Soccer Fan…Yea or Nay?

[Doohicksie]

On 6/5/2022 at 12:41 PM, LabattBlue said:

I’ve tried in the past, and just can’t become a fan.  Bring on the paint drying wall. 😂

I can appreciate the skill required to play the sport and the difficulty of playing in a game with no/limited substitutions.  But I don't find watching play at all compelling.  I do enjoy when friends post up on FB good goals made by some team.  The goals are beautiful.  The rest of the game... not so much.  I'm not sure why they call it The Beautiful Game.

On 6/5/2022 at 1:53 PM, Sabres Fan in NS said:

You have to imserse yourself and learn some of the stategies of the game in order to appreciate it better

Eh.  I've already got plenty to do with my time.  No thanks.

[Doohicksie]

On 6/5/2022 at 2:34 PM, Weave said:

The Sabres and Bills take up 90% of my budget.  The Dodgers get the rest.  No room to explore soccer.

Yeah, this is me, although replace Dodgers with Texas Rangers/Dallas Mavericks.

On 6/5/2022 at 2:59 PM, steveoath said:

At the time I was losing interest my mate took me to a hockey game. And there ended my interest in football.

But why do you follow the Sabres?  Or are you on other team forums too?

[Doohicksie]

On 6/5/2022 at 5:18 PM, That Aud Smell said:

Sometimes I’m tempted to say, in response to people saying the sport is boring, that “4 billion people can’t be wrong.”

But then I realize that the second most popular sport globally is cricket. And that sport funking blows.

So, whatever. To each their own.

TBH I am more drawn in by cricket than soccer.

[steveoath]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

But why do you follow the Sabres?  Or are you on other team forums too?

Felt I needed to pick an nhl team to follow and had to be east coast. My hockey buddy suggested the Sabres as he felt there were some good up and coming players. He may have been pulling my leg in retrospect! 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

What makes football special, at least for me, is the atmosphere at a match in Europe or even in North America where there is significant support like in The Great Satan.

Football chants are fantastic and many are a lot of fun.  The lesser sides chants are some of the best ever.

One of my favourites are for Sunderland (a middling English Club that never really gets anywhere, but they did have a run of about 15 seasons in the EPL recently) ...

Of course some of the best and funniest chants are from opposing sides before a huge match.

I give you Newcastle supporters chanting down Sunderland ...

 

[steveoath]

Unfortunately in my part of Scotland there is a huge problem with sectarianism in football. The chants are horrible. Many of which will get you a night in a cell if you sang them in the street. Celtic and Rangers are all of the worst elements of football. Regardless of the perceived cleaning up of football, in the UK there is definitely still a hooligan element. With firms still existing in 2022 purely for the fighting.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

14 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Unfortunately in my part of Scotland there is a huge problem with sectarianism in football. The chants are horrible. Many of which will get you a night in a cell if you sang them in the street. Celtic and Rangers are all of the worst elements of football. Regardless of the perceived cleaning up of football, in the UK there is definitely still a hooligan element. With firms still existing in 2022 purely for the fighting.

Unfortunately there is an underlying element of racism in football most anywhere, but it seems especially bad in the UK.

[nfreeman]

I don't like soccer at all.  Even my kids' games were mostly boring -- whereas I absolutely loved my daughter's basketball games.

Having said that, I saw FC Barcelona, with Messi, win a Spanish league game at Camp Nou, and West Ham win a big EPL game at the Olympic Stadium, and really enjoyed it both times.  The scene and the excitement of the crowds made all the difference.

I'd gladly attend another big-time soccer game, but I don't think I'll ever watch it on TV.

[mjd1001]

I've thought more about this, I think it comes down to the lack of scoring why I have trouble with soccer.

I honestly like an indoor lacrosse game more than an NHL game....more scoring.

I used to find college football better than the NFL until the last few years, when scoring went up in the NFL.

I can't sit through a 2-0 pitchers battle in baseball, and while I don't want a 15-12 game, give me something in the 5-7 runs per team and I'm happy.

Over the last decade or so, I have given sports outside of the 'big 4' usa sports a try and I have liked some. F1 racing for example (1.5-2 hours max usually, no commercials)  But soccer I have given a few tries, and every time I watch a game I just can't get into it.  Sure, I'm sure there is a lot of talent and strategy that happens 'off camera', but every single time I have watched a game it is a task to keep my attention and get to the end of it.

