The "World" Cup Looks Sternly at US

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acronkyoung5303d ago (Edited 5303d ago )

Excellent article, Chris. Glad to have it on the site.

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proper_kill5303d ago

Hurrrm

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goalweiser5302d ago (Edited 5302d ago )

I'm struggling to see what your title and article have in common.

I read this article thinking it may be a piece about the United States bid for World Cup 2018 or 2022. I thought perhaps you would be talking about FIFA scrutinizing our bid.

Instead I find this article and I don't know what to make of it. It really serves no purpose other than to mock US soccer fans and those who are "over" American.

More than 23 million Americans watched the final. That's a record for soccer in this country. Bars around the country like one in LA made 67 - 70K more a day when the United States played. That's more than any other sporting event than maybe the Superbowl. The United States National Team Kit was sold out in every store I called and even the online Nike store and the official USMNT's store was sold out.

To you sports are stupid. Wars and fighting can be started for any reason. Even this article could drum up passion from several factions and cause friction if people allow it to. There are kids getting beat up at school but I guess that's because of sports too!?!

The reason why football is special is because it transcends the real world. Wars in Africa stop when countries involved are playing. Some countries like Brazil shut down entirely when the game is on. And yes even in the United States...it brings tears to the eyes of grown men.

Go watch this video and then you tell me how un-American loving football (soccer) is.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

You talk about pretentious football fans but you fail to even grasp the fact that your own pretentious nature makes you blind and in this case ignorant of the truth.

Football is for everyone. Americans and the world alike. In that video there's thousands of Americans all over the world cheering for our national team.

So as a "pretentious" football fan...all I have to say to you is "Don't Tread on Me."

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putchukoy5302d ago

woooooooooooaahhhhh, haha, we can put this up as an article also :P

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YasaiTaichou5302d ago

"It really serves no purpose other than to mock US soccer fans and those who are 'over' American."

"But there was no speech. No one stood up with a microphone to say 'Congratulations, here is your trophy,' because it would take over one hundred translators to make such a phrase intelligible to all the viewers all over the world. That is fantastic! And it didn't need words. The trophy was handed over, the team screamed with joy, and speech was not missed." If you read this and did not see that I am praising the border-breaking international aspect of soccer, read it again.

"Wars and fighting can be started for any reason. Even this article could drum up passion from several factions and cause friction if people allow it to. There are kids getting beat up at school but I guess that's because of sports too!?!"

This is irrelevant. It's a straw man. Nowhere in the article do I blame sports for non-sports-related conflict. It is assumptive to make such an accusation. This article is not about war or school-aged violence, both of which are deplorable and unnecessarily violent. Do not suggest otherwise.

"it transcends the real world"

This is my problem with sports: people think they're "special because it transcends the real world." How? Because it makes grown men cry and many, many people enjoy watching it? There are countless books, movies, and people to which (and to whom) people are strongly emotionally attached. And they are not less special than sports.

That video is really amazing and heartwarming. But most of the settings were bars, and finding sports fans in bars isn't difficult. I'm impressed (though I didn't suggest otherwise) that 23 million Americans watched the final. But since the Super Bowl this year had 106 million viewers, and American Idol finales get more than 23 million viewers consistently, I am not convinced that Americans love soccer like other nations--this was part of my point from the start.

Aside from your comment, I don't have a reason to think you are one of the pretentious soccer fans who mock casual spectators.

I am glad to have drummed up passion with this article. You paint passion as a bad thing, and I don't know why. The problem is, I wanted to promote discussion of soccer relative to American culture, but instead I am attacked.

I don't mean to criticize anyone (except elitists, of whom you are not necessarily one). I set out to acknowledge some of America's idiosyncrasies in light of recent events. Now, let's discuss them with less attacking and more understanding.