Why Americans Hate Soccer, An Anti-American View
Had an argument with a friend who was complaining how soccer was just too many hours of bad passing. They should reduce the number of defenders, he said, enlarge the goals - something.
I countered that I had the patience for a scoreless 90 minutes, it made an actual goal even more satisfying.
I suggested he stick with basketball.
He called me boring.
The usual.
What I didn't realize is that hating soccer is American as apple pie. At least that's the point of this English "football" expert interviewed by the BBC along with former Philly journalist Lou Antosh. Antosh has a link to the interview on his Cinnaman blog. On it, he says Americans don't like the game because the running and pushing is too much like trying to move through New York City.
That's when David Goldblatt says Americans need lots of scoring because the country is "insanely driven by its rapacious consumerism. It's never enough."
Also, we can't take ties because everything is understood in a kind of winner-takes-all way. And why's that?
Because of the "meanness of our social structure," the Brit says.
Who knew?
We prefer the more red, white and blue view of Cenk Uygur in the Huffington Post.
America is based on a just and efficient meritocracy that thrives on measured competition. That's why soccer has never really quite caught on here. They play a whole game and often the only score is a single goal awarded based on a flop in the penalty area. Americans would never stand for it. It reeks of random injustice and unearned glory.
I completly agree - Americans can not just appreciate good skill. That is why they don't watch soccer, or ballett or anyhing that does not have hitting. We don't watch soccer but ultimate fighting viewership is increasing.
It's not just the lack of scoring; hockey does ok here. It's the lack of opportunities to score. And, yes, the tie-breaker / penalty shot rules are absurd.