# To what extent are you following the World Cup? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051 "2014-07-01T00:41:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Batistuta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@Batistuta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batistuta)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/41 "2014-07-01T13:30:38Z")
Following it very closely. I supported Chile from the start, but they lost to Brazil. I then switched my allegiance to Algeria, and they lost yesterday. Bribe me or I’ll support **your** favourite team next ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/42 "2014-07-01T13:39:47Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > To what extent are you following the World Cup? …maintaining transporter lock as ordered… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/43 "2014-07-01T14:09:35Z")
I’m not a soccer fan, never have been. That said, I will watch most any sport when played at a truely world class level (yes, even curling). I catch what games I can on broadcast TV, but I won’t change plans or skip work to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/44 "2014-07-01T14:14:15Z")
Not following any of it, or didn’t intend too, but if you have your TV turned on to pretty much any channel in America right now, there is hardly a newscast or talk show, national or local that doesn’t have some coverage of it or is talking about it, so that’s how I ended up following it. I don’t understand why America this year, has turned so heavily into soccer suddenly with all of the media coverage. Maybe it’s been building up, and I just haven’t been paying attention. Doubt I will ever care for it, but it is neat to see the fans and their reactions, the highs and lows and how they express themselves, and it does seem like they are all really enjoying and having a grand ole time of it. “And that’s a good thing.”—Martha Stewart ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/45 "2014-07-01T14:33:47Z")
I picked the “some or all via live broadcast” but really, for the most part, I’m DVR’ing the ones I want to watch. Some days are more difficult than others to remain unspoiled until I get home to watch them. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/46 "2014-07-01T14:34:07Z")
I voted for #4 but that’s misleading. My wife follows (as in watching her choices from start to finish) the USA and some European teams. I maybe watch the last half (or less) of the ones she tells me are getting interesting. I’m not big on soccer. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/47 "2014-07-01T14:35:32Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > I don’t understand why America this year, has turned so heavily into soccer suddenly with all of the media coverage. It’s just to piss off [Ann Coulter](http://www.bing.com/search?q=ann+coulter+soccer&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=ann+coulter+soccer&sc=0-14&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=2bd8ab10e3344346a3e3e25b84189f8e) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/48 "2014-07-01T14:35:54Z")
Not interested at all. But I could say that about most sports, I have nothing against soccer. Oddly, I found myself enjoying watching some Wimbledon matches the other day. I have a friend that is a bit into it, so when it happened to come on while I was taking a break from yard work, I left it on. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/49 "2014-07-01T14:52:13Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I find soccer slightly less interesting than watching grass grow… You are a wise and wonderful man. > [@](#): > > …(or baseball) HERETIC!! (To answer the OP: I’m not following it at all, but I can’t avoid Facebook/Twitter/my co-workers.) ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/50 "2014-07-01T15:11:50Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Then the stretcher came and he lay down in it, and it was like a funny little boat. Or a really shallow coffin. Again really funny. I had to walk away to laugh somewhere else. Those stretchers are kind of funny, though. I keep thinking they’re going to place the injured player in the river and send him downstream. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/51 "2014-07-01T15:20:16Z")
I occasionally look out for the scores on newsy websites, enjoy seeing some good highlight clips, and may watch the absolute final game if I remember when it’s on, assuming I can watch it online for free. I base this on what I do for (American) football: I watched the Super Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/52 "2014-07-03T05:42:23Z")
Chose the last, but to elaborate: I would have watched a USA-? final (my schedule depending), simply to be able to talk/answer questions about it later, but otherwise have been rooting for Belgium, because they were my draw in a bar pool (though I have not been watching them). I was happy not to have had to watch USA-Belgium, because I fear my loyalties were not as torn as they should have been. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/53 "2014-07-03T05:56:48Z")
None of the above. I’ve watched quite a few matches, but not those involving my home country (USA) because the cloying maudlin flag-waving and drum-beating and sudden out-of-nowhere hysteria over the current national sweethearts is just too sickening. I’m glad they only one one match. Putting Ghana in its place, as we do with all tiny helpless nations. Well, you asked. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/54 "2014-07-03T06:05:41Z")
I voted “special snowflake”. As a British male, I’m hideously aberrant in that I have completely zero interest in sport of any kind; and find football most especially tedious. Left to myself, I’d sooner stick sharp-pointed things into my eyeballs, than watch any World Cup doings, and would be happily oblivious to the whole thing. It so happens, though, that I spend quite a lot of time in the company of my brother; whom I love dearly, but who is as ardent a football fan, as I am a football-phobe. I have, thus, “by default” seen a few of the matches. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/55 "2014-07-03T06:13:30Z")
I’ve only just learned that the World Cup is held once every four years, like the Olympics, or at least, like the Olympics before they went to the current format. I care only slightly more for that than I do soccer, meaning I’ll watch if I happen to be around a television that has it on but can’t be bothered otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/56 "2014-07-03T07:04:24Z")
Indeed – a source of misery for sport-haters: a colossal tedium-fest every second year – if it isn’t the bloody World Cup, it’s the sodding Olympics. It’s enough to make one want to go off and live in Tibet; except that nowadays, the Tibetans would no doubt be avidly following the sporting stuff, wishing every kind of misery and misfortune on the Chinese team… ---
**Author:** ![Echo\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Echo\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Echo_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/57 "2014-07-03T13:17:35Z")
I live in London and am generally the least football-interested man in a given room. However, I will probably watch the finals in a pub as I actually quite enjoy the atmosphere: the shouting, the emotion, the wailing, rending of garments, and the copious drinking. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/58 "2014-07-03T13:24:23Z")
I’m on World Cup overload and I haven’t watched a single second of a single game. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/59 "2014-07-03T15:12:33Z")
Never really watched it until I was having my car worked on and they had it playing in the waiting room. My first reaction: “Holy crap, how many freaking players do they have on the field? No wonder nobody scores. You know, this might be an intersting sport if it were a 6 on 6 game.” ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051/60 "2014-07-03T17:20:27Z")
No Dopers actually in Brazil to watch the matches? Bummer! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-are-you-following-the-world-cup/692051.md?page=4)