People just need to realize that the US is not a soccer country. Our passionS lie in other areas. US citizens have an extremely diverse pool in which to place their passions. Some love a certain sport, usually not soccer. True, perhaps the majority of US sports fans don't take their teams loss so seriously. That's a good thing, IMO. There is more to life than a game that you aren't even a part of. It's shameful that so much violence and anger comes out of the soccer world. Perhaps there isn't enough freedom or diversity in soccer land. Pain to me: The thought of having to live anywhere besides the US. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nASM67FBh5E"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nASM67FBh5E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LeAawX8yN-o"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LeAawX8yN-o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GNCKn9qjbQo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GNCKn9qjbQo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
people need to realize that soccer is so popular because little guys with less athleticism (lots of running, little everything else) can also get paid for sports...
For you it is...but how can you say that is the same for HP or anyone else. And, I am a soccer fan...a DIE HARD fan....but I feel the same crap when the Rockets lose that I do when US soccer loses in the WC, or when Man U loses out on the treble, or even the double. DD
Soccer is BY FAR has the most ardent or loyal fans of any sport in the world. There are a number of reasons for this. 1. Fans can relate to soccer players on a physical level much better than any other popular sport. NBA players are way too tall and pigmentally challenged for fans to relate to, ditto with NFL players(change tall to tall and built like a truck). MLB players used to, but this is changing. Soccer players look just like you or me, you will find tall players, short players, fat players(not so much anymore but still around), skinny, etc.... 2. Scoring is so infrequent in the game that the pressure built up during a soccer match cannot be released. IN basketball, you can cheer after your team scores, so the pressure built up is able to be released quite frequently. In soccer there is no way to release this pressure because scoring is so infrequent, that is why there is so much violence in soccer because all this intensity and pressure just builds and builds. So you go from huge periods of anticipation/dread to sudden moments of euphoria to sudden moments of depression(it's basically a case study of emotions in drug addiction) 3. A team has a chance to win a game no matter how outclassed they are. In nearly every sport, the better team nearly always wins, in soccer this is not always the case, you can have a lowly conference side hold manchester united to a goalless draw and then steal a penalty in the last minute to win. This would be the equivalent of say a Division III college team beating the San Antonio spurs. These type of the "worse team by far winning a game" happens semi-regularly, and most team's fans will always remember these type of games. 4. The game is inherently unfair. Cheating is basically accepted in soccer, players will regularly try to get other players sent off/booked, fake fouls, fake injuries, etc... Basically soccer makes the flopping in the NBA look like a fair play textbook. Therefore fan hatred of players becomes much more vicious, in some parts of the world, players do not move between rival clubs because of this hatred and rivalry. In basketball, there is no such thing, I am sure that if john stockton wanted to play for the rockets, fans would welcome him to the team. Because of the scoring is so infrequent, referee decisions play a HUGE part in the outcome of the game. There is no "if you played better the rest of the game, then the ref's decision wouldn't matter" approach that you can take in basketball games. In soccer, if the ref makes a decision against you, you are screwed. Therefore the outrage at unfair decisions are exponentially greater than any "whining" at basketball referees. This of course makes fans much more obsessed because of the sense of outrage.
Yeah tell it to us Rocket fans that watched an out of bounds Michael Finley poke the ball away from Jon Barry in 2005. Fan pain can not be measured by sport.........it is measured by each individual. I guarantee you there is not a soccer fan in the world that felt WORSE than I did after the Oilers blew a 35-3 lead against the Buffalo Bills......or when John Stockton nailed that 3 pointer in game 6..... I am not saying my pain was worse, but it was as bad as anyone elses....which is EXACTLY the point of this thread.
