The World Cup - do the Americans care?

[JetEnduro]

There's a World Cup going on?!  

j/k but I've heard about it but I'm not interested in soc....football

[Esper_Crusader]

I'm not much for 'soccer' or any other major sport besides hockey although I might watch the odd Baseball game if i'm bored. I just don't understand it I guess but I find it incredibly slow-paced and boring.

I always think of the Simpsons episode where the announcer is freaking out even though nothing is really happening. "holds it.....Holds it.......HOLDS IT!!" and Homer lamenting that he'll kill himself if Portugal doesn't win.

Might have been a slap in the face for football fans but you gotta admit is was pretty damned funny.

[Losfer]

Pfft, calling an American a yank is no different than calling a Canadian a canuck.  :P

Anyway, random chavs painting their faces white and red while wandering up and down the High Street while screaming COME ON ENGLAND while blaring sirens instead of actually watching the game is...  Misguided.

Support something you enjoy.  Not for the sake of being a loud jackass.

[Dios GX]

Pfft, calling an American a yank is no different than calling a Canadian a canuck.

Only if you look past the blatant fact it was a term coined for a specific region in the country, not the populous of the nation as a whole.

[Jimmy]

Yea, if someone called me a Yank that is just stupid because I grew up in the western rural states. If you're going to call me by a slang name, don't call me a damn Yank, I'd rather be called a hick than a Yank.

[Eusis]

Yeah, I'd say that the Wiki entry on what yankee means for everyone holds true - I was born and raised in PA, yet I consider yankees to be more applicable to New England. I wouldn't take great offense at being called one though. :P

[GhaleonOne]

I love the sport, and have played it for most of my life. Even though it's hard to get all of the leagues broadcasted in English here in the US, I still follow the English Premiership and Spanish Primeria. I've been a Brazil fan since I was little, and still pull for them in the World Cup. The way it's shaping up, I see an Argentina vs. Brazil final this WC. And whether you like or hate the US, that penalty in the Ghana game today was robbery. There was nothing there. But it still doesn't excuse two horrible performances. We only showed up against Italy this time around. But eh, Ronaldo's back in form. Ghana will be taken down by Brazil in the Round of 16 next week.

[Leo]

Eh, I think it's a shame that the rest of the world frowns at americans for disliking soccer. I, for one, love the sport, and mainly for the World Cup and Euro tournament, but it's also a fun sport to play.

I mean...it's moreso a shame that the sport couldn't prosper into a culture of its own within North America. If every other country could embrace it so lovingly, then damn it...as could North America.

I wouldn't be quick to judge north americans as a whole, on not liking soccer. Generalizations are never good. Granted, it may seem like the sport is nearly non-existant by us, but there are plenty of people that respect it. It's unfair because american football, baseball, and basketball dominate the airwaves.

Ah well...hopefully the future will change for the positive for us.

[kyuusei]

I had no idea that football (well, this kind) was THAT unpopular in America. LIke someone already said, it's VERY popular here in Canada, and you'll see lots of jerseys and car flags - usually England ones - around at this time. There's just.. no interest in Canadian socc- I mean, football. Just the good teams. :P

I remember the last World Cup, in Japan in 2002 - I knew TONS of people who would get up to watch the games at like 4 AM. I've gotten to like watching it. Well, anyone who likes watching players dive would love it, but that's not why I did. When you go to Europe, football is impossible to ignore even without a World Cup going on. Amsterdam had all kinds of Oranje fever. I'm hoping for the Netherlands to win the WC.

I played soccer but only briefly. It's fun to play. The only other sport I liked playing/watching was hockey. Heh.

[Cauton]

Also, Cauton. Good luck with Germany ;)

Hey, thanks. I think we're going to need it :P Germany looks incredibly strong this year, and they have dominated all their games so far. They also have the advantage of playing on home turf, which is always a huge boost.

But eh, Ronaldo's back in form. Ghana will be taken down by Brazil in the Round of 16 next week.

Untill yesterday, Brazil really hadn't impressed me this year. Pretty lackluster perfomance so far, and it took a goal from Japan of all countries to wake them up.

[Dincrest]

For what it's worth, it seems there's some World Cup fever at Rutgers.  At least half the TVs in the Busch gym are tuned to World Cup channels and the Busch gym front desk has a widescreen tuned to World Cup.  And people either hang around the front desk or interrupt their workouts to watch some World Cup.  

And, heh, Rutgers was the birthplace of football.  Football was invented right here in li'l old New Jersey.

[CastNuri]

World Cup has always been this really -- almost insanely -- enthusiastic event for Malaysians. Mostly for the guys although a lot of girls are getting football fever too. It never occured to me that other countries weren't just as crazy over football.

I'm personally rooting for Argentina and only watch a handful of the matches. It's too early in the season to bring out the popcorn anyway.

[Alisha]

I'm not much for 'soccer' or any other major sport besides hockey although I might watch the odd Baseball game if i'm bored. I just don't understand it I guess but I find it incredibly slow-paced and boring.

I always think of the Simpsons episode where the announcer is freaking out even though nothing is really happening. "holds it.....Holds it.......HOLDS IT!!" and Homer lamenting that he'll kill himself if Portugal doesn't win.

Might have been a slap in the face for football fans but you gotta admit is was pretty damned funny.

what the fuck? hockey is just soccer on ice. i played soccer as a kid but never really caught on to it.

[Esper_Crusader]

^pfft!..I disagree.  It's like comparing Granny Smith Apples with MacIntosh Apples.  Same idea but vastly different:P

[Dade]

Especially since they changed to Intel Processors.