What is Digg?Sponsored by Dragon Age: Origins
Follow the Dragon Age: Origins development team on Twitter view!
twitter.com/DragonAge - EA presents BioWare's new dark fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins. '9/10' from Game Informer.
395 Comments
- ptFoe, on 07/17/2008, -18/+163Because there aren't a million timeouts in Soccer to fill with ADs to inform Americans about more "Stuff" that they can accumulate.
- davidmesaaz, on 07/16/2008, -7/+115Sports is a game of hertiage of culture. We didn't grow up with that culture that passion so its hard for us to really care. Its as easy for the country to start learning another language. Its just not going to happen.
Another reason why is the MLS is a second rate league. When there has been great teams 1970's New York Cosmos with Pele and Beckenbauer on the same team they have sold out. Lately when Manchester United or other European teams come over they to the US the sell out less than an hour. Which shows that Americans will attend soccer/football/futbol if its high quality. - miteyMite, on 07/17/2008, -10/+109This article really wasn't that good.
- joe90210, on 07/17/2008, -17/+106all those reasons are pretty horrible and pretty much none of them make sense
- FeartheKnighted, on 07/17/2008, -5/+93Ever watched America's pastime, baseball? That is the most boring-ass sport ever.
- kanvas, on 07/17/2008, -4/+81LOVE soccer, watching and playing. I agree, though, that MLS is boring as hell. Euro is where it's at.
- Ravenlark, on 07/17/2008, -2/+77I don't see how being fat keeps one from being interested in soccer. Sitting on your ass and watching a soccer game takes as much physical effort as sitting on your ass and watching American Idol.
Soccer, at least, is far less annoying. - alexforcefive, on 07/17/2008, -4/+697 reasons you shouldn't talk about sports you know nothing about
- Surferess, on 07/16/2008, -9/+72Hey, we don't have short... uh... what was that again? Oh yeah, attention spans!
- anodyne88, on 07/17/2008, -4/+58Americans may never like soccer, but not for any of these reasons, except perhaps low scoring. All the rest are inaccurate. Please, because Americans are fat? Seems to me we win alot of olympic medals with thin athletes. Also, American soccer has been ranked in the top 20 in the world without much interest here, so I don't think fatness is holding us back.
Not a well written or well informed article. I grew up playing the game, and can tell you some more realistic reasons:
1. High schools don't focus on it. The focus on football, and varsity soccer players have to play on an american football field which is much narrower, which changes the style of play significantly and doesn't translate well to the world scene.
2. Not enough youth coaches who know the game. My high school coach never played, he read about it out of the book. And we got 2nd in the State of Illinois my Junior year, 1989. This is changing though as those of us who grew up playing take over these roles.
Lots more where that came from... - TGMD, on 07/17/2008, -19/+72Okay this is just american bashing
1. Americans don't have the attention spans?
Excuse me? Have you ever attempted to watch American Baseball? It's easily the longest and most boring sport in existence.
2. Low Scores
hockey baseball etc
3. Americans are fat
So are Europeans, all rich populations have an obesity problem. Are Americans the fattest among them. But between being obese and morbidly obese the effects are sports are the same.
4. There are no individuals in soccer
What *****, soccer has stars just like any other sport. On the issue of having one weak link ruins the sport. What idiocy. In any sport if you have ONE good player and a team of losers you will lose. American or not.
5. The lack of states.
Me American me unable to understand sport without stats!
6. No rivalries in America
This is actually a legitimate reason!
7. Americans love exactness
somewhat true, but I don't think this is the reason why it isn't popular.
So other than stupid American stereotypes why isn't Soccer or Association football popular in the United States? Well multiple reasons.
1. Tradition.
It hasn't been popular in the past, it's unlikely to become popular. People don't change their tastes easily.
2. Xenophobia
Yes yes a degree of xenophobia is involved here. Americans have their own sports and their own culture. Soccer is often seen as a foreign thing, again this goes to point 1, people don't change easily.
3. It's a children's sport
It's considered a children's sport.
4. It's slow, boring and god damned annoying
We have slow and boring sports but this is a NEW slow and boring sport, why need a new one? Back to point 1. - mecharabbit, on 07/17/2008, -2/+50I happen to be an American who likes soccer. But I like hockey better, because it's like soccer on fast-forward, with sticks and checking and the goals are often just as dramatic as soccer.
- ratatat1, on 07/17/2008, -4/+40This article is pointless.
I played soccer ("football") for 4 seasons in elementary school without much interest in it. I still enjoyed it. Soccer is like a national sport of young people and families in this country. Ever heard of the term "Soccer mom"?
