Football Why do Americans hate soccer/football?

TripleThreat · 06-27-2021, 10:38 PM

https://mastersoccermind.com/6-reaso...united-states/

While watching the EuroCup I wondered why so many Americans seem to not care about soccer, while the rest of the world see it as the best sport ever invented.... This is what I found. I posted a few reasons and a few highlights that I actually find myself agreeing on...

The 6 Reasons
1. Americans are not #1 in soccer
2. Obsession with excessively big things
3. Not ideal for marketing and business
4. Excessive faking of injuries
5. American’s can’t stand a tie
6. 1863 and England expansion

Quote:

It’s funny because outside the United States, we laugh every time we see the Super Bowl and hear the narrators saying “They are the new world champions”. Yes, they are the “world champions” of a game that is only played in one country.

Quote:

Also, the World Series is the finals of the Major Leagues, and is played between two teams from the United States, so why is it called “world” series”?

Quote:

In United States, corporations wants to do as much money as possible. The big TV networks in the United States are no different. Obviously, the major revenue stream they have when broadcasting sporting events is advertisement.
This means, they are more likely to promote the most ad-friendly sports. Coincidentally, these sports are Baseball, American Football, and Basketball. In american football, for example, you have all of these breaks between the game for advertising:

End of the 1st and 3rd quarter.
Timeouts (3 per teams per half).
Injury timeouts.
Halftime.
Two minute warnings.
Stoppage after punt and kickoff returns.
Stoppage after a score.
Stoppage after a turnover.
Coach challenges.

In the other hand, soccer only has halftime. This makes the sport not suitable for advertisement, which means big TV networks won’t prioritize broadcasting it.

Quote:

the last world cup was seen by more than 4 billion people, which is more than half the world population. The most watched super bowl in history was only viewed by 114 million.

eDave · 06-27-2021, 10:43 PM

Americans in general don't "hate" soccer as it's the third-most played sport in America. It's more widely played than ice hockey and football.

The reason for the quotes is because hatred is a form of active, ongoing hostility that often uses up significant emotional energy. Who the **** goes through that effort over a sport? I'd say most "hate" for it is driven by machismo.

What's good about soccer is that if not for it, the only thing I could say about |Zach| is that he's a fat ****, has a lame ass job that he is too fat and lazy to rise above, has shit political takes, is a complete and utter asshole because apparently that's what he wants to be, whose supposed girlfriend is most certainly a large beast herself, and just doesn't seem to have anything going for him other than a sense of self importance based on nothing.

As for me, I'm just uninterested until I'm not every 4 years.

ClevelandBronco · 06-27-2021, 11:10 PM

For me, it’s like golf. Fun to play, unspeakably boring to watch.

TomBarndtsTwin · 06-27-2021, 11:13 PM

Because it sucks?

Bump · 06-27-2021, 11:17 PM

it doesn't entertain me

I don't hate it, it's a great sport for kids to play while growing up. I just have no opinion whatsoever about it.

**Bugeater** · 06-27-2021, 11:20 PM

Agree with eDave...not so much hate but just not interested. Me personally, just seems like a bunch of guys running around randomly kicking a ball, and occasionally it ends up in a net. I'm sure there's more going on than appears but I don't care enough to learn about it.

**Rain Man** · 06-27-2021, 11:32 PM

I'm curious what "1863 and England expansion" is. I suspect that's not a reason that I dislike soccer.

I think the key problem is scoring. An interesting sport has enough scoring opportunities to be keep one interested, but not so many that scoring isn't special. Soccer has a score maybe once every 30 minutes of play or so, which is really boring. Basketball has a score maybe three times a minute, which is also really boring because it's too frequent. So you throw those two out immediately.

Football, baseball, and hockey all score at about the same rate, which maybe once every 7 to 12 minutes of game play. That's a reasonable rate. But if we look at these three, we see that....

....hockey is a terrible sport for TV. The puck is too small to follow the action (which also kills golf, by the way). I always found the ice part really contrived, too. I've never been ice skating and barely know anyone else who has. Why not have them play on stilts or blindfolded? The ice is just a weird gimmick. Then when you throw in the fighting, it's too much like professional wrestling. No, thanks.

....baseball scores at an appropriate rate, but the action between scores is excruciatingly slow. I'm pretty sure that even the players are bored for most of the game. I feel like this is also true for soccer.

...football combines good action between scores, is relevant to most of America since it's not played on skates, and it's relatively easy to follow the action since the ball is large enough to see.

Sports like tennis and bowling have limited appeal because they're completely repetitive. You watch one match or game and you've seen 90 percent of everything you'll ever see. Throw most racing sports into this repetitive bucket as well.

Boxing and wrestling are moderately interesting if they're real, but most of the televised stuff isn't real. For the most part the fake wrestling makes the real wrestling look boring since real wrestling is mostly just rolling around. Similarly, MMA stuff is boring for that reason. The only interesting combat sport is sumo, which combines fast action with legitimate handfighting. (I'm counting naked female oil wrestling more as entertainment, but it would fall onto the interesting list if it's a sport.)

Track and field is interesting because it combines fast, easily visible action with a clear winner, and it's relevant to most people. Running and jumping and throwing are things that we've all done. As interesting as gymnastics is to watch, it gets knocked down a peg by having subjective scoring. But it's still on the positive side of the ledger.

After that ramble, let me revisit the six reasons posted in the OP about soccer.

1. Americans are not #1 in soccer - Not an issue for me. I'll watch sumo and like it.

2. Obsession with excessively big things - I don't understand why this is a theory. We all love Tyreek Hill, and he's not big.

3. Not ideal for marketing and business - Maybe this is why I get exposed to certain sports, but I don't think it makes me like one sport over another. In fact, logically I would dislike sports that involve more marketing.

4. Excessive faking of injuries - Yeah, this is a really good reason to dislike soccer.

5. Americans can’t stand a tie - Are there cultures that like ties? I'm not sure why Americans would be different. I think everyone hates ties except for maybe Thais.

6. 1863 and England expansion - Gettysburg was a tragedy and British colonialism gets a bad rap these days. I don't think either relates to my dislike of soccer.

In summary, I'd go with three reasons for disliking soccer:

1. scoring that is too infrequent to maintain interest.
2. action between scoring plays that is uninteresting.
3. fake injuries that make the players look stupid and non-heroic.

In contrast, I think we should ask why it's so popular in other parts of the world, and I think the answer is obvious. It's the only game in town. If soccer was the only sport in the USA, we'd watch it a lot more. That wouldn't mean it's a great sport. It just means that we like sports.

Rasputin · 06-28-2021, 12:04 AM

Wish Rugby was popular in USA it's certainly a hell of a lot better than soccer.

PunkinDrublic · 06-28-2021, 12:10 AM

I don’t think we hate it we just don’t have the same passion for it that the rest of the world. I love watching the World Cup and the premiership but as an American I like what I like. Of all the things the Brits did to India, getting them to like a dull as **** sport like cricket may be the worst.

Titty Meat · 06-28-2021, 12:59 AM

Its boring as **** and fans of the sport are generally annoying and try to push the sport down your throat.

eDave · 06-28-2021, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

Its boring as **** and fans of the sport are generally annoying and try to push the sport down your throat.

No. They "push" it when confronted by the likes of you who want to dis it when the opportunity arises. Soccer fans I know don't go around soliciting other viewpoints on soccer then steadfastly push it on you.

What you've learned here is that defending is not pushing.

Fish · 06-28-2021, 01:21 AM

I don't hate it, I just don't find it that interesting. And it's not really just the scoring. I really like hockey, which typically has similar scoring. Soccer just isn't as exciting as so many other sports. I remember when they were trying to publicize the first ever renamed Sporting KC game back in the day, or maybe it was the first game at the new stadium. But they tried so hard to generate interest in the big inaugural game, and it resulted in a 0-0 tie, and everyone was just LOL....

**Trivers** · 06-28-2021, 03:39 AM

BORING!!!!!
Just a bunch of people running up and down the field.
As said earlier, boring as golf on TV.

SithCeNtZ · 06-28-2021, 04:47 AM

It's the championship structure problem. To get fans interested they need a reason to care, and most people have no reason to care. You have a million leagues, only which some of them can make the champions league. However you don't actually need to win your league to qualify for the champions league, for some reason. And if you win that, then great, however it matters about 100x less than international play. Every single Chelsea fan would trade their title for a world cup title for whoever they cheer for in a heartbeat. But even in international play you have these pointless tournaments which accomplish nothing. You have Euro 2020 going on, which is different than the Copa America happening on the other side of the world, and is different than the gold cup which the US will play in after winning the concacaf nations tournament. All of which leads to the actual tournament that matters: the world cup. And make no mistake, tons of fans will jump right on the soccer bandwagon once they see the US has a relatively good team for once and can make some noise. But after it's over, what keeps their interest?
I truly believe that if the club format was ditched and soccer went pure international with a World Cup every two years soccer would be much more popular in this country.

