If Americans cared about soccer, then the World Cup would be the Super Bowl.
But we don't.
So we get the World Series, and you can have the (Third) World Cup.
The football World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the World. The fact that many Americans don't care for it makes zero difference to the rest of us.
Still, the U.S team isn't too bad these days. They're better than China (not that that's hard to achieve). But I suppose it will never take off there, for various reasons, one being that in most U.S sports every period of 'play' lasts about 10 seconds - baseball, American football, basketball. Maybe it's an attention span thing.
I think soccer is behind the sports you mentioned because it wasn't created here and the highest level of competition isn't played here, unlike those three. (There's a reason hockey runs a distant fourth.) And it ain't attention span. If that were the case, baseball would have gone tits up years ago.
If Americans cared about soccer, then the World Cup would be the Super Bowl.
But we don't.
So we get the World Series, and you can have the (Third) World Cup.
The football World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the World. The fact that many Americans don't care for it makes zero difference to the rest of us.
Still, the U.S team isn't too bad these days. They're better than China (not that that's hard to achieve). But I suppose it will never take off there, for various reasons, one being that in most U.S sports every period of 'play' lasts about 10 seconds - baseball, American football, basketball. Maybe it's an attention span thing.
Again, clearly you haven't watch a baseball game.
As for soccer, I don't care much for it because it ridiculous to play for that long with a 0-0 tie and then just leave the field. Stupid.
If Americans cared about soccer, then the World Cup would be the Super Bowl.
But we don't.
So we get the World Series, and you can have the (Third) World Cup.
The football World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the World. The fact that many Americans don't care for it makes zero difference to the rest of us.
Still, the U.S team isn't too bad these days. They're better than China (not that that's hard to achieve). But I suppose it will never take off there, for various reasons, one being that in most U.S sports every period of 'play' lasts about 10 seconds - baseball, American football, basketball. Maybe it's an attention span thing.
Again, clearly you haven't watch a baseball game.
As for soccer, I don't care much for it because it ridiculous to play for that long with a 0-0 tie and then just leave the field. Stupid.
If Americans cared about soccer, then the World Cup would be the Super Bowl.
But we don't.
So we get the World Series, and you can have the (Third) World Cup.
The football World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the World. The fact that many Americans don't care for it makes zero difference to the rest of us.
Still, the U.S team isn't too bad these days. They're better than China (not that that's hard to achieve). But I suppose it will never take off there, for various reasons, one being that in most U.S sports every period of 'play' lasts about 10 seconds - baseball, American football, basketball. Maybe it's an attention span thing.
If by not catching on you mean the 3rd highest average attendance in US professional sports (behind American Football and Baseball), or having the HIGHEST number of youth participants of any sport in the US, then I guess we're also waiting for basketball and hockey to catch on.
I love the European arrogance when it comes to US and soccer. Can't wait for the day that we advance as far as England, or ties them in a game in the World Cup....Oops!!!! Already happened.
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
The NHL teams don't usually refer to themselves as the World Champions when they win the Stanley Cup. They know that even though hockey is huge in Canada and there are Canadian teams and the NHL is Canada's hockey league as much as America's, hockey is just as big in other countries and players in European and Russian leagues are often more than happy to play in their home country's league instead of the NHL. The Olympics are pretty much hockey's version of a World Championship since NHL players are allowed to participate. The best players from the various leagues around the world get to play each other.
I disagree about hockey….The KHL in Russia is, skill-wise, the next closest league to the NHL…and it’s not even close. For the most part, the players there are either washed up, or not quite good enough for the NHL. Same goes for the Swedish Elite league. There are some Russian players in the KHL who got homesick, or had contract disputes in the NHL and went home…but for the vast majority of hockey players, the NHL is where you go to play against the top teams in the world. The Oly’s could somewhat be considered a world championship….but it’s more like an exhibition all-star tournament. The players don’t play together for more than a couple weeks – that takes away from the team aspect of the game, and the single-loss elimination is not a true test of a championship team IMO. The Stanley Cup is BY FAR the most demanding championship to win …playing up to 28 games, every second night…full contact, high intensity…nothing compares.
