Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poker player]

[Mitch Comestein]

Man,

It isn't like there is some mathematical formula to decide which sports are likeable and which aren't. It's an opinion.

Fact is, the reason that the entire nation of the united States doesn't love soccer like the whole of some other countries is because there are so many other sports in the United States to watch. We also have the NCAA, which provides double the amount of the big four sports, and minor sports like soccer.

IN MY OPINION, soccer is much more fun to watch than baseball, but nothing close to basketball. I have the ACC, NBA, NHL, MLS, NASCAR, PGA, and the NFL. This is much different than other countries, where the only sports to watch are soccer, rugby, and cricket.

Just because soccer is your favorite sport doesn't mean it has to be everyone else's favorite sport. It also doesn't mean that there is some grand psychological reason for a dislike of your favorite sport.

Also, just because you like to get it on with boys, and you like soccer, doesn't mean that American men don't like to watch soccer because we don't like to get it on with boys.

[Ya-ta Boy]

While the OP did make an accurate observation about the discomfort of many American males with touching other men (it's fairly true of all English-speaking countries), the rest of the theory doesn't hold up.

Kids have been kicking balls around for eons, but when did soccer become organized? This is from worldsoccer.about.com:

"In 1815, the famous English School, Eton College, established a set of rules which other schools, colleges and Universities began to use. Later, these were standardised and a version, known as the Cambridge Rules, was adopted by most of England's Universities and Colleges in 1848.

But now, football was divided into two separate camps. Some colleges and schools preferred to follow rules drawn up by Rugby School - rules which permitted tripping, shin-kicking and carrying the ball - all forbidden by the Cambridge rules.

On 26 October 1863, eleven London clubs and schools sent their representatives to a meeting in the Freemason's Tavern to establish a single set of fundamental rules to govern the matches played amongst them.

This meeting created The Football Association.

The supporters of the Rugby School rules walked out - and on 8 December 1863, Association Football and Rugby Football finally split.

In 1869 The Football Association included in their rules a provision which forbade any handling of the ball - so establishing the foundation on which the modern game stands."

Compare that with this from inventors.com:

"Americans began playing baseball on informal teams, using local rules, in the early 1800s. By the 1860s, the sport, unrivaled in popularity, was being described as America's "national pastime."

Alexander Joy Cartwright (1820-1892) of New York invented the modern baseball field in 1845. Alexander Cartwright and the members of his New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, devised the first rules and regulations for the modern game of baseball.

Baseball was based on the English game of rounders. Rounders become popular in the United States in the early 19th century, where the game was called "townball", "base", or "baseball". Cartwright formalized the modern rules of baseball.

The first recorded baseball game in 1846 when Alexander Cartwright's Knickerbockers lost to the New York Baseball Club. The game was held at the Elysian Fields, in Hoboken, New Jersey. In 1858, the National Association of Base Ball Players, the first organized baseball league was formed."

You'll notice that baseball was already hugely popular and becoming organized at the same time as soccer. The question people keep asking doesn't really make sense. Why don't Americans play soccer? Because they already had a very popular summer sport by the time modern soccer got going.

The comment about the game not being popular because it doesn't fit TV commercials is nonsense. Kids playing any game in the back yard don't have commercial breaks. It isn't TV exposure to a sport that makes it popular. TV exposure follows popularity for the most part.

[eamo]

[jinju]

[laogaiguk]

[poker player]

[jurassic5]

hmmm...how many more topics can be created worrying about why Americans don't watch or succeed in soccer/football???

why do non-americans (here on Dave's) seem to care/hypothesize if and when the US bows out early in the WC or why the WC doesn't get a 20 share in the US etc?

i like soccer, i love the WC....but i also enjoy other sports as well.

i don't sit around wondering why the NFL Europe is not loved by more people in Europe..........


(jinu must be eating up these topics...it seems to be right up his alley)

[Mitch Comestein]

[seoulsucker]

[keithinkorea]

Who cares if Us or Canadian folks generally don't care for football. I don't give a rat's arse.

I know a few Americans who love football and follow the sport closely.

It is harder on spectators than other games, but it certainly isn't boring, especially in regards to the world cup.

I was in Tokyo the other day and I saw an African guy talking with an American guy, the African guy was taking the piss a little and the American guy was a little bit pathetic in his excuses for why Americans don't care.

Personally most sports bore me, cricket is boring, rounders is boring, American football is boring, baseball is boring, basketball is fun to play but boring to watch, golf is shite, hockey is silly, boxing is good if it is not heavyweight bollox, bowls and curling are for old people with hip replacements. WC football however is very interesting.

Nascar is not motorsports. Rally comps, F1 and motorcross are great however. F1 Does go on a bit but it is interesting. Nascar is for rednecks.

I'd rather watch archery or boule than nascar or baseball.

[Yaya]