Olympic Soccer, erm, "football", does anyone care?

[consigliere]

I know we have an Olympic thread going.....but I wanted to specifically call upon our friends across the pond for some help with a question I have.

I know that many people outside of the US go insane over the World Cup and all the football matches year round. My question is, do you lunatics for the sports from other countries go gaga over the Olympics with this sport?

Just wondering how much winning the gold medal or any medal means to the countries and how much emphasis is put on it by the countries and fans. Is it up there in importance to the World Cup? Or, clearly way down the totem pole?

[General]

Awhile back a good friend owned "The Charles Stewart Parnell" bar on Lee Road and he would ply me with Bushmills and Guinness and would explain the nuances of the game to me. Since he was originally from Ireland it was his game and he was as passionate about it as most of us are over our "Wimpering Wahoos" and "Clowns". It was interesting listening to someone explain it to me. Of course it might have been the high powered booze, because I soon recovered and went back to my American-centric ways of thinking.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I really hate soccer. I just can't stand watching it and I played it extensively as a kid. By the time I became a teenager I had abandoned it and lost all interest.

Americans really don't dig it all that much. We might get interested at various times like when the women won the World Cup, etc, but even an Olympic run just wouldn't interest me at this point. I think it's a shame that a crummy game like soccer gets to stay in the Olympics and a great sport like baseball gets booted.

It's funny that Canada and the US are so drastically different from the rest of the world in their sporting tastes. Hockey is king in Canada and American football is king here with baseball also being extremely popular. We tend to favor team sports that started on our continent. Hockey, baseball, football, and basketball all started in North America. We never got into soccer.

[cms2718]

Well I have gotten into it a bit this Olympics, but mostly the women's soccer (there are some fine looking women on team USA and Canada).

[FUDU]

The problem with soccer is it is not really watchable, even in person. I mean unless your own kid is playing n the field what's the point.

As a younger kid it isn't all that bad to play and it does develop some impressive foot skills for use in other sports, but kids don't run this world adults do so soccer stays where it is at.

You want people to take an interest in soccer you need Darth Vader to be there, and even then they are not there for the soccer.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I really don't get all the violence that is generated by soccer matches. Is it because the fans are so bored by the game that they decide to fight? Those soccer hooligans make the fans in The Black Hole look civilized.

[Spin]

I'm a soccer fan, watched the City Stars playoff game, had season tix to the Caps, can't wait for Akron U to get started, watched Italia won the World Cup

Haven't caught any olympic soccer though.

Anyone else remember these guys? Or the ASL?

[Spin]

I really don't get all the violence that is generated by soccer matches. Is it because the fans are so bored by the game that they decide to fight? Those soccer hooligans make the fans in The Black Hole look civilized.

They have a PASSION for the sport that even browns fans will never understand. Even though there have been Browns fans tailgating, beating up Steelers fans, and throwing bottles at refs, it's still bigger than that. Bigger than OSU-Michigan.

If you expect 7 seconds of violence followed by 35 seconds of guys walking around, or TV time outs, (resulting in 3 yards gained), and players who specialize in one type of play, you'll never "get" soccer.

Americans just don't get soccer or road racing. Can't concentrate more than 15 seconds unless something hits something else.

[FUDU]

I disagree completely Spin, I mean explain our love for baseball then?

Baseball can be as boring as any other sport and has as little contact as soccer, matter of fact way less.

[buckeye319]

Some sports are ingrained in you since childhood in America, and soccer just isn't one of them. If you're father took you to a soccer game every weekend to watch a professional game with the rest of your city, you'd probably continue to follow it as an adult. Soccer's history is just weak in the States.

Another reason is that the vast majority of Americans aren't consistently exposed to the best soccer in the world. Sorry to any MLS lovers, but that league is terrible compared to the European leagues. I love football, but I wouldn't watch an NFL Europe or Arena league game either.

