I recommend watching or listening to the Women's Soccer Finals right now

[Trouble]

Grace62 wrote:
[quote=freeradical]
So this game ended with penalty kicks. Lovely

What's not to love? Very exciting game. High drama.
Did you watch it?
That isn't how a real sport ends a game.

[Trouble]

Uncle Wig wrote: The low-scoring argument is specious. Emmitt Smith scored 175 touchdowns over 13 seasons. That's 208 games played, meaning he's scored about in about 81% of his games. Not much of a difference. And he's one of the all-time leading scorers. If touchdowns scored one point instead of six, would Americans become bored with it? Why is hockey popular in the U.S.? It's a low-scoring game too. The only high scoring game Americans watch is basketball.

But there is also another running back that can score. And three receivers. And the defense can score as well as special teams.

Hockey isn't that popular. It is far behind the other major sports and it has Canada to help support it as well. It is popular enough to support itself.

[Grace62]

Trouble wrote:
[quote=Grace62]
[quote=freeradical]
So this game ended with penalty kicks. Lovely

What's not to love? Very exciting game. High drama.
Did you watch it?
That isn't how a real sport ends a game.
What? Tournament games cannot end in a tie. They used up the overtime. The final phase in a tied tournament match is a penalty shoot-out.
People who think soccer isn't a "real sport" are just showing off their ignorance, for reasons known only to them.

[Mac1337]

They must have waited 66 years for this.

[hal]

The best inside jokes are the ones that only YOU understand...

[freeradical]

Grace62 wrote:
[quote=Trouble]
[quote=Grace62]
[quote=freeradical]
So this game ended with penalty kicks. Lovely

What's not to love? Very exciting game. High drama.
Did you watch it?
That isn't how a real sport ends a game.
What? Tournament games cannot end in a tie. They used up the overtime.
A real sport would have a second, third, fourth, or whatever overtime.

[Grace62]

freeradical wrote:
[quote=Grace62]
[quote=Trouble]
[quote=Grace62]
[quote=freeradical]
So this game ended with penalty kicks. Lovely

What's not to love? Very exciting game. High drama.
Did you watch it?
That isn't how a real sport ends a game.
What? Tournament games cannot end in a tie. They used up the overtime.
A real sport would have a second, third, fourth, or whatever overtime.
Soccer is called the beautiful game for a reason.
It is beautifully crafted. There are no timeouts; there is a definitive, beautifully structured way to end.
Players don't stand around scratching it waiting for something to happen.

[Manlove]

Grace, you'll never convince the uninitiated heathens that soccer is the greatest game to grace the earth. One that is played on every continent, requiring only a roughly spherical ball and rocks or jumpers for goal posts. 90 minutes of continuous balletic athleticism, the ebb and flow of competition, unmarred by excessive commercial breaks or "time outs". Players running an average of 7 miles per game, often at full tilt, and still managing to create moments of outstanding gymnastic beauty.

As Davester points out "...soccer is not that popular among american adults" because "it is not designed for TV as is football so the networks in the US seldom carry it and it is completely absent from american newspaper sports sections, so it has no visibility except as a kids game."

Spot on. Same reason cycling is so contentious here. American infrastructure and society was not built for bicycles or for a game that runs in 45 minute stretches with no concern for advertisements.

Kids play soccer now. Eventually there'll be more people that have played it than haven't and it will become more culturally prevalent. Of course, it will probably be broken into 4, 20 minute segments at some stage and cameras will be more than second guessing the action but will be used to call it back -a la American Football (shudders at the thought)-but what are you going to do?

[vision63]

Soccer is a real sport. People that understand and appreciate the nuances of it enjoy it. People that don't, don't. But I doubt it'll ever be popular in this country. It's not the scoring, or lack thereof. It's just that the best athletes in this country are "not" going to use their talent to play soccer. There's no glory in it here like there is elsewhere. As long as there is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, soccer just won't really catch on except for the World Cup type of events.

[freeradical]

Kids have always played soccer. I had to play soccer when I was a kid. I hated it. I loved playing backyard football with my friends. Nothing changes.