Don't get mad, just laugh at 'em. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/01/17/the_truth_the_soccerphobes_ref.html
Really, the only problem I had with the story was the comments that were left behind by other readers (no fault of the author, of course). There are still a few Britons out there who seem to think that these soccer-bashers represent all Americans. NEWS FLASH: THEY DON'T, not by a longshot... The United States has more registered players than any other country on Earth (although China is quickly gaining on us) and these "soccerphobes" will inevitably bow down to the sport as their credability slowly flushes down the toilet.
OK, perhaps I went a little overboard with the toilet flush insinuation (with the exception of Jim Rome) and I know NO ONE likes holding their breath for too long. Nothing wrong with being optimistic though, right? I simply cannot stand the fact that there are still some people in other parts of the world who think these bashers represent all of us. Now my fingers are about to fall off for trying to tell these people that they don't, time and time again... The story was great, though. The author seemed to try and put American soccer-lovers' minds at ease by bashing the bashers themselves. Most of it actually made me laugh my ass off...
Is that entire article a joke? I can't tell which of the quotes in it, if any, are serious quotes from real people. Obviously stuff like "soccer appeals to nazis" isn't said seriously, and all the quotes are equally ridiculous. Like who is Jim Rome, and does he actually say all that stuff? I may be overestimating society, but i really don't believe people fear soccer will make their kids homosexuals. ...
This is why I almost hate loving soccer, 'cuz these friggin red coats have a comment about everything, especially if it's got to do with America, sometimes I imagine Brazil created the game just so I don't feel so dirty liking something english...
Actually it's Scottish because the current laws were codified by Queens Park Football Club of Glasgow. You could always learn Spanish or French if you don't like English things though.
Say what now? If it had anything to do with anything Marxist, the teams would be working together rather than competing. And all team sports are socialist, in that all the players work together towards a common goal.
He's not suggesting that, he's suggesting that soccer involves a lot of passing between all players on the field, thus taking the emphasis off of a single player and spreading it out more evenly to all of them. True that all the players work toward a common goal, but in American sports it seems as if there is more apparent specialization involved than in soccer. For example, the quarterback in football has a much different job than a center or wide receiver does, while a complete novice to watching soccer thinks all the players have the same position since there appears to be no apparent formations like in football or baseball. So basically they're just saying this out of ignorance. Basketball can be very much the same in terms of a lack of formation to novices to watching the sport. Of course, the soccerphobes are never going to admit to this because Basketball is more "American" than soccer is.
I understand your attempt here, but I can't help what language I was taught since my birth, I can however, make a decision about what sports I watch, that was my point...
people all over the world have been playing games that involve kicking a ball like object across a field for hundreds of years. The British just codified the rules. I wouldn't feel bad liking soccer even if I hated the English.
If it were Marxist, the players would all be sitting on the bench smoking, waiting for someone else to do the job, because they're all gonna get paid anyway. There is as much individualism in soccer as there is in other sports. What turns games one way or another are playmakers, guys who can do extraordinary things. Without playmakers, you don't win. If they were all just mechanically doing only what their job called for them to do, then they'd lose. If it was truly Marxist, soccer wouldn't have any stars, like Christiano Ronaldo or Ronaldinho or Didier Drogba. Why do you know their names? Because they do extraordinary things. They stand out, they're individuals. And they earn more money.
Simply a rehash of things that have been said on BigSoccer for a long time: Lot's of soccerphobes out there with a forum (Rome, Deford, etc.) and millions playing the game here.