Soccer: WHY?!?

[Zzyzx]

Oh, whoopee, it's time for the World Cup again. Have you painted yourself in your country's colors? Has your government officially shortened the work day so that you can tune in? If so, please, shoot yourself.

Some socialist will undoubtedly blow me off with "you're just another, jealous American. Watch soccer - I think you'll like it", but with many more mispellings and profanities, of course.

Do you think baseball is slow? How big is a soccer field? You've got twenty some odd guys running around an airport tarmac tap dancing with a ball. It shouldn't take someone who just tuned in a few minutes to realize which way each team is going!

I'm proud that my country is independent enough that we've developed our own ways to find our sports-thrills. We don't need to prove ourselves to the world through our soccer team. We've got bombs to do that.

Will the US lose? Probably. Have they lost already? Damned if I know. When any other country would suffer a collective bout of depression after their team loses, Americans just flip the channel to catch up on a more exciting sport.

[Mouche]

you're just another, jealous American. Watch soccer - I think you'll like it

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

Jealous? Far from it. We Americans have our own sports because the ones made in Europe are far too twisted or boring. Soccer might be alright if you could watch to expect some fights in every game. That's what keeps hockey in the top 4. I've tried watching soccer a few times, but the players aren't even aggressive in trying to take control of the ball...most of the time it was just 3 guys passing the ball back and forth barely making an attempt at the goal. Complete sleeper.

[tommygun]

To be honest boys your not sounding like jealous americans, your sounding like arrogant americans. In fact your pretty much epimtomising everything the rest of the world hates about you guys. Well done.

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

Thanks, we do put forth the effort when required! I'd say that the rest of the world hates America because THEY are jealous. We're number one in the major ares of the economy, and we do what it takes to stay there. Since the rest of the world can't out-do us they find reasons to loathe Americans. It's always been human nature to insult those who are more intelligent for any possible reason that we can find. That's the reason nobody wants to be a nerd.


Hail the ruling Nerd of the world, America!:D

[tommygun]

I would love for you to live long enough to see China become the most powerful country in the global economy, and then what are you going to have? Because of your arrogance you have become lazy (case in point the obesity epidemic) and this hurts your efficiency. And 'doing what it takes to stay on top', does that mean that you would cheat? I suppose a lot of Americans, espeically in sport, already do that. Its hard to trust any American superstars anymore after scandals like BALCO. Although I'm generalising and I'm probably ignoring the fact that many athletes outside of America take drugs, the fact of the matter is that because you are such a rich country and because you are arrogant and wish to stay on top - as you yourself put it - American athletes can justify themseleves in taking drugs (and getting away with it through maskers).

So yes your country is powerful - the most powerful, although it won't stay that way for long, but that has its downsides as well. And although you think I'm jealous of your magnificent country, I must emphasise that I would never like to be an American for many reasons. I hold nothing against you, thats just the way I feel.

Sorry if this was hard to understand, I don't think I articulated myself well.

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

If you're not jealous then you are just hating what you don't understand. Most people find that the way they grew up is the way that they would have wanted to grow up. This is because that is what they're used to and they can best see the benefits of that compared to the downfalls of everything else. It is human nature to find what is wrong in everything that is different from themselves. You have to try to find what is good. Because you're really not trying and you've heard everyone in your area talk of how bad America is you yourself can't help but believe society and do not realize that everything good America has to offer easily outweighs anything bad that comes along with it.

[tommygun]

Didn't I say you were a magnificent country? Didn't I say I had nothing against you as an american? I do not hate America at all. Its true I hate some of their actions but then I hate some of every countries actions.The thing that makes America different is that it is in a place a power, it should therefore make decisions for the gfood of everybody, not just Americans. It is true that the good things about America outwiegh the bad things, but some of the bad things should not be there! America produces one third of the World's pollution, this helps to effectively destroy the ozone layer, and where is the hole in the ozone layer? no-where near America! its over a small country called New Zealand of which Americans have no use, so what does it matter?