As far as how international these sports are…I did a quick google search…. not sure of accuracy, but here’s how many countries are represented by currently active players in each league:
NHL –18
NFL – 6
MLB – 45
NBA –34
I honestly don’t understand how the soccer leagues work, so I wouldn’t even know how to search it It’s obviously safe to say that it remains the most widely played/watched sport in the world. But that’s only cause you could play it on a dirt road with a fucking rock if you wanted to…..if we could get free ice and gear in every country, hockey would take over …I’ve played them all; hockey is waaaaay more fun to play than any other team sport, IMO.
As for soccer, I don't care much for it because it ridiculous to play for that long with a 0-0 tie and then just leave the field. Stupid.
I have watched a baseball game. They're interrupted every 5 minutes by lots of silly flag waving, chest thumping, and advertisements.
As for football games ending with a 0-0 tie and the players leaving the field, this only happens during league games. In any tournament if the game ends 0-0 in normal time then it goes to extra time, followed by penalties.
If Americans cared about soccer, then the World Cup would be the Super Bowl.
But we don't.
So we get the World Series, and you can have the (Third) World Cup.
The football World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the World. The fact that many Americans don't care for it makes zero difference to the rest of us.
Still, the U.S team isn't too bad these days. They're better than China (not that that's hard to achieve). But I suppose it will never take off there, for various reasons, one being that in most U.S sports every period of 'play' lasts about 10 seconds - baseball, American football, basketball. Maybe it's an attention span thing.
If by not catching on you mean the 3rd highest average attendance in US professional sports (behind American Football and Baseball), or having the HIGHEST number of youth participants of any sport in the US, then I guess we're also waiting for basketball and hockey to catch on.
I love the European arrogance when it comes to US and soccer. Can't wait for the day that we advance as far as England, or ties them in a game in the World Cup....Oops!!!! Already happened.
So Americans do care about football then? Maybe you and Mayday Malone can argue amongst yourselves?
So Americans do care about football then? Maybe you and Mayday Malone can argue amongst yourselves?
I would say that most people grow up participating in the sport. And as a person who actually still gets out and kicks the ball around (very poorly but who cares) I can say that Americans like playing it, but the reason people think it isn't a success is because of television ratings...and it doesn't translate well to television in my opinion.
So care about it as a pro sport...maybe not...like playing it...certainly...it is kind of like Arrested development around here...great show...people in the know enjoy the hell out of it but couldn't get an audience on TV...people shouldn't call it a failure because of that...and they shouldn't call Soccer a failure in the states because johnny budweiser won't watch it on a saturday afternoon when Ron Popeil has a set of knives to sell.
but anyway...I disagree with anything you have to say about soccer....whew, back to normal.
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
And that was at a time when the league wasn't nearly as international as it is now, mainly just North American players. My dad has a shirt from the Canadiens '93 Stanley Cup victory that says "World Champions".
"See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
I have watched a baseball game. They're interrupted every 5 minutes by lots of silly flag waving, chest thumping, and advertisements.
I don't know what baseball game this guy watched. Flag waving & chest thumping? Yeah, definitely lots of ads, agree with you there.
The reasons why it's (rightfully) called the World Series have been rehashed repeatedly in this thread and I won't bother going over them again.
How about the Super Bowl? It's not a Bowl, it's a game. A bowl is something you eat soup or cereal out of. :? And many years it is far from super, although the quality has generally improved in the past decade or two.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; WF Center 10/21/13; WF Center 10/22/13; Baltimore 10/27/13; WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
I'm guessing Byrnzie doesn't watch a lot of sports, whatever the country there is a lot of flag waving and chest thumping. Ever watch a hockey game, lots of Canadian flags in the crowd, painted on people's faces, etc.
Ever watch an Italian Serie A game?
That's extreme flag waving.
I think Byrnzie only has a problem with people waving the American flag. I've never seen an American Flag at a baseball game except for the ones hung up at the stadium, though I'm sure there have been some. I don't have a problem with people waving their respective country's flags at games. Paint flags on your face, wave a flag, do whatever. It's about having fun right? It is still a game correct?
"See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
Baseball may have a lot of ads, but so does the English Premier League. Every team has a shirt sponsor, and the most prominent item on a player's jersey is the name of the sponsoring company. Some lower division teams have sponsor names on both the front and back of their shirts.
