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The Problem With American Soccer Fans
Wall Street Journal ^ | June 6, 2014 | Jonathan Clegg

Posted on 06/10/2014 5:50:15 AM PDT by C19fan

Growing up as a soccer fan in England, I've witnessed my fair share of horrors. I've seen shocking acts of violence, overheard hundreds of abusive chants and watched Pelé retire to sell erectile dysfunction pills.

Over the years, I've been angered, saddened and ashamed by these things. But through it all, my love for soccer remained undimmed.

But lately, I've discovered there's a new scourge on my beloved game that I simply cannot tolerate: Americans.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: snore; soccer; zfest
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To: C19fan
This guy nails it:

"It's not that they all have the same stories about study-abroad trips to Europe, or that they get wildly excited about the simplest saves...My biggest gripe is that all of this feels like an elaborate affectation."

It IS contrived. Watch any Seattle Sounders (among others) game and see all the creative originality of a mother's circle arranged playdate from these hipster hools.

"The whole thing seemed to be less an expression of genuine fandom and more like an elaborate piece of performance art."

Nothing is real anymore; especially if the experience can be wrapped up in a hashtag.

41 posted on 06/10/2014 6:47:30 AM PDT by Sam's Army
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To: Sherman Logan

I say be like the British, they obstinately refuse to pronounce a foreign loan word in any manner other than the obvious way to do so in English. Claret and valet are CLAR-ett and VAL-ett.


42 posted on 06/10/2014 6:50:49 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: P-Marlowe

At least with golf you have the nice green scenery.


43 posted on 06/10/2014 6:53:13 AM PDT by csvset
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To: Sam's Army

I agree with the contrived aspect.

On the other hand, I don’t want to see the MLS become like the NASL, which tried to make going to a soccer game like going to an NFL game, complete with cheerleaders.


44 posted on 06/10/2014 6:54:09 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator
"On the other hand, I don’t want to see the MLS become like the NASL,

I stopped watching the MLS in 2001 when they contracted two teams (including my then-beloved Tampa Bay Mutiny) and then had the audacity to not officially recognize them in players profiles the following season when they went with other teams. Along with stating the reduction in teams meant the remaining players in the league would therefore be "better".

I wonder with all their recent expansion what the spin is now?

45 posted on 06/10/2014 6:59:59 AM PDT by Sam's Army
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To: RegulatorCountry

I take a somewhat more nuanced approach.

Foreign words should be pronounced as closely as possible to the way they’re pronounced in the foreign language.

But at some point, as it is used more and more frequently, a word stops being foreign and becomes an English word. At that point it should be pronounced as an English word, which it now is.

Used to hang out in southern MO. Little town there named after Simon de Bolivar, the Liberator of South America.

It’s pronounced Bolliver, which is perfectly logical in English. To my mind, insisting on pronouncing it BO-lee-var is precious and patronizing.

Also used to live in CO on Florida Road, pronounced FLO-ree-da. Now I live in the state of Florida, pronounced in the more usual American way.

The pretentious twits are also utterly inconsistent. They’ll talk about Torino and Milano, but not Roma. And they’ll never use Munchen.


46 posted on 06/10/2014 7:00:06 AM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: P-Marlowe

Correct. A lot movement but not much action. Very similar to hockey. Tried to watch the Kings games last night. Lost interest after about four minutes.


47 posted on 06/10/2014 7:01:12 AM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: Mich Patriot

Its relatively cheap, without much equipment.

Moms are terrified that their kids might get hurt in sports, and soccer seems like the safest choice.

Its relatively easy to find parents to coach...at the little league level, there is absolutely no strategy, so the coach just makes sure the refreshments are in order.

Even a kid with poor athletic abilities will not stand out as too bad, in a soccer game (compared to being at bat in baseball, for example).

I grew up playing ‘backyard soccer’...from my earliest memory, we played it (this was the 1970s). Later in life I discovered that our neighbor helped popularize soccer in the southeast (even has a Wikipedia entry). His son played professionally in an indoor league. My brother actually got a soccer scholarship to college. So I’m very acquainted with the sport.

