That is true of jazz, fine wine, art etc. I view people who hate soccer as unredeemable cretins and feel better that they aren’t trying to “get it”. There is far more walking in b-ball than there is diving in soccer. Let’s call diving a “Euro-step” ... they seem to buy that in b-ball. Now, off my soap box and back to my box of wine.
Yeah, I rarely watch sports with others these days, but when I was a bit younger and tried to watch soccer with my non soccer fan friends I'd sometimes be embarrassed because of the diving and general overly dramatic antics. Of course I've gotten older so I no longer really care about any of that. Soccer doesn't need to be defended. And other sports (even those I don't like) don't have to be attacked to make soccer look better.
Yeah, I used to be defensive about it. Not any longer. I also don't feel the need to proselytize. I just enjoy it and let others worry about it.
I know quite a few baseball fans who feel the same way--that it's not for everybody and one has to appreciate the finer nuances to "get it."
Seeking to understand is a lost art. If one really appreciates sport then there is no sport worthy of attack. Talk at length to somebody that plays serious golf or has kids in competitive cheerleading...easy ‘sports’ to crack on but the more you listen the more you appreciate the skill, effort and difficulty. In most any sport I appreciate the competition, the work and the drama...not that I can’t make a comment or two about a perceived flaw in the sport itself...but if soccer is the most popular sport in the world I’ll let that do the talking. They can’t all be crazy.
The sentence I underlined is too simple. I don't like violence. I don't advocate against MMA or other sports I don't like, but I don't think a person who likes some sports should be told that he or she doesn't "appreciate sport" because he or she doesn't appreciate all sports. I don't complain that a sport doesn't require enough talent. Figure skating and MMA have very different target audiences. For Americans who insult soccer, I think they would say that the rest of the world is "irrelevant" rather than "crazy."