Football vs. Football/Soccer - Confusion

Status
Not open for further replies.
I was reading the online sports headlines and saw that "New Zealand earns stunning draw" and that got me to thinking, is part of the reason for the low popularity of soccer in the states because American sports viewers cannot abide a draw? Do they love a winner so much that they would shun a stalemate decision? I think this may have been why the NHL suffered so long in the USA, it was the only major sport that permitted ties until recently.
 
B

Biardo

dude Messi was brilliant in the last game, every attack that was even a bit dangerous he had his foot in, he just needs to have a better team behind him and a bit more luck and he will be the best player in this world cup
 
I was reading the online sports headlines and saw that "New Zealand earns stunning draw" and that got me to thinking, is part of the reason for the low popularity of soccer in the states because American sports viewers cannot abide a draw? Do they love a winner so much that they would shun a stalemate decision? I think this may have been why the NHL suffered so long in the USA, it was the only major sport that permitted ties until recently.
No I mean a football game can end in a draw. They happen so infrequently that everytime it happens people start talking about how they didn't even know a football game could end in a draw.

I think the reason soccer and hockey can't get a big fan base is because they don't already have a built in fanbase. I mean I didn't get into football until my friend got to be a fan of football and he only really started paying attention to the games when joined his office's fantasy football league. I'm sure that this is pretty much true for every sportsfan that he became a sports fan not on his own but because his friend, his father or somebody else brought him into the game.

Now how soccer, Rugby and Cricket mimic the success of MMA I don't know but it isn't the game that brings in the fans. It really is the fans that breed more fans.
 
The Soccer fan base in America likely won't grow (outside of immigration) because home-grown Soccer Fans (real Fanatics) are on the cool scale right below D&D Players that talk about their characters in public places.
 
C

Chazwozel

The Soccer fan base in America likely won't grow (outside of immigration) because home-grown Soccer Fans (real Fanatics) are on the cool scale right below D&D Players that talk about their characters in public places.
Really? All the soccer players I knew in high school and college got lots of ass.

But I guess on a professional sports follower level you might be right. No one talks about MLS soccer matches. We even got a new team in Philly (the Union). Once August hits, football is the talk of the water cooler. Hockey isn't that popular either, but I suppose there's that lingering fear that the hockey fanatic will pull your shirt over your head and punch away if you mock his sport. (Throws down gloves and begins to circle around sixpack).
 
There is a big disconnect between the guy who runs 7 miles a day, and the accountant at the sports-bar that wants to talk about Manchester United's last match against Arsenal.
 
But I guess on a professional sports follower level you might be right. No one talks about MLS soccer matches. We even got a new team in Philly (the Union). Once August hits, football is the talk of the water cooler. Hockey isn't that popular either, but I suppose there's that lingering fear that the hockey fanatic will pull your shirt over your head and punch away if you mock his sport. (Throws down gloves and begins to circle around sixpack).
Or his country.
 
dude Messi was brilliant in the last game, every attack that was even a bit dangerous he had his foot in, he just needs to have a better team behind him and a bit more luck and he will be the best player in this world cup
dude no way ohmigod
 
This has to be one of the stupidest fucking things to fight over. Who gives a shit what each sport is called? If you don't like a sport, don't watch it.
 
What if you like both, einstein? Then the name is a real point of conflict.
I do like both. I don't care what they're called. When talking to Americans it's soccer and football, when talking to non-Americans it's football and American football. It's not hard to switch, it doesn't cost me anything, and nothing is lost in the translation. What's so hard about that?
 
That's bullshit, being good in other sports doesn't mean you'd be better at football.

---------- Post added at 07:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:28 PM ----------

This was regarding the article blotsfan posted.
 
That's bullshit, being good in other sports doesn't mean you'd be better at football.

---------- Post added at 07:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:28 PM ----------

This was regarding the article blotsfan posted.
I agree. That was a stupid article. The only thing he got right was when he predicted how much of dickhead he would seem to other people.
 
That's bullshit, being good in other sports doesn't mean you'd be better at football.

---------- Post added at 07:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:28 PM ----------

This was regarding the article blotsfan posted.
You really don't think that any of the top athletes in the US could be great soccer players if thats what they were focused on?
 
B

Biardo

no, you have to be able to run more then 5 min strait in order to play soccer
 
It's an ENTIRELY different skill set to play american football, basketball or baseball than that needed for real football. Seriously. It's apples and oranges.
 
So you're saying that if the great athletes of the US learned soccer from their youth, and wanted to play soccer, none of them would become great at it? You can pick up skill sets by practicing them.
 
B

Biardo

no probably not, I'm not saying that if there was a better youth system the US wouldn't be able to find there talents better and be much better in football but you can't just trade sports. Football is as much about individual technique as teamwork and with some of the 'American' sports it's more about teamwork and tactics and the focus lays less with the individual.

note: I'm saying that one is a better sport then the other based on this criteria because I like to watch both, just that athletes can't be used for every sport and still be great at it.
 
The name Soccer comes from shortening asSOCiation football. And Association Football came about to not confuse AF with Rugby Football, which Rugby Football is older (and uses hands.) Football came from Rugby Football, we dropped the Rugby when the sport changed from the original.


On American TV they keep calling the major stadium, Soccer City Stadium. What are they calling it in different nations?
 
Rugby is older and is called... Rugby. Football/soccer is still older than American football. Also, if the naming followed some logic you football would have some other adjective to differentiate it from rugby, just like AF had!

It's the Soccer City Stadium. That's the name, as far as I know. If anyone changes the name they're a bit stupid...

---------- Post added at 03:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:02 PM ----------

(Also, even if Rugby is played with the hands, isn't kicking more important than in yours?)
 
For any country to succeed on an international sports level it needs four things;

1. Population large enough to create sufficient high level athletes
2. Wealth to be invested into training those athletes
3. Expert level knowledge base that is available to those athletes
4. Support from the general population for the sport

That article really boils down to point 4, if the people of the USA made soccer a passionate priority, then the USA could easily field the best players in the world.
 
SOME of the best players in the world, sure, I agree. But they would not be the same people as those who turned out to be the best at american football or basketball or baseball or bowling or whatever.
 
For any country to succeed on an international sports level it needs four things;

1. Population large enough to create sufficient high level athletes
2. Wealth to be invested into training those athletes
3. Expert level knowledge base that is available to those athletes
4. Support from the general population for the sport

That article really boils down to point 4, if the people of the USA made soccer a passionate priority, then the USA could easily field the best players in the world.
True, but it also needs competition. It is just not there. Which ties into #4.
 
B

Biardo

the largeness of the population doesn't mean everything, look at Uruguay with it's 3 million population
 
SOME of the best players in the world, sure, I agree. But they would not be the same people as those who turned out to be the best at american football or basketball or baseball or bowling or whatever.
I don't think that the assertion that the athletes would be different is valid unless they have a unique body type suited to the sport. Athletes all have drive in them, they just choose how to direct that drive based upon social conditions at a young age. If you took any great American athlete and raised them in a soccer mad country, I don't doubt that they would find success as soccer players there.
 
I wasn't much of a soccer fan until this world cup. Made a bracket and everything. I don't know if I'll start following it regularly or not. I have enjoyed a bunch of the matches. I definitely like it better than the NFL, but not nearly as much as college football.

Nobody here says futbol for soccer, except for the international students.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top