But there’s not much more boring on this planet than watching a soccer game - I wholeheartedly agree with that. And, I quit playing as I got older, when you had to have a certain ‘douche factor’ to be a soccer player - wearing nylon shorty shorts to school, playing hacky sack all the time, etc.

But I did play indoor soccer almost daily throughout high school. Its a lot faster and more exciting. Really just a poor man’s version of hockey. I still wouldn’t watch that, but it was fun to play.


48 posted on 06/10/2014 7:04:51 AM PDT by lacrew (Mr. Soetoro, we regret to inform you that your race card is over the credit limit.)
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To: C19fan

Written by eurotrash to bash the USA.

He dislikes strategy of the game

He only likes going to a bar so he can drink (get drunk?) watching a game?

Pathetic.

In any US sport the goal is not just “to play” but to get better. In the USA we say “see you next year” this eurotrash says “burrrrrrrb, I’ll have another pint.”


49 posted on 06/10/2014 7:12:29 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Sherman Logan

One of the best old neighborhoods in a city near where I grew up is Buena Vista. BYOO-na VISS-ta. There’s an entire published book dedicated to the correct mispronunciation of Carolina place names.

There’s a certain affected insecurity surrounding a prissy insistence upon absolutely perfect accent and pronunciation of foreign words, particularly present on network news, that is actually worse than butchering foreign words out of ignorance, imho.


50 posted on 06/10/2014 7:13:45 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: Sam's Army

The best thing about the NASL was the Strikers-Rowdies rivalry (F Rodney Marsh!)


51 posted on 06/10/2014 7:14:21 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: C19fan

Soccer isn’t on my radar screen. I regard it as akin to ice hockey — a great game to play, a good game to watch live, but bordering on lousy television.

The few times I’ve caught “Morning Joe” at the gym I’ve been amused by all the yuppie-banter about various (mostly English) Football Clubs. You can tell it’s an faddish affectation, like cigar bars or flavored martini’s.

I found this whole article amusing as a critique of our urban-elite’s who are trying so hard, like President Obama, to be accepted by his betters in Europe. I guess I didn’t get the memo, I thought we were “pivoting to Asia”?


52 posted on 06/10/2014 7:19:17 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: Tallguy

Ironic, as soccer in England was the game of the working class, while Rugby and Cricket were more for the upper classes.


53 posted on 06/10/2014 7:20:55 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

Hah! I remember playing against some of the old Rowdies during my time in the Suncoast amateur league in the late 80’s. I remember my coach seeing Paul Roe and Steve Wegerle, and the beat up car they drove up in for the game and him saying: “Is that all The Rowdies could do for you?”


54 posted on 06/10/2014 7:21:37 AM PDT by Sam's Army
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To: KarlInOhio
Many sports are greatly improved by a DVR. Most American sports because it allows me to skip the commercials (and long huddles in football).

... not to mention the all-too-numerous official reviews which television has foisted upon us and which are by degrees ruining football & baseball.

55 posted on 06/10/2014 7:31:52 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: areukiddingme1

If Roger Goodell gets his way hitting will be outlawed in the NFL too.


56 posted on 06/10/2014 7:34:37 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: Tallguy
"...hitting will be outlawed in the NFL too." And when that happens, the NFL audience will dry up. Men, real men watch football for the violence. It is about domination "bigger and badder" is better. This, this is the face of football today in America...Who was drafted first in the first round, that's right.
57 posted on 06/10/2014 7:42:05 AM PDT by areukiddingme1 (areukiddingme1 is a synonym for a Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer and tired of liberal BS.))
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To: dead

Brit hooligans are cultured? They’re just below bigfoots on the IQ scale.


58 posted on 06/10/2014 7:42:32 AM PDT by righttackle44 (Take scalps. Leave the bodies as a warning.)
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To: dfwgator

Probably a sociology term-paper in that... LOL! One of life’s little seeming contradictions.


59 posted on 06/10/2014 7:42:42 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: RegulatorCountry

I agree 100%. It’s pretentious, and I’ve always been severely allergic to pretension. Except my own, of course. :)


60 posted on 06/10/2014 7:50:41 AM PDT by Sherman Logan
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