**Bob Dole** · 06-28-2021, 05:24 AM

I don't dislike it, I just don't care. When I was a kid, there were not any youth soccer leagues or school soccer programs. You think that might have anything to do with it?

06-27-2021, 10:43 PM	#2
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Americans in general don't "hate" soccer as it's the third-most played sport in America. It's more widely played than ice hockey and football. The reason for the quotes is because hatred is a form of active, ongoing hostility that often uses up significant emotional energy. Who the ** goes through that effort over a sport? I'd say most "hate" for it is driven by machismo. What's good about soccer is that if not for it, the only thing I could say about \|Zach\| is that he's a fat *, has a lame ass job that he is too fat and lazy to rise above, has shit political takes, is a complete and utter asshole because apparently that's what he wants to be, whose supposed girlfriend is most certainly a large beast herself, and just doesn't seem to have anything going for him other than a sense of self importance based on nothing. As for me, I'm just uninterested until I'm not every 4 years. Last edited by eDave; 06-28-2021 at 05:07 AM..*
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06-27-2021, 11:10 PM	#3
ClevelandBronco I'm with the banned. Join Date: Sep 2006 Casino cash: $5658955	For me, it’s like golf. Fun to play, unspeakably boring to watch. __________________ "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth ..." – Pope Saint John Paul II
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06-27-2021, 11:13 PM	#4
TomBarndtsTwin MVP Join Date: Mar 2013 Casino cash: $5049883	Because it sucks?
Posts: 8,811	18 3

06-27-2021, 11:17 PM	#5
Bump YOU take YOUR seat Join Date: Nov 2007 Casino cash: $2165105	it doesn't entertain me I don't hate it, it's a great sport for kids to play while growing up. I just have no opinion whatsoever about it. __________________
Posts: 32,255

06-27-2021, 11:20 PM	#6
Bugeater The Maintenance Guy Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Renovated Bugeater Estate Casino cash: $6242680	Agree with eDave...not so much hate but just not interested. Me personally, just seems like a bunch of guys running around randomly kicking a ball, and occasionally it ends up in a net. I'm sure there's more going on than appears but I don't care enough to learn about it.
Posts: 70,443	1 0

