7 Reasons Americans Will Never Embrace Soccer

I completely agree, but you should also add how soccer players (even the good ones) tend to flop. Americans prefer the athletes as warrior image and don’t appreciate the injury faking that goes on in soccer.

Comparing NASCAR or baseball to soccer is unfair. Even Americans think they’re boring sports.

Games such as football and basketball are much better than soccer, though. You forgot to mention that you actually run much more on a basketball court than you ever will in a soccer field. It’s a known fact, actually, soccer is a sedentary sport for most roles. Sports like football and basketball are also played at a much higher intensity than soccer. While every player participates in a play in basketball/football, 30% of the team does in soccer, therefore proving wrong your “you run more when you play soccer than other sports” theory.

Who would invent a sport where you can’t use your hands?

And when you CAN use your hands (throwing the ball overhead from the foul line) you have to throw it like a girl.

I agree – really bad post choice. IMHO.

You make some excellent points. I, an American soccer fan, admit that it is extremely difficult to sit through an entire match fully engrossed. I have a different theory for this, however, because the idea that we Americans have a much weaker attention span than the rest of the world is wearing thin on me.

It is this: Americans, by and large, are NOT WORLD CLASS FANS. World class supporters, yes, but first class fanatics, not even close.

A close look at fan bases will prove this.

For American (professional sports) fans, a game is a place to take in a game androot when prompted by the scoreboard or when the action on the playing field calls for it. At other times, the status quo is to relax.

For the majority of footy fans, being a fanatic is a sport in itself. Getting prepared and celebrating matchday, and this is important, is ALMOST ENTIRELY NON-CONTINGENT on how well the team is playing. You dress up in scarves, shirts and hats, and go ape shit for 90 minutes (and indeed well after that).

Now I know I’m referring specifically to ultras here, but regular fans as well support to support, not just because a team is doing well or not.

Americans are just not used to this concept at all, but changes are taking place. Many MLS teams have ultras groups, Section 8, Barra Brava, to name a few, as does the National Team (Uncle Sam’s Army).

I truly believe that making the fan experience less passive does wonders as far as sitting through entire matches, even 0-0 draws.

Besides, it’s fun as hell. Americans are catching on, and will catch on, as the evidence is showing. Give us time.

To the poster at #8 – I disagree with a lot of what you said. See college football.

O man, HOCKEY. Dude, watch a few games. You won’t even realize you’ve been holding your breath until you start turning blue. It’s the high stamina sport AND it’s exciting!

Some british guy guest on an american talkshow said that attending a game og american sports reminded him of a picnic. Lots of eating and breaks in the game to buy food and chat. A soccer match is much shorter than baseball and football matches and can be harder to make a day out of it. soccerfans have to hang out in pubs before and after a game to make a day out of it.

I don´t agree with the part about the lack of stars or heroes in soccer. I think best soccer players are just as well known as the stars of football or baseball. I think worldwide Beckham and Ronaldo are much more recocnized names than Manning or Favre. I think the salary cap in some of the american sports make it harder to become stars.

I think you are right about reason number 2 and 5. Thats some of the major problems with soccer. I like american football because of the stats and because there is more than one way to get points. I just can´t get through a whole match because of all the bloody breaks and game stops in it. Maybe it feels different if you are there at the stadium.

Don´t know about nr. 7. Never thougth about it that way. They bought beckham who are known for his precision. Might be something about that.

And why would soccer not catch on i USA? Some years ago it was the country with the most registered soccerplayers in the world. Don´t know if that is true today though.

I think it would be more relevant to see a 7 reasons why baseball is being replaced with soccer.

This is an absolute disgrace of a post. Pure twaddle displaying another American’s complete lack of knowledge about the sport.

IMHO soccer it’s actually played by most people around the world (everyone is more involved with it), football hockey, etc.. are better described as spectator sports, so the stops ans scores make more sense in TV (and that’s why soccer looks lame in comparison)

Point 2 made about the scores… Sure in soccer you get 0-0 draws, but they can actually be exciting. Basketball can seem too much like I have a go, you have a go, running back and forward to each other’s net. You fully appreciate the skill in defence needed to keep a clean sheet when you have played any amount of soccer yourself.
You of course get scores like 5-0, 3-3…I think it’s easy to forget in football one converted touchdown is equal to 7 points and a game scoring 35-0 or 21-21 would been seen as fairly high scoring.
Manchester Utd for instance scored 80 goals this season, with 22 against, and they played 38 games, this is not including champions’ league, FA cup, and carling cup tournaments.
Teams always have their superstars that can change and control the pace of the game. To suggest there are no heroes in soccer is ridiculous.
I can fully admit there are some playacting sissy girls in the game, but soccer without ‘challenges’ and video judges means fouls unseen by the ref will go unpunished, players over act in hope of drawing the foul to get the field position, it’s unfortunate and can ruin a game. That isn’t to say all players are involved in it.
I do believe the stats are an aspect lacking from the sport which other American sports do play heavily into. This is being gradually introduced more with player ratings, team ratings, and after match video analysis. The truth of the matter IMHO is the exciting part of any sport should be the actually on field action; something which soccer supplies for 2, 45min periods uninterrupted.
Soccer is the most popular game (to watch and play) on the planet for a reason. It is getting more popularised in America and will be embraced. I for one can’t wait…of course if it’s lacking the physical contact of football, there’s always rugby!

