I tried to watch the World Cup, I really did.

[asdjrocky]

Those damned horns, was about 15 minutes into watching USA vs England, and I just gave up.

Am I the only one?

[taught_me_patience]

1. USA v England was boring as hell

The second half was especially poorly played. The US players looked gassed out at 60 min and the play was sloppy. Why don't they have unlmited substitutions? I don't want to watch tired players trotting for balls...

[Electric Monk]

3. Both teams were playing to not lose, instead of playing to win

and it showed.

[Greyhound]

24. Exactly, look at the schedule ahead.

Both teams are very likely to win their next match and after it was apparent how the match was going to play out, risking a loss by playing very aggressively would be foolish.

Slovenia & Algeria...

[taught_me_patience]

57. It looked like England was pushing forward

in the second half in order to try to win. Americans looked pitiful.

[gratuitous]

44. I always seem to tune in to the boring games, too

Fortunately, I avoided this one. But I keep hearing about these really exciting matches played in obscure locales that, oh boy, if I'd have just been there or seen that one, I'd understand what all the drama and intensity is about. The match ended in a nil-nil draw (not a 0-0 tie, thankyouverymuch), but whoo-whee! we're talking excitement!

[Barack_America]

2. I like the horns (vuvuzelas).

[asdjrocky]

5. Sorry, hated them.

They are even worse than the stupid cowbells we used in Sacramento.

[malaise]

17. I like them too

Watching Italy v Paraguay right now

[HuckleB]

63. +1

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. My boss made the exact same comment this morning.

"I really wanted to watch the World Cup. I tried, but just couldn't handle the horns"

A couple of people commented that they thought their TV(s) were on the fritz.

[asdjrocky]

8. It really bummed me out.

This was going to be my year I finally learned what the rest of the world went crazy about, then those horns.

I had to give up.

[Barack_America]

Mute's always an option.

[asdjrocky]

38. Yeah, but I want to lean more about the game.

I played basketball, baseball and football, thy typical American sports. It makes it hard for a new comer, who wants to learn rules, play and strategy, to learn about a sport that is on mute.

See my point?

[Barack_America]

45. Sure. Can you find a radio broadcast that is not so "horn heavy"?

We occasionally mute the TV and turn on the radio when we can't stand a certain broadcaster*.

*Particularly one who has an annoying catch phrase such as, "you can put it on the booooaaarrrrrd..."

[NM_hemilover]

75. Reminds me of a joke,

What's the sound of an acordian, hitting a banjo inside a dumpster?...............................perfect pitch

Soccer was a blast to play as a youngster, to old and used up to run for 90 minutes straight now. I'm better suited now to "for fun" softball, where a cold beer in your hands on first base is not frowned upon, an extra one will sometimes get you a pass to second base.

[-..__...]

6. What hor...bzzzzzzzzzz.....

[Dappleganger]

14. .

:rofl:

[LostInAnomie]

7. Soccer is unwatchable

Slow paced crap that gladly has very little appeal in the US.

[geardaddy]

9. As opposed to our "national pastime"

lol

[Gin]

11. same here....sounds like bees....not worth the irritation to watch

with that sound in the background.

[rurallib]

27. Whereas in baseball and football we watch 4 hours to see 10 minutes

of "action." Four hours of commercials interrupted by a wee bit of competition.
Many years ago i came to really like soccer and rugby because at least they play and run. They don't stand around for 4 hours.
Talk about unwatchable.
Basketball is nearly as bad anymore.
Soccer 90 minutes and 10 minute half + stoppage all done in less than 2 hours with ball in play at all times.

[geardaddy]

43. agreed.

I like to watch football and baseball occasionally, but I prefer soccer and rugby because there's more action.

[wolfgangmo]

65. American football is the MOST BORING game in the world.

It would be better if it wasn't played with 10 times as much commercials as play time.

[NeedleCast]

66. With all that action

You'd think someone would actually manage to score every now and then...

[rurallib]

74. scoring does not equal action.

One other thing I like about soccer and rugby is that a game can turn dramatically in just a few seconds.