06-27-2021, 11:32 PM	#7
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3248491 VARSITY	I'm curious what "1863 and England expansion" is. I suspect that's not a reason that I dislike soccer. I think the key problem is scoring. An interesting sport has enough scoring opportunities to be keep one interested, but not so many that scoring isn't special. Soccer has a score maybe once every 30 minutes of play or so, which is really boring. Basketball has a score maybe three times a minute, which is also really boring because it's too frequent. So you throw those two out immediately. Football, baseball, and hockey all score at about the same rate, which maybe once every 7 to 12 minutes of game play. That's a reasonable rate. But if we look at these three, we see that.... ....hockey is a terrible sport for TV. The puck is too small to follow the action (which also kills golf, by the way). I always found the ice part really contrived, too. I've never been ice skating and barely know anyone else who has. Why not have them play on stilts or blindfolded? The ice is just a weird gimmick. Then when you throw in the fighting, it's too much like professional wrestling. No, thanks. ....baseball scores at an appropriate rate, but the action between scores is excruciatingly slow. I'm pretty sure that even the players are bored for most of the game. I feel like this is also true for soccer. ...football combines good action between scores, is relevant to most of America since it's not played on skates, and it's relatively easy to follow the action since the ball is large enough to see. Sports like tennis and bowling have limited appeal because they're completely repetitive. You watch one match or game and you've seen 90 percent of everything you'll ever see. Throw most racing sports into this repetitive bucket as well. Boxing and wrestling are moderately interesting if they're real, but most of the televised stuff isn't real. For the most part the fake wrestling makes the real wrestling look boring since real wrestling is mostly just rolling around. Similarly, MMA stuff is boring for that reason. The only interesting combat sport is sumo, which combines fast action with legitimate handfighting. (I'm counting naked female oil wrestling more as entertainment, but it would fall onto the interesting list if it's a sport.) Track and field is interesting because it combines fast, easily visible action with a clear winner, and it's relevant to most people. Running and jumping and throwing are things that we've all done. As interesting as gymnastics is to watch, it gets knocked down a peg by having subjective scoring. But it's still on the positive side of the ledger. After that ramble, let me revisit the six reasons posted in the OP about soccer. 1. Americans are not #1 in soccer - Not an issue for me. I'll watch sumo and like it. 2. Obsession with excessively big things - I don't understand why this is a theory. We all love Tyreek Hill, and he's not big. 3. Not ideal for marketing and business - Maybe this is why I get exposed to certain sports, but I don't think it makes me like one sport over another. In fact, logically I would dislike sports that involve more marketing. 4. Excessive faking of injuries - Yeah, this is a really good reason to dislike soccer. 5. Americans can’t stand a tie - Are there cultures that like ties? I'm not sure why Americans would be different. I think everyone hates ties except for maybe Thais. 6. 1863 and England expansion - Gettysburg was a tragedy and British colonialism gets a bad rap these days. I don't think either relates to my dislike of soccer. In summary, I'd go with three reasons for disliking soccer: 1. scoring that is too infrequent to maintain interest. 2. action between scoring plays that is uninteresting. 3. fake injuries that make the players look stupid and non-heroic. In contrast, I think we should ask why it's so popular in other parts of the world, and I think the answer is obvious. It's the only game in town. If soccer was the only sport in the USA, we'd watch it a lot more. That wouldn't mean it's a great sport. It just means that we like sports. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit. Last edited by Rain Man; 06-27-2021 at 11:39 PM..
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06-28-2021, 12:04 AM	#8
Rasputin Tip of the hat LIV Champs Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: ks Casino cash: $3425421	Wish Rugby was popular in USA it's certainly a hell of a lot better than soccer. __________________ A Brave Man Once Requested Me To Answer Questions That Are Key 'Is It To Be Or Not To Be' And I Replied Oh Why Ask Me
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06-28-2021, 12:10 AM	#9
PunkinDrublic Stay down bitch! Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Plano, TX Casino cash: $6390670	I don’t think we hate it we just don’t have the same passion for it that the rest of the world. I love watching the World Cup and the premiership but as an American I like what I like. Of all the things the Brits did to India, getting them to like a dull as **** sport like cricket may be the worst. __________________ Disappointing my parents since 1976
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06-28-2021, 12:59 AM	#10
Titty Meat Inmem 2.0 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: My house Casino cash: $2207558	Its boring as **** and fans of the sport are generally annoying and try to push the sport down your throat.
Posts: 75,211	5 2

06-28-2021, 01:21 AM	#12
Fish Ain't no relax! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2208919	I don't hate it, I just don't find it that interesting. And it's not really just the scoring. I really like hockey, which typically has similar scoring. Soccer just isn't as exciting as so many other sports. I remember when they were trying to publicize the first ever renamed Sporting KC game back in the day, or maybe it was the first game at the new stadium. But they tried so hard to generate interest in the big inaugural game, and it resulted in a 0-0 tie, and everyone was just LOL.... __________________
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06-28-2021, 03:39 AM	#13
Trivers Always ask 'Why?" Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Two Rivers, Wisconsin Casino cash: $2252400	BORING!!!!! Just a bunch of people running up and down the field. As said earlier, boring as golf on TV.
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06-28-2021, 04:47 AM	#14
SithCeNtZ Starter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Lawrence Casino cash: $2731995	It's the championship structure problem. To get fans interested they need a reason to care, and most people have no reason to care. You have a million leagues, only which some of them can make the champions league. However you don't actually need to win your league to qualify for the champions league, for some reason. And if you win that, then great, however it matters about 100x less than international play. Every single Chelsea fan would trade their title for a world cup title for whoever they cheer for in a heartbeat. But even in international play you have these pointless tournaments which accomplish nothing. You have Euro 2020 going on, which is different than the Copa America happening on the other side of the world, and is different than the gold cup which the US will play in after winning the concacaf nations tournament. All of which leads to the actual tournament that matters: the world cup. And make no mistake, tons of fans will jump right on the soccer bandwagon once they see the US has a relatively good team for once and can make some noise. But after it's over, what keeps their interest? I truly believe that if the club format was ditched and soccer went pure international with a World Cup every two years soccer would be much more popular in this country.
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06-28-2021, 05:24 AM	#15
Bob Dole King Shit of **** Mountain Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Texarkana, Texas Casino cash: $2514497	I don't dislike it, I just don't care. When I was a kid, there were not any youth soccer leagues or school soccer programs. You think that might have anything to do with it?
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