Be honest, how much World Cup soccer have you actually watched? I know the games are at inconvenient times, but still that’s the beauty of DVR. Beyond the poor TV times there are a number of things I am noticing this World Cup that is further strengthening the anti-soccer opinion of so many Americans. Between the soccer fans and the play itself, soccer may not become a part of the “Big Three” anytime soon.
Stay on Your Feet
Soccer players have been given the title of being sissies, because they don’t hit like football players and they roll around whining like they’d been shot when a stiff breeze hits them. Tell that to Aaron Ramsey. On the other hand, there are players like Cristiano Ronaldo, who has made a name for himself through his good-looks, fancy footwork and amazing goals. Despite those qualities, Ronaldo is also known for folding like a lawn chair when the thought of a tackle enters his mind, which is followed by four exaggerated rolls while yelling and a plea to the ref. Ronaldo is not alone though, as much of the world practices this technique of trying to draw a foul, only giving soccer players a bad name and quite frankly making them look ridiculous. The addition of super slow-mo replay doesn’t do them any favors.
Bringing Crowd Noise to a New Level
The World Cup introduced the Vuvuzela to world. If you have not heard this horn, consider yourself lucky. When the entire crowd is going, it sounds like a swarm of bees on your TV set. They are loud obnoxious and receiving negative reviews from fans and players alike. That being said, crowd noise is part of the game. Live with it. Every sports show at some point this week has hosted a segment specifically discussing the Vuvuzela. It’s now old. Stop talking about it. It’ll be over soon.
Not Enough Goals
This has been a fairly low scoring World Cup with a lot of ties. Tying is like kissing your sister. It’s the type of outcome that doesn’t get the casual American sports fan excited about a sport. We need a winner and a loser, and high scores. That hasn’t happened yet this World Cup and it is deterring fans from watching. This is too bad, as there is so much more to soccer than goals, but this often goes over the head of the sports fan. But this is the world’s game, not ours. The rules aren’t changing.
The American Soccer Fans
There are three types of soccer fan in America. The soccer snob, the World Cup fan and the wannabe hooligan. To be fair, there is probably a fourth. The soccer fan, who enjoys that game, understands the strategy, but doesn’t rub it in your face. The above three though aren’t helping convert non-soccer fans.
First, the soccer snob. This is the person who corrects you when you announce the score “one to zero” and they reply “umm… it’s one, nil.” They remind you that it’s not a field, rather “a pitch.” Oh and soccer players don’t wear jerseys, they are “kits.” This type of fan wants to try to explain the intricacies of the game, over analyze each pass, and gasps for air on every shot, whether on target or 20 feet over the crossbar. This fan turns others off soccer with their annoying comments and constant need to prove their soccer knowledge and vocabulary over those around them.
Second is the World Cup fan. This is the person who watches soccer for one month every four years, but comes into the office draped in the Portuguese flag telling everyone in ear-shot that they are going to watch the game this weekend. Oh and did I mention they are American with Irish heritage, but thinks Ronaldo is cute. The World Cup fan “loves soccer,” filled out a World Cup Bracket and can’t wait for the next game. Come July 12, it’s back to baseball and pre-season football, and the World Cup and soccer are a mere memory.
Third, is the wannabe soccer hooligan. These people piss me off. To be fair “hooligan” may not be the right term, but these people associate themselves with a group of soccer fans in a US city and “bleed their team’s colors.” These aren’t the hooligans of England, who fight before, during and after games with clubs, broken bottles and brass knuckles. Rather, these are the soccer fans who come up with songs during games, wear their team scarf, love the smoke bombs that go off in the crowd and attend every team related event. But when you look a little deeper these are the people who never played a sport in high school, they don’t understand the rules of football and feel like basketball is “too mainstream.” They want to be a part of something else that is different and new. That’s fine, but then this group tries to impose their “soccer knowledge” on others and make outrageous claims and statements in regards to their team. Yep, I’m talking to you Timbers Army. I’m all for your fandom, but get serious. Cursing at the Mayor after revealing the new logo. Swearing throughout the games and attempting to match the same obsessive nature that the fans in Europe have. Sorry, you’re not there. You’ll never be there.
