Why do Americans hate football(soccer) so much?

[Kwaren]

The reason probably is that Budweiser doesn't sponsor it.

 

[ActionDan]

Man I'm Welsh and I hate it. It's all about fucking spoiled man children getting paid too much money for kicking a fucking ball around and falling over for 90 minutes.

 

[CrashBang]

I'm British (unfortunately) and I despise football. I can't explain why, I generally hate most things British. Can't wait to leave

 

[khaimera]

I can only speak for myself. I find sports, especially soccer, to be fun to play, but boring to watch.

Also, Its a way for the USA to unconsciously put down the rest of world.

 

[bak00777]

i don't have a problem with any sport, i can admit that i am a fair weather fan, so if my fav country is playing a game in the world cup, ill watch a bit. Im not a huge fan of any sport, "To each their own" i suppose, i am American and some of my good friends played soccer(football) on our high school team. One of these people was also on our school (american)Football team. To be honest, i don't hear a ton of people saying anything bad about soccer(football).


edit: also i want to see a world ultimate frizbee tournament

 

[John Funk]

Many Americans treat soccer/football the rest of the world treats NA football - apathy, not dislike.

And then they sit down with people who care about the sport and watch the game and realize how exciting and intense both sports can be.

It goes both ways.

Edit: Also, if you're enough of a fool to think that American Football players are wimps for wearing the padding, then you have never been tackled by a football player. Rugby tackles are (usually) gentle hugs in comparison. The fact that they have so much armor means that they take more risks.

 

[WindKnight]

Maybe it's because the United States has never had a real star or ever been very good. We get owned every year by countries that are so much smaller than us (Ghana! Really? We have 300 Million + in our country and we can't find 11 players who are good enough to beat Ghana?!?). If we spent the time actually training soccer players instead of turning anyone with natural athletic talent into a baseball, football, or basketball star, we might have enough talent on the team to inspire some fandom, but as long as we lose to countries the average American would deem inferior in most ways (again, GHANA?!?), no one will be able to sell the sport when we already dominate in most other sports about which we currently care.

But then again Ghana are a nation that is passionate about football. It would have been depressing to see a nation that cares so much go out as opposed to a nation that treats football so casually. Also, it would have been depressing for the final African team in the first African world cup to go out to a nation that, overall doesn't care. Overall, the team that deserved it won. I understand that that wasn't your original point but I needed to say it somewhere.

Also basically no one is willing to watch a game that is tactical enough that there is the possibility of a draw

I totally agree that Ghana was more deserving to win, and honestly, as an American, I'm kind of glad they did for all the reasons you listed, but my point was that it shouldn't happen. Logistically, there should be enough good soccer players in America to beat just about anybody, just by using statistical probabilities that complete freaks of nature with more athletic talent in their pinky than most of us have in our entire bodies would be here. I mean, we're talented in literally everything else (we have a competitive curling team when the Olympics come around; you can't possibly tell me that curling is so much more interesting to the average American than soccer that there are more curling stars in this country ), so we should have a talented soccer team. But we just don't. Weak strikers + weak defense = round of 16 exit, regardless of our goalie or midfielders (Donovan is awesome, but he's imported from Scotland so he barely counts).

When we field a good team that can legitimately compete with the rest of the world (and it honestly shouldn't be this hard...), soccer will sell here. Until then, we'll write it off as "that European sport no real American cares about".

well, there is an old joke here I have to share... I apologies if it causes any offense, but I hope both the English (one of whom I am) and the Americans can take it in good humour.

The English share their sports with the world, then find themselves soundly beaten by everybody they play.

The Americans keep their sports to themselves, then declare themselves world champions.

 

[bak00777]

haha that is pretty funny Windknight. I always found it odd that when you win the super bowl you are world champs, even thought you are the only ones who play.

 

[MoNKeyYy]

I think you're asking the wrong people, this is a forum for gamers.

On the contrary there seems to be six pages of replies telling us otherwise. If nothing else I if you really wanted to keep it as a gaming post you could compare FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa to NHL 10 or Madden 10.

 

[Blindswordmaster]

Not violent enough.

 

[MoNKeyYy]

Not violent enough.

Now here's a man who says it like it is.

 

[Naheal]

They don't.
I've met a lot of americans on these forums who were pretty passionate about soccer.
But, hell, even if you're right, most Europeans dislike American football also, so the door swings both ways.

No, we just call it rugby and play it without padding.

I do believe that, while similar, rugby and american football have more than a few different rules that end up making them different sports.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

As a Brit, it does baffle me. I mean the US loved Rounders, and made the hugely successful Baseball back home. The US loved Rugby, and made the hugely successful Football out of it. The US then took Football and went...hmm..."not sure about this one lads"...

It does strike as odd, but then I guess some sports just aren't as popular elsewhere across the globe. I never saw the US thrilled about cricket, but then I never saw the UK dry humping Ice Hockey either.

 

[Shynobee]

America does NOT hate soccer.

We simply have other more popular professional sports, aka NBA, NHL, and NFL, but soccer is an incredibly popular pick-up game, and intramural leagues are very popular as well. Several of my good friends play yearly on an amateur league, and many played it in high school as well.

I mean, just think. The dubious concept of the 'soccer mom' wasn't born out of a dislike for the sport, a lot of people are downright rabid about it. Just, not professionally.

This /\

Seriously, Americans do not hate soccer. At the college level, Soccer is very popular, its just that the MLS gets practically zero exposure, so, no one cares about bi time soccer players.

 

[Blindswordmaster]

Not violent enough.

Now here's a man who says it like it is.

The three largest sports in America are Football, Hockey, and MMA. Guys shoving and hitting to get a ball into the end-zone, guys skating around with blades on their feet and are encouraged to fight, and two guys just beating the shit out of each other. See a pattern? We Americans find nothing more entertaining than violence, competition, and blood. Start playing Soccer with an exploding ball and allow full contact between players and maybe we'll consider it.
Will our insatiable blood-lust eventually lead to lethal gladiatorial events or war reenactments with live ammunition? I don't know, but either way I'm getting season tickets.

 

[TheStickman]

Apparently not being able to use your hands make it a sport for fags, according to the kids who ride the bus with me.

That's really the only thing they say.

"Soccers for fags, you can't even use your hands."

 

[darthzack79]

A bit of generalizing, yes, but it's really shocking how much hate this sport generates here in the States. At least in my area (Pittsburgh,PA). You ask someone about the World Cup, there's only three responses:

1 (most common)F**k that pussy sport! You can't even use your hands!
2 (less common)Whatever. I don't watch soccer.
3 (very uncommon)I love watching soccer! Go Team USA!

That's so true! I'm from Pittsburgh too and Western PA is just really big on football, hockey, and wrestling...which are all way more aggressive than European football. I personally enjoy the World Cup for the brief glimpses of world unity that it brings.

 

[Slycne]

[Generalization about soccer/football not being entertaining enough.]

[Attempted whitty pithy comment about American Football not having much to do with feet.]

[We all agree that hockey is the best.]

Seriously though, this topic really has been done to death. People like different things, that's all there is to it.

 

[MoNKeyYy]

Apparently not being able to use your hands make it a sport for fags, according to the kids who ride the bus with me.

That's really the only thing they say.

"Soccers for fags, you can't even use your hands."

Clearly those kids need to open their eyes because hackey sack is obviously the most bad ass sport ever concieved by human kind.