Eh, I do understand baseball, yet I still think it's boring to watch. I did play softball for many, many years. While fun to play, it's still boring to watch.

I guess its probably all about the understanding of a game and a knowledge about the players involved. If you lack this then you arent going to have any reason to enjoy a game.

Some sports are too slow, or go on for too long. I cannot watch test cricket which goes on for 5 days. Though i can enjoy one day games a lot.

American football goes on too long for me too. I dont want to dedicate so much time to it.

I love to watch Snooker and Darts. Many people would describe these as boring sports, yet i have seen many a game that has kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

I've grown up with a soccer ball, played it too (daily) ever since I can walk. Don't really concentrate on it like others, but I do watch it if it's something worth to watch. I follow the scores and the standings but that's it, I don't go hyper over it, like some of my fellow European friends.

Soccer is big here in Toronto, especially if you are of Italian heritage

The kids get enrolled in a soccer league just about as soon as they can walk. I remember my youngest preferring to play 'ring around the rosey' with the goalpost instead of paying attention to the ball.

Surprisingly, we get far more European coverage than anything local. There's always Italian and/or English soccer on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Funny time was when our government-run sports lottery first starting allowing betting on soccer games. Nobody realized that the games had all been completed PRIOR to the bets having to close (because of the time zones) . There was a lot of money made THAT weekend!

Bookmakers are normally smarter than that! I would have bet my house!

It was the GOVERNMENT! Need I say any more?

There were many payouts of about $25,000. I think there was some sort of maximum bet allowed. I found out about it too late, otherwise you can rest assured I'd have bet as much as I could as well.

United States 2

Mexico "NIL"


Everybody SAMBA!!

I am most definitely behind soccer. I play on four teams and i coach two more. Soccer has my attention.

Soccer/Futball is the most popular sport...in the world. period.

it is the national sport, to 'almost' every country, in the world....except of course...the USA.

obviously by my name, you can tell where I stand.

The US DOES want to get into the soccer hype...but they cant..and this here, will answer all your questions and thoughts about this thread....

key word: advertisement

The people and citizens of the US have welcomed soccer. we see more soccer fields, we see more soccer mom mini vans with the soccer stickers...etc etc...
but TV, media, cable and other sources of communication does not want soccer...so that is where soccer in the US has hit a dead end. Why doesnt the media want soccer? because its a NONSTOP action 45 mins times two halves, totaling 90 plus mins of.....no advertising...no time outs...no ref times outs...no advertising TV breaks....TV companies cannot make money off of a soccer game...so that is why the US shys away from airing soccer games...and so that is why ameican pro soccer players, do not make as much money as other ethnic soccer players...because they do not get the TV endorsements and they dont get the media support...thats how much the media has an affect on soccer in the US, it then becomes a chain reaction affect going in the wrong direction. American TV doesnt want to sign contracts with american pro soccer clubs, thats why american soccer teams cannot pay thier players the millions they want...where as a club like Barcelona FC (Spain) just closed a deal with their local TV stations for so so millions of dollars...

if you do not air the games, the people cant watch it...then they are not educated about the game...they dont understand the game...then they dont care about the game....and so...that is why the americans have no reason to like soccer....thanks to the media...........period.

I live in the US...but I am not american, got my citizenship though...soccer is my national sport. I play on two adult teams and I coach two teams, a womens and mens. soccers nick name is, The Beautiful Game.

of all the 90 plus mins in a game, everytime someone touches the ball, its a skill...everytime they look up...its a skill...but those who do not play it...do not understand the skills required to handle a ball with your feet and the skill of having vision...every movement in soccer, is skill....

Uh huh. And yet, there is no scoring.

90 minutes of time, to end up with no scoring at all doesn't appeal to most American sports fans.

Even hockey had to do something about scoreless ties.

which explains everything....the need for points? or the need for skill?....that statement is so debatable...its like...ok, we dont need defense so we can see more scoring....but we are people who expect skills over points...skills on both offense and defense......not some dude, who never plays and comes on the field just to kick a field goal every 38 mins when needed. american football is so technical these days...the human aspect is almost not even there anymore....video reviews, offensive coaches dictating, defensive coaches trying to manipulate...wheres the human athletic part to all this?...yeah he goes out there to run, but by whos path and decision?...who does he throw to? by whos decision? u can even make phone calls and make 2 mins into 15 mins?....and whats the whole purpose of a 2 min warning??...its like...why dont we have a 7:45sec and .000058th of second warning call too then?...should they have a challenge on the commentators too? might as well...human decisions are totally taken away in american sports, which doesnt allow a sport to evolve into what it should be - a human sport....

so there u go...a human sport.....american sports have lost the sense of a human sport....so if i eat an apple...someone should put it on replay...just incase it might be.....George Bushs Marshall Law Plan? kekekekekekeke.....

Hockey was just fine - until there were so many teams that the talent pool just became much too small.

The style of 'dump and chase' is what ruined it because the stick handling and skating ability of some of the goons that were drafted just isn't there.

Give me some Olympic hockey, with a big rink, and talented players and a 0-0 game is still exciting and entertaining.

What really killed hockey for me was the advent of the left wing lock ... tres BOOOORING! I love OT, when it goes 4 on 4 and there is open ice - on which I know we agree Paper.

As for soccer, it's really not just that it isn't commerically friendly. Otherwise, the crowds would still be large to see it live. All this despite that every kid plays soccer at some point during their youth.

I understand skill. I played into college and know how difficult it is and I love and appreciate it as much as anyone. Until you've tried to volley a ball on the direct fly, you couldn't possibly understand.

Honestly? I think Americans are too priggish to accept a sport in which they struggle to compete. We hate to lose ... 'nuff said. That, combined with the lack of money to be made in a materialistic society driving better athletes elsewhere - and other factors mentioned here in astute fashion - drives it to the back burner. If the thirst was there, the advertisers would find ways to make money. (ie: The "first and ten line" superimposed in football games, for instance, could work to generate sponsorship commitments with soccer.)

OH yeah: And soccer is rather tough for gambling. Gambling drives interest BIG-TIME.

I like soccer for a number of reasons, the first being that it is a very strategy based game(I'm not saying other sports aren't but for a lot of other sports, you tend to always be a big play or two away from being back in the game, and in soccer, you can't count on that big play)

The other reason why I like Soccer, is most other sports call the 45 minute mark "the end of the third quarter", we call it halftime.