I distinctly remember not caring much for the World Cup while I lived in America. Why should I?--I never heard anything about it. It took being in Europe in 2002, and thus being around the excitement and adrenaline of the World Cup,to open my eyes, and I haven't closed them again since.
Though we hosted the World Cup in '94, even then it seemed a bit of an alien concept. Sure, kids played soccer, but that was just it: only kids really played soccer. And true to that statement, team America's first appearance in the 1990 World Cup (Florence) was team of college kids.
Why in the world doesn't soccer take off in America?? It's got every aspect of a game that, should the Americans ever take interest, they would love. World-wide respect and fame, gripping competition, potential for glory; it's a sport that one can train quite hard for and become a legend (that is to say that it encapsulates that lofty idea that even the most disadvantaged person can rise above some sort of seemingly insurmountable challenge to the status of legend).
There are many theories as to why Americans just don't seem to want to take interest in the game. Not least some of the following:
*"It's not really a full-contact sport"; which takes out a lot of the thrill that can be found in hockey, american football, and rugby.
*"Americans don't like sports that they didn't create". Sports like american football, basketball, and baseball are all linked to the hearts of their fans as a sort of American tradition. American football and baseball are particularly viewed in this light, with basketball rolling in as that sport where even the most disadvantaged person can rise up and be a star.
*"Americans have so many other sports to watch, there's just no room for soccer". This is probably the worst argument I've heard. Any sports fan anywhere will tell you that there can never be enough sport.
*"Soccer just doesn't have the same sort of money-making potential". HAH-HAH!
Many of you probably have or can think of many other reasons, but I'd like to go out on a limb and say that Football isn't big in America because of...Attitude. Americans HATE losing, and though I can't think of many countries who don't feel the same way, the over-arching difference is the way Americans go about winning and, god forbid, losing.
Americans are a people not unlike others of different nationalities that stake national pride on any teams lucky (or unlucky enough if they lose) to be sporting the USA logo. This is all as much to do with sensitive politics as much as it does culture.
During the Olympics last year, American athletes were performing so "poorly" that some news corporations featured a special sports segment on the nightly news thats theme was something along the lines of, "And in Olympic news, let's see who fell down today". This sort of brutal attitude is not isolated or even uncommon. Just look at how Fox Sports--America's leading sports network--reported the America-Czech Republic game.
http://
According to the article, the government has "poured" so much money into promoting US Soccer, and the boys still failed. They failed. And they've basically already lost the tournament just like we all expected them to, right?
By contrast, the BBC reports the game by praising the skillful play in the game, particularly from the Czech side--but disparaging remarks are left the viewers.
And really, we're lucky enough that Fox even reported on the World Cup. During the last World Cup, America shocked the world by doing quite well, and won a gripping game against their arch-rivals Mexico. The news was massive! ...everywhere but in America that is. I, myself, was in Europe at the time with a group of Americans, and we were all going crazy. Some of us called home, asking excitedly, "Did you see the game?? We won!!!" only to get, "Oh really? No, didn't really catch that. That's nice though....". Needless to say, the lot of us had the wind taken out of us--so much so in fact that it prompted our professor, who was English, to launch into a tirade about Americans and the World Cup.
How in the world can soccer take off in such conditions? The answer is pretty obvious by now, isn't it?
America would have to win the World Cup, and the news would have to actually report it.
(the BBC article reporting the game can be found here: http://
Though we hosted the World Cup in '94, even then it seemed a bit of an alien concept. Sure, kids played soccer, but that was just it: only kids really played soccer. And true to that statement, team America's first appearance in the 1990 World Cup (Florence) was team of college kids.
Why in the world doesn't soccer take off in America?? It's got every aspect of a game that, should the Americans ever take interest, they would love. World-wide respect and fame, gripping competition, potential for glory; it's a sport that one can train quite hard for and become a legend (that is to say that it encapsulates that lofty idea that even the most disadvantaged person can rise above some sort of seemingly insurmountable challenge to the status of legend).
There are many theories as to why Americans just don't seem to want to take interest in the game. Not least some of the following:
*"It's not really a full-contact sport"; which takes out a lot of the thrill that can be found in hockey, american football, and rugby.