I don't understand this nonsense that we are mentally and physically unable to play European sports like rugby, soccer, etc. That's a bit degrading. We prefer our sports, Europeans (and Brazil) prefer theirs. We grew up watching American football, baseball, and basketball and like it, you guys grew up watching rugby and soccer and you like it. It doesn't mean one or the other is better. In addition to calling us fat and stupid, Europeans love to pick apart our sports and explain (in their view) why our sports are inferior, and the truth is, we could care less what you think of our sports. We like them.
And no, NASCAR is not the most popular 'sport' in America. It's Football.
I think articles like this are more about soccer fans being annoyed that we don't love their sport more than anything else. - chrispaul50, on 07/16/2008, -23/+54We need 7 reasons?? ;-)
- Ravenlark, on 07/17/2008, -5/+36Pads and helmets are manly?
- inactive, on 07/17/2008, -53/+82Its called Football
- DivisibleByZero, on 07/17/2008, -7/+35Real men wouldn't need pads and helmets.
- dekuscrub, on 07/17/2008, -51/+79Soccer is huge in America ... for kids.
For some reason we just grow out of it here. I am not fat, nor do I have a short attention span. But holy crap I would rather stare at a blank wall than watch soccer. - BlackTye, on 07/17/2008, -4/+31Football with no pads is called Rugby. (roughly)
- Taiyoryu, on 07/17/2008, -1/+28Soccer is also a cheap sport. All you really need is a ball. About the only other recommended equipment include cleats and shin guards. The game also scales well. You can play it alone if you have a wall or want to practice ball handling. It's an easy sport to learn and one that take years to master. So it's no surprise that parents like their kids to play soccer whereas other competitive sports require a minimum number of players or budget-breaking amount of equipment. About the only other sport that's as cheap and easy to learn is probably basketball, but unfortunately most basketball courts are setup for adults not children.
- dsmx, on 07/17/2008, -2/+28I never thought I would find a sport more boring than cricket then I watched baseball and fell asleep.
- mecharabbit, on 07/17/2008, -2/+26Agreed on the faking injuries. I was watching the Euro Cup games recently, and a couple of the players, after going down, had the facial expressions of a woman going through childbirth, and then they got back up again quickly when a yellow card didn't come out.
- Lavarock, on 07/17/2008, -1/+24It's not a strong part of our culture. Why don't Europeans go into a frenzy over baseball? Because it's and American sport, as soccer is a European sport that's taken hold in quite a few other parts of the world, just as baseball has taken hold in some places. It's a tradition thing, not some "attention span" problem otherwise we certainly wouldn't watch baseball.
- dsmx, on 07/17/2008, -4/+25Real men play rugby not that nancy boy sport where you get body armor called american football.
- sinurgy, on 07/17/2008, -2/+22I couldn't agree with you more. Hockey takes what's good about soccer (namely the drama) and adds speed and toughness!
- DivisibleByZero, on 07/17/2008, -8/+26"no rivalries in America"....
Come to the Houston vs. Dallas game and say that.
Been to a few USA vs. Mexico games and it's just sad to see how badly the Mexican fans outnumber us, even here at home. - theysayjump, on 07/17/2008, -6/+23I think you've been watching too many American games.
Risks are taken all the time in Football. You're not going to see it at every match, but if you know the game then you know when a risk is taken.
It doesn't promote fake injuries at all. Just because it happens, doesn't mean it's promoted. Does Basketball promote rape? Exactly.
I'm surprised you used the midfield as posing no threat, when I'd say 70% of goals are due to play in the midfield. If you said Defense, I'd agree with you.
And as for "no real match-ups" I presume you mean games between two giants? If so, it happens on a regular basis (UEFA Cup, Champions League, and the top leagues in England, Italy, Germany etc). - soccerman90, on 07/17/2008, -22/+38"haha im so ***** original. im going to tell everyone its called football not soccer. All those stupid American's heads will explode."
- gab00n, on 07/17/2008, -1/+17I don't understand why there is this obsession with trying to force yanks to love our version of football. They have their sports and we have ours, let it be.
- twomeyw23334, on 07/17/2008, -1/+15I hate when a good basketball game is ruined by rape. Leave it off the court!
- a1cd, on 07/17/2008, -2/+16Because most people dont have a team to cheer for, Lets say you didnt really watch (American)football, but you lived in Baltimore, you would likely cheer for the Ravens and if you caught a game on TV you automatically have a team to cheer for.
