Yep, another ESPN thread (MOD: Soccer popularity)

[JerseyGuy276]

WOW THAT'S SO EXCITING!!!




And when a team has more than 10 shots on goal, it's considered A LOT...and it's 90 minutes games wooowwwwwwww zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I KNOW RIGHT!! Lets instead watch some guys stand around for 45 minutes and run for a few seconds every couple of minutes!!! You might find this fascinating...but a soccer game can start at the same time as a hockey game and guess which one is finished first?! Or better yet what exactly do you find more exciting then a game tying goal in (your terms) overtime while being down a player for most of the game and then beating that time a penalty kicks when they're supposedly the best in the world? I bet you've never watched a soccer game in your life and think baseball is exciting too. I bet you also probably think Landon Donovans goal did absolutely nothing for American Soccer and you're quite confused as to why people care about a game thats extremely difficult to score in.

 

[JerseyGuy276]

I've got to see a source on this. MLS beating MLB in ratings? Too hard to believe.

I believe he meant national team games.

 

[Kane One]

You must not know many people then, cause everyone I know has played soccer at some point in their life and my friends still have pick up matches today in our backyards...


Its called a game. There were these things called goals scored and some exciting scoring chances and many other awesome things. Things that are much more exciting then watching some guys hit a tiny ball around with a wooden stick and catch it while claiming to be athletes.

Well in NYC, no one gives a **** about soccer except when the World Cup comes around. Mostly everyone here plays basketball. The only time I see anyone playing soccer is when it's really hot outside and a bunch of Mexicans decide to go to the park.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

You must not know many people then, cause everyone I know has played soccer at some point in their life and my friends still have pick up matches today in our backyards...

All depends on where you grew up. Soccer isn't a blip on Pittsburgh's radar. I didn't play it, nor did any of my friends. We all played baseball and street hockey when growing up.


I wish I'd played as a kid now, but I was raised when the general consensus in this country was that soccer was for *******. It took me actually trying to watch games in the past 4-5 years for me to actually gain an appreciation for the sport. Before the 2006 World Cup I'd never actually watched a game in it's entirety. The mindset in this country has slowly been changing...it's definitely far more popular than it was when I was a kid...but it's still got a long way to go. Like any sport here it's going to be more popular in certain pockets/populations than it will in others. I hold no hope of soccer ever gaining a following in my hometown, or in my current town, but the west coast...oh yeah.

 

[Hertl Power]

I've got to see a source on this. MLS beating MLB in ratings? Too hard to believe.

From what I thought he said it wasn't mls that was beating mlb but instead USA women's world cup games that was beating mlb in the ratings.

 

[Jyrki]

I'm not sure if anyone has pointed this out in the middle pages, but MLS teams play 34 games a season (IIRC) and they have 18 teams.

34*18 < NHL's 82*30, obviously. They'd need an attendance of 50K+ to beat the NHL on game attendance.

The bad news, though, is that soccer has far more room to expand than ice hockey - not only it is the sport of choice for the bulk of the USA's immigrant population, but it doesn't suffer the same geographical constraints (i.e. only in Canada/some of the USA can kids literally "go out and skate", elsewhere there has to be indoor rinks), and a boatload of other factors too.

By the way soccer is an amazing sport. I'm trying to get conditioned to see if I can try out for the university's varsity team next Spring. I'd love to play competitively on the back end.

 

[Shwag33]

All depends on where you grew up. Soccer isn't a blip on Pittsburgh's radar. I didn't play it, nor did any of my friends. We all played baseball and street hockey when growing up.


I wish I'd played as a kid now, but I was raised when the general consensus in this country was that soccer was for *******. It took me actually trying to watch games in the past 4-5 years for me to actually gain an appreciation for the sport. Before the 2006 World Cup I'd never actually watched a game in it's entirety. The mindset in this country has slowly been changing...it's definitely far more popular than it was when I was a kid...but it's still got a long way to go. Like any sport here it's going to be more popular in certain pockets/populations than it will in others. I hold no hope of soccer ever gaining a following in my hometown, or in my current town, but the west coast...oh yeah.

I'm from pittsburgh, a lot of people played it east of the city. I did, lots of friends did. No one really watches it.

Playing and watching arent the same thing. More kids may play it, but itll never translate well to tv. It's so ****ing boring to watch, coming from someone who play 10+ years.

And to the soccer humpers, yes there are exciting moments... so don't start talking about a handful of events that were exciting. In general the game is not exciting. Hell the Europeans that love soccer just dance around and sing in the stands, barely even watch the game cause theres not much happening.

 

[Overkamp]

Soccer IS the most participated in sport in the United States. It's been that way since I was a kid.

Doesn't mean kids love it (I hated it), just means it's an easy, cheap sport to get your kids into.

 

[Shwag33]

Soccer IS the most participated in sport in the United States. It's been that way since I was a kid.

Doesn't mean kids love it (I hated it), just means it's an easy, cheap sport to get your kids into.

And this is why its the world sport. All you need is 4 big rocks for goals and something round that rolls. The poorest of the poor can play. You think people from ghana are going to be able to play hockey...

 

[HellasLEAF]

I love hockey, but nothing beats the major soccer events World Cup, Euro Cup and Champions League.

Except for the Leafs in the cup final.

so, like I was saying...

 

[JVR]

Weren't the CL-final ratings on an AFTERNOON almost as high as the SC ratings in the US??

That was shocking to me when I read that.

