Ahh, the war that is soccer, (or, football, as it is called in every nation BUT the one that hates it). It seems that every four years, with the arrival of FIFA comes the same old argument. Is soccer REALLY an American sport? Is it even a sport at all? The answer seems clear-It's the second most played high school sport in America, and crowds at the national team's recent final home game reached 50,000. And yet, it's still too simple, many critics c
laim. Who wants to watch a game in which the score rarely goes over 1, and the players biggest "challenge" is to run around and sweat profusely? I don't know about you, but I think it may be the same people who are impressed that soccer players run a whopping average of 20 miles a day, or that enjoy a game in which not just a country, but a whole world watches. That's what I like about it. I'm not saying I don't enjoy other, more inherently American sports, because I'm a huge Detroit Tigers fan and I don't think basketballs too shabby either. It's just that if someone says that soccer's not a sport, then they must, to be fair, judge other so-called "sports" by the same measures. Professional biking has made Lance Armstrong one of the most revered sports figures in the world, and I'm pretty sure most of what he does is sit stationary on two wheels. Another example is Tiger Woods. Golf had made him a millionaire several times over, but can anyone really say that what he does involves much, if any, physical exertion? Unless these adversaries of soccer are prepared to condemn half the other sports in America, well, to put it kindly, they can just go suck it.
laim. Who wants to watch a game in which the score rarely goes over 1, and the players biggest "challenge" is to run around and sweat profusely? I don't know about you, but I think it may be the same people who are impressed that soccer players run a whopping average of 20 miles a day, or that enjoy a game in which not just a country, but a whole world watches. That's what I like about it. I'm not saying I don't enjoy other, more inherently American sports, because I'm a huge Detroit Tigers fan and I don't think basketballs too shabby either. It's just that if someone says that soccer's not a sport, then they must, to be fair, judge other so-called "sports" by the same measures. Professional biking has made Lance Armstrong one of the most revered sports figures in the world, and I'm pretty sure most of what he does is sit stationary on two wheels. Another example is Tiger Woods. Golf had made him a millionaire several times over, but can anyone really say that what he does involves much, if any, physical exertion? Unless these adversaries of soccer are prepared to condemn half the other sports in America, well, to put it kindly, they can just go suck it.
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