*"Americans don't like sports that they didn't create". Sports like american football, basketball, and baseball are all linked to the hearts of their fans as a sort of American tradition. American football and baseball are particularly viewed in this light, with basketball rolling in as that sport where even the most disadvantaged person can rise up and be a star.
*"Americans have so many other sports to watch, there's just no room for soccer". This is probably the worst argument I've heard. Any sports fan anywhere will tell you that there can never be enough sport.
*"Soccer just doesn't have the same sort of money-making potential". HAH-HAH!
Many of you probably have or can think of many other reasons, but I'd like to go out on a limb and say that Football isn't big in America because of...Attitude. Americans HATE losing, and though I can't think of many countries who don't feel the same way, the over-arching difference is the way Americans go about winning and, god forbid, losing.
Americans are a people not unlike others of different nationalities that stake national pride on any teams lucky (or unlucky enough if they lose) to be sporting the USA logo. This is all as much to do with sensitive politics as much as it does culture.
During the Olympics last year, American athletes were performing so "poorly" that some news corporations featured a special sports segment on the nightly news thats theme was something along the lines of, "And in Olympic news, let's see who fell down today". This sort of brutal attitude is not isolated or even uncommon. Just look at how Fox Sports--America's leading sports network--reported the America-Czech Republic game.
http://
According to the article, the government has "poured" so much money into promoting US Soccer, and the boys still failed. They failed. And they've basically already lost the tournament just like we all expected them to, right?
By contrast, the BBC reports the game by praising the skillful play in the game, particularly from the Czech side--but disparaging remarks are left the viewers.
And really, we're lucky enough that Fox even reported on the World Cup. During the last World Cup, America shocked the world by doing quite well, and won a gripping game against their arch-rivals Mexico. The news was massive! ...everywhere but in America that is. I, myself, was in Europe at the time with a group of Americans, and we were all going crazy. Some of us called home, asking excitedly, "Did you see the game?? We won!!!" only to get, "Oh really? No, didn't really catch that. That's nice though....". Needless to say, the lot of us had the wind taken out of us--so much so in fact that it prompted our professor, who was English, to launch into a tirade about Americans and the World Cup.
How in the world can soccer take off in such conditions? The answer is pretty obvious by now, isn't it?
America would have to win the World Cup, and the news would have to actually report it.
(the BBC article reporting the game can be found here: http://
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コメント(6)
I definitely agree that Americans generally are preoccupied with other sports and will show little interest in soccer unless they can produce a winning team right from the get go.
It'd be pretty depressing to read only negative columns that harped on how the team has finally shown what was expected of them all along: "They're losers". This Jamie Trecker probably doesn't even understand that he'd undermining the American soccer efforts at all. How the hell are kids reading that article going to be encouraged to try out for the game if all they read is that Americans are just expected to lose in soccer?
Canada isn't in the same league at all skill-wise or with respect to budget, but you don't hear Canadian reporters crapping on their own team over losing.
There may be something to the issue of limiting the number of sports made available to kids at school though. But then, who would want to support a sport if all that was expected from the team was.. losing?
Depressing.. :(
It'd be pretty depressing to read only negative columns that harped on how the team has finally shown what was expected of them all along: "They're losers". This Jamie Trecker probably doesn't even understand that he'd undermining the American soccer efforts at all. How the hell are kids reading that article going to be encouraged to try out for the game if all they read is that Americans are just expected to lose in soccer?
Canada isn't in the same league at all skill-wise or with respect to budget, but you don't hear Canadian reporters crapping on their own team over losing.
There may be something to the issue of limiting the number of sports made available to kids at school though. But then, who would want to support a sport if all that was expected from the team was.. losing?
Depressing.. :(
Hello,
Interesting....I'm not American but I'd totally agree with the reasons 不二子ちゃん gave for Americans not warming up to the beautiful game...
I'd add that most Americans I've spoken too think of football as being a girls sport too. It goes back to the contact issue 不二子ちゃん mentioned, but I'd go out on a limb and say that I think it's largely american men who are ethnically northern european that go in for the contact sport ethos. I'm suprised in a country with so many latin (particularly italian) components, no-one brought a love of football with them to the new country....
Anyway what I want to say here is that we should remember the european and latin american nations have been playing football for over a hundred years. It's inculcated in our society, and most importantly it started from a grass roots level. Small local teams, factory teams, etc. Over a long time this grew into the huge thing we have today....
