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http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/14851873.htm


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haha.. "go eat another donut" HAHA ..oh.. poor guy. Ignorance is bliss though I suppose..

Apparently the Miami Heat are "Champions of the Basketball World" ..wait.. I believe the US got the Bronze in Athens when they played against the world. HMMM..

Or rather the ever famous 4x15 minute football game that actually has 10 minutes of action.

I have a suggestion for high score games....

We soccer knowledgeable people know that a 21-14 american football score is really 3-2. Apparently some in football can divide by 7. i guess we could ad 1/2 a goal when you hit the post... because you were really close to scoring but since you could not do the right way you have to get something (similar to field goal)

So in order to make people like this gentleman happy I vote that every goal scored be counted as 10.

Therefore a 2-1 game is really 20 to 10... Thus the game is clearly better becuase.....the score says so...

I was just thinking, why is it that there are so many people attacking soccer in this country? I have seen so much hate towards this sport on yahoo forums, in papers, in public. I have had people telling me that soccer is for sissies, or for dykes. If I wanted to be a real man I had to play football. Go tell that dude that he is the actual sissy for wearing all that protective gear.
Why is there nothing like that in Europe? I mean, I remember growing up in Europe 10 years ago. We were curious to find out what that craze was about the American Football. We thought it was cool to play baseball with our American teacher. I remember getting up at 4 a.m. to watch Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz. Everyone was watching NBA Action and The Sunday Game on channel 2.
But there has never been any doubt for 99% of us which the No. 1 sport in the World was - Tsar (King)Futbol as we called it.
And now I am just thinking, is it that soccer has made such a great impact in the U.S. that some people feel threatened by its growing popularity? It is natural for people to be conservative and dislike changes. It is much easier to preserve the status. People also dislike things they don't understand. they are not familiar with. "My dad sure didn't kick a ball around, so why should I?" And finally, people tend to dislike things there are people better then them at, or they are just not good at. I remember, when I was in school, I got an F in Chemistry. Now, I've always been a good student with As and Bs in all subjects, but for some reason (maybe I had a bad teacher) I sucked at Chemistry, and so I skipped the class a lot and never studied (that never helped me like Chemistry either).
Soccer is here to stay whether people like it or not, it's not going anywhere. Let the dogs bark, they don't know any better. You and I know it will get better with the years. And one day, when your children and their children make a good run for the World Cup or even win it, Tsar Futbol will rule the whole wide World!

Balken, I've never been bothered by the comments of the US Sporting Press. I grew up playing all of the other sports, but once I started playing soccer it quickly became my favorite game. I agree with you that those in other sports feel threatened by the number of young people participating in soccer and realize that knowledge of the game is only going to further deminish their following. Note sometime, if you're ever listening to national sports talk radio, how quickly a knowledgeable soccer fan is "thanked for the call" and blasted for daring to make a positive comment concerning soccer. It's obvious the host feels that his job may soon be in jeopardy to some dude with an accent.

Although I'm disappointed that we are no longer in the Cup, I still find it somewhat exciting in an odd way that we are still fighting our way up the mountain in something. We're no longer the overwhelming favorite in basketball (or baseball for that matter) on the international scene.

Just..a good article. Not only because it makes fun of Balboa..it's just a good WC/soccer article. (Pretty sure the guy is British.. go figure)

BALBOA--BEING THERE::

Morton Hull: Do you realize that more people will be watching you tonight, than all those who have seen theater plays in the last forty years?


Chance the Gardener: Why?

Yesterday, I wrote a post in reference to one M. Balboa. Since then, my mail box has been flooded with emails. Most were eager to marvel at how refreshingly well-trained ESPN's customer service reps are. But a couple wrote with frustration about the allegedly juvenile campaign launched by Frank on this site that has become championed across the web, against Balboa, an athlete previously best known for a mis-hit overhead kick. On the eve of one of the biggest games in American soccer history, I wanted to respond to these individuals and a couple of their questions.


