h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I would prefer to keep this conversation going, if only to get this article back on the home page as a busy forum, and maybe attract a few Americans to my Super Bowl thread

OK fair enough.
I've grown up with football, like my Dad and his Dad and....
The US hasn't, so it's much harder to sell it than hockey, baseball you name it.
But I don't think it would help to change the rules of the game in order to extend the market for football. I've seen US matches on late-night TV here and the problem is that the teams don't have any guts.
The defenders don't go in for bone-wrenching tackles like their lives depend upon it. Even though UK footballers are chided in our press for their high wages, they have played the game since they were able to walk. British football fans have followed a team since they were born (usually) and some have died for their clubs (quite literally - stabbed to death, or crushed to death at Hillsborough - see http://www.hfsg.org ).
It still means a lot to win or lose a game and that's where it seems to break down in the States.
The players don't really care 'cos the fans aren't passionate. And the fans aren't passionate 'cos they don't see the commitment from the players. I really don't know how to change that. You can't import 100 years of passion.
You'd have to see European clubs play other European clubs (or South American - they too have enormous passion) on US soil for a MEANINGFUL cup in order to get a glimpse of what football really means.

BTW this forum is now on the front page

We had the men's world cup here recently, and the women just his year. It was hard for the US public to care about the men, though, since the American team didn't last long. They lasted even less time in France, where we had the honor of being the worst team to qualify, but I digress.

As far as growing up with it, you would be suprised. The American Youth Soccer Organisation (AYSO) is the largest children's sporting organization in the country. The problem is that soccer in high schools falls a distance behind the other sports we play well. Tons of kids don't take up American football until they are 15, and then it is just because they think it impresses girls. Along the way, they find out they enjoy the sport.

I think the biggest reason some people in the US want to see soccer succeed professionally is that it would increase participation, and therefore the talent pool, and make us more competitive internationally. Some people have some unreasoning need to see this country be the best at everything. I for one would like to see international competition in American football. Not because we would dominate the sport, but because international competition usually brings out the best in players. It would make my favorite game that much more fun to watch.

The best thing the US could have done to strengthen their team would have been to defect some players from Dynamo Kiev and other Russian and East German teams before the Berlin Wall came down

I think one problem you have in the US (from what Americans have told me) is that football is seen as a bit of a 'wussy' game compared to American Football in schools. So all the tough kids go on to play the latter. You NEED tough players. A good solid defence is probably more important than an inspirational attack as it's only when you're arse is covered that you have the confidence to throw a good attack.

When I saw the US national side in the World Cup, I saw a team that linked up reasonably well and had some nice moves but just didn't have the strength to fight off the other teams. Any team from our top two divisions (Premier & Division One) could have broken up the US team's play because they try to play this fluid passing game and can't adapt to any other. It's like watching a team who are trying to emulate the early 1980's Liverpool team even though the strategy of the game has moved on two decades in the rest of the world (and their defence is *nothing* like as good as Liverpool's was.)

DIE UNITED DIE..........Consise and to the point !
Nijiko (Dont laugh, i support Blackburn)

KEEP IT COMING!!!

(BTW Nice to see someone else who knows all about spending millions on a load of useless players)

I'v made up a little song...it goes a little something like this
"Stand up if you hate man utd
Stand up if you hate man utd
Stand up if you hate man utd
Oh man utd, man utd we really hate you
your players suck, your manager lucks like a duck
i really hope you get relagated to div 1 like we did
so we can kick your ass.......
Stand up if you hate man utd (repeat untill fade)"

There we go i think that my logical argument against man utd settles this thing once and for all !!
Nijiko

We were relegated once, we didn't like it so we came back up the next year.

I only have four words for you, Pal.

We did the treble.


I thank you. : )

Raven Nidiot.......I just thought I'd ask...Are you a scouser?

I reckon he must be from Leeds meself

The only way to develop a serious love of football (Association football, that is) is to play it. Doing so brings home the realisation that there are about 5 rules in footie, and the only slightly difficult one is the offside rule. This, combined with the minimal equipment spend (a ball, jumpers for goalposts etc.) is what makes it by far the worlds most popular game.
As a totally un-researched guess, I would reckon that at any given time more people are actually playing football than watching any other sport live.
As Bill Shankly siad - football is not life or death, it is far more important than that.

The correct phrasing is actually INN-GER-LAND
not as was typed in your message. This shows that yer bloke there
knows not of which he speaks.

PS
Never ever argue with an Englishwoman about Football either

Well it's certainly love-er-ly to meet you too!

I'm American. He does indeed say "INN-GER-LAND" and he knows everything there is to know about English Football. I, on the other hand, am just an American that's been following it for 4 months. I love it, but I'm still making mistakes because it's new for me. Please don't mistake my mistakes for his mistakes.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ........ Blackburn!

Not true! I hated Liverpool with a passion when I was a lad in the late 70s early 80s. They were arrogant, took defeat badly and dominated the national press and TV (especially the TV here in the north west of England). They also won everything (winning was an alien concept to a young Burnley supporter like myself) which to everyone but Liverpool supporters took some of the joy out of football. I have to admit Man United are probably hated more, but thats probably down to the increased media interest that has developed in football over the last 10 years. Back when Liverpool were great pop stars wouldn't have looked twice at a footballer and all the football news was confined to it's rightful home on the back pages of newspapers. Personally I like to think I'm a little more mature now I've grown up and am indifferent to Man United. I do however hate Blackburn Rovers, but being Burnley born it's in the genes and no amount of growing up is going to change that!

What? And deprive us football fans of the one excitement that we have? The best thing about a football match is that howver boring the game, however badly your team did, however much like a donkey your defence played, there is still one thing which affords us pleasure, and that is cursing the referee for his lack of glasses, his blatant ignorance of the rules of the game. It is our one consolation, and one that unites the whole ground.

I can agree with most of the things you put forward! I am one of those people who love united but have never been to old trafford. What are my reasons for not going? Do you know why?

Batistuta?
F*** off!!

Feel the might of the Red Army

"...and the Reds go marching ON ON ON......."

Oh dear what went wrong this evening against Real Madrid!?!