Im confused, soccer...

American soccer myth

toolman1 said:
I think our British friends got the idea that soccer, or whatever you want to call it, is not exactly big here in the States. Paying Beckham $25,000,000 (or whatever the number is) is money down the drain. I can't fault him for accepting. As W.C. Fields put it "never give a sucker an even break".

Now my question: What will it take for the Brits to take him back - please?
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Okay Barney I will give you that one (the Simpson’s link was a classic…lol)

Before you get the upper hand I thought that I would put up another NASCAR rant on here for you.

Okay so toolman1 says it like it is, meaning that soccer is not popular in the USA.

Is that because the Americans cannot play football (soccer) on the international stage?

Well you may all be surprised. Since David Beckham moved to LA Galaxy there as been a lot of analysis over here on the American game. It appears that the American league teams are playing at a reasonable standard. The game only suffers from the lack of spectator interest. I only know of one member on here who follows the English premiership league with a passion, and that is pro blackjack player Kevin Blackwood.

So for those on here who like stats, lets have a look at the national sides.

Before the 2006 World Cup, Reachy pointed out on a previous thread that the governing body of football (FIFA) had ranked USA as 5th in the world.

The current FIFA rankings are that England has dropped points to be in 12th position. USA has increased their points to move up to 14th position.

So we know that the USA can play the game.

Well I hope that the David Beckham arrival starts an interest in the USA soccer team who are trying their best with little support.

The Americans should get behind their national side and support them.

Andy

PS here is the link for Barney ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjJq7SPcr5M
 
swog said:
Colin, this statement takes on a different meaning on this side of the pond...

In 2004, Widnes hooker Shane Millard also had an opponent's tooth removed from his head.
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The word has two meanings over here too. It's usually possible to work out which one is intended, from the context. It's slightly more unfortunate in women's Rugby. :)

toolman1 said:
Now my question: What will it take for the Brits to take him back - please?
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That's easy. You have to keep Posh. :D
 
dang London

I wanted to post that link

I played hooker - maybe that's why I get those dang headaches when I am trying to figure out the right final hand play:D

factoid: (well maybe) - I have heard that SOCCER is actually the MOST POPULAR YOUTH SPORT IN THE USA as far as PARTICIPATION goes - somehow - that does not translate into a fan base when the kids grow up to be adults - may change quickly with the increasing Hispanic population

and I think Becks is getting $50,000,000 per year
 
RKuczek said:
I wanted to post that link

I played hooker - maybe that's why I get those dang headaches when I am trying to figure out the right final hand play:D
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Maybe it's worth going for an x-ray. See if you find any stray teeth. :D

RKuczek said:
factoid: (well maybe) - I have heard that SOCCER is actually the MOST POPULAR YOUTH SPORT IN THE USA as far as PARTICIPATION goes - somehow - that does not translate into a fan base when the kids grow up to be adults - may change quickly with the increasing Hispanic population
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So I gather. From what I've heard, I would think it would always be a niche sport, well behind U.S. football and baseball, but maybe approaching the level of (ice) hockey.

It seems like a slight boost in popularity is needed now, in order to increase the money available in the U.S. game so that more foreign players can be brought in to strengthen the league (as happened here a while ago, in fact), and to lessen the chances that the best U.S. players will be lured abroad.

RKuczek said:
and I think Becks is getting $50,000,000 per year
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The figure being bandied around is indeed $250M over five years, but apparently that is an estimate of what he could earn, including his share of various endorsement and merchandising deals. His basic salary is likely to be a relativlely paultry $10M per year. :)

That might seem ludicrous, but you have to bear in mind he's somehow made himself an international brand. Even back when he signed for Real Madrid, the consensus was that he was sought after more for the international marketing opportunities he brought to the club than for his abilities on the field. If you travel abroad in the near future don't be surprised if you see people walking around wearing Beckham's LA Galaxy no. 23 shirt.
 
Poor posh

Reachy said:
I'll make a trilogy of "not rising to the bait" on the football issue (calling it soccer is plain wrong BTW) but must pick you up on the "Posh is attractive" issue. I really can't believe you guys think she is attractive in any way, shape or form. She's shockingly thin, her boobs are so obviously fake and look like she's had a couple of grapefruits inserted. Over in Blighty she is regular tabloid fodder but most people do not hold her in high esteem. And she was the least talented of The Spice Girls which is saying a lot!!

Boomshanka!

Reachy
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Sorry to put this story up and shatter the illusions of Barney and Rkuzek who appear to have a thing about our Victoria Beckham.

Unfortunately, Posh appears to be suffering from a common ailment that appears to have a devastating affect on women.

So why is it then when this comes out, women all over the world do not feel anything for Posh and the bitchiness starts?

Because this site is none sexist, you must click on the link below to find out what Posh is suffering from and scroll down ;)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...ews.html?in_article_id=469489&in_page_id=1773

Andy
 
andy

this is obviously a badly faked photo - probably done up with a pirated copy of an older version of photoshop - by jealous British kickball fans -
 
News of the Posh

Knowing that our Brit friends are certainly deep into the agonies of Posh and Beks Withdrawl at this point in time - I feel it is only a public service to offer up a brief compendium of the latest Posh and Beks news as covered in our ever vigilant American news media within the last few days:


REAL NEWS ITEM: "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America" drew more than 5 MILLION VIEWERS for its initial showing, and an additional 4 MILLION VIEWERS for its first reshowing

Word On The Street is that Ultimate Bet was so impressed by Posh outdrawing EBJ by an amazing 9-1 margin within their preferred demographic of Nerdy Middle-Aged Males, that they will soon be announcing they are shutting down their failed Elimination Blackjack Tournament websites, and will be starting-up their new, much anticipated, Posh porn site.


