The "Just how little does the average American man know about soccer?" thread

Title says it all - soccer (or FOOTBALL, as it is supposed to be called) is the biggest sport in Europe, and I follow my country through thick and thin - but what do you average (well...sorta) Americans actually know about the greatest sport known to man?

You can name anything - Rules, Players, Teams, pretty much everything you can think of soccer-related.



This should be fun....

Uhhhhh... I know it's got something to do with a little round ball with black and white spots on it, and that people in other countries tend to get drunk, beat the crap out of each other and start fires in the streets after important games.

That's about all I got.

Does Pelé still play? And that twat Beckham. He plays some kinda kicking sport when he's not being a pretentious douche, right?

I've done some graphic work for the local Philly indoor soccer team, but they've folded. Played a few years a wee MetalKid.

Freddy, check out the movie Green Street Hooligans

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385002/

It's a great movie about an American kid that gets caught up in the European hooligan gangs.

I`ve been meaning to ask this myself...
I have always wondered why football(soccer as you call it) is so little known in US. It is by far the most popular sport in the rest of the world.
It`s strange that a whole Continent (USA) got populated by immigrants from mostly Europe, Africa and South America, and they did not bring real football with them??
As far as i know your American football is only played proffesional in your own country.

Olafsto wrote:

As far as i know your American football is only played proffesional in your own country.

There's also a Canadian football league but as I understand it their football rules are slightly different from the American game.

There's a few guys that I work with that follow the World Cup games, but that's about it.

I've read that a major criticism by Americans towards professional soccer is the low scoring. Watching a game for 2 hours for a 0-0 tie is a tough sell for Americans. We want high scores with lotsa goals. And the playing field is so massive, watching the coverage on a TV screen seems like you're miles away from the action. Even being in a stadium makes you feel too far from the game.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

There's a few guys that I work with that follow the World Cup games, but that's about it.

I've read that a major criticism by Americans towards professional soccer is the low scoring. Watching a game for 2 hours for a 0-0 tie is a tough sell for Americans. We want high scores with lotsa goals. And the playing field is so massive, watching the coverage on a TV screen seems like you're miles away from the action. Even being in a stadium makes you feel too far from the game.

Yeah that`s understandable. And there is no way you could make a whole nation suddenly get interested in the game.
Football is almost religion in many european countries, and the sport that you naturally start playing when you are a kid. The local football club is always the biggest and most important sport club in any place here, from the smallest village to the largest city.
But what i dont understand is why it is not a trdition in your country?
Just to use it as an example: There are millions of americans of Italian heritage, football is HUGE in Italy, why did all those immigrants not bring it with them?
I`m on thin historical ice here, but is it possible that americans back in the day wanted to create an alternative to football because it`s strongly assosiated, and comes from Great Britain?

Interesting theory, Olafsto, but then again, some of "our" big pro sports like baseball and NASCAR have yet to translate to other countries from America in a big way, so I'd say it kinda goes both ways.

Outside of the US, Baseball is huge in Japan and South America but nobody in Europe "gets" it. Same with soccer here. Between baseball, football, ice hockey, NBA basketball, etc., maybe we've just got enough professional sports here already.

The lack of scoring is what does it. Who really wants to watch hours of guys running up and down the field with the only break is some pansy faking his death once in awhile only to be playing a minute later?

Girls in footies are nice though.

Soccer is a very popular sport for young kids in America, but it doesn't seem to translate well into the teen years. I'm not sure why. This country seems to have more of a football obsession more than anything.

Quote :

Between baseball, football, ice hockey, NBA basketball, etc., maybe we've just got enough professional sports here already.

I can certainly see that. And folks these days only have so much "disposable cash" to throw around for tickets to these games.

There is a professional soccer league in the US. I have been on the Metro (the DC subway) when there was a soccer game going on - the train was PACKED with latino immigrants heading down to the game.

I am just not a fan - the game bores me to tears. Give me some FOOTBALL (American football that is!) any day!!!!!! The NFL (National Football League) is the biggest professional sport in America. As mentioned, the low scoring, size of the field turns off a lot of Americans who where raised on football and baseball. Plus, we think "Football" (Soccer) is the national sport of the third world.

Interestingly, the other two big professional sports in the US, Hockey and Basketball, are variations on soccer.

TheNazgul wrote:

The lack of scoring is what does it. Who really wants to watch hours of guys running up and down the field with the only break is some pansy faking his death once in awhile only to be playing a minute later?

Again, pretty much the rest the world is interested in soccer. The American version of football, where they almost never use their feet (!!) is what is weird! Heck, I bet 75% of the players on the field don't really know the rules of that game! :lol

[quote="thejokeriv"] Plus, we think "Football" (Soccer) is the national sport of the third world.


That would only be correct if you see the whole rest of the world as the third world.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Soccer is a very popular sport for young kids in America, but it doesn't seem to translate well into the teen years. I'm not sure why. This country seems to have more of a football obsession more than anything.

Ya beat me to this one. I had plenty of friends growing up that played soccer, but when they got older they stopped, not only that, but they weren't even interested with following it afterword.


Well, they changed the rules for Football and Hockey to make it more offensive and high scoring.... They have added lots of Defensive penalties through the years that didn't exist before. Pass interference is the one that always keeps changing.

chewie wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Soccer is a very popular sport for young kids in America, but it doesn't seem to translate well into the teen years. I'm not sure why. This country seems to have more of a football obsession more than anything.