In the case of Soccer, most of the big name teams are across the pond and its hard to get attached to a game, if you tuned in to Man U VS Chelsea you would not have too much to go on for what team to cheer for. - Slackdragon, on 07/17/2008, -2/+16Football (aka Soccer)? Enchant a broomstick and make Quidditch real and I'd watch that all day long.
- BOFH2, on 07/17/2008, -3/+17#4 -What no individuals? the announcers seem to focus on 3 or 4 total players all game,
- dvsbastard, on 07/17/2008, -3/+17That is exactly the reason... Aside from the half time break, cutting to a commercial during regulation time can result in missing out on the action. Stoppages are not regular, or predictable and thus it is very difficult to plan for any mid game advertising.
- paulmer2003, on 07/17/2008, -3/+16Pussy.
- durga2112, on 07/17/2008, -1/+14"Halfback passes to the center. Back to the wing. Back to the center. Center holds it. Holds it... Holds it…"
"Halfback passes to center, back to wing, back to center, center holds it! Holds it! HOLDS IT!" - brentinkc, on 07/17/2008, -5/+17Soccer is a 90 minute game. Looks like somebody didn't read the article before commenting.
- minox, on 07/17/2008, -4/+168. Because if soccer were popular here, your friend returning from a semester in Europe would have nothing to bore you with.
- Zippo, on 07/17/2008, -5/+16Because nothing manlier than oversized men running after each other, groping them to grab their ball, and tacking them to the crowd in a large pile of sweaty man-flesh.
Yup, American football sure is manly. - Encablossa, on 07/17/2008, -7/+18The article was written by a 16 year old..
- darklights, on 07/17/2008, -0/+11I'm a brit, and I saw my first game of ice hockey the other month. I really did like it, very fast paced. Maybe too fast, I couldnt follow the puck half the time - perhaps this takes practice? Also its on a much smaller scale than soccer, in terms of crowd and playing field.
Apart from not knowing the rules, it was a fun game to watch. I'm in two minds about the fights though - also fun to watch, but really its just a bunch of divas having a whinge, and nothing to do with the game? - anodyne88, on 07/17/2008, -4/+15Wrong on match ups. You just don't know about them. I can tell you've never played the game.
- rolf, on 07/17/2008, -2/+12That's how I feel about baseball.
I'm sure soccer will get more popular, since all the kids play it. Kids grew up playing baseball tend to be into it later as well, even if it's just as a spectator. - DivisibleByZero, on 07/17/2008, -2/+12They do have those animated banner ads all around the field though. If I was a pro soccer player, that stuff would annoy the hell out of me.
- inactive, on 07/17/2008, -0/+10well Jesus man, you should of helped them back to the ocean!
- Eezyville, on 07/17/2008, -7/+17Who knew this random guy knows everything about what Americans like. Thats that good 'ole college education for ya! Good game.
- phatboyslim, on 07/17/2008, -2/+11That article is an excellent argument for why Americans could potentially never embrace soccer. Here is my list of 7 on why it will:
1. America is a nation of immigrants and always will be. We bring in food, customs, fashions, and, yes sport, from other countries. Soccer will continue to become a bigger part as a result.
2. Globalization. As the communication and information boundaries in our country disappear with technology, we are becoming increasingly interested in the events of countries other than our own.
3. World Cup. The largest, most attended, most watched, single sporting event/tournament in the entire world.
4. A generation of kids who grew up playing soccer, not football, or baseball. They don't call it a 'soccer mom' for nothing. As these kids grow older, it seems that it would be a natural progression for them to be interested in that sport.
5. No major scandals. NFL has the off-field player conduct issues, NBA has games being rigged, MLB has steriods. MLS has not yet been subject to any of these concerns and remains a pure sport (so far).
6. More women are interested in the sport than they are in other sports. If consumerism has taught us anything, we could expect the same would apply here as well. Don't believe me? How many other sports do men and women play with such similar numbers? Softball? Nope. Volleyball? Nope. Football? Nope.
7. No commercials. Nuff' said. - KillerStone, on 07/17/2008, -0/+9Yes you would, Chelsea blows.
- wrzhydr, on 07/17/2008, -4/+13Well, if there's one thing America can't ***** up, it's soccer. I couldn't give two ***** as to why someone else doesn't like soccer or why it won't catch on here. I don't care because I love the sport, and I get FSN to watch all the good European teams, or even the halfway decent teams. Soccer isn't boring, if you're passionate about it. I find pro football and baseball to be extremely boring. Why? Cause I ain't ***** passionate about it.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 404 discussions
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is