Why is the US so good at sports?

[JaredL]

[ QUOTE ]

Seriously. Didn't the Germans need an illegal handball to beat us by 1 goal in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup?

[/ QUOTE ]

nope. The ball hitting an arm or hand does not mean it's a handball. Despite losing the US showed in that WC that they belong among the better teams.

As Clarkmeister said, not elite but respectable.

[El Viajero]

[ QUOTE ]
Notice that no one, and I truly mean no one, cares about soccer in the US. If we cared even 25% about soccer as other countries, I feel like we would be a dominant force.

Look at the strides alone that the US has made in the last 3 World Cup's and that's with no one caring.

You cannot tell me that if soccer was a key sport in the US that we wouldn't be a dominant force with all the pure athletes we have playing in various other sports.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I can see the correlation here: not the best in the world = not a popular sport. Hehe j/k [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

For many countries, football is so popular that it pushes other sports to the sidelines and, as a result, it becomes the only sport that some countries are good at. In the US there is not one single sport that dominates over the others so talented sportsmen and women are spread across a wider variety of different sports. That's my theory anyway.

[cognito20]

[ QUOTE ]
Notice that no one, and I truly mean no one, cares about soccer in the US.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm American, and professional soccer is my favorite sport to watch in the world. I'll watch a Second Division English league soccer match before I'd watch the Super Bowl any day. Therefore, your statement is -false-. Yet another reason why you shouldn't use terms in these sorts of debates like "no one", "everyone", "never" or "always" and expect your opinion to be taken seriously.

--Scott

[cognito20]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Seriously. Didn't the Germans need an illegal handball to beat us by 1 goal in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup?

[/ QUOTE ]

nope. The ball hitting an arm or hand does not mean it's a handball. Despite losing the US showed in that WC that they belong among the better teams.

As Clarkmeister said, not elite but respectable.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, but when the German defender who's the last man deliberately knocks a goal-bound ball off the line, it's not only a handball. It's a penalty kick and an automatic red card. Hugh Dallas's non-call in that situation was probably the worst bit of refereeing in WC 2002, way worse than anything Byron Moreno did.

--Scott

[pkr2k5]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Notice that no one, and I truly mean no one, cares about soccer in the US.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm American, and professional soccer is my favorite sport to watch in the world. I'll watch a Second Division English league soccer match before I'd watch the Super Bowl any day. Therefore, your statement is -false-. Yet another reason why you shouldn't use terms in these sorts of debates like "no one", "everyone", "never" or "always" and expect your opinion to be taken seriously.

--Scott

[/ QUOTE ]

His point was that the majority of the United States does not care as much about soccer as they do other sports.. This is true, no matter how much it hurts your feelings. You knew this is what he meant, I don't know why you had to argue semantics.

[JaredL]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Seriously. Didn't the Germans need an illegal handball to beat us by 1 goal in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup?

[/ QUOTE ]

nope. The ball hitting an arm or hand does not mean it's a handball. Despite losing the US showed in that WC that they belong among the better teams.

As Clarkmeister said, not elite but respectable.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, but when the German defender who's the last man deliberately knocks a goal-bound ball off the line, it's not only a handball. It's a penalty kick and an automatic red card. Hugh Dallas's non-call in that situation was probably the worst bit of refereeing in WC 2002, way worse than anything Byron Moreno did.

--Scott

[/ QUOTE ]

I saw the play and I don't think he deliberately handled the ball. He was on the goal line, and it did hit the lower part of his arm but it didn't appear he moved his arm toward the ball or anything like that. You aren't supposed to call a handball based on the result - in this case it would have been a goal - but on intent.

It has been some time since I've seen it however, do you know where there is a video of it online?

Jared

[cognito20]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Notice that no one, and I truly mean no one, cares about soccer in the US.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm American, and professional soccer is my favorite sport to watch in the world. I'll watch a Second Division English league soccer match before I'd watch the Super Bowl any day. Therefore, your statement is -false-. Yet another reason why you shouldn't use terms in these sorts of debates like "no one", "everyone", "never" or "always" and expect your opinion to be taken seriously.

--Scott

[/ QUOTE ]

His point was that the majority of the United States does not care as much about soccer as they do other sports.. This is true, no matter how much it hurts your feelings. You knew this is what he meant, I don't know why you had to argue semantics.

[/ QUOTE ]

If that's what he meant, then he ought to have -written- what he meant. And, incidentally, I admit (and it doesn't bother me one little bit) that soccer is not a major spectator sport in the US. I could care less if it isn't. I mean, come on, the most- or second-most-popular (depending on who you ask) spectator sport in this country consists of sitting in an infield drinking cheap watered-down beer watching rednecks turn left (unless they're at Watkins Glen or Sears Point) for 400 miles, for Christ's sake. So forgive me for not blindly following the mob.

I enjoy soccer, and whether or not anyone else over here does really does not matter to me. With the advent of the Internet and satellite TV services (not to mention Fox Soccer Channel), their apathy does not hinder my access to the games in the slightest, and that's really all I'm concerned about. It's their loss.

--Scott

[El Viajero]

[ QUOTE ]
His point was that the majority of the United States does not care as much about soccer as they do other sports.. This is true, no matter how much it hurts your feelings. You knew this is what he meant, I don't know why you had to argue semantics.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am sure he wasn't offended by this, but if I were to say that no-one outside the USA gives a toss about American sports, what would you say? I'm sure you'd correct me by telling me that Canadians play football and the Japanese play baseball. But you would have known what I meant, wouldn't you? I can see the other guys point about making such blanket statements -- they can sound so ignorant, so why make them?

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Having close to 300,000,000 people sure doesn't hurt