Ya beat me to this one. I had plenty of friends growing up that played soccer, but when they got older they stopped, not only that, but they weren't even interested with following it afterword.


Well, they changed the rules for Football and Hockey to make it more offensive and high scoring.... They have added lots of Defensive penalties through the years that didn't exist before. Pass interference is the one that always keeps changing.

I've got 13 neices and nephews on my wife's side of the family and I'm pretty sure all of them have played soccer at some point, but only 2 of them played through high school and college. One even got a partial schlorship, but he's studying medicine. I'm pretty sure once he graduates, he's done with soccer.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

chewie wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Soccer is a very popular sport for young kids in America, but it doesn't seem to translate well into the teen years. I'm not sure why. This country seems to have more of a football obsession more than anything.

Ya beat me to this one. I had plenty of friends growing up that played soccer, but when they got older they stopped, not only that, but they weren't even interested with following it afterword.


Well, they changed the rules for Football and Hockey to make it more offensive and high scoring.... They have added lots of Defensive penalties through the years that didn't exist before. Pass interference is the one that always keeps changing.

I've got 13 neices and nephews on my wife's side of the family and I'm pretty sure all of them have played soccer at some point, but only 2 of them played through high school and college. One even got a partial schlorship, but he's studying medicine. I'm pretty sure once he graduates, he's done with soccer.

I live pretty close to a soccer tournament field(or pitch as they are called)Cherry Island Soccer Complex. It's been packed year after with young players... Who knows how many of them will continue to play or follow the sport.

I do get geared up for the World Cup, but that's about it. I do remember back in the early 90's when the U.S. beat a team because the goalie for the other team kicked the ball into his own goal. That eventually cost him his life.

Olafsto wrote:

I`ve been meaning to ask this myself...
I have always wondered why football(soccer as you call it) is so little known in US. It is by far the most popular sport in the rest of the world.
It`s strange that a whole Continent (USA) got populated by immigrants from mostly Europe, Africa and South America, and they did not bring real football with them??
As far as i know your American football is only played proffesional in your own country.

Olaf, growing up in Armenia, Football(soccer) was the only sport we really had, at least the only one people cared about and it's still that way. As far as why it's not popular in the US, I remember reading a book about this a while back and the main reasons were these: when the European immigrants came to America, they wanted to get rid of anything that might identify them as Europeans of a particular country and tried hard to become Americanized, and Football represented to them the shackles of Europe. The other reason was about advertising. Because the way the game is structured, there are no real breaks for companies to put in their ads in commercials. I think that's why when MLS started here in the US, the team jerseys had advertisements on them. Also, I think, with Baseball, Basketball, American Football, and to a lesser extent Hockey occupying peoples time and money, real Football is a hard sell except for those who understand and the immigrant populations from Latin American countries.

I only really care about hockey. Don't give a rip about any other sport.

Actually Soccer or feetball as I call is getting bigger in the USA. MLS is probably the reason, it is pretty big in college and high school soccer is huge here in MN. As far as a whole we prefer real football american style.

Wargod51

GrandNational wrote:

Olafsto wrote:

I`ve been meaning to ask this myself...
I have always wondered why football(soccer as you call it) is so little known in US. It is by far the most popular sport in the rest of the world.
It`s strange that a whole Continent (USA) got populated by immigrants from mostly Europe, Africa and South America, and they did not bring real football with them??
As far as i know your American football is only played proffesional in your own country.

Olaf, growing up in Armenia, Football(soccer) was the only sport we really had, at least the only one people cared about and it's still that way. As far as why it's not popular in the US, I remember reading a book about this a while back and the main reasons were these: when the European immigrants came to America, they wanted to get rid of anything that might identify them as Europeans of a particular country and tried hard to become Americanized, and Football represented to them the shackles of Europe. The other reason was about advertising. Because the way the game is structured, there are no real breaks for companies to put in their ads in commercials. I think that's why when MLS started here in the US, the team jerseys had advertisements on them. Also, I think, with Baseball, Basketball, American Football, and to a lesser extent Hockey occupying peoples time and money, real Football is a hard sell except for those who understand and the immigrant populations from Latin American countries.

Thanks Vartan, my fellow history geek .
I had the feeling that this would be the reasons, after all they left because they had to. Times were very hard here so it`s maybe natural to want to leave it all behind and get a fresh start in America.

Thanks Olaf, I try, I try

I see where you list soccer (football) as the world's greatest sport. That spot is reserved for baseball, in my book LOL.

I do know that there was a delegation of Major League Baseball players that undertook a world tour in the 1880s, and the Britons seemed to enjoy it, but in the end still preferred cricket. Baseball is the greatest here in the states (and that is only my opinion), but soccer does seem to have a greater hold in many parts of the world--especially South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. Oh wait, that's the entire remainder of Earth's population.

Soccer (futbol) is like a religion in almost every country in the world except the U.S.

about a year ago I got into the sport on a worldwide level and it is awesome, you just gotta step outside your normal American way of thinking (mostly media-oriented) and learn the rules and appreciate the nuances of the sport. It's like a breath of fresh air, you dont see commercials for 45+ minutes. I love NFL, MLB, and NBA but my gosh, the Gatorade commercials and the shoe ads and all LeBron worship can be sickening at times.