REAL NEWS ITEM: David Beckham's first game with the LA Galaxy, against Chelsea, which was shown on a little watched cable channel, ESPN, drew an amazing 1.5 MILLION VIEWERS, and ESPN will shortly begin airing a 13-part reality series on David Beckham playing kickball in LA.

Word On The Street is that Ultimate Bet, impressed that Posh's husband playing kickball out-rated every Blackjack and Poker show ever aired, has decided to abandon its failed ClubUBT EBJ and Poker site, and will soon be announcing the debut of its new "Bek's Virtual Kickball Arena" website. No official word from UBT as to how they plan on making money off of virtual kickball - but the Word On The Street is that a UBT exec was overheard saying, "We'll rake the heck out of the games, cancel any event which even hints of an overlay for the players, and renege on all of our promised bonuses. Its worked for us before, it'll work for us again."



REAL NEWS ITEM: The lovely Victoria Beckham has announced that her dog, Twiggy, will be going into "doggie rehab". Ms. Beckham said that they have been forced into this drastic measure by Twiggy's unfortunate behavior of "peeing and poohing everywhere" in their new LA mansion.

Word On The Street is that CBS has been so impressed by the fact that anything Posh can outdraw anything Blackjack by a 9-1 margin, that they are canceling their failed Ultimate Bet Elimination Blackjack Tournament series, and will be soon announcing its replacement by their exciting new 13-part reality series, "Twiggy in Doggie Rehab". Will Twiggy stop "peeing and poohing everywhere"? Tune in and find out!


REAL NEWS ITEM: The lovely Victoria Beckham has signed on to play Tinkerbell in the new Peter Pan movie.

No word yet on how this might affect Twiggy's rehab.
 
I an so disappopinted

not one thank you yet for updating our Brit friends as to the latest doings in America of their beloved Posh and Beks:(
 
Terminology

Sorry Reachy - and not meaning to offend our Brit friends ;) - but as an American and rugger - I must insist that the term "Football" be reserved for REAL atheletic competition - such as "Rugby Union Football" or even the lesser sports of "Rugby League Football" or "American Football".

Kickball, after all, is a game played by wimpy guys with scrawny legs running around in shorts chasing a miniture basketball trying to kick it in some random direction; a game frequently played in America by middle-school girls as a minor recreational activity after school.

After all, a major "offense" in kickball is the heinous crime of "tripping":eek:

oooo...you beast...you tripped me:laugh:

try telling a rugger that's "football":laugh:
 
RKuczek said:
After all, a major "offense" in kickball is the heinous crime of "tripping":eek:

oooo...you beast...you tripped me:laugh:
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To be fair, that's a foul in Rugby too isn't it? At least if the person tripped wasn't carrying the ball at the time.

As a casual spectator, the main problem I have with Rugby Union is the vast number of obscure laws the game seems to operate by. They also seem to change the laws rather too often.

Watching on TV you essentially get a series of passages of play, each ended by the referee blowing his whistle and the commentators speculating for a couple of minutes about just what the offence might have been and which side ought to be being awarded a penalty, scrum, or whatever. :confused:
 
hhhmmmmm

actually - in Rugby - you can not be in front of the ball carrier - so - if your team has the ball - and you make any contact while in front of the ball carrier - that's a foul - if you are behind the ball carrier - or - on the defending team - you can pretty much hit whoever you want - pretty much any way you want :D

but - there are a lot of rules - as in any game :(

soccer is a great game - to give you soccer fans your props - but - don't think anything really compares with Rugby - has the flow of soccer - with the contact of American football - and many options to advance the ball and score - and fun to watch and even more to play
 
I'm confused

RKuczek said:
if you are behind the ball carrier - or - on the defending team - you can pretty much hit whoever you want - pretty much any way you want :D
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Well I've scarcely ever even held a Rugby ball, but what you are saying doesn't make sense to me, based on my armchair viewing experience -

Surely, you can only tackle the ball carrier. You can't even block, let alone tackle anybody else. I thought that was a fundamental tenet of the game. You can "accidentally" get in an opponent's way, perhaps even accidentally trip them up as they attempt to run past you, but if the referee deems it to be deliberate you are in deep trouble.
 
When I played

we always had one or two 'enforcers' - their job was to smash the opponent's best players - constantly -

you are right that deliberate tripping - or tackling someone who is not a ball carrier - blocking - etc - is not permitted - but - if you are working around a scrum or ruck - you can have a lot of room to smash someone down - once someone touches the ball as it comes out of the scrum - you can pretty well target them -
 
Simple Rules

Wikipedia is full of fascinating information about how all the various different forms of 'football' have evolved. I'm particularly impressed with the rules of this game - Royal_Shrovetide_Football
There are very few rules in existence. The main ones are:
  • Committing murder or manslaughter is prohibited. Unnecessary violence is frowned upon.
  • The ball may not be carried in a motorised vehicle.
  • The ball may not be hidden in a bag, coat or rucksack etc.
  • Cemeteries, churchyards and the town memorial gardens are strictly out of bounds.
  • Playing after 10 pm is forbidden.
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Very Interesting

I like this sport!!!

Maybe Rick can start up a series of Royal Shrovetide Football Tournaments, as a little recreational adjunct to the TBJPA tourneys! Teams can buy-in for $10,000 - winner takes all!!

In honor of the the discussion on Football - I have adopted an appropriate new signature line. See Below.
 
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