So, when you spend money on a club's replica jersey, you become a walking billboard for the team's sponsor.
Most teams also align themselves with legal bookmakers, so betting on matches is actually encouraged by the teams, and, you can usually place your bet at the grounds.
How about the Super Bowl? It's not a Bowl, it's a game. A bowl is something you eat soup or cereal out of. :? And many years it is far from super, although the quality has generally improved in the past decade or two.
And why is it called 'football' when it's played with your hands? :think:
I'm guessing Byrnzie doesn't watch a lot of sports, whatever the country there is a lot of flag waving and chest thumping. Ever watch a hockey game, lots of Canadian flags in the crowd, painted on people's faces, etc.
Ever watch an Italian Serie A game?
That's extreme flag waving.
I think Byrnzie only has a problem with people waving the American flag. I've never seen an American Flag at a baseball game except for the ones hung up at the stadium, though I'm sure there have been some. I don't have a problem with people waving their respective country's flags at games. Paint flags on your face, wave a flag, do whatever. It's about having fun right? It is still a game correct?
So a game of baseball isn't interrupted every 5 or 10 minutes by big screen advertisements, and patriotic singing, e.t.c.?
I watched a game of American football on t.v the other day and it took about 4 hours, though the combined total amount of actual play was probably about 20 minutes. Most of the time was spent looking at Chrysler advertisements.
By the way, I have no more problem with the American flag than I do with any other flag.
Baseball may have a lot of ads, but so does the English Premier League. Every team has a shirt sponsor, and the most prominent item on a player's jersey is the name of the sponsoring company. Some lower division teams have sponsor names on both the front and back of their shirts.
So, when you spend money on a club's replica jersey, you become a walking billboard for the team's sponsor.
Most teams also align themselves with legal bookmakers, so betting on matches is actually encouraged by the teams, and, you can usually place your bet at the grounds.
And why is it called 'football' when it's played with your hands? :think:
Except for kickers right?
The beginnings of American Football was very different from what it has evolved into. The game was originally sort of a mixture of rugby and soccer, and was often compared to European "mob football", which is not at all like European Football as we know it. In fact in the past football was a term that described any ball game played on foot, as opposed to games like polo which is played on a horse. The first use of the term football is a Scottish description of a game that more resembles Rugby or American football than Soccer/Football. Over time the American version of football evolved, the forward pass was introduced, lines of scrimmage, etc.
"See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
So a game of baseball isn't interrupted every 5 or 10 minutes by big screen advertisements, and patriotic singing, e.t.c.?
I watched a game of American football on t.v the other day and it took about 4 hours, though the combined total amount of actual play was probably about 20 minutes. Most of the time was spent looking at Chrysler advertisements.
By the way, I have no more problem with the American flag than I do with any other flag.
In a baseball game there is the national anthem at the beginning (as in most every sport everywhere) and sometimes (depending on the team) God Bless America in the 7th inning stretch, but if they don't sing that they sing Take Me Out To The Ball Game, so there's going to be a singing interruption regardless. Commercials only come between teams coming up to bat (not between batters on the same side) and if there is a pitching change while the pitcher comes out and warms up.
"See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
How about the Super Bowl? It's not a Bowl, it's a game. A bowl is something you eat soup or cereal out of. :? And many years it is far from super, although the quality has generally improved in the past decade or two.
And why is it called 'football' when it's played with your hands? :think:
Baseball may have a lot of ads, but so does the English Premier League.
You mean the Barclay's Premier League, right?
I don't know what it is with Euro sports, the hockey teams are even worse...they look like bloody nascar drivers or something
ads on your shins? :?
Looks like there is still room for a Fig Newtons ad on his face shield. Someone get Ricky Bobby on the blower.
But, at least with hockey, you have very few commercial breaks during the period. And it's the best sporting event to see in person.
Ads in gridiron football are out of control right now. I can't believe Rex Ryan got fined $75G for cursing a fan off-camera when I have to hear a two-minute ramble on erections lasting longer then four hours 5-6 times during each game. Makes me yearn for the good ol' days of Carrot Top screaming 1-800-CALL-ATT at me.