Still Love Soccer
All that being said I still love soccer. If I had to categorize myself, I’m somewhere between the soccer snob and the soccer fan. I’ve learned a lot about soccer from my years and years of playing, watching and learning the game. I have learned from some of the greatest Oregon coaches and played against some of our countries best players. I know what I am talking about. The World Cup is an amazing time. No matter what type of fan you are, watch and love the game. But it’s almost football season and I do love my Ducks.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Falling Stars of the World Cup
First it was Michael Ballack, then Michael Essien. Now we have Didier Drogba, Rio Ferdinand and possibly Jozy Altidore, who are all injured and may not be able to play in the World Cup. If I could make on suggestion to all the teams who have friendly warm-up matches…. Don’t play them. The stars of the World Cup are dropping left and right, and with them the hope of a nation.
Ballack, Essien and Drogba are key components to their teams and major contributors to any type of success they planned to have in 2010. It’s a shame that these players lose out on an opportunity to play for their country and it’s a shame for their countrymen who had such high hopes for these players.
Perhaps there is more to this story… Karma’s a bitch, huh? All those soccer players who take a dive when a stiff wind hits their legs trying to draw a foul, only to pop back up once the desired outcomes occurs. Drogba, I’m looking at you. Not as fun when you actually go down and can’t keep on playing.
Wait. Is there a Chelsea connection, at least for these three (Ballack, Essien and Drogba)? Did they sell their souls to cash-in on the big paycheck and win the English Premier League (EPL) title? Chelsea did become the powerhouse of the EPL when Roman Abramovich bought the team back in 2003. Money may have bought you a championship, but was it worth it?
The World Cup will still be amazing, but it’s a shame these great players will miss this opportunity to represent their country. This completely changes my outlook on how the World Cup turns out. Maybe not the winner, but the teams that advance… more on that next week.
Ballack, Essien and Drogba are key components to their teams and major contributors to any type of success they planned to have in 2010. It’s a shame that these players lose out on an opportunity to play for their country and it’s a shame for their countrymen who had such high hopes for these players.
Perhaps there is more to this story… Karma’s a bitch, huh? All those soccer players who take a dive when a stiff wind hits their legs trying to draw a foul, only to pop back up once the desired outcomes occurs. Drogba, I’m looking at you. Not as fun when you actually go down and can’t keep on playing.
Wait. Is there a Chelsea connection, at least for these three (Ballack, Essien and Drogba)? Did they sell their souls to cash-in on the big paycheck and win the English Premier League (EPL) title? Chelsea did become the powerhouse of the EPL when Roman Abramovich bought the team back in 2003. Money may have bought you a championship, but was it worth it?
The World Cup will still be amazing, but it’s a shame these great players will miss this opportunity to represent their country. This completely changes my outlook on how the World Cup turns out. Maybe not the winner, but the teams that advance… more on that next week.
You don’t have to embrace it to appreciate it
In 2006 it was estimated that a billion people in more than 200 countries tuned-in to watch Italy take the World Cup against France. How many people tuned-in to watch the 2010 Super Bowl? 106-million people. Looks like soccer truly is the world’s most popular sport.
That being said America still haven’t embraced this beautiful game the way the rest of the world has. There are three factors that play into the lack of nationwide acceptance of soccer. 1. The sport doesn’t receive the same commercialism as the other big sports, so players aren’t paid the big bucks making the youth of America say “I want to be like Landon Donovan.” 2. The number of jaw-dropping, athletic plays seem few and far between to the casual fan. 3. We are already too far behind the rest of the world.
Not The Big Three
Soccer will never compete with the big three (baseball, basketball and football) until the athletes are paid like the other athletes, and this will never happen until it generates the revenue of those other sports. The top soccer players in America, though well-paid, don’t come close to the LeBron James’ in terms of salary and endorsement deals. Therefore soccer players don’t receive the same recognition and face-time of the other athletes of America. By no means do I think this is unjust. These sports organizations are ran by top business men that know how to market their leagues and how to get the best return on their investment.
“Real” Athletes Use Their Hands
Since we were kids, we have watched some of the most amazing athletes run, jump and fly to exhibit the athleticism the rest of us dream of. And all of these plays are ultimately made with their hands. The way these, often, men gigantic men are able to maneuver their bodies and make it look so simple is what keeps us on the edge of our seats and going home to tell the story. These are the plays we have grown up watching. An diving catch in baseball, an alley-oop in basketball or the perfect throw from a QB are the plays that we have associated with the best athletes in the world. However, you can’t take anything away from an individual who can run at a full sprint, changing directions and manipulating a ball effortlessly with only the use of his feet. Soccer players display athleticism that is undervalued in the USA because of the way soccer is viewed, though it cannot be ignored.
Trying to Play Catch Up?
