We mock what we don't understand. Well, sort of.
When it comes
to the World Cup, the curmudgeons of sports rag on events they don't try
to understand. The same reasons they claim to hate the World Cup are
the exact same reasons why they love their precious sports. Take a look
at some of the common complaints.
"Nothing happens in soccer. Nobody scores and it's boring!"
I've seen scoreless draws be some of the most exciting games I've ever seen. Yet the idiots who don't watch the games just complain. These are the same folks who rave over a 1-0 baseball game or a 7-3 football game. It's all about the action of the particular game - low-scoring games can be dull in any sport, but they can easily be gripping also. They just don't bother to try to enjoy any soccer games, and paint with an extremely broad brush when they declare an entire sport boring.
"That stupid horn is so loud, I can't
hear the game!"
I actually like the vuvuzela - but of course the fogeys say the noise ruins the action. This dollar-store horn blown by thousands of fans can top out at around 125 decibels - or the the equivalent of a chainsaw. I can understand why that would be irritating to some people. The problem is that's the same decibel level of screaming fans at the metrodome. I just don't see the difference between the vuvuzela and a screaming crowd on third down. Yet I don't hear countless complaints from respected writers about the noise level in Minnesota. In fact, they embrace it - "Just listen to this crowd! They're into this game!" A little hypocritical? I think so.
"All
these soccer players do is flop. That's bad sportsmanship!"
Flopping might be the one big cultural difference between the U.S. and the rest of the world. In the rest of the world, flopping is just strategy. There's a reason the European players in the NBA are known as floppers, while the typical American players want to knock heads around. But bad sportsmanship? There I disagree. I actually think there's more good etiquette shown in soccer. For instance, when an opponent is on the ground injured, a team will kick the ball out with the unspoken agreement that the other team will return possession after everybody is fine. But look at game six of the NBA Finals - Rajon Rondo gets an elbow to the jaw and goes down to the ground (he would later get 4 stitches.) And what do the Lakers do? They turn it into basketball's equivalent of a power play, and get an easy three out of it. I even heard Mark Jackson call it good strategy by the Lakers. Isn't sportsmanship about making the well-being of others more important than a game?
These dismissive fools are going to selective pick and choose reasons why their sports are so great, and won't ever give soccer a chance. They'll laud the passion of college football fans, but dismiss crazed soccer fans as thugs waiting to riot. They'll say the game is slow, but then watch a four hour marathon between the Red Sox and Yankees. They'll laud the creativity of Steve Nash, but ignore the genius of Kaka when he makes that perfect pass that sets up a goal.
It's like trying to talk politics with someone who watches cable news. Before you even try to talk to them, they've made up their mind. It's the equivalent of the toddler who covers up his ears and screams when a parent wants them to eat their vegetables. They've turned their ears off and closed their mind.
If soccer isn't your thing, that's cool. But do the real sports fans all a favor. Shaddap for the next three weeks while we follow the world's game.
"Nothing happens in soccer. Nobody scores and it's boring!"
I've seen scoreless draws be some of the most exciting games I've ever seen. Yet the idiots who don't watch the games just complain. These are the same folks who rave over a 1-0 baseball game or a 7-3 football game. It's all about the action of the particular game - low-scoring games can be dull in any sport, but they can easily be gripping also. They just don't bother to try to enjoy any soccer games, and paint with an extremely broad brush when they declare an entire sport boring.
I actually like the vuvuzela - but of course the fogeys say the noise ruins the action. This dollar-store horn blown by thousands of fans can top out at around 125 decibels - or the the equivalent of a chainsaw. I can understand why that would be irritating to some people. The problem is that's the same decibel level of screaming fans at the metrodome. I just don't see the difference between the vuvuzela and a screaming crowd on third down. Yet I don't hear countless complaints from respected writers about the noise level in Minnesota. In fact, they embrace it - "Just listen to this crowd! They're into this game!" A little hypocritical? I think so.
Flopping might be the one big cultural difference between the U.S. and the rest of the world. In the rest of the world, flopping is just strategy. There's a reason the European players in the NBA are known as floppers, while the typical American players want to knock heads around. But bad sportsmanship? There I disagree. I actually think there's more good etiquette shown in soccer. For instance, when an opponent is on the ground injured, a team will kick the ball out with the unspoken agreement that the other team will return possession after everybody is fine. But look at game six of the NBA Finals - Rajon Rondo gets an elbow to the jaw and goes down to the ground (he would later get 4 stitches.) And what do the Lakers do? They turn it into basketball's equivalent of a power play, and get an easy three out of it. I even heard Mark Jackson call it good strategy by the Lakers. Isn't sportsmanship about making the well-being of others more important than a game?
These dismissive fools are going to selective pick and choose reasons why their sports are so great, and won't ever give soccer a chance. They'll laud the passion of college football fans, but dismiss crazed soccer fans as thugs waiting to riot. They'll say the game is slow, but then watch a four hour marathon between the Red Sox and Yankees. They'll laud the creativity of Steve Nash, but ignore the genius of Kaka when he makes that perfect pass that sets up a goal.
It's like trying to talk politics with someone who watches cable news. Before you even try to talk to them, they've made up their mind. It's the equivalent of the toddler who covers up his ears and screams when a parent wants them to eat their vegetables. They've turned their ears off and closed their mind.
If soccer isn't your thing, that's cool. But do the real sports fans all a favor. Shaddap for the next three weeks while we follow the world's game.
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