As for soccer, I can't comment because I don't watch that wussy crap. :twisted:
This thread is pretty embarrassing for the ignorant comments both ways. The guy in China who understands nothing about baseball and the people here who understand nothing about soccer (football). I always think that baseball would be the hardest game to explain to a foreigner, but it is a beautiful sport and I believe the greatest in the world. "Always interrupted by singing" - I may put that as my new signature.
Although I have to say that Spain/Netherlands WC Final was a really awful game. I'd take almost any Super Bowl over that. The Italy/France game was pretty nice though.
Oh, Byrnzie, you overestimated the time of action in an American football game - it's about 12 minutes - not 20 minutes. The games usually take about 3-3.25 hours; college games take about 3.5 hours because the clock stops more often and halftime is longer. There is definitely more time spent watching Viagra commercials than watching actual action.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; WF Center 10/21/13; WF Center 10/22/13; Baltimore 10/27/13; WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
soccer finally clicked with me when i was in college. the games played in england and italy are AMAZING (not short changing other leagues/countries, but these two are the most televised in the US). soccer truly houses some of the best athletes in the world.
sure, ending a game in a tie sucks. a 1-0 ending could be boring, but the game as a WHOLE is incredible to watch. so much strategy involved, love the size of the field, lots of play making.
i would love to witness one of these gaves live, it would be an absolute blast (did see AC milan play inter milan in boston, which was just OK with a US crowd). within the past year or so, ESPN has started to televise some of the sunday games which is great to finally see in HD. the games look stunning. fox soccer channel not having HD is garbage.
Football game time is 60 minutes, four 15-minute quarters. The rest of it is all about TV and $ isn't it? I've watched a young family member's freshman league football game and it's great, the purest of the sport, whichever it is. He's done baseball and swimming too. It's the way to get away from all the commercial stuff and still enjoy sports and I was a huge football fan. I've become a budding soccer fan too because of the kids' games. It's a growing sport in the U.S.
Anyway, stay on the topic please...not the other members.
soccer finally clicked with me when i was in college. the games played in england and italy are AMAZING (not short changing other leagues/countries, but these two are the most televised in the US). soccer truly houses some of the best athletes in the world.
sure, ending a game in a tie sucks. a 1-0 ending could be boring, but the game as a WHOLE is incredible to watch. so much strategy involved, love the size of the field, lots of play making.
i would love to witness one of these gaves live, it would be an absolute blast (did see AC milan play inter milan in boston, which was just OK with a US crowd). within the past year or so, ESPN has started to televise some of the sunday games which is great to finally see in HD. the games look stunning. fox soccer channel not having HD is garbage.
This is why soccer doesn't "catch on" (really a misconception) with the "normal" US fan:
Soccer is first and foremost a players' game.
Every other American sport is a coach's game.
Even hockey (which is NORTH American, not US) has players off the ice more than they are on it (though, at least the game flows with very little stoppage). Basketball the coaches call out every play - on offense and D. In Baseball - there's freaking hand signals from the dugout to the 3rd base coach or catcher on every pitch. It's all so silly. And we won't even get started on Handegg where every position has its own coach.
Soccer is 90 minutes, very little substitution (especially at top levels) and no time outs. Coach's can yell all they want. They don't get to sit down other than at half time to share their thoughts on how to attack or defend. They don't get to re-set lines or call plays (except maybe set plays, and even then at the highest levels, they never look to the sidelines). Every other sport not only has that it ENCOURAGES it. And most folks like to think of themselves as experts in everything. Soccer doesn't allow for that. Go to any youth soccer game, and you'll see all the fat parents that have clearly never touched a soccer ball yelling at their little Ronaldos when their kids already know more about the game then they do.
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
Comments
I think soccer is behind the sports you mentioned because it wasn't created here and the highest level of competition isn't played here, unlike those three. (There's a reason hockey runs a distant fourth.) And it ain't attention span. If that were the case, baseball would have gone tits up years ago.
Again, clearly you haven't watch a baseball game.
As for soccer, I don't care much for it because it ridiculous to play for that long with a 0-0 tie and then just leave the field. Stupid.
+1. very stupid.