First, for all those worried about the prospect of seeing a grown man lose his job -- sleep easy. Frank has graciously assured us that if ESPN do ditch Balboa, a spot will be found for him on the New Republic summer intern program. Second, to those who compared Frank's campaign akin to a bunch of fourth graders attempting to aggravate a substitute geography teacher to the point of breakdown, I would urge you to think again. Because I think the ESPN commentator issue is a symbol of something bigger -- a prism through which you can glimpse the development of a deep and widespread love of soccer in this country -- and corporate America's willingness to recognize and adapt to it.


I was born in Liverpool and have been in this country for the last four World Cups. The first conveniently happened to be here. Sadly, FIFA's attempt to fibrillate the nation's love of soccer failed miserably. Major cities were packed full of foreigners but the event had as much impact on the American national sporting consciousness as the Republican Convention had on New York City's voting record.


1998 and Team USA's implosion set the cause back even further. Steve Sampson's feuding, hapless, and generally unlikable squad made being a soccer fan in America feel like being shipwrecked a la Tom Hanks in that film where he talks to the Volleyball. Things changed in 2002 and the magical game against Portugal, which encouraged the eager and well intentioned to reach for a Zagats and find Brazilian restaurants in Queens at which they could make-believe they were in the know. Soccer gained an outsider cool, mainly among the unathletic and uncoordinated whose enthusiasm and good nature far outstripped their knowledge and analysis of the game. Like American Football's pioneering European Kickers of the Jan Steneurd ("I vill go and kick ze touchdown") variety -- they were just pleased to be on the team even if they did not fully understand the basics of the game.


Something magical has happened to us though in 2006. Despite the proliferation of nay-saying articles in the run up to kick off of "The World Eagerly Awaits, But Americans Could Not Care Less" variety and in spite of the Czech debacle, a break through has been made: bars in every major city are packed on game day, columns like Hirshey's Deadspin riff (is he the thinking man's George Vescey?) show signs of vibrant home-grown soccer analysis, and major outlets have repetitive front page coverage of every game. And all of these great strides are taking place even though America has yet to produce its first truly world class player.


So, close your eyes for a second and put yourself in the mindset of the legions of casual American sports fans tuning in to soccer for the first time -- those individuals who, for instance, are watching TEAM USA but who have not yet bought the How Football Explains the World. This is their moment. ESPN has taken the remarkable step of airing all the games. On HD no less. So they look fabulous. Which brings us back to Balboa, a man who could be presented as Exhibit A proof that heading a soccer ball can be hazardous to your health. All the casual viewer needs is a voice that is intelligent and accessible. But instead you get Balboa, a man that even corporate strategist charged with devising a way to ensure that America continued to only care about sports that allowed regular heavy doses of commercial breaks could invent in a laboratory -- one part Homer Simpson, two parts Chance the Gardner with a dash of George Bush. The World Cup deserves better, the medium term growth of soccer in this country via a sustained interest and continued growth of television ratings and the advertising revenue that brings will depend on it, and best of all, you Americans can do better. Read this blog. Read Deadspin. Read the Times blog.


So, if after reading this, your efforts to enjoy the tension of the American game are thoroughly violated by the Iron Man's yammering, do what I do when England play. Forget the strategy of turning down the sound and streaming in BBC commentary via the web. Face your fear. Turn down the television's contrast so the screen goes black, and listen -- really think about what Balboa is saying. Write it down, and lets discuss it, and the repercussions it holds for the long term development of soccer and the money in the sport in this country, whatever the result at the end of the game.

--Roger Bennett

This book is referenced in the article above. Somebody on this forum (may have been L-E Dude) mentioned it a few months back. I bought it while on vacation a couple of weeks ago and read it in four days. Not a bad read. Especially enjoyed the chapters on Red Star Belgrade and English hooliganism.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0066212340/102-4281004-3667336?v=glance&n=283155

Hurst66,

I'm the one who reviewed "How Soccer Explains the World" on this board. I was thinking about the passion and violence described in the book while watching Croatia play Australia. Obviously Croatia has a long and storied history of passionate (i.e. violent) soccer. Australia is widely regarded for their passion for all things athletic. (Fortunately, they haven't developed a true sense of hooliganism.) It made for a very intense game, made all the more interesting by inept refereeing. For the neutral observer, that was a classic game. Having the US involved in a game like that would go a long way to raising the standing of the sport here. But is the problem that our fans aren't passionate enough, or that our team doesn't inspire passion?