends there who'll help you understand.

Yes, I post on DBR and I'm saying basketball = NBA. I see the irony. I was referring to professional soccer/sports.

My point was and still is that it's confusing to the average newbie fan when they know nothing about it and it's NEVER on TV.

I don't have the luxury of watching in a bar either. I do not live in a metropolitan area and if I'm not watching on my couch then I'm not watching. The trouble is I want to watch on my couch and it seems I'm going to have to pay a lot to accomplish it.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Yes, I post on DBR and I'm saying basketball = NBA. I see the irony. I was referring to professional soccer/sports.

My point was and still is that it's confusing to the average newbie fan when they know nothing about it and it's NEVER on TV.

I don't have the luxury of watching in a bar either. I do not live in a metropolitan area and if I'm not watching on my couch then I'm not watching. The trouble is I want to watch on my couch and it seems I'm going to have to pay a lot to accomplish it.

I absolutely see your point. I get it. The leagues and the international play can get complex. I can relate somewhat; after 7 years in this country, I still am not 100% sure of the rules in American football. And I probably watch around 10 games a year (I'm only a casual fan, don't hold that against me ). That said, I do love American football, the name of the game withstanding. Obviously, I love basketball 10x more, but American football is second in terms of American sports.

[Duvall]

Yes, I post on DBR and I'm saying basketball = NBA. I see the irony. I was referring to professional soccer/sports.

My point was and still is that it's confusing to the average newbie fan when they know nothing about it and it's NEVER on TV.

I don't have the luxury of watching in a bar either. I do not live in a metropolitan area and if I'm not watching on my couch then I'm not watching. The trouble is I want to watch on my couch and it seems I'm going to have to pay a lot to accomplish it.

NBC airs EPL games on Saturday mornings in the winter. Games are on NBC Sports Channel as well.

[gus]

Yes, I post on DBR and I'm saying basketball = NBA. I see the irony. I was referring to professional soccer/sports.

My point was and still is that it's confusing to the average newbie fan when they know nothing about it and it's NEVER on TV.

I don't have the luxury of watching in a bar either. I do not live in a metropolitan area and if I'm not watching on my couch then I'm not watching. The trouble is I want to watch on my couch and it seems I'm going to have to pay a lot to accomplish it.

Soccer is a game that's best watched in a crowd, but I hear you. (And I agree it's confusing).

NBC paid a lot for the rights to broadcast EPL games in the US. Which, if their Olympics coverage is any indication, means it'll be close to impossible to see actual live EPL matches in the Unites States without satellite.

[weezie]

Soccer is a game that's best watched in a crowd, but I hear you. (And I agree it's confusing).

We were having this discussion last night. I think soccer on the radio is just a perfect snooze.

[bjornolf]

The assistant refs can signal fouls to the head ref, who then calls it. So, it's not like if the head ref doesn't see it, it's not a foul. ARs can definitely call fouls but the final determination is at the whistle of the head ref.

Ah, see, that's how little I know about soccer. They said on the radio that the linesmen are for offside and out of bounds only and the refs ignore them half the time anyway. I believed them. My bad.

[JohnGalt]

I've never said I hate soccer ... only that I don't care.

Ummm. OK:

...then going scoreless in a loss to Germany summed up my "soccer hate" 100 percent.

So that's your definition of boneheaded? Disagreeing with the majority?

If so then all Americans who like soccer are boneheaded for enjoying it -- after all, the great majority of American sports fans couldn't care less about soccer.

As of this January, two percent of Americans rated soccer their favorite sport -- less than the same poll in 1985. Is soccer interest in America dropping?

http://www.socceramerica.com/article...te-sports.html

Ahh the time-honored American exceptionalism argument. If the average American doesn't like it, all others are boneheaded for enjoying it. And since we're cherrypicking random stats into random conclusions here, I guess since the MLS has the 6th highest average attendance in the world's most popular sport, that must mean that it's the 6th most popular worldwide league...right? Or maybe since the USA matches have gotten as high of ratings as the NBA Finals that the vast majority of American sports fans don't care about the NBA either?

It's ok to admit ignorance. You don't understand the game; therefore, you don't enjoy it. I haven't taken the time to figure out hockey...ipso facto, I don't enjoy it much. That doesn't mean I can't appreciate the incredible athleticism and skill involved though.

But there are things that I really do not like or understand. One is the flopping. Another is tremendous influence of the referee and linesman who are human. I am not the biggest fan of instant replay but if you are going to hold up the game for minutes while some player faking an injury can roll around before making a miraculous recovery, why not review the play and decide in slow motion if it was a foul or a fake. Why not use it quickly on off sides? I also wish there was a real clock and we knew exactly how much time is less, but that is less of a concern.
SoCal

Instant replay is slowly working its way into the game just like in baseball. The problem with the off-side rule is there's a lot of nuance to it. Is the attacking player gaining an advantage or distracting an opponent (thereby gaining an advantage) in an off-side position? There's a lot of room for debate there. I personally like how it's called tightly. Higher scoring would mean that managers would have less control on matches and aberrations like Greece in 2004 and Chelsea in 2012 wouldn't happen as much.

