# Why do so many Americans actually hate soccer? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481 "2013-06-20T16:59:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/221 "2013-07-10T08:54:23Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Whenever I get to the UK I will probably check out a soccer game to experience the culture, but it won’t have anything to do with the anti-American online jerks about it. I’m actually not at all patriotic, but those people reinforce the tribalism even in a person like myself. 😛 Ha! > [@](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8rGCH\_HRdQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8rGCH_HRdQ) > > ^I will admit I’m not much of a basketball fan but some of these are pretty ridiculous. Agreed, some are ridiculous - tho there are a few that are questionable, and I’m sure that there are many more “highlights” of basketball floppers of way more egregious chicanery. I mainly disagree with your “disgusting” comment, as I feel that it, flopping, is something endemic in the sport - I’d just like some assurances that you’re as disgusted with the adulation that [these players](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1104/nba.biggest.flopper/content.1.html) receive. 😉 > [@](#): > > Well then we aren’t allowed to talk about why so many Americans hate soccer if I can’t give reasons, any reason would be “painting with a single brush”, correct? It has nothing to do with melting pot culture or immigration. Reasoning is fine, and while I appreciate that there are plenty of reasons to dislike soccer, which don’t need rehashing here, I just can’t accept the “because we’re manly” argument. That’s crossing into **Starving Artist** territory. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/222 "2013-07-10T10:03:21Z")
Nobody must know my name _[football? soccer? calcio??_] For nobody would understand And you kill what you fear And you fear what you don’t understand (Apologies to Genesis.) ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/223 "2013-07-10T13:16:19Z")
This is an American actress called Julie Benz describing her first Premiership match experience: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HlCOP158Z-E/maxresdefault.jpg "Julie Benz visits as Spurs beat Arsenal 2-1") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlCOP158Z-E) ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/224 "2013-07-10T15:13:15Z")
If soccer fans are actively chiding American football fans about the supposed deficiencies in the domestic game, well, that’s pretty counterproductive and they should stop. These days there are more opportunities than ever to watch and talk footy with fellow fans of all nationalities. No need to poke the local bear. Did we actually ever confirm the assumption that “so many Americans actually hate soccer” anyway? With the exception of a few message boarders hither and thither, I’m not really seeing it. There’s plenty of sports to go around; why waste time with dustups like this? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/225 "2013-07-10T17:03:55Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Sounds familiar for hockey also. From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Baun): Well if we’re going back that far, how about [Winning the FA Cup Final with a broken neck?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Trautmann) > [@](#): > > Named FWA Footballer of the Year for 1956, Trautmann entered football folklore with his performance in the 1956 FA (Football Association) Cup Final. With 17 minutes of the match remaining, Trautmann suffered a serious injury, after diving at the feet of Birmingham City’s Peter Murphy. Despite his injury, he continued to play, making crucial saves to preserve his team’s 3–1 lead. His neck was noticeably crooked as he collected his winner’s medal; three days later an X-ray revealed it to be broken. And let’s not forget the great Terry Butcher (even if he was a crap manager for my team). Modern hygiene rules don’t allow this anymore though: [http://www.kaempferherz.de/uploads/tx\_usersportsman/628x421/butcher01\_01\_thumb.jpg](http://www.kaempferherz.de/uploads/tx_usersportsman/628x421/butcher01_01_thumb.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/226 "2013-08-04T03:25:07Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > It is not a recommendation to try out soccer, the criticism is that we’re the only country in the world that isn’t stark raving mad about soccer, followed by criticisms of our national sports (Baseball, Football, NASCAR etc) and usually a snide comment about how the “World Series” is only played by the USA so how can it be “World series” durhurhur :rolleyes: (Forget about the fact that there are Canadian teams and players from all over South America and asia in the league…) > > We’re not suggested to try out soccer, we’re told there is something wrong with us for not liking soccer, for calling it soccer in the first place, and followed by a long string of stupid inane criticisms of the sports we like. So why WOULD we listen? > > BTW I think Diving is why Soccer is stupid, but I also think it’s despicable in all sports, the fact that LeBron can be a hero to millions when he is a flagrant diver is disgusting. I’ve never once witnessed diving in the MLB and when it happens in MMA the fans boo and don’t make excuses for it, and there can be consequences for diving in MMA (like getting cut from the UFC). As displayed in this very thread, diving/cheating is “just trying to catch a breath” to some soccer fans, good luck trying to sell that to a manly culture like America where the real men are the ones who [play on a broken femur](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Youngblood) and you guys aren’t doing a very good job of convincing us why soccer is so great. > > Most American males who enjoy sports I have EVER met have a deep respect for Rugby as a macho sport, even though I have only met a small handful that play. We respect foreign sports when they aren’t sissy ones. That link about Jack Youngblood mentioned that after playing through the entire playoffs with a broken femur he went on to play in the Pro Bowl. Damn! Most players today would fake an injury to get out of the Pro Bowl if they could. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/227 "2013-08-04T03:53:56Z")
> [@kurtisokc](#): > > That link about Jack Youngblood mentioned that after playing through the entire playoffs with a broken femur he went on to play in the Pro Bowl. Damn! Most players today would fake an injury to get out of the Pro Bowl if they could. That’s because the playoffs are important. The Pro Bowl isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![coolbyrne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@coolbyrne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coolbyrne)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/228 "2013-08-05T01:05:32Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Well if we’re going back that far, how about [Winning the FA Cup Final with a broken neck?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Trautmann) RIP, Mr. Trautmann, who died last month. ☹ According to recent interviews, he didn’t like talking about the broken neck, not because he didn’t appreciate the incident for what it was, but because it was all anyone wanted to talk about! And I don’t blame him. If you read “Trautmann’s Journey”, you understand what an amazing life he had, broken neck or no. ---
**Author:** ![Bremidon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Bremidon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bremidon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481/229 "2013-08-05T17:54:26Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > It’s possible, I suppose, but honestly I don’t think a lot of people that make that criticism have actually talked to any serious number of football fans. Also, it’s not as though the only fans in the States are people that went to Europe - for one thing, Europe is only one of many places where football is played. The game is huge in Mexico, and the number of Mexicans in the States far exceeds the number of douchebags that went to Europe. So again I don’t think this alleged crowd actually exists, nor do I think that **Hail Ants** or \*\*Bremidon \*\*actually know what they’re talking about and have any idea about actual fans of the game. I would appreciate it if you would not presume that you can judge if I know what I’m talking about. Stick to the argument. Anyway… It’s not a crowd, but a very vocal minority. I have heard the sentiment many times over the years from different quarters. If you read between the lines, you will clearly see that I do not agree with the “knee-jerk” dismissal of soccer based on some poorly chosen comments by some soccer fans. I’m a fan myself and used to be a player: I want people to actually come to enjoy the game without having to resort to some silly “everyone else does it” argument. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-actually-hate-soccer/661481.md?page=11)