To all soccer snobs....

I fell in love with soccer because it is the universal language. Many people in this country are so up front about their ethnicity when it comes to food, dancing, art, music...etc. Yet these same people who might even know their native land's language, know fuck all about their country's best soccer teams. Why is that?
I'm of the mind that you can not understand a foreign country without understanding their soccer. It's the easiest gateway into developing that bridge back to the old country. It's also a hell of a way to break the ice with any foreigner. I've talked to many immigrants about soccer and they take supreme joy in sharing their feelings with an American who understands where they are coming from.
I've become very bitter when it comes to our field's lack of basic knowledge about soccer. All it takes is one or two books people.  I mean, how one can get through life without knowing who Johan Cruyff is? Or the Hand of God? Or Busby's Babes? Hillsborough?
Our ignorance is comparable to watching "American Idol" all the time, when "The Godfather", "French Connection", "The Good Bad and the Ugly" and "Casablanca" are on the other channels.
As the years have gone by, I've come to understand, if you don't know soccer, you don't know sports.

 

Soccer was huge at my high school because we didn't have football.

Soccer has hot guys. I love soccer.

 

But why do you have to suggest there is much to like about soccer? We didn't ask you. If its that good we can determine it on our own. We don't need to be told.

 

Well, Boom, while you were in that cave in Afghanistan or whatever, a whole lot of people came on the board and said things like, "Stop shoving soccer down our throats," and "To all soccer snobs" and "ESPN only is pushing soccer so they can make money."
I understand why you don't recall all that, because your cave did not have high speed.
I love the game of soccer. If it's attacked, I'm going to defend it. If folks on this board -- and mainstream media guys in their columns and on their talk shows -- didn't feel the need to bash it, I'd be content to discuss it with people who, like me, embrace it. I've never sought to convert anyone, except when asked.
In other words, you started it.

 

"What is it, Doctor? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert."

 

"Nervous?"

"Yes."

"First time?"

"No, I've been nervous lots of times."

 

EXACTLY!!!!

Let's see... There is one thread dedicated to soccer talk. There is one thread dedicated to World Cup talk. There is one thread dedicated to the SportsJournalists.com WC Pool.

Where is the shoving? Where is the forcefull nature that has Boom cowering away from his television for fear that he might get the "soccer disease?"

There are people that dislike the sport. No problem. Allen, you can dislike it and be disinterested all you want. I feel the same way about NASCAR. I don't get it. I probably never will.

Yet, you have threads started, during what is widely considered the greatest sporting spectacle/event ever to occur, about how people don't like it. Hell this thread was started solely using the shittiest statistics imaginable to "prove" that people don't like it and that it shouldn't be on TV.

What is so threatening about the sport being on TV? I don't watch Montel Williams and I'm guessing millions upon millions of Americans also do not watch his show. Why is it that no one is threatened enough to start screaming about his removal from television? What about Regis and Kelly?

The concept of "soccer snob" is all but eliminated. The vast majority of soccer fans know the sport and know its foothold. They watch the games when they want to and discuss it with others that share the same interest.