in soccer. if it is constantly in the top 5, i say if. would they really be resented by the rest of the world. since we arent a soccer loving nation.
resented by the rest of the world? ***** please.. If US becomes better and better, no doubt that "soccer" will find more followers in your own country. I think that "soccer" is already gaining ground because of the increased awareness that basketball, Amfootball and that other all american sport are dull boring and overcommercial dont worry, football will always be no1
Of course America will be resented when we get really good at soccer. we're resented for anything good we do. I think that the US will become great at the sport due to the money that is being spent and the fact that more and more immigrants from futbol loving countries are coming to the States and will be incorporated into the US. As for American sports being overcommercialized, they are not nearly as bad as European football. The kits have an ad right across the chest, people that don't know about the sport think that Man Utd actually play for Vodafone. Not only that but right at the edge of the field are adboards. Commercialization is everywhere.
Oh really? And what evidence do you have to suggest this claim? I can tell that you don't live here.... Soccer is gaining ground here in the States, but for very different reasons.
then give the reasons you think in stead of acting like a smartass.. addition: ok im not sure bout the overcommercializing. but it is a fact that american sports are boring
That's a fact, huh? Apparently you're confusing the difference between objective and subjective thought. Really, it is more likely ignorance that you should be pleading. You probably shouldn't be making judgments on sports you don't understand.
dont wet your pants over that last provocation. give the reasons you think football is gaining ground.
Don't take any of this personal, mate. It is good to dialogue. Some Real Reasons for Soccer Growth in the US: MLS. The country now has its own domestic league to aspire to. Soccer is already the number one participating sport among American youth. Now youths have a valid professional league to persue 'dreams' of actually playing professionally some day. This is different from the times when there were no such top-flight league in America. Now, for much of the year, higher level professional soccer matches take place all over the country, giving increasing exposure to the sport over time. MLS expansion is also helping further professional soccer. Case in Point: Salt Lake City; the city, who had no club a year ago, now shows good support for their club--a club who fails to even win much. The city was rewarded with hosting a USMNT WC Qualifier in which they came out in droves for. US Players commented on how that was the best support they have received from a home crowd in quite a while. The grow of the US National Team. Their increase in skill and level of play has drawn in more fans. Their success at the 2002 WC helped that. A recent 40,000 crowd for the US friendly with England, which I drove 13 hours to see, was evidence of increasing interest in the USMNT. Americans love winners. And if the US starts to win consistantly in the big events, more and more Americans will be drawn to the game. I myself am an example of an American sports fan who later also gained a love for soccer. For me, the USMNT growth had a lot to do with this. Now, soccer is right up there with my other favorite sports, but not because of any loss of interest in the other sports.
If The US competition becomes good then more people would like to watch it and there would be more money, etc... I think the main reason why football/soccer is impopulair in the US, because the people now that their domestic league is crap, that their players are mediocre. They are used to be the best in everything, well at least in baseball, American football and basketball, that they feel kinda embarassed that they are not the best in the biggest sport of the world. And to hide this discomfort most seem to resort to slagging it of. Also many of the papers, big networks, owners, etc... have very extensive (commercial) interests in the wellbeing of baseball, AF and basketball and fear that if football would become popular it might affect their financial interests, so they seem to try to downplay and prevent football from taking off.
we are embarrased that we aren't the best in football? i think we are perfectly content with leading the olympic games in medals in just about every sport, and still finding time to make it to the "world's sport" quarterfinals.
"If we are not good at something, we don't care about it" That's what an american friend of mine told me back in 2002 when I asked if they (american people) have been following the US team performance in the World Cup And by then they had already beat Mexico!
I do not hold any animosity towards any nations who are successful in sport. However I feel that the problem that most other nations have with America's success is that America perceives itself as being provided with some god given right that makes her successful. It is not the case that most of the best athletes are just born in America (as i have been told by Americans before) it is just that you have an incredible pool of choice and the money to invest and nurture talent. However in a few decades when Europe becomes more supranational the tide may change. As for commercialisation then i agree "soccer" is over-commercialised. But this just follows suit with many other sports, the more popular it becomes the more business men and women wish to become involved. You will now find entire stadiums named after companies eg The Emirates Stadium being built by Arsenal. However with this increased level of commercialisation we have seen many smaller clubs suffer. Some have gone in to administration and some have gone bankrupt, most clubs (particularly in Scotland) neglect the nurturing of young talent in favour of inexpensive developed foreign players, however this is off topic. I feel America will catch up but never dominate. As mentioned earlier it is incredibly popular amongst American youths, however until the mass market is found that can sit and watch a game without needing constant speed/action then your domestic game will suffer. You already have this market across Europe and the rest of the world, particularly in Asia.
