to be fair, that channel is not necessarily known for it's intellectuals. For instance, one glance at a census report or perusal at the ratings for big soccer events, and trending over time shows that it is getting more popular here despite drop offs from other sports over the same time period. I would, however, like to hear what a real conservative intellectual thinks about soccer relative to more traditionally american sports.
You can find a conservative intellectual who is capable of holding a sensible debate without blaming you for loving terrorists?!?!?!?!
Touche. Except there was absolutely no context, and this is BigSoccer. So you might be able to understand why such a mistake was made.
True. Forgot to tag on a couple of smileys. But back to my point, and please, remember, most of the "conservative right" I have witnessed have been via Fox. Are there proper blue-blood hardline rightwingers out there who are willing to hold a sensible discussion over Soccer? From what I have seen, maybe McCain, but then, he is a "maverick..." I do enjoy Fox. Hour upon hour of fantastic comedy. Even better when they declare their broadcasts to be "Fair and balanced"
I wouldn't exactly characterize them as "blue-bloods" or anything like that, but I've met quite a few. Though I don't usually hang with "hardliners" of the right quite so much, my experience is that, of the ones I work with who see all the soccer crap I decorate my office with is that they simply don't care, or are politely curious. No rants! Imagine! More importantly, I've met tons of Union-loving, redistributionist social Democracy advocates who virulently hate soccer. Lots of 'em live right here in NE Ohio, even though it's also a bit of a soccer hotbed here as well. Interesting dynamic. Western PA is a soccer wasteland from what I can tell, and the hate there is nearly universal. I'm pretty sure that they're awfully blue there, especially around Pittsburgh. Cable news as a whole is a waste of time.
Working as an English teacher in Japan, I get to decorate my classroom. When they ask, of course, I tell them I am from Manchester, so they ask if I support Manchester United. They never really realised how much we go rabid about our own teams, until I finished turning my room into "Old Trafford 2!" Of course, they allways ask "Do you know David Beckham?" To which I have to answer "No, but my dad was his driver for a couple of years!" (True story. Got to sit in his Merc. Tinted windows, DB1 plate, $5,000 ring given to him by Elton John in the ashtray...) Draws amiring gasps, and sends my level of "cool" into the atmosphere! Still, I suppose you find all sorts. I am sure their are conservatives who like soccer, and liberals who dont. Takes all sorts to make the world go round. They will all come around to our way of thinking. "Ve haf veys of making you believe..." Their resistance will fail. The cheapest game on earth will eventually win them over. All you need as a few lines on a wall, and something to kick!
Like I stated on another Thread, the hate that Americans have towards Soccer is unbelievable. Americans don't hate on Pro-Wrestling, Tennis, Golf, Curling, and Nascar Racing in the same way that they hate on Soccer, right? And speaking of Soccer, the Sport is here to stay whether Americans like it or not.
Because those are sports that the US is good at. Therefore they get to gloat about it. Soccer is a world sport that everyone else loves, but the US does not dominate. Therefore, they belittle the sport. In a way a child breaks something if they cant have it.
Who knew that we were dominant at tennis and curling? Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal might have something to say about that.
There are the Williams sisters. They may not both top the rankings, but they ARE the scariest on the ladies circuit.
and the way Bear Sterns et. al. deftly swept bad mortgages into attractive investments, I suspect we'd be great at curling as well.
I forgot to mention that Americans hate Rugby and Cricket with a passion as well. Don't all of these ignorant Americans(including Sportscasters) realize that Rugby and Cricket are very, very similar to NFL Football and Baseball?
I have never, ever heard that this is even slightly true. I believe the most extreme Americans get about these sports is "raging apathy".
I have a few examples: A local sportscaster from My old neck of the woods use to take shots at Rugby and Soccer like crazy(I don't know if he still does this though). I tried e-mailing this guy to see what his beef was with Rugby and Soccer but the sportscaster never returned My emails. I've seen a few "Rugby Vs. NFL" Videos on YouTube and from what I saw, those Videos made Rugby look like poo-poo in comparison to the "far more superior" NFL. I remember having a conversation with an Australian Immigrant at a Bar & Grill about Rugby and some guy came up to us and gladly informed us that Rugby was "a cheap European knock off of a real Man's sport(NFL Football)". Yeah, you're right. I just can't believe that Americans would make fun of Foreign Sports like Soccer, Rugby, and Cricket when they have no idea how these Sports operate.
Should have a ganders of some of the videos there are of people getting creamed in Rugby. There are loads! a)Was he set straight on the origins of the NFL? b)How did the Aussie take it?