Posted on 07/11/2014 6:44:37 AM PDT by Objective Scrutator
“I just find it ridiculous when people bad mouth soccer for being unexciting or some sort of leftist plot to rule the universe.”
I totally agree. If we want to watch a leftist plot to rule the universe...all we need to do is look to the White House and all those who support our current administration.
I’d say you have no idea. Enjoy your hatred of the sport. Whatever.
I agree with all that - it's a fair criticism (not based on ideology or politics - who knew?)
Somewhat analogous - MLB, NBA, NHL & NFL all allow too many teams into the playoffs & they keep finding ways to add more.
Teams with .500 & below records should not be in any kind of postseason.
That is the way most international tournaments are run whether the sport is basketball, soccer, rugby, etc. How do you think basketball is run in the Olympics and world championships? They have a group stage round-robin followed by a knockout stage. Why is that so alien to you?
The NFL is divided into groups to decide who gets into the playoffs, just like MLB and the NBA. You play the regular season to determine who gets through to the playoffs and to set up the seedings.
You should review the various factors that decide who gets into the NFL playoffs. It is just as, if not more complicated as to who gets out of the group stage in the World Cup.
I blame anyone who is stupid enough to take the analysis of these "pundits" seriously. I ignore them.
Who said you “should stop” liking soccer? Just be aware of why your enemy loves it.
So why should I care what my "enemy" thinks about a sport that has been around for more than 150 years (some trace its origins back to 2500 BC) and is played in every country in the world? Soccer is the world's most popular sport by far. How many soccer fans are my enemy?
I asked you who started it or “who was behind it” You blame conservatives?
You should be aware of what the enemy is doing...
“we have a less nativist sports culture and we’re more open — at least some groups in the United States — young people, immigrants, political liberals — are more open to liking the same kinds of things that people in other countries do. Things don’t have to be ours and ours alone.”
How about if I enjoy my non-enjoyment of the sport.
That is EXACTLY what I’m talking about.
I think many conservatives dont know that this is what is there and get all of their views of soccer from leftists that use it precisely as the article was saying.
I wish I lived close enough to where one of these matches take place. I would get in on the party.
Wins, losses, and draws are scored the same way as in hockey ... 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss. Germany had the most points, US and Portugal tied on points so they counted goal differences. US had more goals, so they advanced with Germany.
It’s not rocket surgery.
It is about as confusing as those college football “bowl” games.
Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Aloha Bowl? I cant figure any of that out.
Or brain science.
I don’t ‘hate’ soccer...but I do understand how it is being championed by the left.
Before I begin, my soccer credentials: I played it the whole time I was growing up, basically from the time I could walk. Never on an organized team, but quite often in pick up games with other kids. As a teenager, I would play indoor at least 5 times a week...again unorganized. My brother actually attended college on a soccer scholarship...my neighbor was known as the ‘father’ of soccer in Alabama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Woodard_(soccer_coach)
And his son (who I played with often) went on to play professionally in an indoor league.
Anyway, I know a lot about soccer, and actually got pretty good at it...regularly playing with people who went on to compete at college and pro levels. Honestly, I really don’t care to watch it...I think indoor would be a lot better as a spectator sport, but watching it on a normal field doesn’t trip my trigger. But that’s just my personal opinion.
On to how the left is attracted to soccer:
First of all, whenever somebody ‘corrects’ me and says its really called football, or its the ‘real’ football...they are really implying that the US is ‘incorrect’ and should fall in line with the rest of the world. It irks me to no end. And when somebody so readily accepts that we are ‘wrong’ with our name, it shows how easily people can ignore or forget American exceptionalism. And frankly, the term Soccer is not even of American origin. We didn’t invent the term...the Brits just quit using it, out of contempt and jealousy for Americans.