I get really sick of business men trying to 'market' football into new territories. They did it in Japan, and they did it in the U.S.
If you try and start from huge stadiums and all-star players imported from overseas it just won't catch on. Basically there's no soul in it, and with no soul people aren't gonna love the sport.
I think at the end of the day, there's either a grass roots desire to play the game or there isn't. You shouldn't try to boost it artificially...
That said, seeing how many U.S fans were at the match yesterday I think there's definitely a sizeable amount of Americans who love football.
All Japan, and the U.S need is time. Not 10, 20 years. More like 50, 100 years....enough time to build some pride and tradition in their game, just like you have in American Football and Baseball etc...
When you can get old guys reminiscing about a game played twenty years ago you'll be there. When you can see pictures of people with old style haircuts and strangely fitting uniforms covered in mud and sweat on the football pitch you'll be there....When you get people supporting a team because that's who their parents supported you'll be there. Or when you get people who are prepared to support their local team no matter what, rather than the biggest most successful teams you'll be there....you'll have the sport inculcated.
That's where you can start to think about winning World Cups.
Interesting....I'm not American but I'd totally agree with the reasons 不二子ちゃん gave for Americans not warming up to the beautiful game...
I'd add that most Americans I've spoken too think of football as being a girls sport too. It goes back to the contact issue 不二子ちゃん mentioned, but I'd go out on a limb and say that I think it's largely american men who are ethnically northern european that go in for the contact sport ethos. I'm suprised in a country with so many latin (particularly italian) components, no-one brought a love of football with them to the new country....
Anyway what I want to say here is that we should remember the european and latin american nations have been playing football for over a hundred years. It's inculcated in our society, and most importantly it started from a grass roots level. Small local teams, factory teams, etc. Over a long time this grew into the huge thing we have today....
I get really sick of business men trying to 'market' football into new territories. They did it in Japan, and they did it in the U.S.
If you try and start from huge stadiums and all-star players imported from overseas it just won't catch on. Basically there's no soul in it, and with no soul people aren't gonna love the sport.
I think at the end of the day, there's either a grass roots desire to play the game or there isn't. You shouldn't try to boost it artificially...
That said, seeing how many U.S fans were at the match yesterday I think there's definitely a sizeable amount of Americans who love football.
All Japan, and the U.S need is time. Not 10, 20 years. More like 50, 100 years....enough time to build some pride and tradition in their game, just like you have in American Football and Baseball etc...
When you can get old guys reminiscing about a game played twenty years ago you'll be there. When you can see pictures of people with old style haircuts and strangely fitting uniforms covered in mud and sweat on the football pitch you'll be there....When you get people supporting a team because that's who their parents supported you'll be there. Or when you get people who are prepared to support their local team no matter what, rather than the biggest most successful teams you'll be there....you'll have the sport inculcated.
That's where you can start to think about winning World Cups.
i'm american, who has been lucky enough to have spent close to half my life living in other countries, and i don't really care why americans like or don't like football. i've heard every argument. none of them really hold water for me, except for one...
my sport growing up was cycling--long before lance armstrong came along. americans used to hate bicycles about as much as they hated football, until armstrong's second or third tour de france victory. and until we americans DOMINATE something, our only defense is to downplay its significance.
(that's why most americans disregard such global institutions such as the united nations--we can't dominate it.)
regarding the match, i thought the US put in a pretty good performance against an amazingly strong czech team. i wouldn't be surprised to see them in the finals or at least the semi-finals, and i'm not just saying that to save face for the US. RESPECT.
someday the US will win the world cup and then the next available world cup will be hosted by Disneyland. and i don't think the world is ready for that, is it?
my sport growing up was cycling--long before lance armstrong came along. americans used to hate bicycles about as much as they hated football, until armstrong's second or third tour de france victory. and until we americans DOMINATE something, our only defense is to downplay its significance.
(that's why most americans disregard such global institutions such as the united nations--we can't dominate it.)
regarding the match, i thought the US put in a pretty good performance against an amazingly strong czech team. i wouldn't be surprised to see them in the finals or at least the semi-finals, and i'm not just saying that to save face for the US. RESPECT.
someday the US will win the world cup and then the next available world cup will be hosted by Disneyland. and i don't think the world is ready for that, is it?
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