The Shangri-La Diet > Men's Department
Why I hate soccer - be forewarned. Not for the easily offended.
djdawg:
Someone asked for my take on soccer so I’ll go ahead and share.
I need to make a few disclaimers here. I am American and my views will be coming from an American. We are quite unlike other countries as soccer is not our national sport as it is elsewhere. I am also trying to not use absolutes like "every" "always" "never", etc. so if you are the exception, that's great but for my take it doesn't matter.
My “take” on soccer has more to do with it’s rise in popularity with the youth in our country and not so much as to whether the sport is good or bad in itself. I am going to share why recreational soccer as a whole has had a detrimental affect on our country. Might not be the “take” you were thinking of…
I’ll say right upfront that I don’t really care for the sport and I’m definitely not in the minority. (again, here in America) I find the game boring (We win 1-0!) and almost lacking in complete grace and intrigue. All I see is several guys kicking a ball up and down the field passing it back and forth. Occasionally someone will head the ball which is kind of cool but then the other team gets the ball back and so it continues…hour after hour after hour.
It’s not unlike hockey in many ways (which I really only care to watch live) but in hockey you do have some added facets to the game which makes it much more interesting to watch. First they can skate which is a talent that is far superior to say, then running. (ha ha…I know, I’m funny) The puck travels 100 mph, there is ice, and sadly for many Americans fighting seems to be major draw. (not for me – I’ve never understood the appeal of that)
So, no surprise that I don’t like soccer. Big deal. Don’t bother trying to convince me and telling me about all the intricacies that I’m missing because I just don’t care. That’s not what this thread is about. This is the part where the “man” in me comes out and many of the women reading this thread might become offended.
There are sports that are truly part of our culture and identify us as a country. Even people that don’t care for sports will admit this. For Canada it’s hockey, for um….everyone else it’s soccer and for America it’s baseball. There is a lot of history behind the game and not just sporting history. We all know about Jackie Robinson breaking down the color barrier at the time. Just one of the very incredible things that is linked to the sport in it’s long history.
For someone that has not grown up loving baseball, it’s hard to explain what it’s like. All the romantic images about baseball (i.e. see Ken Burns’ epic “Baseball” on PBS) are absolutely true. As an adult now, it’s a fantastic image to see 4 or 5 kids on a baseball diamond throwing the ball around and hitting it to each other. Unfortunately all of this is being jeopardized by soccer.
It’s not just soccer’s fault. You can also add greedy athlete’s, single moms and crappy fathers to the mix. There was a time where playing catch with your dad was a rite of passage. Learning how to hold a mitt, throw a ball, hold the bat and hit the ball…all of that was taught to you by your dad. Not too many moms doing that.
Then society started changing and divorce has now become commonplace which means that Dad is usually out of the house and that right of passage (along with many others) are no more. What’s a mom to do? Little Jimmy has got to do something and if he’s lucky his father will still be in the picture and he will make attempts to continue the baseball right-of-passage that his father shared with him. Unfortunately in most cases, schedules conflict, mom and dad are now enemies and little Jimmy just doesn’t see his dad much anymore.
Mom has to do something right? Well she doesn’t know much about baseball (I’m not saying every woman doesn’t know much about baseball but we can all agree the vast majority do not right? Please no angry letters) however she did see the flyer about soccer starting up in the summer so she decides to sign up little Jimmy for that! No equipment to buy, no ball and they will probably even provide the uniform! And since she probably doesn’t know much about soccer either (other then they run up and down the field kicking a ball and heck, she knows she can do that) she’s gratified to learn that she doesn’t have to know anything. If she put Jimmy into baseball, who's going to show him how to hold a mitt? Hit a ball? She doesn't know how herself so soccer MUST be the answer. Why the game is so simple and easy (easy to learn I’m saying) that any extra effort on her part will not be needed which is a relief to her since she takes Becky to ballet on Thursday, Jimmy has his piano lesson on Wednesday and Sally has two dentist appts next week! You can't hardly blame single mom though as she is probably stretched pretty thin and she's just grateful that little Jimmy is getting some exercise.
And so recreational soccer was born in America and it thrives to this day.
I have no problem admitting that it builds teamwork, blah blah blah but the downside is is that kids are growing up playing a sport they cannot personally identify with. When I was a kid I imagined myself as many different baseball greats…when I was hitting I was Babe Ruth, when I was running out and catching a fly ball I was Ken Griffey (ok that was last week! LOL) when I was vainly attempting to stretch a single into a double I was Shoeless Joe Jackson but what soccer hero can any American child relate too? Zero! Heck, in my day it was Pele and….well…..Pele! That’s it! Yeah there’s that guy that’s married to the Spice girl and I heard some stuff about some guy with long hair a few years back but they certainly didn’t catch the hearts and minds of boys and girls in America. And THAT’S the problem. American children are playing a game that is not intrinsic to this country and they grow up not knowing a damn thing about baseball and that’s why the game of baseball is in trouble. And if the sport of baseball is in trouble then our countries history is ALSO in trouble. Add to that greedy baseball stars, contract disputes and stupid owners and you can see why the sport is a mess and that’s too bad because it is truly an American game and in this day of age with the war and the whole world basically hating us – we need something that is truly American.