If by not catching on you mean the 3rd highest average attendance in US professional sports (behind American Football and Baseball), or having the HIGHEST number of youth participants of any sport in the US, then I guess we're also waiting for basketball and hockey to catch on.
I love the European arrogance when it comes to US and soccer. Can't wait for the day that we advance as far as England, or ties them in a game in the World Cup....Oops!!!! Already happened.
I disagree about hockey….The KHL in Russia is, skill-wise, the next closest league to the NHL…and it’s not even close. For the most part, the players there are either washed up, or not quite good enough for the NHL. Same goes for the Swedish Elite league. There are some Russian players in the KHL who got homesick, or had contract disputes in the NHL and went home…but for the vast majority of hockey players, the NHL is where you go to play against the top teams in the world. The Oly’s could somewhat be considered a world championship….but it’s more like an exhibition all-star tournament. The players don’t play together for more than a couple weeks – that takes away from the team aspect of the game, and the single-loss elimination is not a true test of a championship team IMO. The Stanley Cup is BY FAR the most demanding championship to win …playing up to 28 games, every second night…full contact, high intensity…nothing compares.
As far as how international these sports are…I did a quick google search…. not sure of accuracy, but here’s how many countries are represented by currently active players in each league:
NHL –18
NFL – 6
MLB – 45
NBA –34
I honestly don’t understand how the soccer leagues work, so I wouldn’t even know how to search it
I have watched a baseball game. They're interrupted every 5 minutes by lots of silly flag waving, chest thumping, and advertisements.
As for football games ending with a 0-0 tie and the players leaving the field, this only happens during league games. In any tournament if the game ends 0-0 in normal time then it goes to extra time, followed by penalties.
So Americans do care about football then? Maybe you and Mayday Malone can argue amongst yourselves?
THE WORLD with penalty kicks, is like settling...
...the Super Bowl w/ best-out-of-five field goals.
...or the World Series w/ a fastest pitch competition.
... or the NBA Finals w/ free throws.
It's a little silly, IMO.
Yep. It's absolutely fucking ridiculous. That's like game 7 of the stanley cup finals going to a shootout...fucking insane!
or college football playing an phoney championship game....oh wait.
Ehhh...dont even get me started on that nonsense. You must be giddy w/ Urban Meyer taking over the Buckeyes, huh?
Cheaters don't deserve Urban. But now that he is one of them, I wish him all the ill will possible.
I would say that most people grow up participating in the sport. And as a person who actually still gets out and kicks the ball around (very poorly but who cares) I can say that Americans like playing it, but the reason people think it isn't a success is because of television ratings...and it doesn't translate well to television in my opinion.
So care about it as a pro sport...maybe not...like playing it...certainly...it is kind of like Arrested development around here...great show...people in the know enjoy the hell out of it but couldn't get an audience on TV...people shouldn't call it a failure because of that...and they shouldn't call Soccer a failure in the states because johnny budweiser won't watch it on a saturday afternoon when Ron Popeil has a set of knives to sell.
but anyway...I disagree with anything you have to say about soccer....whew, back to normal.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
And that was at a time when the league wasn't nearly as international as it is now, mainly just North American players. My dad has a shirt from the Canadiens '93 Stanley Cup victory that says "World Champions".
I don't know what baseball game this guy watched. Flag waving & chest thumping? Yeah, definitely lots of ads, agree with you there.
The reasons why it's (rightfully) called the World Series have been rehashed repeatedly in this thread and I won't bother going over them again.
How about the Super Bowl? It's not a Bowl, it's a game. A bowl is something you eat soup or cereal out of. :? And many years it is far from super, although the quality has generally improved in the past decade or two.
WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
Ever watch an Italian Serie A game?
That's extreme flag waving.
I think Byrnzie only has a problem with people waving the American flag. I've never seen an American Flag at a baseball game except for the ones hung up at the stadium, though I'm sure there have been some. I don't have a problem with people waving their respective country's flags at games. Paint flags on your face, wave a flag, do whatever. It's about having fun right? It is still a game correct?
So, when you spend money on a club's replica jersey, you become a walking billboard for the team's sponsor.