The diving and fake injuries don't help.  The lack of scoring does the game in for me, but the fake injuries where a guy writhes in pain on the field and is carried off on a stretcher, only to return to the game a few minutes later....If I see that in a game I try to watch (once every couple years) that gets me to give up on it right there and not even ride it out until the end.

I have some very faint memories of the Buffalo Stallions as a little kid and I did see a few Blizzard games. I enjoyed the indoor soccer games much, much more. Again, that just re-affirms that I like the greater scoring and less drawn-out game of the indoor soccer vs the outdoor traditional game.

Edited June 8, 2022 by mjd1001

[Doohicksie]

22 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I used to find college football better than the NFL until the last few years, when scoring went up in the NFL.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Why do they insist on wasting everybodies time ...

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/8/swiss-trial-opens-for-ex-fifa-boss-blatter-ex-uefa-chief-platini

 

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

I've thought more about this, I think it comes down to the lack of scoring why I have trouble with soccer.

I honestly like an indoor lacrosse game more than an NHL game....more scoring.

I used to find college football better than the NFL until the last few years, when scoring went up in the NFL.

I can't sit through a 2-0 pitchers battle in baseball, and while I don't want a 15-12 game, give me something in the 5-7 runs per team and I'm happy.

Over the last decade or so, I have given sports outside of the 'big 4' usa sports a try and I have liked some. F1 racing for example (1.5-2 hours max usually, no commercials)  But soccer I have given a few tries, and every time I watch a game I just can't get into it.  Sure, I'm sure there is a lot of talent and strategy that happens 'off camera', but every single time I have watched a game it is a task to keep my attention and get to the end of it.

The diving and fake injuries don't help.  The lack of scoring does the game in for me, but the fake injuries where a guy writhes in pain on the field and is carried off on a stretcher, only to return to the game a few minutes later....If I see that in a game I try to watch (once every couple years) that gets me to give up on it right there and not even ride it out until the end.

I have some very faint memories of the Buffalo Stallions as a little kid and I did see a few Blizzard games. I enjoyed the indoor soccer games much, much more. Again, that just re-affirms that I like the greater scoring and less drawn-out game of the indoor soccer vs the outdoor traditional game.

I used to hate the fake injuries until i heard that the players themselves (not the one pretending to be hurt) don’t mind them them and even look forward to them sometimes, because they are so tired and can use them to take a breather.

[msw2112]

I played some youth soccer and many of my best friends played high school soccer.  A couple even played in college.  I respect the sport, but I just can't get into it.  To my knowledge, my friends who played in college follow the Bills and Sabres closely but really don't follow soccer.  For me, part of it is that my sports appetite is more than satisfied with (American) football, hockey, basketball, and baseball.  I really don't have time or interest in adding another sport to my "watch list" and I spend so much time following the Bills, Sabres and my college teams that I don't have time to learn the nuances of a new sport.  For the most part, I just don't care, although I will watch an occasional World Cup game if the US is in it and is playing for something.

I was in Atlanta a couple of years ago and went to a sports bar to watch Monday Night Football.  The local MLS team was playing that night.  I was extremely surprised to see the bar packed with soccer fans totally into the game, and only a handful of us there to watch the soccer game.  My friends in Atlanta told me that the MLS team was out drawing the Falcons and that it's gotten huge there.  Too bad they couldn't get this to happen with the Flames or Thrashers.

Obviously, the game has a huge international following and a growing domestic following in the US, so there's definitely something there, but I'm not interested in becoming a part of it.

Edited June 8, 2022 by msw2112

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Hey there @msw2112 ... 2112 is going to be a fantastic year !!

Mostly because 1976 was ...

[sabremike]

On 6/6/2022 at 10:46 AM, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Paging @Eleven to the cricket bashing post ...

Halifax Wanderers !!

MUST WIN!!

GO WANDERERS!!

I got both of their inaugural kits during the pandemic as the CPL Shop was doing a massive clearance with free shipping to the US and they are the one club everyone likes. I myself am a Forge supporter and a STH despite living in the NYC area (cost of trans has prevented me from going to matches this season but hoping to get up there in July.) having adopted them when the CPL began because I'm a huge Ticats fan. Have been a Metro supporter since MLS started in 1996 and an Empire Supporters Club member since 2001.

