Hater's Guide to the World Cup for Lazy Americans

#1
volinbham

volinbham

VN GURU
Joined
Oct 21, 2004
Messages
67,719
Likes
55,280
#1
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#2
#2
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#3
#3
I don't get soccer's popularity. It may be a great game to play, but the two games I have watched were long and taxing.

However, though the first few times I watched it caused me to laugh, I would watch Australian Rules Football any day of the week. Going down under to catch a few games is on my bucket list.
 
#4
#4
TNnative said:
I don't get soccer's popularity. It may be a great game to play, but the two games I have watched were long and taxing.

However, though the first few times I watched it caused me to laugh, I would watch Australian Rules Football any day of the week. Going down under to catch a few games is on my bucket list.
Click to expand...

Not a big soccer fan, but I did watch some of the World Cup. The flopping really takes some of the enjoyment out of watching.
 
#5
#5
Soccer is a great game but the flopping is really taking away from the games. It seems to be worse this year than years past.
 
#6
#6
TNnative said:
I don't get soccer's popularity. It may be a great game to play, but the two games I have watched were long and taxing.

However, though the first few times I watched it caused me to laugh, I would watch Australian Rules Football any day of the week. Going down under to catch a few games is on my bucket list.
Click to expand...

Just curious, but which games did you watch? Soccer games last less time than any of the most popular sports here in the US. 99% of the time they are less than two hours from opening kick to final whistle.
 
#7
#7
bleedorange0037 said:
Just curious, but which games did you watch? Soccer games last less time than any of the most popular sports here in the US. 99% of the time they are less than two hours from opening kick to final whistle.
Click to expand...

It's not just the sheer duration though. Soccer has a lot of nuanced, non-scoring situations that can get tedious if you don't have a rooting interest and if you're lucky a team gets 5-7 real quality shots in 90 minutes. It's a lot like baseball in that regard.
 
#8
#8
Plus, every now and then it's fun to live up to the stereotype of the ugly American walking around the Louvre in flip-flops, jorts, and your two time World War champs tank-top while swilling from an open wine bottle, which you stole off a street vender outside Notre Dame.
Click to expand...

The jorts portion isn't entirely accurate, but the rest...

:whistling:
 
#9
#9
GAVol said:
It's not just the sheer duration though. Soccer has a lot of nuanced, non-scoring situations that can get tedious if you don't have a rooting interest and if you're lucky a team gets 5-7 real quality shots in 90 minutes. It's a lot like baseball in that regard.
Click to expand...

I suppose that's true to a non-soccer fan. Personally I prefer nuanced non scoring action to the 2+ hours of commercials that you're treated to during the average football game.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#10
#10
GAVol said:
It's not just the sheer duration though. Soccer has a lot of nuanced, non-scoring situations that can get tedious if you don't have a rooting interest and if you're lucky a team gets 5-7 real quality shots in 90 minutes. It's a lot like baseball in that regard.
Click to expand...

Baseball has infinitely more rules, though. With soccer, all you need is a basic understanding of formations and the offsides rule and you're good to go.

As for the flopping, it's mostly prevalent in central and South America, so it does happen more in the World Cup than in MLS or the European leagues.
 
#11
#11
bleedorange0037 said:
I suppose that's true to a non-soccer fan. Personally I prefer nuanced non scoring action to the 2+ hours of commercials that you're treated to during the average football game.
Click to expand...

You are in a minority, by far.

I watch the WC because it is an interesting event. That said, the sport itself is rather bad as a viewer. It gets worse after group stage with more defensive play. It honestly just does not gel vey will with US culture. The nonstop flopping is nauseating and indefensible.
 
#12
#12
I'll say to honestly appreciate the passion for the World Cup is to be in a foreign country when it's going on. It's not hard to get swept up into the frenzy when you are surrounded by it.
 
#13
#13
Soccer is all foreplay and no climax to use a crude analogy from Adam Carolla. Belgium had like 40 shots against us and ended up with 2 goals to show for it. The world cup is fun to watch because of the sheer enthusiasm surrounding it, but the games themselves can get tiresome to watch from a spoiled American's perspective.
 
#14
#14
SamRebel35 said:
Soccer is all foreplay and no climax to use a crude analogy from Adam Carolla. Belgium had like 40 shots against us and ended up with 2 goals to show for it. The world cup is fun to watch because of the sheer enthusiasm surrounding it, but the games themselves can get tiresome to watch from a spoiled American's perspective.
Click to expand...

The climax is either a goal or a save, depending on which team you're cheering for.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top