Correct. We even had a name for it: "Manifest Destiny". It's what drove the westward expansion throughout our history, and only really started to decline in the 1960's. I won't argue that the USA wasn't blessed with the most abundent resources on earth which contributed to the success. But there was also this feeling of destiny. I agree. I think we will see a number of countries that make it to the top tier, widening out that tier. China has that capability, it will probably take them a bit longer than USA, but they will get there if they decide to do it. Others as well. I don't see WC'2002 as such a fluke as many seem to think. Traditional powers that got eliminated early, surprise teams in the later stages - it's all part of an ongoing change. US also has to accept that we are not the best of everything - hard to do when it's been reinforced for 2 centuries. Olympic coverage on US network TV was traditionally "the top 3, plus the (other) US athletes" - assuming that at least one of those spots was usually an American. Cable TV has widened coverage, but still the feeling remains.
The reason "soccer" has gained ground on the other sports in America is the simple fact that there is no Hockey to take up the fourth slot in America's favorite sports to watch. Golf gave "soccer" a run for its money, but Golf just didn't want it enough .
i didnt want to make this into a political discussion. i just wanted to talk soccer. but, i will respond to those that critized the usa and then get back to soccer. i was born in america and lived here for almost 25 years and been abroad about 7 months out of those 25 years. 5 months in malta, 1 month in london, and 3 weeks in australia. americans dont understand anything your talking about when you say things like the world resents you for things you have done, attitude, ignorance, etc... we are isolated from world. all our media coverage is american and disenting points are shot down very quickly as too negetive. there is a lot of propoganda on all the great things we do for the world. "we" dont have any other reference points. its like arguing with somebody that lived in a house with their parents and brothers and sisters. they never left the place. they ate there, slept there, played there. then you try and tell them their parents are wrong on some issues. they would just get defensive because that is all they know. so dont argue with americans about how "great" america is. it was a waste of time before i ever went abroad to argue with me and it has been a waste of time when arguing with others now. time will cure this problem eventually. hopefully, not too harshly because i plan on living here. so many countries have had their day in the sun. and eventually their time passes. usually because of ingornace and arrogance. i just wanted to know in the orginal question if countries like the usa, china, japan, etc.... more up and coming countries. if they would be resented.
manifest destiny. there's one reason. and you sum it up pretty well too. here's also a quote by eduardo galeano "A good part of the U.S. public, astonishingly ignorant about everything beyond its shores, fears and disdains all that it does not understand. The country that has done more than any other to develop information technology, produces television news that barely touches on world events except to confirm that foreigners tend to be terrorists and ingrates." the u.s. isn't very liked in certain parts. because many people are extremely arrgogant and ignorant to what goes on outside their little sheltered world in the u.s. many people think everything that the u.s. does is right. and if you don't agree, you're not 'patriotic'. soccer wise, who cares? if the u.s. becomes a powerhouse, so what? que sera , sera; whatever will be will be.
America will never dominate for at least another 60 years. Think about it. Most of the really good players in the world all came from deprived backgrounds where there was already a strong love of football. You'd be out dawn til dusk just playing football because you couldnt afford anything else - case in point would be the area I grew up in. We were poor when i was a kid and couldnt afford playstations and stuff like that, so me and my friends used to play easily 5/6 hours a day, all aspiring to play for the teams we supported (City or Untied as it was late 80's early 90's before Real Madrid shirts started appearing) And this was England, on a rough estate but no-where near as deprived as the third world countries or even some places in the UK. You guys have such a good nation that the traditional pool of football players can all live relatively comfortable lifestyles, and not being racist or anything but will football ever replace basketball in the slums of Compton as the most played sport, considering the whole black culture of embracing basketball. First you need the passion and love of your local teams in a competitive league which is what you're beginning to establish, but then you need at least a generation of support to ensure that your children grow up knowing nothing but your local team and thus want to play for them. Thats how I came to obsess over Man City so much because in Manchester you're either red or blue and it is evident on your first day of secondary school when you're asked who you support before your name most of the time.
I just found that funny. I read an article with Carlos Bocanegra in which he said that a lot of people in England ask him what Compton is like and is it exactly how it is in the movies. But to answer your question, when soccer players here start making as much as NBA and NFL players then yeah, the game will be embraced by the poor embattled black people of Compton.
haha. because we made the sport, and if we really took our best baseball players to international competition we would win everything. if england or whatever country made cricket wants to call the winner of their domestic league world champs, then more power to them.
just about every country is like that you moron. none of the media in any country goes around saying all the bad crap their government or leader has done. people like you who stereotype countries are the people who don't know anything. you have your mind set that americans don't know anything about the world outside of their country. you're not the only american (if that's what you call yourself, or maybe your ashamed) who travels to other places in the world and knows about mistakes that are made by this country.
Cricket already has a World Cup it just happens to involve more than one country. Schoolboy error mate.