BOBBY'S AT THE WHEEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FORZA METRO!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sabremike]

8 hours ago, steveoath said:

Unfortunately in my part of Scotland there is a huge problem with sectarianism in football. The chants are horrible. Many of which will get you a night in a cell if you sang them in the street. Celtic and Rangers are all of the worst elements of football. Regardless of the perceived cleaning up of football, in the UK there is definitely still a hooligan element. With firms still existing in 2022 purely for the fighting.

Member of the NYCSC since 2001. There's another supporters club in the city that's into all the sectarian/hooligan ***** (Like the Green Brigade whom I consider an embarrassment and it's no coincidence that there are issues with our supporters in Europe since they came on the scene with the cosplay hooligan crap) but we want nothing to do with it. Also have a soft spot for Hibs because without them Celtic would never have come into existence (Irony is that they were more overly sectarian at their founding which given no other club would allow an Irish Catholic player at that time is understandable).

[Huckleberry]

10 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Unfortunately there is an underlying element of racism in football most anywhere, but it seems especially bad in the UK.

Can say it is in society in general, will always have people not like others.   I really don't get worked up about it anymore, usually they get caught, fired and suffer for it in their every day life.    Fined and fired at their job.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

11 hours ago, sabremike said:

I got both of their inaugural kits during the pandemic as the CPL Shop was doing a massive clearance with free shipping to the US and they are the one club everyone likes. I myself am a Forge supporter and a STH despite living in the NYC area (cost of trans has prevented me from going to matches this season but hoping to get up there in July.) having adopted them when the CPL began because I'm a huge Ticats fan. Have been a Metro supporter since MLS started in 1996 and an Empire Supporters Club member since 2001.

BOBBY'S AT THE WHEEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FORZA METRO!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Marvin]

18 hours ago, msw2112 said:

I played some youth soccer and many of my best friends played high school soccer.  A couple even played in college.  I respect the sport, but I just can't get into it.  To my knowledge, my friends who played in college follow the Bills and Sabres closely but really don't follow soccer.  For me, part of it is that my sports appetite is more than satisfied with (American) football, hockey, basketball, and baseball.  I really don't have time or interest in adding another sport to my "watch list" and I spend so much time following the Bills, Sabres and my college teams that I don't have time to learn the nuances of a new sport.  For the most part, I just don't care, although I will watch an occasional World Cup game if the US is in it and is playing for something.

I was in Atlanta a couple of years ago and went to a sports bar to watch Monday Night Football.  The local MLS team was playing that night.  I was extremely surprised to see the bar packed with soccer fans totally into the game, and only a handful of us there to watch the soccer game.  My friends in Atlanta told me that the MLS team was out drawing the Falcons and that it's gotten huge there.  Too bad they couldn't get this to happen with the Flames or Thrashers.

Obviously, the game has a huge international following and a growing domestic following in the US, so there's definitely something there, but I'm not interested in becoming a part of it.

Welcome back!

[Sabres Fan in NS]

4 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

 

Quoting myself just because ...

@sabremike ... the Wanderers Grounds is a fantastic place to see a match.  Great atmosphere.  I believer the CPL started in Halifax.  Forge are a good side.

[That Aud Smell]

On 6/8/2022 at 10:35 AM, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Football chants are fantastic and many are a lot of fun.  The lesser sides chants are some of the best ever.

YMMV, apparently. The English fans' singing of "10 German Bombers" has apparently become a source of intense conflict. 

 

 

[That Aud Smell]

For my part, from a comfortable distance, I quite enjoy the intensity that the old wars bring to the international soccer rivalries. England -v- Germany always seems to mean so much more than a mere sporting competition.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, That Aud Smell said:

YMMV, apparently. The English fans' singing of "10 German Bombers" has apparently become a source of intense conflict. 

 

 

It seems pretty harmless to me.

The only thing I hate are the racist and hooligan riots (no other way to describe their antics).

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, That Aud Smell said:

YMMV, apparently. The English fans' singing of "10 German Bombers" has apparently become a source of intense conflict. 

 

 

Is that because you get the general idea after 9, but they make you suffer through 8 more?

That would piss me off, too.

[inkman]

On 6/5/2022 at 6:18 PM, That Aud Smell said:

Sometimes I’m tempted to say, in response to people saying the sport is boring, that “4 billion people can’t be wrong.”

But then I realize that the second most popular sport globally is cricket. And that sport funking blows.

So, whatever. To each their own.

Four billion people can absolutely be wrong, 50% of our country is filled with people who don’t even understand who they should be voting for.