That’s why I hate soccer. The end.
falconcy:
I think it's more a question of what you are brought up into. As I said previously, a Grammar School education got me into Rugby as opposed to Football (which is what we call it this side of the pond) I also played Hockey, though not on ice, if you have any doubt about how fast that ball can travel, I stopped one once with my ankle, it hurt like hell.
Then there is Cricket, hardly my game either, though 20/20 is apparently quite exciting. Cricket must be the equivalent of Baseball on this side of the pond.
My first encounters with American Football and Baseball came through contact with US Air Force personnel based in the UK. Part of the problem was simply not understanding the game, probably much in the same way as djdawg does not really understand our version of football. A better understanding of any sport can make it much more enjoyable and the atmosphere at any game can also be part of it. Watching a match at say the Stretford End or The Kop whilst following your team (Man Utd or Liverpool in those two examples) is something else. Way different from seeing it on TV.
I've been out of the UK for way too long, these days they play American Football in the UK, Ice Hockey too. Not sure if Baseball made it over there yet though. On the subject of baseball, I have only one thing to say, Toronto Bluejays ;-)
Pinkmug:
I LOVE soccer, it's the most exciting sport ever, a game well played is like a beautiful symphony, a masterpiece. I don't know how anyone fails to see the beauty of a strategy behind a good team's play, originated in a good coach's mind, and put to practice by skilled players. It's like a thrilling chess game. Soccer (which I call football by the way) is the king of sports for me, period, and I don't give a damn if Americans or Chinese or Patagonians or Martians like it or not.
Purple:
--- Quote from: Pinkmug on July 02, 2007, 02:50:17 am ---I LOVE soccer, it's the most exciting sport ever, a game well played is like a beautiful symphony, a masterpiece. I don't know how anyone fails to see the beauty of a strategy behind a good team's play, originated in a good coach's mind, and put to practice by skilled players.[/color]
--- End quote ---
yeah I am with you Pinkmug- I LOVE SOCCER :D
here in Oz they play aussie rules that they call football but soccer is real football
but hey I respect it's not for everyone!
and am not offended by those that hate it!
tek_vixen:
Well djdawg, I was the one who asked, and I must say your take is very interesting. Quite amusing in fact. I seriously doubt that overworked single moms created the explosion of recreational soccer in America. Most people I've encountered started playing soccer because their friends were playing soccer. In my children's cases, all three of them were invited to play by a friend who was playing at the time. In fact, my youngest DD was invited to be the goalie of a select team last fall despite never stepping foot on a soccer pitch prior to the invitation. She was a natural. But she prefers softball, so it was a short but extremely successful soccer career for her. My son started playing baseball one year before he started soccer. He played both for six years before giving up baseball because he just didn't enjoy it. He never played catch with his father. My ex must have missed out on that ritual where father and son play catch, because he never did anything sports-wise with any of the kids. In fact, he's fought my support of their sports tooth and nail, and very rarely comes to any of their games.
I also can't quite figure out why you think baseball is in trouble. I haven't noticed a decline in number of kids at the local little league over the past ten years. There are so many girls playing competitive softball now, there aren't enough coaches/umpires to support it.
And I have to giggle a little at your assertion that there's no equipment required in soccer. We started baseball with just a mitt and a pair of cleats. Soccer was shinguards, cleats and a ball for home practice. Pretty similar. Over time we added batting helmet, batting gloves and bat. In soccer, it was goalie gloves and shirt (very spendy - price them out), hip pads, and elbow pads. Overall, I've spent way more on soccer equipment than on baseball. And that doesn't count uniforms, which have always been provided in baseball, but I've had to buy for soccer. Those puppies can add up to $150 + per season. So, I'm not buying soccer as the cheaper alternative.
Baseball is more familiar to me, as I grew up watching it. I didn't know the rules, though, just the basics. I learned the rules when my kids started playing. Same with soccer. It's what a good single mommy like myself should do. If they were into competitive chess, I would do the same. Thank god they're not! :lol: But the funny thing is that the more you understand a game, the more appealing it becomes. Before my kids played sports, I wouldn't dream of sitting down by myself and watching a baseball game or a soccer match. Now I find myself doing both fairly frequently. There's room for both (but I think I'll always love baseball more). I'm just happy that my kids are active and healthy, they have a sense of belonging to something, and they get the benefit of learning to balance personal goals and team goals. It's all good.
T-Vix
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