It is puzzling why many in the US find the need to passionately dislike football. The various reasons why they find it boring; not enough scorning, not enough physical contact, etc etc, often come from people who’d spend 3 hours watching golf on the telly.
It is impossible to objectively compare and rank the various sports, they all have their merits and problems. But to watch and listen to so many tv and radio people go out of their way to denigrate the sport is weird to say the least. I mean, I find polo boring, but I don’t bother to try and disparage it.
So what is it with these Americans? Is it that they see football as a Johnnie foreigners game? Is similar to other major British colonized countries, a symptom of the class system? Is it because they're not very good as it? I have no idea. But I am getting a bit pissed off with all this self satisfied criticism flooding the airwaves from a bunch of white middle aged men whose opinions are not only irrelevant, but dull. Why don’t they just ignore football if they don’t like it?
Is it because they're not very good as it?
I think that's the answer :wink:
It would probably change if they ever have a decent team that makes it through to the world cup finals.
The Mexicans can't get enough of it - therefore........
They already have 4 national sports that are ingrained into the public conciousness, there is not enough of an attention span, nee advertisers dollars to pay for the coverasge of another major sport. Baseball is the American game, American Football is the one that makes the most money and the NBA is only marginally more popular than Hockey.
Yeah but, why would they have to be so vitriolic about it.
Well I'm British and can't stand it, or any stick and ball sport for that matter.
As long as it's not stupid Nascar anything with an engine is far more entertaining...
As EEB said, it's more to do with advertising and there's too much invested in a US "mental global" sense in what they have already.
It's no different in motorsports.
Look at how uninterested the US is towards F1.
Motorcycle racing is just starting to get a foothold but it'll never be upto Nascar standards. Because people don't want road courses they want ovals to contain the action within the scope of what would be a "mental living room" with close access to beer, the toilets and food...and ultimately "sports" here are more about the social event (see comment above) than actually "the team".
To illustrate a point, last year my Brad Pitt pictures were more popular that my MotoGP pictures. Fortunately I had a good selection of Brad Pitt stuff so I did alright.
As they said on CBS, Nicky Hayden Won the US Motocoss GP at Laguna Seca...
Sigh.
Andrew
Enlightened comment from the American Sports Editor on the paper I work with, after she heard I was watching most of the World Cup
"Wow - a competition that actually has the rest of the world competing in it....."
(She'd just come back from the College World Series Baseball which our college team somehow won).
MacZ
I'd probably not like football either if I came from Bristol......... wink
Yeah, you'd expect you'd be interested in any motor Vehicle that'd get you out of there. ;)
I think if you managed to pump 3 hours of adverts into a game it would suddenly become popular.
I hear all this "Americans don't like this and Americans don't like that" Bollocks. Americans like what ever is marketed to them shove down throat style.
I think if you managed to pump 3 hours of adverts into a game it would suddenly become popular.
I hear all this "Americans don't like this and Americans don't like that" Bollocks. Americans like what ever is marketed to them shove down throat style.
Just like those dolts in the UK who always have the TV on 24/7 showing crappy shows.
I agree with MZ that 'Footer' is for the birds.
Cricket I like a bit better, but only when I actually watched a team play in the UK,not the TV stuff.
Billiards ,Golf and Tennis along with Curling are also for the Birds.
I agree with MZ that 'Footer' is for the birds.
Cricket I like a bit better, but only when I actually watched a team play in the UK,not the TV stuff.
Billiards ,Golf and Tennis along with Curling are also for the Birds.
eh? :???:
John, I wouldn't say it's for the birds, I just don't find it as compelling as I used to when I was a little boy and to some extent I can see why peeps here aren't thrilled by it because, and don't scream at me, it's viewed as a little bit prissy. This country is obsessed with aggressive contact sports. How many people watch Nascar for the crashes? The body contact in football. To your average punter here it just looks like a bunch of fairies running round a field.
Of course we know better, but sports fans here need something a that isn't anymore than one, or maybe two dimensional. Chess isn't big here either btw....
For me, I used to enjoy trips up to the old smoke to watch Arsenal, in my scarf and colours and with my Dad and his mate up until I was 9 or 10. The good old days with Charlie George and Frank McClintock, it was a trip. Then coincidentally things took a turn, the idiots arrived and I found motorsports at roughly the same time.
Actually, my Dad was asked to fire marshall a race and that's when everything changed for me. Same cool people, but things that had speed. Oh boy, my life changed from then on as far as my interests were concerned.
Sadly, and this applies to all "Eurosports" the American public, in general, find them all to foofoo. Look how popular Ultimate Fight Club is. Yet, no one has ever thought of promoting rugby here at the same level. Oh my, they don't wear pads!!!
In all seriousness though, it's kinda sad when you think how many families go into serious debt over kitting out their kids for US football when a soccer kit is relatively cheap by comparison.
I think it's changing, but it'll never get the recognition here it should do.
Andrew (who is from Baaaath...) ;0 Mwaaah!
(My gawd this is like the 10th post from me today...)
Its been said and il say it again .
the sport doesnt get enought support cus THERE IS NO MONEY TO BE MADE IN IT everything in US revolves around money and how much of it you can make .
no profit no interest , its not americans dont like it its just way down in importance cus its NOT COMMERCIAL ENOUGH .
activities making lots of dough in the US not neccasarily in order .
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
HOLLYWOOD MOVIES .
RELIGION
SLIMMING PROGRAMES .
PORNOGRAPHY
TELEMARKETING
GAMBLING
why should they be interested in football when american has these cash cows up and running ?
Recently, I've seen darts and dominos on ESPN mrgreen
Its been said and il say it again .
the sport doesnt get enought support cus THERE IS NO MONEY TO BE MADE IN IT everything in US revolves around money and how much of it you can make .
no profit no interest , its not americans dont like it its just way down in importance cus its NOT COMMERCIAL ENOUGH .
activities making lots of dough in the US not neccasarily in order .
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
HOLLYWOOD MOVIES .
RELIGION
SLIMMING PROGRAMES .
PORNOGRAPHY
TELEMARKETING
GAMBLING
why should they be interested in football when american has these cash cows up and running ?
don't forget the big one - Pharmaceuticals!! :grin: