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Football Fans ..WGT spread league

Sun, Dec 6 2009 9:36 AM (28 replies)
  • Snaike
    3,678 Posts
    Fri, Sep 4 2009 1:02 PM

    Soccer?  Trust Faterson to go completely off topic on this...  but, since he did, let me explain a little bit about most American's view of soccer...

    In a nutshell, and to be rather blunt, it sucks.  It sucks because we, as a nation, suck at it.

    Now there are many reasons for that.  Primarily, in the USA soccer will always be a second (or even third) tier sport.  Our best athletes are not playing soccer.. they are playing football (American), baseball, basketball and some hockey.   These are the glamour sports.  Our heroes played them, and until recently (maybe the last 20 years) we grew up playing them.  Soccer as a youth sport has not been around here that long.  When talent is recognized in America's youth today it is channeled and funneled into the most lucrative sports we know... Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey.  Lets not forget auto racing, golf and tennis...

    The reason?  Plain and simple - Money. 

    With endorsements, the highest paid soccer player in the world is Beckham (even though he failed miserably with the LA Galaxy... 5 goals in 30 games?)  The only athletes to pull in more, salary and endorsements, than your highest paid soccer star are a golfer, a formula one driver and 2 basketball players, one of which is retired.  Retired!!  With the exception of Eldrick Woods, Michael Jordan makes more in endorsements than any living player of any sport in any country.

    Even Forbes notes that Beckham is "far from the best player on the pitch", but he is the most recognizable.  Therefore pulling large endorsements.  No 'soccer' skill in that, is there?  Tiger Woods IS the best golfer in the world.  Michael Jordan WAS the best NBA player in the world.  Kobe Bryant IS the best NBA player in the world.  The fourth person to make more than Beckham is Kimi Raikkonen, Formula 1 driver.

    Lets continue down the list...

    Tied at #6 LeBron James, NBA ... (If Kobe is 1, then LeBron is 1A) --  Phil Mickelson, PGA --  Manny Pacquiao, Boxing

    #9 Valentino Rossi, MotoGP and #10 Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Auto Racing (NASCAR)

    These are very, very skilled individuals who excel at their sport first, and pull endorsement money as a result of their skills... unlike Beckham.

    As a matter of fact, to round out the top 20 we have Tennis, NBA, Baseball, Golf, NBA, NASCAR, Baseball and finally, Soccer, again.

    (To be fair, there is not one NFL player in this list.  The highest paid NFL player would rank just under number 20 because of the salary cap instituted by their league.)

    So, you see it's very simple.  We don't like soccer because we don't PLAY soccer.  It's not our idea of a 'sport'.  Sure, the kids can run around and have their youth leagues... that just gives the little brats something to do after school and in the summer.  They will lose interest soon enough.  Most American's do.

  • nivlac
    2,188 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 10:36 AM

    Don't forget to make your picks for this week if you haven't already.  Opening night is Thursday so I believe all the weeks picks are due in today!

  • Snaike
    3,678 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 1:36 PM

    Remember fans.... the deadline for each game is 5 mins before kick-off....  The tie-breakers (well, one of them) have to be in by Thursday, the 10th, at 5:25pm pacific.

    Do yourself a favor, get them done by Wednesday, that way there is no rush.

    Come on... lets do this thing!!

  • speedyschic
    948 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 2:37 PM

    what is soccer?

  • Faterson
    2,902 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 3:07 PM

    Soccer is football for the whole world, plain and simple. (Except for Americans, who seem to call a variety of rugby "football". So, in translating texts from American English into European languages, "football" must be translated as "American football" to avoid misunderstandings.)

    PS: I feel like I could fly after Slovakia's win over Northern Ireland earlier tonight; South Africa getting closer by the minute!

  • Snaike
    3,678 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 3:49 PM

    speedyschic:
    what is soccer?
    .. boring as hell.

    Except for the times that somebody gets touched by another player, they fall to the ground screaming in pain, agony and dismemberment... need a couple 'medics' to run out with a stretcher so they can be carried off...

    Only to return 2 minutes later in fine health and full speed.

    Yea, that's hilarious.

  • TW1432
    130 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 4:13 PM

    Great, another arguement between me and snaike......

    snaike you need to just shut it. I played soccer in high school and I enjoyed it. And just because someone gets touched does,t mean they fall to the ground screaming. I'v seen ankles, legs and arms broken at some of my soccer games.

  • Snaike
    3,678 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 4:47 PM

    Ah TW... welcome to this thread... if you would read my earlier post.. you would see where I wrote

    me:
    So, you see it's very simple.  We don't like soccer because we don't PLAY soccer.  It's not our idea of a 'sport'.  Sure, the kids can run around and have their youth leagues... that just gives the little brats something to do after school and in the summer.  They will lose interest soon enough.  Most American's do.
    As you have run around in your youth leagues (and yes, high school still counts as 'youth league') and had a wonderful time.. but you will grow out of it.  I don't doubt that your pre-pubescent leagues were full of vim and vigor, with plenty of scrapes, twists, strains and, yes, even the odd fracture or two... but you weren't playing for money as the so-called 'professionals'.  THESE are the ones I laugh at.  THESE are the ones that can't play any real sports so they have to run around for 90 minutes in a "nil nil' tie.  THESE are the ones that are, in American Sports terminology,  in a third or fourth tier sporting event, with NO real salaries to speak of.  THESE are the ones that want to fawn over some one-named South American like he's the second coming because he can kick a ball.

    Football has kickers, too... they are generally laughed at by other players.  If I might present an example... Mark "Stink"  Schlereth's "Stinkin" Good Green Chili" has a mild sauce that he wants to call "For Kickers Only".

    I'm sorry, mate... I am sure that you like soccer.. but the vast majority of Americans don't.  That's not an opinion, my friend, that is a fact.

    If you are raised in the USA,  you will, as a matter of course, grow out of it.  Everyone does.

    Have a wonderful day.

  • Faterson
    2,902 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 5:21 PM

    Some boring football (with original Slovak commentary). Wonder why everyone gets so excited over such a boring affair?   

  • DuffyWaldorf
    286 Posts
    Wed, Sep 9 2009 6:41 PM

    THE WAVE...started by Washington State back in 198...neverming...enjoy y'all

     

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