While the youth of America are growing up to be the starting point guard or the star quarterback or the best pitcher , the rest of the world is in the streets playing soccer trying to become the next Lionel Messi. It is obvious that the USA has basketball, football and to an extent baseball dominated. The result is that the best athletes grow up wanting to play one of those sports, not soccer. The rest of the world has their best athletes playing soccer, putting the USA a leg (no pun intended) behind. This is not a trend that will soon change, leaving us as a second or third tier soccer nation.
Bringing the World Together
There are no timeouts. No huddles for play calling. No line-changes. No pitch count. This is the beautiful game, played across the world by people of all ages, races and economical class. The simplicity of the game adds to its beauty. All you need is a ball. In some countries if a ball is hard to come by t-shirts tied together or cardboard taped up will do. But everywhere else in the world you would be hard-pressed to not walk the local streets and see some form of soccer match in action. It is the international sport.
And now it’s time for the world’s most popular sporting event, the World Cup. The world is watching, from a small village in Ghana, to the large city of Paris. All eyes will be on the Cup for the next six-weeks. Even though it may be hard for many to fully embrace the game of soccer, it is impossible to not see the passion each nation has for its team and feel a sense of patriotism for our own.
There is no other sport in the world that breaks international borders or breaks language barriers or can bring the entire world together the way soccer does.
This is the beautiful game.
That being said America still haven’t embraced this beautiful game the way the rest of the world has. There are three factors that play into the lack of nationwide acceptance of soccer. 1. The sport doesn’t receive the same commercialism as the other big sports, so players aren’t paid the big bucks making the youth of America say “I want to be like Landon Donovan.” 2. The number of jaw-dropping, athletic plays seem few and far between to the casual fan. 3. We are already too far behind the rest of the world.
Not The Big Three
Soccer will never compete with the big three (baseball, basketball and football) until the athletes are paid like the other athletes, and this will never happen until it generates the revenue of those other sports. The top soccer players in America, though well-paid, don’t come close to the LeBron James’ in terms of salary and endorsement deals. Therefore soccer players don’t receive the same recognition and face-time of the other athletes of America. By no means do I think this is unjust. These sports organizations are ran by top business men that know how to market their leagues and how to get the best return on their investment.
“Real” Athletes Use Their Hands
Since we were kids, we have watched some of the most amazing athletes run, jump and fly to exhibit the athleticism the rest of us dream of. And all of these plays are ultimately made with their hands. The way these, often, men gigantic men are able to maneuver their bodies and make it look so simple is what keeps us on the edge of our seats and going home to tell the story. These are the plays we have grown up watching. An diving catch in baseball, an alley-oop in basketball or the perfect throw from a QB are the plays that we have associated with the best athletes in the world. However, you can’t take anything away from an individual who can run at a full sprint, changing directions and manipulating a ball effortlessly with only the use of his feet. Soccer players display athleticism that is undervalued in the USA because of the way soccer is viewed, though it cannot be ignored.
Trying to Play Catch Up?
While the youth of America are growing up to be the starting point guard or the star quarterback or the best pitcher , the rest of the world is in the streets playing soccer trying to become the next Lionel Messi. It is obvious that the USA has basketball, football and to an extent baseball dominated. The result is that the best athletes grow up wanting to play one of those sports, not soccer. The rest of the world has their best athletes playing soccer, putting the USA a leg (no pun intended) behind. This is not a trend that will soon change, leaving us as a second or third tier soccer nation.
Bringing the World Together
There are no timeouts. No huddles for play calling. No line-changes. No pitch count. This is the beautiful game, played across the world by people of all ages, races and economical class. The simplicity of the game adds to its beauty. All you need is a ball. In some countries if a ball is hard to come by t-shirts tied together or cardboard taped up will do. But everywhere else in the world you would be hard-pressed to not walk the local streets and see some form of soccer match in action. It is the international sport.
And now it’s time for the world’s most popular sporting event, the World Cup. The world is watching, from a small village in Ghana, to the large city of Paris. All eyes will be on the Cup for the next six-weeks. Even though it may be hard for many to fully embrace the game of soccer, it is impossible to not see the passion each nation has for its team and feel a sense of patriotism for our own.
There is no other sport in the world that breaks international borders or breaks language barriers or can bring the entire world together the way soccer does.
This is the beautiful game.
Don't call it a come back
After a year long hiatus, it's time to get back on this blog. It's been a busy past year. Ducks took it to the Rose Bowl, making for one of the most exciting seasons a fan could ask for.
But it's time to look forward. We've got the World Cup, College Football, NFL and more.
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