shrike wrote:Last time Canada actually played in the World Cup was 1986...anyone remember what kind of support they got?
Tepid response at best. Bear in mind back in the late 80's TSN was in its infancy, there was no Sportsnet, no English Premier League on T.V., the fairly recent demise of the NASL...it was a fairly low watermark for football (soccer) in North America. The games were televised but Canadians in general showed little, if any, interest.
As for the laughable comments that soccer is boring...well to each their own. I've been to see NFL, CFL, MLB, NHL and NBA games. The only north American sport that is arguably more exciting is hockey. Baseball is truly like watching paint dry. I've rarely seen a sport that requires a lower baseline of true fitness and athleticism. It's a game where most of the players spend 3/4 of the game either standing around or sitting on a comfy bench. I was at the Blue Jays vs Yankees game recently, the one that went 14 hours, and I've never been more disinterested in a sporting contest. It was a total relief when it was finally over. No wonder it is a game that has ZERO traction in most of the world and only has a professional league in three countries. So much for a "World" series.
American (or Canadian) football is slightly better but again, 2/3 of the game is spent TALKING about playing rather than actually doing it. Even the referees talk to the crowd. Rugby is vastly more entertaining as a game since it rarely stops and requires constant and evident athleticism. No 400lb fatties who can barely jog the length of the field.
Basketball is fairly fun to watch but only because of all the crap going on in the stadium that has nothing to do with the game. Blimps firing t-shirts into the crowd, chimps on motorbikes at half time, scantily clad bootie dancers grinding to Lady Gaga. Perhaps your money would be better spent going to the circus and a strip bar?
Face it, North Americans have terribly short attention spans. I blame it on MTV and high fructose corn syrup. You can only concentrate on 10-30 seconds of actual play before requiring some sort of flashy or talky distraction to keep you interested. Soccer, as you call it, needs no cheerleaders, no organs playing canned music, no seventh inning stretch to shake off the boredom...it's a pure game, an almost constantly flowing game, a game of true athleticism and finesse. Put down the Rockstar energy drink and the PS3 and allow your brain to concentrate on the subtle beauty of the game ad the tactical magic of it and you just might understand why billions of us DO love it.
Having said all that the first round of the world cup is often a tepid affair. Teams too afraid to lose so they play defensively, too much of a longer term strategy. The later rounds however are very different and much more entertaining. But nothing really tops the Premier League for pure enjoyment. The game is played at a torrid and physical pace, the games are almost always cut and thrust and really entertaining. Better yet, go see a TFC game, soak in that atmosphere and then tell me the game and the environment of that game is boring.
P.S. I'm watching Spain vs Switzerland and it's anything but boring. What a great game!
I don't always piss in a bottle but when I do...I prefer to call it Dos Equis.
Not every bloody sporting event has to finish 6-4 or 130-120 or 48-24.
