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Boots on the Ground [Mark Steyn on the World Cup]
SteynOnline.com ^
| 6/25/2014
| Mark Steyn
Posted on 06/26/2014 4:38:05 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana
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Steyn is Canadian, but he understands the American's feelings towards soccer.
Comment #2 Removed by Moderator
To: Dr. Sivana
If you think soccer is dull, try reading a review of a wicket game.....
3
posted on
06/26/2014 4:51:19 AM PDT
by
ArtDodger
To: ArtDodger
Wicket? Is that different than cricket?
4
posted on
06/26/2014 5:07:45 AM PDT
by
demshateGod
(The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
To: Dr. Sivana
Few Americans seemed familiar with even the most basic technical terms. At a Hollywood victory party, a BBC reporter asked Richard Gere if he was planning to get rat-arsed, but the colour drained from his cheeks and he had to be helped to a chair. One of Steyn's all-time great lines!
5
posted on
06/26/2014 5:22:16 AM PDT
by
Rummyfan
(Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
To: Dr. Sivana
I look for America’s interest in soccer to gradually expand over the coming years, as the generation of kids from the 1990s (remember the advent of “soccer moms”?) grow up, wussified and antagonistic to competitive, brutal American sports, like real football.
6
posted on
06/26/2014 5:24:16 AM PDT
by
Cincinatus
(Omnia relinquit servare Rempublicam)
To: Dr. Sivana
Steyn is a little behind the times. The U.S. is said to have the second largest contingent of supporters at the World Cup, after the hosts. I don't know if that will change after group play, as the Latin Americans, being next door neighbors, may decide to drop in
en masse if they can get tickets.
Most sports are boring if you don't know them well enough to understand what is going on. Try taking an Englishman to a baseball game sometime.
7
posted on
06/26/2014 5:31:52 AM PDT
by
sphinx
To: Cincinatus
I look for Americas interest in soccer to gradually expand over the coming years, as the generation of kids from the 1990s (remember the advent of soccer moms?) grow up, wussified and antagonistic to competitive, brutal American sports, like real football.
Nah, I grew up in the '70s, when soccer was first mainstreamed as a school sport (I even tried it in 6th grade, the Latinos and Europeans take over immediately). Pele, the Babe Ruth of soccer, was coming to the New York Cosmos to lead them to the NASL championship! They filled Giants stadium! We are now an extra generation away, and soccer now is firmly ensconced as a sport for little kids, Latinos, and the occasional Canadian.
8
posted on
06/26/2014 5:34:22 AM PDT
by
Dr. Sivana
("If you're litigating against nuns, you've probably done something wrong."-Ted Cruz)
To: sphinx
Steyn is a little behind the times.
My apologies. Today's column was largely a reprint from 2006.
I don't believe having a lot of folks going to the World Cup indicates general interest by the public at large any more than NHL teams moving from Hartford, CT to Charlotte, NC indicates that Charlotte is now a hockey town.
9
posted on
06/26/2014 5:36:55 AM PDT
by
Dr. Sivana
("If you're litigating against nuns, you've probably done something wrong."-Ted Cruz)
To: Rummyfan
10
posted on
06/26/2014 5:40:10 AM PDT
by
camle
(keep an open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
To: demshateGod
Yeah, I think so.. Maybe a wicket is an element of cricket.. See! I am too disinterested to look it up..
To: Dr. Sivana
Hey, I'm making an honest attempt to watch and uh enjoy the games. I've seen about five or six so far not necessarily in their entirety. Because in a number of the games, I've left at certain points to perform necessary house and human functions only to return to the same scoreless tie.
Now yesterday I was watching the Argentina-Nigeria game where both teams scored in the first few minutes. I thought to myself, is this going to be one of those transcendent games where the score ends up 10-9? Alas, both teams only scored three more goals together, and the final score was 3-2. That meant once more most of the "action" consisted of players kicking the ball down the field, losing it to the other team (while the announcers got their knickers in a twist), repeated until the end of the game.
Here's the problem....at least for most Americans watching. When there's a decent chance that a player might score, the game gets exciting. Even the soccer haters probably enjoy watching a player like Messi attempt a shot. The single most exciting situation is watching a player attempt a shot on goal where the goalie has to make an excellent play to stop the ball. But the reality is there are so few decent shots on goal compared to the what seems endless kicking (and losing) of the ball. I don't see anyway to fix the problem unless drastic changes are made in the sport...like less players.
p.s. And I didn't even mention the numerous players falling down and grabbing their ankles after being touched by an opponent. Oops!