Most teams also align themselves with legal bookmakers, so betting on matches is actually encouraged by the teams, and, you can usually place your bet at the grounds.
I don't know what it is with Euro sports, the hockey teams are even worse...they look like bloody nascar drivers or something
ads on your shins? :?
Ha ha...ok, now you're just making shit up. Either you bathe twice daily in confirmation bias or you're trolling at a Hall of Fame level.
And why is it called 'football' when it's played with your hands? :think:
So a game of baseball isn't interrupted every 5 or 10 minutes by big screen advertisements, and patriotic singing, e.t.c.?
I watched a game of American football on t.v the other day and it took about 4 hours, though the combined total amount of actual play was probably about 20 minutes. Most of the time was spent looking at Chrysler advertisements.
By the way, I have no more problem with the American flag than I do with any other flag.
True.
Except for kickers right?
The beginnings of American Football was very different from what it has evolved into. The game was originally sort of a mixture of rugby and soccer, and was often compared to European "mob football", which is not at all like European Football as we know it. In fact in the past football was a term that described any ball game played on foot, as opposed to games like polo which is played on a horse. The first use of the term football is a Scottish description of a game that more resembles Rugby or American football than Soccer/Football. Over time the American version of football evolved, the forward pass was introduced, lines of scrimmage, etc.
In a baseball game there is the national anthem at the beginning (as in most every sport everywhere) and sometimes (depending on the team) God Bless America in the 7th inning stretch, but if they don't sing that they sing Take Me Out To The Ball Game, so there's going to be a singing interruption regardless. Commercials only come between teams coming up to bat (not between batters on the same side) and if there is a pitching change while the pitcher comes out and warms up.
But, at least with hockey, you have very few commercial breaks during the period. And it's the best sporting event to see in person.
Ads in gridiron football are out of control right now. I can't believe Rex Ryan got fined $75G for cursing a fan off-camera when I have to hear a two-minute ramble on erections lasting longer then four hours 5-6 times during each game. Makes me yearn for the good ol' days of Carrot Top screaming 1-800-CALL-ATT at me.
As for soccer, I can't comment because I don't watch that wussy crap. :twisted:
Although I have to say that Spain/Netherlands WC Final was a really awful game. I'd take almost any Super Bowl over that. The Italy/France game was pretty nice though.
Oh, Byrnzie, you overestimated the time of action in an American football game - it's about 12 minutes - not 20 minutes. The games usually take about 3-3.25 hours; college games take about 3.5 hours because the clock stops more often and halftime is longer. There is definitely more time spent watching Viagra commercials than watching actual action.
WF Center 4/28/16; WF Center 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; WF Center 9/7/24; WF Center 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
sure, ending a game in a tie sucks. a 1-0 ending could be boring, but the game as a WHOLE is incredible to watch. so much strategy involved, love the size of the field, lots of play making.
i would love to witness one of these gaves live, it would be an absolute blast (did see AC milan play inter milan in boston, which was just OK with a US crowd). within the past year or so, ESPN has started to televise some of the sunday games which is great to finally see in HD. the games look stunning. fox soccer channel not having HD is garbage.
Anyway, stay on the topic please...not the other members.
This is why soccer doesn't "catch on" (really a misconception) with the "normal" US fan:
Soccer is first and foremost a players' game.
Every other American sport is a coach's game.
Even hockey (which is NORTH American, not US) has players off the ice more than they are on it (though, at least the game flows with very little stoppage). Basketball the coaches call out every play - on offense and D. In Baseball - there's freaking hand signals from the dugout to the 3rd base coach or catcher on every pitch. It's all so silly. And we won't even get started on Handegg where every position has its own coach.
Soccer is 90 minutes, very little substitution (especially at top levels) and no time outs. Coach's can yell all they want. They don't get to sit down other than at half time to share their thoughts on how to attack or defend. They don't get to re-set lines or call plays (except maybe set plays, and even then at the highest levels, they never look to the sidelines). Every other sport not only has that it ENCOURAGES it. And most folks like to think of themselves as experts in everything. Soccer doesn't allow for that. Go to any youth soccer game, and you'll see all the fat parents that have clearly never touched a soccer ball yelling at their little Ronaldos when their kids already know more about the game then they do.