Soccer, Shmoccer

LarryC

I tried real hard to watch this thing, but I just couldn't. I will admit I turned on the TV for an update once in awhile, so my interest was piqued a tad. There IS something to be said about the damn shape these guys are in though. I mean, these guys are chiseled and that includes the referee! So you soccer fans have an argument there. Compare that to a potbellied pitcher, field goal kicker, or golfer out there claiming to be an athelete. Or a sixty year old obese referee running down the field trying to keep up with a wide receiver....but I still couldn't watch it. It all reminds me of the first two periods of hockey, the first three periods of basketball, and the 3rd inning of baseball when the bottom of the order is up.....meaningless.

Italy can thank God for the crossbar, the headbutt (nice one, by the way), and the fact that France has a tough time winning anything without help from other countries.

ray a

My son played a little soccer in HS and I could never figure out how they knew when the game was over. I'd see the scoreboard clock hit ZERO and they'd keep playing. At least in basketball and football, when the clock is down to 0 and the buzzer goes off, the game is over.

Irie

I'd rather watch the Tour de France.

Paul in Cannon Beach

The thing is, the world cup was a global event that captured the imagination and interest of millions if not billions of people all over the world.

Yet, here in the US, we just dont seem to get it.

Personally, I think its because we have SO MUCH ELSE to occupy our overly saturated minds.

Compare that to the poor regions of South America where kids grow up spending hours on dusty patches of ground kicking around an old soccer ball.

The "fan mile" that was built for the world cup had a capacity of 700,000 and had to be expanded to hold over 1,000,000 joyous soccer fans.

If you don't like the actual sport, the sheer specatacle has to be impressive.

Dutch2

>I'd rather watch the Tour de France.

Me too..... I was very disapointed at lunch today... it is a rest day for the riders and the tour was not on the tube. I look forward to lunch tomorrow. Last day in the flat lands, Wednesday will start the mouintains and the sprinters will be a thing of the past.

HRinGA

It's like watching the world series finish the 9th tied, so we break out the Home Run Derby to see who wins...???
120 minutes and tied? Soccer will never gain mainstream American popularity for that reason. But, they don't need us, so who cares? I don't think they are overly concerned about it.