[Onceuponalife]

80. scoring is the only thing worth seeing.

I just watch the highlights. You get all the goals and don't have to wade through hours of boring crap and prima donna players flopping all over the field.

[City Lights]

83. Our "national pastime" cures my insomnia.

:boring:

[brooklynite]

10. Imagine if "American Football" players had to run continually for 90 minutes...

...instead of stopping every 20 seconds to discuss what to do next...

[KamaAina]

The average midfielder runs seven miles during a match.

I'd hate to see some bulked-up 320-pound NFL lineman try that. :scared:

[dmallind]

41. And I'd hate to see an anorexic midfielder try and block.a pass rusher. Why is one better? NT

[NoNothing]

13. I imagine the game would suck

And be boring. Maybe that's why they don't do that. Just a thought.

[LostInAnomie]

18. Haha

True

[LostInAnomie]

15. Imagine if soccer players weren't so frail...

... that they could take the physical contact that American Football players (or for that matter Basketball players) take every minute of the game.

[geardaddy]

19. Imagine if NFLers weren't so frail that they could actually

play rugby.

[proteus_lives]

26. Ha.

I'd like to see rugby players take the same kind of hits that NFL players do.

Smears on the grass.

[geardaddy]

29. You obviously don't watch rugby.

[proteus_lives]

35. I've seen rugby games.

They don't take the same level of hits NFL players do.

They're tough but it's a different game.

[dmallind]

47. I've played both. He is right

Rugby hits are constant, but rarely catastrophic. Since you can only tackle the ball-carrier and there are restrictions on where contact can be made, the kind of full speed off-the-feet head-on collisions that occur in football are very rare (and definitive fouls) in rugby.

Played #1 for about ten years and linebacker/OL for three. Plenty of rough stuff in both. You get hurt more often playing rugby (essentially every game). You get hurt more severely playing football.

Now if soccer players could manage to be touched without writhing in pretend agony for five minutes then bouncing up and scurrying away once a free kick is awarded then I'd be impressed.

[CBR]

31. ? really? nt

[LostInAnomie]

30. The physical blows taken in American football are much harder than rugby.

Hence the pads. If rugby players hit the opposing players anywhere near as hard they wouldn't last one game.

[Barack_America]

37. Meh. Padding does not signify the strength of the blows...

...If they did, could you imagine what hockey players would be wearing?

Ever see this on a football field?

[DatManFromNawlins]

46. When football players start wearing knives on their feet

You'll have a point.

[Barack_America]

55. Eh. The pucks and hits do their fair share of damage as well.

Not to mention the fighting.

[geardaddy]

39. You haven't watched much rugby have you.

[LostInAnomie]

50. Rugby is essentially to bare knuckle boxing...

... what American football is to gloved boxing.

Bare knuckle boxing is gruesome, gory, and intimidating but you run a hell of a lot more of a chance of getting seriously hurt in a gloved boxing match because the boxers don't hold back out of fear of injuring their hands. The same goes for Rugby. It's bloody and intense but the force of the blows aren't anywhere near as powerful.

[geardaddy]

54. That is a pretty good analogy.

But you're more likely to break a limb in rugby than in football. Also, spinal injuries are higher in rugby that in football.

[Dappleganger]

23. Rooney would run circles around our football players.

They're conditioned for endurance and agility.

[DatManFromNawlins]

48. Rooney would get folded in half for life with the first hit

He's no more athletic than Reggie Bush. Anybody got that link of the Saints/Eagles playoff game from a few years back?

[Dappleganger]

21. Ah, it was only a matter of time

before someone dissed the world's most popular sport.

Actually, it does have US appeal to the millions of families with kids who grew up playing it and the ever-growing minority population in the US.

WE are the ones who are left behind.

[NoNothing]

32. Why so serious

Guess what? It's a game. Nobody is "left behind" if they happen to like something different than anybody else. Conformism isn't progress. Celebrate diversity.

[Barack_America]

28. It's more exciting than American Football...

Where it takes minutes to set-up the next seconds of play.