And there is a whole group of people who desperately ‘want’ to like soccer. Why? Its hard for a conservative to wrap his head around this...but a lot of people in this nation are absolutely convinced that Europe is superior to the US in every way. And this group is attracted to soccer instinctively...and frankly they do put out an air of superiority....(no offense) often spouting out stats about how many people will watch the world cup, and how much bigger and better it is than football (or as they call it ‘American Football’). Why do they feel the need to prove how inferior football is? Once again, no belief in American exceptionalism...and soccer demonstrates that to them. Now you may like soccer for different reasons, but make no mistake, a large group of its fans like it because they don’t love their country (they might like their country but don’t love it). I’ve long thought the perfect question to ask Obama is “Do you believe, without question or qualification, that the US is the best, most moral, most enlightened nation that has ever graced the surface of our planet.” I don’t think he would simply say yes...and I don’t think the majority of American soccer fans could just say yes either.
Then there is the lack of individuality. I understand that there are standout individual players....but the vast majority of Americans playing soccer are young kids, with very few actual soccer skills, probably being coached by a parent with very little knowledge or skills either. So in this country, for most people, soccer is what you do between soda breaks and trophy ceremonies on a Saturday afternoon...you run around and kick a ball, but few people really stand out (the kids who do stand out in athletics usually gravitate to the money sports as they get older and leave soccer). Its just a gaggle of kids...and even the kid with zero athletic ability can disguise that fact fairly well. There’s something about that reality that doesn’t jibe with American individuality in my mind.
And I do think the current attacks on the NFL are coming from the left. I don’t think its sinister...but leftists tend to want to create a world with very little risk (which always results in less opportunity as well). They see football as an affront to this worldview - and will tell anyone who asks that they ‘never watch American football’, to make sure we know how enlightened they are. And, they view soccer as the ‘cure’ for football, plain and simple.
Anyway, its fine if you enjoy soccer. But your liking it as a conservative and the left’s cooping the sport are not mutually exclusive. Lefties absolutely love soccer...and they will try to ‘use’ it the best they can to advance their word view.
Behind what?
“we have a less nativist sports culture and we’re more open — at least some groups in the United States — young people, immigrants, political liberals — are more open to liking the same kinds of things that people in other countries do. Things don’t have to be ours and ours alone.”
This has been true forever. Did the Olympics originate in the US? Tennis? Golf? And what other cultural influences like dance, music, literature, etc. Or science and technology? American football evolved from Rugby. Baseball from the English game of Rounders. Basketball is one of the few sports invented entirely in America and now popular throughout the world.
I just find all of this conspiracy stuff tedious and meaningless.
And conservatives will let them. Funny how that works.
Soccer at the international level is one of the most nationalistic events there is. Nations have gone to war over a soccer game.
Behind what? You know what.
This has NOT been true forever. Find me a liberal talking about tennis in the way quoted.
You are ducking the subject on purpose. I point out that libs like soccer because of liberal reasons, and you say that lots of sports have foreign origins. That’s changing the subject.
Stop pretending and changing the sujbect. The subject is not now nor has it ever been the national origin of a sport. The subject is why libs love soccer.
“we have a less nativist sports culture and we’re more open — at least some groups in the United States — young people, immigrants, political liberals — are more open to liking the same kinds of things that people in other countries do. Things don’t have to be ours and ours alone.”
We can learn that we’re not as great as we think we are — or, more precisely, that we’re not as great as old, conservative, red-state Americans think we are.Meanwhile, soccer fans want to see the USA win so they can rub the rest of the world's noses in it.
“Why is that so alien to you?”
Where did I say I enjoyed watching basketball at the Olympics? I don’t like a lot of their screwy tournament structures either.
And you are incorrectly conflating the NFL/NBA/MLB S-E-A-S-O-N with the World Cup F-I-N-A-L-S.
The World Cup already had its equivalent of a Season, with all its qualifiers, and that is over and done with. They’re in the ‘playoffs’ now...and the US made it to the 4th round by winning ONE game.
You are also conflating the NHL S-E-A-S-O-N with the World Cup F-I-N-A-L-S.
Talk to me about rocket surgery when your team wins a series but still goes home like Portugal did.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.