I repeat I do not hate America, I do hate some of their actions. And I would not like to be American for many reasons, not merely because I was raised the love the place I'm from. I must say a defining reason for my not wanting to be american is the arrogance of the people who live there. A generalisation I know, but just while I have been on this site I have seen examples of the old sterotype of the arrogant american.

Nothing against any of you... ;)

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

So what does polution have to do with the ozone layer? Your little statistic there indicates that polution has nothing to do with the ozone layer. If it did, wouldn't the ozone be thinnest at the area that the polution exists?

[tommygun]

Its to do with the science of it all, its happening only over the poles, and because New Zealand is close to the South Pole (New ZEaland is down the bottom of the earth), and because so much pollution has been generated, the hole has grown so that it is over New Zealand also. Check out these web pages if you want to read further, they have some good 'little' statistics:

http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/part3.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_depletion#Public_policy_in_response_to_the_o zone_hole

http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/pollution.html

Enjoy :)

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

Regardless, even if America is responsible for a third of the polution, that still leaves two thirds responsibility to the rest of you. Yet sinse the best country in the world can be blamed for doing the worst of the damage of any country in this regard, you criticize us for it. If we didn't create the polution the problem would still be there, and eventually the amount of polution that wasn't created by America would still be created anyways. Yea, we polute. News flash! So does everyone else!! Don't be a hypocrite.

[tommygun]

Gosh you've changed your tune haven't you?

I don't think I ever said that no-one else pollutes. And I agree, the rest of us should also work on not polluting, something New Zealand is one of the most effective countries in the world for. But ffs take some responsibility, instead of admitting thatas the lader of the world you should be setting the example and doing your upmost to care for the world you pull out some shit about how I'm a hypocrit for saying that you guys produce a third of the world's pollution (I don't get how I'm a hypocrit btw) and how we should be getting rid of our pollution. Well news flash: we are! Much more effectively than America!

So I agree, the rest of us need to pull our head in also (don't get me started on Chinese Pollution!) but the point remains that as the world leader (which your obviously proud of) you should be doing your best to respect nature and save the cotton pickin' world! Don't try to change it all onto me! Thats what pussys do, they try to shift the blame once they're conered, and I can tell your not a pussy.

Gawsh, how did we even get onto this topic?

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

Something about the fact that since we Americans don't like soccer it makes us horrible people......and then I got all arogant saying that we were smart enough to create interesting sports.

[tommygun]

HAHAHA! How silly of me, of course I'm completely in the wrong. For the record it was your capatriot who was the arrogant one to start with, but you certainly chipped in afterwards. Better work on that mate. Well this has bored me now, seeya.

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

Work on what? I gave my two cents, I enjoy it. Here it is again: Soccer is boring! Put some interesting sports back onto my TV!

[tommygun]

Fair enough mate. I'm sorry about that, our conversation turned into a bit of a slug-fest, didn't mean for that to happen. I do think that you are a bit arrogant, whether this is because you are more brash when able to hide behind an anonymous name on the computer or whether your like that in real life, or whether I'm completely wrong, I'm not entirely sure. But if you are arrogant in real life then I think you should work on that, thats all.

Nice talkin' to ya.

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

No, I have a professor right now who is into the whole soccer bull that's going on right now, and I rag on him just as much as I've been ragging on you about it. I don't care to hide my true feelings, it just seems to be a different way to lie.

[tommygun]

To be honest it wasn't really the soccer at all, it was more the stuff on the environment, but thats cool, i know u like to say what you think, so do i, hopefully so does a lot of people because thats what we need. I stand by what I ssia,d but i udnerstand what your saying.

[tommygun]

By the way, i like your picture, ha.

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

Thanks, I like to think that it says a lot about me, while giving people who disagree with me an inane way to attack my issues :D

[Zzyzx]

Wow - I've been away for awhile. Maintaining our country's, excuse me, the country's, vastly superior social, economic, and athletic position in the world takes a lot of work. I'm glad to be back.