For your information: http://hoopshype.com/columns/flop_hans.htm Alas, not only does Riley sound like the stereotypical “ugly American” with that comment, he’s dead wrong. The flop is as American as Kentucky bluegrass. Maybe Vlade Divac brought a European flair to the stunt when he joined the Lakers – Pat Riley’s Lakers – in 1989, but U.S.-born hoopsters had already been taking dives for decades. In his 1998 book revealingly titled Values of the Game (p. 149), former senator and Knick Bill Bradley sings the praises of Frank Ramsey, the great Celtic sixth man of the 1950s (and, like Riley, a U. of Kentucky grad): He “could draw an offensive foul by placing his hand behind his opponent’s back (the hand away from the referee) and pulling him forward so that it would appear that the opponent had intentionally run into him. On defensive rebounds, if his opponent had nudged him under the basket so he couldn’t get to the ball, he would simply fling up his arms and fall forward, looking for all the world like a man who had been pushed. Often the referee agreed.” In 1997, the much-admired Hakeem Olajuwon spoke for many when he said of Karl Malone, “The MVP of the league must be legitimate. He can’t be flopping, looking for cheap fouls. It isn’t right. It cheapens the game and it cheapens him.” (St. Petersburg Times, May 21, 1997)
"Pigmentally challenged?" I can't believe I just read that. You've GOT to be kidding me. What the **** does that mean? My blonde wife may have to worry about getting sunburned more than I do, with my formerly brown hair (what's left of it is grey or white, these days) and skin that doesn't burn as easily, but that's not what you meant by "pigmentally challenged," is it. Good grief. That does it... SOCCER SUCKS!!!
DUDE IF you dont know **** about brasil then dont talk about brasil... Im from brasil and i can tell you that Vollyball and formula 1 are all major sports in brasil...oh yeah and bball aint to small either
This thread: "My pain is worse than your pain !" "No, it's not !" "Yes it is...." "No, it's not..." "Yes it is..." "No it's not..." "Yes it is......" Wash, rinse, repeat..... Kind of reminds me of Sam Fisher and I going at it..... DD
Ok, sorry, that was insensitive. What I meant to say was that American athletes place weigh too much emphasis on strength and speed. If you take a look at the top football countries in the world (brazil, france, italy, etc) their teams are very fluid and their players always have a lot of: - Agility - Balance - Creativity US sports have a habit of "creating| players. There aren't many natural players. In basketball or football, they bring in a player who can fly, pack 40lbs on him and use that to win. Which works for traditional sports. But clearly, those things are way less important than the 3 things I mentioned up there. So putting in a strong and fast guy who can run forever does not create a soccer team. However, it may very well be the case with American Football for example. I've seen the training methods used for US Soccer and they are smart, but should be secondary (or lower) training. Measuring bodyfat, timing speed and gauging shotpower are all useful AFTER your team has a talent pool big enough to be picky about those things.
Soccer fans are very ignorant. Australia is similar to the U.S. in that soccer is played a lot at junior level but our biggest sports don't include soccer. Australia cares about soccer once every four years. People go on and on about how great soccer is and how passionate their fans are all all that crap. I lived in England for a while...and I can tell you its just hype. Soccer fans love their sport...but people that follow Rugby Leagu, the NFL, basketball, Ice Hockey all every other sport are just as passionate. Where we differ I guess is that we dont feel the need to kill opposition fans before and after games.
Ok, here is the thing, you are suggesting, although subtly, that many other sports players are just not as "smart" as soccer players. But believe me, they can not be dumb to play professional sports, or even just sports. Or you may just suggest american way of training is not as smart. Anyway, praising your favorite sports over any others is just naive, but that is so typical for sports fans: enthusiastic, over optimistic, and blindly supportive.
hey ayears, so great to see you post! I did swallow my words at the scene. But I had to post about it later to my Rockets friends. Can I swallow my words at a bar and just tell the guy he is correct, then later need to make a post about it...and still "be a real man."?
fair enough. you should post more! btw: "you had problem comprehending my solitary post" is not entirely correct. I was actually thrilled to see someone make a first post in response to me...for agreement or not. welcome brother.
