marcoballistic wrote:
and what is the betting that they are the 'opinions' of North American's I read there
it is funny, because you read it, and you know not one of them have a single clue about it.
Your correct in that it's probably North Americans who don't get it. I don't want to speak for all Canadians who don't get it but I will tell you what I don't like and what I do like. I like the pagentry, the fact that it gives some poorer nations a rallying point and I realize the skills involved. What I don't like is that there are few if any goals scored and while I admire defensive skills I don't think it's so much defense as a lack of offense. I could live with this if it were not for the dives players take rolling around on the ground like they have been shot when the replay shows clearly that they weren't even touched. They carry them off on a stretcher and they are back in minutes apparently cured. Surely North Americans aren't the only ones who don't like this.
In Canada where hockey rules and make no mistake we are just as nuts as the rest of the world when we watch and discuss hockey, players who are injured are injured and if someone takes a dive he is sent off with a penalty. By the time the season is over probably most players are playing with a multitude of injuries. This is expected of players. So whenever soccer/football is discussed this is the overriding complaint and most Canadians believe that because of this there is no validity to the game.
IMHO while there are a multitude of soccer fans here mostly Italian Canadians, Greek Canadians, etc Canadians, they seem to find the World Cup as an excuse to celebrate their ethnic roots rather than the game.
The greatest thing about football to me is the affordability of the sport which makes the game accessible to all. Football is growing by leaps and bounds here in Canada and if you ever had a child who played rep hockey you would know why. Equipment, extra ice time, travel costs are high and to make it worse the little buggers are growing at a phenominal rate usually meaning that you sometime have to equip the child twice during a season and after the summer guess what, yeah he shot up like a bad weed.
One of the reasons that Canadian football palyers are as rare as hens teeth is that good athletes, I mean elite athletes have no professional soccer teams here so there is no contract at the end of the rainbow while hockey/baseball offer huge salaries. So when the ranks of players thin because of ability the majority of gifted players are getting scholarships or offers to turn professional so they go that route.
Many of the comments that were posted on that site are idiotic and insulting and made by people with no particular motive other than to bitch.
Hopefully you World Cup fanatics see that we are screwing with you and while we may not enjoy the game we do enjoy the repartee. Let's face it here on PSC you gonna get yours no matter who you are, which brings me to accordians.... no I better not go there.