12
posted on
06/26/2014 6:23:56 AM PDT
by
driftless2
(For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
To: sphinx
Steyn is a little behind the times. The U.S. is said to have the second largest contingent of supporters at the World Cup, after the hosts. I think it would e more accurate to say that aside from Brazilians, more people traveled from the U.S. to Brazil for the World Cup. It would also be fair to say than many of those travelling from the U.S. are there primarily to support non-U.S. teams.
To: driftless2
But the reality is there are so few decent shots on goal compared to the what seems endless kicking (and losing) of the ball.
These problems can be fixed:
1. Shrink the field of play
2. Reduce number of players
3. Speed the game up by making them play on ice in skates.
4. Make the ball into something solid, and heavy, and flat on two sides so it can slide on said ice.
5. Give the players sticks so they can get even more speed on the flattened ball.
This pretty much guarantees numerous interesting shots on goal per game.
14
posted on
06/26/2014 6:31:15 AM PDT
by
Dr. Sivana
("If you're litigating against nuns, you've probably done something wrong."-Ted Cruz)
To: All
I think all of these comments about soccer being a girlie-man sport would end if the commenters were somehow induced to play one game, both the fitness level required and the level of rough body contact would quickly change your minds. That is not to say however that a certain amount of over-dramatized rolling around (it seems to increase as one gets closer to the Mediterranean for some unknown reason) gives the sport a bad name. But that is similar to the long-standing bad name of “Latin soccer” or Latin football in places like the UK. Things were like that half a century back and probably even longer, and it will only disappear with stronger sanctions (the refs can already dismiss players who over-embellish). Nothing funnier than to see a guy go down, look around and hop up quickly when there’s no call and a new chance to score, but such a person should be automatically on the way to the dressing room.
Funny tweet making the rounds: The England soccer team visited an orphanage in Brazil. “It is so sad to see the forlorn look on their little faces,” said Jose, 6.
Good luck later today, USA. Vee haff vays of letting you stay.
15
posted on
06/26/2014 6:33:52 AM PDT
by
Peter ODonnell
(It wasn't this cold before global warming)
To: sphinx
Even if you do know them well, they can be boring. Baseball was my best sport growing up. Now, I can barely stand to watch an inning or two. I never played hockey and still don’t know all the rules or intricacies. But I love to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs.
16
posted on
06/26/2014 6:34:26 AM PDT
by
driftless2
(For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
To: Dr. Sivana
Actually reducing the number of players from eleven to eight would ensure far more shots on goal and scores. I’m curious as to why billions of people, soccer fans, love a sport with so few chances at scoring.
17
posted on
06/26/2014 6:37:03 AM PDT
by
driftless2
(For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
To: Dr. Sivana
Things that really appeal to me about soccer are the length of the games and lack of timeouts. About 1 hour and 52 minutes every single time, at least for the group stage. No 3 hour baseball snooze-fests or NBA games where the last 2 minutes take half an hour or NCAA games with as many as 18(!) timeouts.
Also, no “competition committees” changing the rules every year like the NFL to favor offense even more, basically turning the game into Arena Football, and aside from crazy biters like Luis Suarez, no idiot “look at me” wide receivers like TO, Keyshawn, etc, etc thumping their chests after every 20 yard completion.
To: Peter ODonnell
I don't think soccer is a girlie sport. I think it's a sport that played at elite levels involves a lot of excellent athletes and demands high levels of skill, athleticism, and stamina. I joke about the floppers but obviously at times the players get legitimately hurt. And I don't knock it because it's not an indigenous American sport. I love to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs. And I agree with many foreigners that American sports can be very tedious.
My beef, like most soccer knockers, is that it is simply too low scoring. Not enough shots on goal. But that's the way billions of soccer fans like it, and nothing I say will change that fact. Nevertheless, I doubt many American anti-soccer people care much about that aspect.
19
posted on
06/26/2014 6:54:07 AM PDT
by
driftless2
(For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
To: Dr. Sivana
They need pads, armor. With armor, you think you’re a bullet and you plow into everything. THAT is exciting.
Soccer has the opposite - you hold your ankle and feign agony. Who wants to be like THAT guy?
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