We celebrated our independence day last week. The whole world has the likes of Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin to thank for the unbounded and unchallenged prosperity that our kind has experienced in the last few centuries. July 4th, 1776 marked the end of a millenia of... well, just about nothing (excuse me, yes, we did figure out how to throw plague-infected bodies over castle walls) and the beginning of a new age of technological and sociological advancement.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world chants, screams, and bashes each other over the head in a glorious display of pride for their pathetic, greasy country. What has made these people so proud? Have they pioneered space travel? Completed a new, marvelous, shiny bridge over a treacherous river? Tell me that they've at least developed a new way to make cheese. Something. Anything is less embarrassing than the truth.

GOAL!!!!!!

[Zzyzx]

Zzyzx - this is exactly the sort of pig-headed, self-absorbed argument that I'd expect from an American.

"What has made these people so proud?" Let's point our faces in the all-too-familiar direction towards your oh-so-important country and examine what makes Americans so justifiably proud, shall we? Rather, let's just make a list. It's contents need no examination:

American Idol. Football (with helmets!). Paris Hilton's absolutely INSANE rise above even a shred of popularity (the whore practically dictates fashion to you blind sheep) Unimaginable wastes of resources.

Let's focus on that last one. Americans eat, travel, shop, and burn with no regard to the health or well-being of practically everyone else on the planet. As long as an American gets his three microwaveable cheeseburgers, a full tank of gas for their Hummer, and enough cheap plastic crap to drown an elephant every day, he's completely clueless of the world around him. The second you raise gas prices to match world demand is the same second that he starts bombing innocent countries.

I love the internet.

[England Expects]

Serious question.

Why do you think Football (I refuse to call it soccer) hasn't taken off in th U.S?

Its huge in almost every other country in the world, but American's just dont seem to get it.

The perception in Europe is that you guys just dont have the attention span to sit through 45 mins of a game without commercial breaks.

[Brains_Behind_Operation]

That perception is definately far off the mark. There really isn't any person who looks forward to commercial breaks for anything other than maybe a chance to go to the bathroom. I would love to watch my Football games (FYI I mean Football and NOT Soccer), without any commercial breaks. They interrupt the flow of the game far too often.

That said, I perceive soccer as a failure in the US because it lacks certain elements. There is a physical contact element that it does not have which makes other sports such as Football and Hockey popular. It also lacks the planning of each move that each player takes which makes Football even more popular, because of the intricacies of the game. There doesn't seem to be nearly enough variety in the responsibilities of each position to give it that level of interest either, which keeps Football and Baseball in the mix here. Finally, it lacks the ability for keeping up the interest through frequent scoring which keeps the sport of Basketball in the mix along with to a lesser extent Baseball and Football.

[England Expects]

I guess it's down to a lack of understanding then, in the same way I suppose as the rest of the world doesn't understand your sports.

American football to most Englishmen seems a little bit like Rugby league, but for people who like to wear shoulderpads and helmets (come on guy's its a mans game surely). It also doesn't flow. How can it take three hours to play a 1 hour game? We dont understand how it can be right to change the players on the field for each play (in rugby and football, each player needs to have the skills and fitness to cope with a whole game).

Having said that, if your game got the coverage over here, I'm sure more people would watch it an get to understand it. If you could watch football (the game which you call soccer) with an open mind, you'd love it as much as the rest of the world does.

[who897]

I love playing soccer. (Born Breed American). I can't freakin stand watching it on tv though. I'll watch Football, if I'm drinkin at someone house or at the bar, unless the Eagles are playing then I like to watch. I like to play pick up games of Football, none of that organized BS. Basketball?!?!?! I don't understand how anyone can really watch that crap. Baseball, sorta the same thing, except it just puts me to sleep, it's my non-narcotic sleeping pill. Hockey, I love playing it, and I love watchin it.

Still not quite sure what soccer and the USA has to do w/ anyone jealousy of anyone else's country. Sports, in there purest form bring everyone together, in a comradery (I'm a terrible speller) to kick the living shit outta the other team. Plain and simple. LONG LIVE SPORTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!