This is spot on, IMO.

Americans play soccer but do not watch it. The Chinese watch soccer but do not play it. It's funny how soccer cannot be a consistent force in two of the world's largest economies.

Add the Indians, as well. The Chinese and Indians are the two largest markets for soccer and have collectively qualified for 1 world cup.

How in the heck do you watch it? To the average American this has to be confusing to say the least. I know it is to me. Premier league, La Liga, Champions League, Copa Del Ray, MLS, Europa League, this cup, that cup, on and on. To the average guy like me who has only previously watched soccer in the Olympics and World Cup this is quite overwhelming to figure out. I'm used to watching one league for whatever sport I want to watch. Basketball = NBA, Baseball = MLB, Football = NFL etc.

Have you been living under a rock? NBC got the rights for the EPL last season and every single game was available for watching. And they played every team's last match on television the last weekend of the season (because the race was so close). The inability to watch the leagues isn't an argument you've really been able to use in a good 6-8 years. Unless of course you're a Eredivise fanatic or something like that.

The major European leagues are all more/less structured the same way. It's something like this:

1. Each has a League Season (round-robin regular season..ie EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, etc).
2. Each has a League Cup. (knockout format...FA Cup, Copa Del Rey, Coppa Italia, etc).

These two competitions occur concurrently and ONLY involve teams in one country. Remember though that there are multiple leagues in each country. The Cup matches always involve teams from different leagues playing one another. In the League Season you only play teams currently in your League.

In addition to country-specific tournaments, there are continental tournaments, as well. These are called the Champions League (considered to be most prestigious) and the Europa League. You qualify for these tournaments based on your League Season finish. So if you do really well in your league you will qualify for the Champions League the following year and play the best teams from other countries. If you do slightly less well you'll qualify for the Europa League (kind of like the NIT) and play some other great teams from around Europe (although not the best).

There's more to it and you'll probably have questions, but that is the basic format: League Season, League Cup, Champions League/Europa League (if you qualified).

[Dev11]

Have you been living under a rock? NBC got the rights for the EPL last season and every single game was available for watching. And they played every team's last match on television the last weekend of the season (because the race was so close). The inability to watch the leagues isn't an argument you've really been able to use in a good 6-8 years. Unless of course you're a Eredivise fanatic or something like that.

I started regularly watching EPL this year as I was living with a Liverpool fan for the length of the season. My soccer fanhood was basically none prior to last year. As a sports fan, NBC's broadcast and streaming service are both great.

If you wake up on Saturday or Sunday mornings and think "how come there's no football/basketball on yet?," I recommend EPL broadcasts. It's better than NFL Countdown, that's for sure.

[Reisen]

Or maybe since the USA matches have gotten as high of ratings as the NBA Finals that the vast majority of American sports fans don't care about the NBA either?

Yup. USA - Portugal had more viewers than the World Series, NBA Finals, or March Madness.

I'll be the first to admit that the product MLS puts on the field could improve (and it is), but I don't think America is having an issue with people not watching soccer.

[Dukeface88]

American football, the name of the game withstanding.

American football is correctly named, being a game played on foot rather than horseback (like polo, or jousting). That the ball is advanced mostly by carrying instead of kicking is also true of Australian football, Canadian football, Gaelic football, and Rugby football; you'll also note that all of them are contact sports. This is also true of the original medieval-era "mob football". So if anything, it's association football that is the odd one out, and therefore misnamed.

[NashvilleDevil]

I was never a huge fan of the beautiful game but one thing changed that, playing FIFA 10 on PS3. I know, a grown man with 2 kids should curb the video games, but it takes about 10 minutes to play a game and it gives you some basic knowledge of all the different leagues and cups that take place in Europe. So now I kind of follow what is going on during the season but have been entralled with the last two world cups. Also it is a fun sport to watch with two kids under 6.

[Reisen]

Si's take:

Ah, crud. Thanks to ESPN’s limitless war chest of tax-sheltered Disney money, the 2014 World Cup has been branded into startling popularity with lamestream Millennials. Now societal norms dictate that you need to be up-to-date on the bloody Algerian national team every time you stop in for a $13 Absinthe-loutely Cinnamon Sazerac at Applebee Corp.’s new speakeasy concept bar in Koreatown.

This is a new America. We like soccer now.

http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2014...-about-belgium

[A-Tex Devil]

I was never a huge fan of the beautiful game but one thing changed that, playing FIFA 10 on PS3. I know, a grown man with 2 kids should curb the video games, but it takes about 10 minutes to play a game and it gives you some basic knowledge of all the different leagues and cups that take place in Europe. So now I kind of follow what is going on during the season but have been entralled with the last two world cups. Also it is a fun sport to watch with two kids under 6.

Same for me in Few Quad with FIFA 1998. Batistuta!!