WORLD CUP or SUPER BOWL

[Damian P 92]

I get the impression that some Americans dislike soccer because they are just so patriotic.

I'm not sure I understand? The US has a national team.

[NotworkSte 19]

As far as the World Cup is concerned, only the Olympics compare in terms of sporting enourmity. I've always felt very sorry for the average American, because whilst the rest of the world rejoices in this truly global festival, Americans just don't get it and totally miss out.

Great point well made.

My colleages over here are astounded by by me recounting stories of previous world cup, tv's up all around the office, work stopping during the game. Remember vividly England Argentina, Beckham penalty, oh how we celebrated. I traveled extensively in my old job and from country to country it was the same, especially during world cup time. And you can talk to anyone from Sweden to Nigeria, Cameroon to Costa Rica and they all experience the excitement.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Anyway, with regard to the two sports, I'm fortunate enough to love them both (and baseball). Soccer will always be my fist love because I was brought up on it, but I do love my NFL Sunday.

That's pretty much my dude's position. Initially he referred to American football as "fancy dress catch" but has kinda gotten into it, especially after participating in a fantasy league w/ people at work over the last couple of seasons. He also finds it interesting that so many people are into it--girls, gay guys (he works with several gay guys who are highly knowledgeable football fanatics and said you tend not to get that in the UK w/ soccer), old ladies, etc.

I do think that interest in the World Cup here has increased, but soccer is still a second-tier sport, unfortunately. I remember going to a sports bar to watch the U.S.-Italy WC game in 2006, and they wouldn't put the sound on for it because they were showing f*cking golf! The husband was livid. We ended up finding another place that actually had it as the featured game. And as it turned out, it was a great game (draw). Then again, this is Phoenix, and there are a lot of golfer pricks here.

[Damian P 92]

I do think that interest in the World Cup here has increased, but soccer is still a second-tier sport, unfortunately. I remember going to a sports bar to watch the U.S.-Italy WC game in 2006, and they wouldn't put the sound on for it because they were showing f*cking golf!

The exact same thing happened to me in St Louis once. It was around April, so The Premiership season was drawing to its conclusion. I asked the barman to put the UK footie game on (it was one of the big games like Man U V Chelsea) and he did, but minus the sound. When I asked him to turn up the volume, he told me he couldn't because there was some noncing f*cking college basketball game on. ####### do people here make such a big deal about amateur sport, ffs???

Then again, this is Phoenix, and there are a lot of golfer pricks here.

[Jenn! 918]

I'm not sure I understand? The US has a national team.

Sure, but any red-blooded American has got to prefer American football or baseball to that sport that they like in Socialist Europe!

[Empress of Groovy 373]

The exact same thing happened to me in St Louis once. It was around April, so The Premiership season was drawing to its conclusion. I asked the barman to put the UK footie game on (it was one of the big games like Man U V Chelsea) and he did, but minus the sound. When I asked him to turn up the volume, he told me he couldn't because there was some noncing f*cking college basketball game on. ####### do people here make such a big deal about amateur sport, ffs???

When I lived in Texas, I and a couple of fellow Massholes were at a sports bar and assumed that the featured game (i.e., big screen & sound) would be the Sox-Yankees ALCS game, but they had on a college football game! And it didn't even feature a Texas team. Like, #######?! I mean, I knew that Texas was football crazy, esp. college football, but gee whiz! It was the baseball playoffs! They had the Sox-Yankees game on a couple of little TVs squashed into the far corners of the bar. We were forced to join forces w/ some Evil Yankees fans and lobby the management to feature "our" game. Eventually they gave in, but I think it was because they didn't want to deal with kvetching northeasterners for three hours.

[gezzuzz 1]

i just found out that we have a soccer team in my city... didnt even know..

something in football that would never happen in soccer... last year me and a friend drove 10 hours over night to go watch a away game.. (@st louis rams)

we get there in the morning they already have tailgaters.. we find saints fans and rams fans side by side partying.. we said we just drove 10 hours to see the game and we were immediately offered food and beer from both sides.. we watched the game right next to rams fans and had a blast

that this time siants were 8-0 and rams were 1-7 (only won to a team that was 0-6 and 0-16 the year before)

the rams lead the whole game but we prevailed.. they even had a shot to win on the very last play..

also i heard in most places they cant serve beer at soccer games... players cant control themself...

i would love it if soccer in america was like in other countries.. at best we have amateur soccer.. we have a national team but would never beable to support 32 professinal soccer teams.. anyone growing up in life in america would always take the football route over soccer..