As far the comparison to baseball and soccer goes, I think baseball can also be very boring but it seems to be the only major "slow" sport Americans tolerate (golf is another but they don't get the same following as baseball, football, or basketball for a variety of reasons and Tiger has been the main reason for its rise...but I digress). For whatever reason, baseball is a unique game in America. And even in that sport, everybody likes to see a guy hit the ball 400 ft - which no doubt was part of baseball's resurgence in the 90s.

[Spin]

I don't find soccer to be slow, or having a lack of contact (unless you're watching kids play). It has a constant flow, like a non-stop hockey game.

Like other sports, you have to understand the strategies going on, and have an interest in one of the teams, before it's interesting. As much as I love football, I can't watch NC State play Texas Tech.

I really don't know how I got into the sport. I was raised on stock cars and football. I never played it, we didn't have soccer teams in school. The only time it was on TV was an hour per week of "Soccer Made in Germany" on channel 67 or 61. I went to a Cobras game with a church group. When I could drive I checked indoor soccer with the old Canton Invaders and enjoyed that. Five titles in seven years. Then they turned the sport into a freakin circus...

I don't know why I got interested in it. I have no interest in boxing or fighting or golf or tennis, different strokes for different folks.

[leadpipe]

I really don't get all the violence that is generated by soccer matches. Is it because the fans are so bored by the game that they decide to fight? Those soccer hooligans make the fans in The Black Hole look civilized.

They have a PASSION for the sport that even browns fans will never understand. Even though there have been Browns fans tailgating, beating up Steelers fans, and throwing bottles at refs, it's still bigger than that. Bigger than OSU-Michigan.

If you expect 7 seconds of violence followed by 35 seconds of guys walking around, or TV time outs, (resulting in 3 yards gained), and players who specialize in one type of play, you'll never "get" soccer.

Americans just don't get soccer or road racing. Can't concentrate more than 15 seconds unless something hits something else.

Maybe soccer fan should tone down the PASSION, which might result in less people being KILLED.

Look, it really isn't a big deal that nobody cares here. Beckham is here and nobody cares. Each one of us does things that nobody cares about. I like to play cards, many think that's stupid. I wasted many weekends of my life playing slow-pitch softball, which many think is a girls sport, and, they aren't that far off base. Why get bent out of shape about it. Not many Americans care about soccer. It's not necessarily true that we're "missing something," it's that we'd rather pay atttention to other things.

I happen to think these cats that go to Star Wars conventions are a little mental, but the guy in the GD stormtrooper costume is having the time of his life, and that's all that really matters.

[British_Pharaoh]

i couldn't give a toss about Olympic football

it means nothing

[consigliere]

i couldn't give a toss about Olympic football

it means nothing

I was hoping one of the guys from across the pond would chime in on this. Why?

[Bill the Butcher]

i couldn't give a toss about Olympic football

it means nothing

I was hoping one of the guys from across the pond would chime in on this. Why?

It could mean nothing to them because football is played on an international stage already, basically. They play the same opponents in a regular season as they do in the Olympics (I'm assuming, but it's a good assumption, right?).

Compare to basketball, NBA teams are strictly USA (1 Canada) and basically no where else. The Olympics allows our best players to compete against those around the world, those we rarely ever play, so it's new and exciting and I guess it means more to us than football means to football fans. That's just my guess.

Tangent: I always hate it when we call our champions "World Champions"... because we're not. Like the World Series. It's not the World Series unless we include all teams in the world. Then you can call ourselves or our teams "world champions".

[Spin]

It could mean nothing to them because football is played on an international stage already, basically. They play the same opponents in a regular season as they do in the Olympics (I'm assuming, but it's a good assumption, right?).

Basically. Between the UEFA Cup, Champions League, a couple years of World Cup qualifiers, friendlies, yeah the Oly's is just another international tournament.

Nothing on the order of the World Cup.

[BDFD]

Depends. Do they keep score?