k1w1 said:
Unfortunately the skill involved in soccer is lost on the american public due to a lack of scoring 'drama'
Until the scoring is somehow revamped to cater to those 'obese / coke swelling / popcorn munchers (lol)' it'll remain as is.
Kinda sad but true (me thinx)
hasta
A little harsh, aren't we?
Sports are entertainment, and everybody has a different view as to what constitutes entertainment.
From what I see, American football fans are rather docile compared to the soccer riots and deaths we see on TV. I have a hard time believing that those soccer "incidents" are not that isolated, and are NOT fueled by adult beverages.
I just think that Americans like a different sort of sports "drama" than others do. Lord knows that organized soccer has been marketed in the states with great effort. I can remember back in the 60's when the original NASL opined that the next generation of youngsters in the States would drop American Football/baseball/basketball in favor of soccer. Youth soccer grew by leaps and bounds through this day. In fact "Soccer Moms" became a semi-political group. The problem is the 6-10 y.o.'s got to be 12+, and dropped out of soccer in favor of American football/basketball/baseball. The interest in soccer by the open minds of our youth just didn't translate into interest as an adult. Go figure.
While I personally appreciate the athletic ability of international soccer players, I find the game somewhat boring compared to other American sports. I don't think I'm alone. That is not at all to denegrate soccer, it's just a simple statement.
FWIW-I am a little biased. I played 3 years of pro football in the mid-70's during my impetuous youth.
And here is just one opinion: IF soccer had ever caught on with young Americans and the greatest American athletes adopted it as their primary sport, the US National team would be an amazing group to watch. The top athletes in pro football/basketball/baseball would be simply awesome.