[Empress of Groovy 373]

i just found out that we have a soccer team in my city... didnt even know..

something in football that would never happen in soccer... last year me and a friend drove 10 hours over night to go watch a away game.. (@st louis rams)

we get there in the morning they already have tailgaters.. we find saints fans and rams fans side by side partying.. we said we just drove 10 hours to see the game and we were immediately offered food and beer from both sides.. we watched the game right next to rams fans and had a blast

that this time siants were 8-0 and rams were 1-7 (only won to a team that was 0-6 and 0-16 the year before)

the rams lead the whole game but we prevailed.. they even had a shot to win on the very last play..

also i heard in most places they cant serve beer at soccer games... players cant control themself...

i would love it if soccer in america was like in other countries.. at best we have amateur soccer.. we have a national team but would never beable to support 32 professinal soccer teams.. anyone growing up in life in america would always take the football route over soccer..

I'm not sure if this is true for all MLS teams, but I went to a New England Revolution game a few years ago, and there was tailgating.

The MLS is in fact a professional league. The skill level isn't up to the professional leagues in Europe, but it's not terrible and seems to be improving every year.

[NotworkSte 19]

i just found out that we have a soccer team in my city... didnt even know..

something in football that would never happen in soccer... last year me and a friend drove 10 hours over night to go watch a away game.. (@st louis rams)

Do you mean it would never happen in soccer here in the US or anywhere? Because I've travel a lot of miles, over days, for European aways - sometimes to far remote places in Russia, more like planes trains and automobiles! Loved that movie.

[K and L 27]

I'm the USC, and I prefer the World Cup to the Superbowl. The only thing interesting about the Superbowl are the commercials.

My Brazilian fiancé definitely prefers the World Cup -- he doesn't think American football is a real sport. Or hockey. But if I have to suffer through him watching tennis and volleyball and soccer, by god he will watch football and hockey on the comparatively few times I actually want to watch them xD

[Damian P 92]

something in football that would never happen in soccer... last year me and a friend drove 10 hours over night to go watch a away game.. (@st louis rams)

As the previous poster mentioned, you presumably must be talking only about soccer in the U.S. because (also as the previous poster said) European football fans follow their teams all over the continent, never mind the country. My team were last in European competition in 2003 - I made the (midweek) trip to Bucharest, Romania, to see them play.

we get there in the morning they already have tailgaters

Because the vast majority of Rams games kick off at noon. I know - I'm a regular at Edward Jones Dome.

we find saints fans and rams fans side by side partying

Which is what's so totally retarded. It's the same in the ###### stadium too; away fans whooping, hollering, the whole nine yards. If they dared do that at a European soccer ground, they'd have the sh!t kicked out of them. And quite rightly so. Sport is supposed to be tribal, ffs.

we said we just drove 10 hours to see the game and we were immediately offered food and beer from both sides.. we watched the game right next to rams fans and had a blast

See above comment.

that this time siants were 8-0 and rams were 1-7 (only won to a team that was 0-6 and 0-16 the year before)

That's fairly standard, unfortunately.

also i heard in most places they cant serve beer at soccer games... players cant control themself...

The vast majority of grounds serve beer in the concourses; it's only into the seated areas that they can't take their beer. And you mean fans can't control themselves, not players, right?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

In my opinion, soccer is just too slow. Not cricket / bowling slow...but slow all the same. Its like watching hockey in slow motion.

Then you have the Italians......they make a slow game like 200% slower. The Simpsons parady of soccer is a perfect example of Italian football.

Maybe Americans/Canadians, having been exposed to ice hockey at a young age, just can't appreciate soccer as much because they've been conditioned for the faster more intense version.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Sousuke

[The_Dude 1,142]

I grew up playing and watching both football, and American football. The only NFL teams supporters that I've found to be on par with European football supporters are Oakland Raiders fans. They have been my team since I can remember and for as many games as I've been to, you don't wear the other teams jersey unless you want to get your as$ kicked. Same could be said for going to some places in the premiership. I can remember the first Liverpool game that my uncle took me too. He gave me an Ian Rush, and then promptly told me that I couldn't wear it as we were going to a game at Millwall.

Back to the OP. I compeltely agree that you can't compare the superbowl to the world cup. I think the world cup is more on par with the olympics, only better.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I grew up playing and watching both football, and American football. The only NFL teams supporters that I've found to be on par with European football supporters are Oakland Raiders fans. They have been my team since I can remember and for as many games as I've been to, you don't wear the other teams jersey unless you want to get your as$ kicked. Same could be said for going to some places in the premiership. I can remember the first Liverpool game that my uncle took me too. He gave me an Ian Rush, and then promptly told me that I couldn't wear it as we were going to a game at Millwall.

Back to the OP. I compeltely agree that you can't compare the superbowl to the world cup. I think the world cup is more on par with the olympics, only better.

Definitely a compliment to the NFL. The average NFL supporter would never want to be associated with the ####### firms pull.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Definitely a compliment to the NFL. The average NFL supporter would never want to be associated with the ####### firms pull.

I dont' think it's better per se. It's not like there aren't fights and even shootings outside football games. I think the most telling sign is the behavior of supporters after they win a championship. I think rioting downtown is a fairly universal language of sport.