you people dont get it and never will stick to your passionless franchised crap and leave real football alone

yo digo q se vayan a la verga todos.

arriba el soccer. ;)

professional baseball teams names…

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Homosexuality is more popular than soccer in the USA, thats a fact.The real reason why Americans will never embrace soccer is the same reason why the rest of the world will never see homo-sexuality in as much positive light as Americans see it.Sissies!!!Obviously, Americans wouldnt field well in soccer matches after a good night of thier more popular gay romps…for obvious reasons.

“It’s a known fact, actually, soccer is a sedentary sport for most roles. ”

The average players runs between five and six miles per game and they only get to rest at the half, during penalties/injuries, or if they’re taken off the field. There may only be 30% of the players near the ball at any given time, but the rest of the team is constantly trying to mark up or get into passing position. All players (aside from the goalkeeper) are continually covering ground.

The reason Americans don’t like soccer isn’t because it’s boring, it’s because a) Americans have little patience for anything short of consistent victory – even for teams they love; b) it’s hard to follow English or European league soccer in the states (on TV, anyway); c) there are tie games; d) because we have a subconscious distaste for all other countries (we don’t even like Canada and it’s just about the same country); and most of all, e) lack of marketing. American culture is based on advertising and soccer isn’t profitable here.

Every sport is an acquired taste. Most football fans love football because they were raised on it. The same is true of soccer – not a lot of kids in the states are raised watching Champions League matches. The rest of those who truly do make up their own minds about which sports they like just have different preferences. I spent most of my life bored to death with all American sports. The attention span argument is true, but it’s entirely subjective. Sports like football and baseball are incredibly boring to me. I don’t have the attention span to watch something that requires one hour for the game and three hours mixed in for between-play and commercial breaks.

About scoring – American culture is based on instant gratification. We want to see points on the board. But if you really get into watching good soccer (not MLS), the buildup and anticipation is way more exciting. The fact that even getting that ball into the net just once could turn the entire game gets you jumping out of the seat when it’s even remotely close to the net. Furthermore, it’s not predictable. Offense and defense switch so rapidly, you never know who could score or when.

I’ll admit the injury faking is a turn-off, but the players do it not because they aren’t tough guys but in order to sway a penalty decision – soccer is a game where even the slightest advantage can get you the one goal you needed for the win and due to the flow of game, the reffing is relatively subjective. And if you think nobody really gets hurt in soccer, click the URI.

Hey J-Fitz, fuck you, I am an American but everything you just said proves how ignorant you are. You are the red neck the world sees us as, saying shit like soccer is “gay” and “stupid europeans.” The only reason you don’t like soccer is because it requires skill, fitness, and endurance. I’d like to see one of your football players try to sprint non-stop for 90 minutes. Soccer owns and all Americans like you know it. I agree with Marie, I can’t wait to move to Europe.

soccer is for pussies

and Marie. you are a dumbass, as well.
Football players are more athletic, physically fit, tougher, stronger, and any other adjective you can fathom to describe a real man. Soccer is a bitch “sport” with nothing but running up and down a field kicking balls at eachother. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all start doing what they are used to and catching the balls in their mouths.

fair enough jt…thats the best attitude i’ve heard from someone who doesn’t like the game of soccer…

you make it clear that you don’t know much about soccer so you won’t make too strong of judgements on it…i appreciate that attitude…

to the rest of the people bashing soccer here with comments like, “soccer is for pussies”…

when you say things like that you honestly aren’t embarrased by yourself?…thats something a 13 year old would say. did your brain never develop or what?

you may not like soccer but to discredit it as an easy sport or pussy sport is just stupid…sure its not even close to as physical as football or rugby, but its still way more physical than baseball or basketball…anybody been watching the nba playoffs… a finger on a players back equals a technical fould nowadays…and since when did a sports “toughness” determine whether a sport is good or not…i suppose gladiators were the best athletes of all time using that logic?

and to the person who said soccer is a sendantary sport…wow just wow, i have a hard time believing someone can know so little about a sport yet comment on it so confidently as if they know what they’re talking about…its comical at best…in a face to face argument you would embarrass yourself…luckily any old idiot can post ridiculous things over the internet. and in my experience thats the one thing i hate about the internet…

you discover there are a whole lot more idiots in the world than you thought…