And to the soccer humpers, yes there are exciting moments... so don't start talking about a handful of events that were exciting. In general the game is not exciting. Hell the Europeans that love soccer just dance around and sing in the stands, barely even watch the game cause theres not much happening.

Not that again...
Fans here are even crazier at hockey games btw.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Its called a game. There were these things called goals scored and some exciting scoring chances and many other awesome things. Things that are much more exciting then watching some guys hit a tiny ball around with a wooden stick and catch it while claiming to be athletes.

Soccer being less boring than baseball (the most boring sport on earth) doesn't help its case.

 

[Pentothal]

More than 50 000 people in attendance at the New England Revolution - Man United friendly game right now. Not bad for such a "boring" game as soccer

 

[cptjeff]

I have a bone to pick with the ignorant dopes who keep attacking baseball.

Baseball is a game of strategy and execution. You can't simply outmuscle your opponent like so many other sports. Muscle can sure help, but you have to have the coordination and the brain to make it come together.

Basically, when you start to understand pitching, you start to understand baseball. A pitcher doesn't just throw the thing as hard as they can- the have to curve the ball, pick a very small and precise spot, and hit it. The spot and the motion are incredibly important. If the hitter guesses what and where you're throwing, the ball is out of the park and you're boned, even if you can throw 97 miles an hour.

It's a one on one battle. Pitcher versus hitter, and one will lose. Defenses are planned around where a player might hit the ball and if or where there are runners. Runners steal, or act like they're going to to play headgames with the pitcher. You can't run out the clock- you have to execute in order to win.

A no hitter or a perfect game- well, if you're the dope who can't understand anything but 'ball go far!', I can see how it would be boring. If you can process the interplay during an at bat, it's an incredibly dominating performance. And fascinating to watch.

And if you doubt the athleticism, try throwing a 95 mph pitch sometime. For that matter, try hitting one. Your local batting cage has machines that will make you feel like a complete failure at life. It takes a lot more energy then you might feel just to foul off a big league pitch. Outfielders busting their ass for 40 meters in a few seconds to make a grab? I'm betting the basement dwellers here couldn't do it. Turning a double play from midair while a guy is coming at you spikes up? Not a chance.

Continuous action sports are great too, don't get me wrong. But baseball is only boring if you have no idea what the hell is going on.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Continuous action sports are great too, don't get me wrong. But baseball is only boring if you have no idea what the hell is going on.

I've played plenty of competitive baseball and completely hate to watch it.

 

[PensFan1253]

I've played plenty of competitive baseball and completely hate to watch it.

I do agree with this, just due to the fact baseball translates very badly to a TV. Now, if you're in a ballpark and can see what both the benches and the field does between every pitch, then you understand it. Baseball's main problem is it's rules and mannerisms have not caught up to the 21st century, and ever since Robby Alomar spit on John Hirschbeck, the umpires don't take any crap and want to throw people out for basically nothing, basically making themselves to be seen instead of hiding in plain sight

 

[Nashvols]

Soccer could be a top 4 sport in the US if they didnt encourage dives and faking injuries. I love the sport, i play it when i have a chance, its a lot of fun, its just the players have this soft mentality about them. US likes toughness.

Sounds a lot like the Vancouver Canucks.

 

[Ten Thousand Hours]

Sounds a lot like the Vancouver Canucks.

As much as we make fun of NHL dives, could you imagine if someone pulled something like this:


or this:

 

[Nashvols]

As much as we make fun of NHL dives, could you imagine if someone pulled something like this:


or this:

I've said to a number of my soccer-watching friends that I would be more receptive of the sport if they started handing out cards like candy to divers. Either that or require people who leave the playing area on a stretcher to leave for the rest of the game. REMOVE THE INCENTIVE!

 

[Machinehead]

I like soccer, the only thing I don't like is the way it's played at times. I can get into sometimes, and other times I'm turned off by the dives.

 

[Winnipeg Jet]

As much as we make fun of NHL dives, could you imagine if someone pulled something like this:






or this:

Yeah, that never happens in hockey . . .

 

[Machinehead]

On a side note Ian Darke may be the best commentator in any sport.

This. Ian is beautiful.

 

[JerseyGuy276]

Soccer being less boring than baseball (the most boring sport on earth) doesn't help its case.

If you noticed I also pointed out its much more exciting then football as well, by far. There are few sports besides maybe hockey and basketball that are as or close too as exciting as soccer.

 

[Devils Mike*]

No it wouldn't. Baseball and football both has way higher scoring than soccer and football is much faster than soccer. Baseball has hits, runs, home runs, stolen bases, doubles, triples, and just so many different ways to make a game exciting. Nothing in sports is more exciting than a no-hitter or a perfect game. Soccer is 95 (?) minutes long, slow as ****, and the score ends like 2-1.

LOL. Baseball? Baseball is boring as **** and requires no attention span at all. Baseball is the most **** sport in the world, and the only sport where people talk throughout the entire thing.

Soccer is 1000000000000000000000x more exciting then Baseball. People who watch Baseball are not because they like it, it's because their parents watched it and forced them.

 

[bigplay41*]

LOL. Baseball? Baseball is boring as **** and requires no attention span at all. Baseball is the most **** sport in the world, and the only sport where people talk throughout the entire thing.

Soccer is 1000000000000000000000x more exciting then Baseball. People who watch Baseball are not because they like it, it's because their parents watched it and forced them.

wow i dont even know where to begin, obviously you never grew up watching baseball because if you did you would never make a comment like that. Baseball is the ultimate strategy sport. Maybe you should learn a thing or two about baseball before you post something like this.