:thumbsdown:

[LostInAnomie]

33. Yeah, I can see how watching a game where watching guys run around for hours...

... to end in a 0-0 tie could be incredibly exciting. What kind of sport ends in a tie?

[proteus_lives]

36. Or where it's an acceptable tactic to fake an injury.

What kind of sport is that?

[geardaddy]

49. It's not acceptable. You get a yellow card for that.

[SnakeEyes]

60. Scorelines often don't tell the entire story.

hours? Matches are only 90 minutes unless it's the knockout round and only then is it 2 hours long.

There have been plenty of good, low scoring NFL games.. if you actually count the number of times the team scores rather than the value given. A 14-7 game is the same as 2-1 in soccer.

As for the draw. One game is just a moment in the overall season. Group play is like a mini-season. They are marathons and not sprints. American sports marketers have successfully taught American's that every game counts and every moment is the biggest thing ever. So you have these additional rules created to contrive a winner rather than say two teams were even that day and credit both teams for the even game. The contrived scenarions then devalue the game that was played in regular time. Play overtime when one team must be eliminated that day.

[wilt the stilt]

61. let me quote Herm Edawrds

"you play to WIN the game"

[wolfgangmo]

67. What kind of sport ends in a tie?

The most popular one in the world and the most democratic.

Football is all about republican neo-con ideals; sell the crap out of it with more commericals than playtime, give 10 minutes effort for every 4 hours real work, expect a pat on the back for standing around, and every year or two ask for a government handout for a new stadium.

[LostInAnomie]

70. Haha... that could be one of the funniest things I've read on here.

Seriously? Football = Republican ideals!? HAHAHA!!!

Sports are about competition to see who is best. If your sport welcomes the prospect of a tie, it isn't much of a sport. Who's wanting a pat on the back for doing nothing again?

Pointing to something's popularity is the lamest version of justification. Rush Limbaugh, Britney Spears, and scat porn are all pretty popular in certain circles. That doesn't mean they aren't fucking horrible.

[HuckleB]

73. Your post is certainly more spot on than the posts of the soccer haters.

[Renew Deal]

77. American football has 11 minutes of action in a 3 hour game.

And football ends in a tie.

[JVS]

62. Soccer also takes minutes to set up the next seconds of play, they just don't stop the clock.

You can see them kicking back and forth to position the play and then they miss and they repeat the whole setup again. It's very boring and they don't even have the courtesy to pause for a moment so you can grab a beer. So theoretically something could happen, but in practice doesn't. If you want to make football more like that, just tell the refs never to stop the clock or call the play dead.

[Barack_America]

68. At least there's something to watch in the interim.

[JVS]

69. I'll take my chances with Madden and the telestrator or going to get a beer between plays.

Both are more interesting.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Well, you could watch noisy machinery go around in circles.

[asdjrocky]

16. I do?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. Sorry, I left out the "could". Fixing it.

[asdjrocky]

22. I could?

[damntexdem]

25. Yes. I just muted the TV.

Nothing was happening that necessitated listening to an announcer.

But I fell asleep and missed the U.S. goal, although the replay of the goalkeeper's muff was shown repeatedly, so I guess I didn't miss much.

Those horns should be outlawed.

[Fuzz]

34. I love the World Cup and watch as many matches as possible.

The horns do give me a headache though, but I fight through.

Best sporting event in the world, imho.

[lisa58]

40. Is that what they are? It never stopped buzzing...

[Codeine]

58. They're ridiculous

and FIFA looks like idiots for allowing it to continue.

[KonaKane]

42. Viva World Cup

I'm a soccer fan. No American foo'baw for this boy. Talk about boring ....play for five seconds, stop, take two minutes to bullshit on the field and regroup, play, stop, repeat...bleh.

[Barack_America]

56. My thoughts exactly.

And that goal that was just scored? Exciting!

(deliberately not telling you the details as not to spoil you)

[tabatha]

51. The vuvuzela: Inciting passions as much as the football

I was going to crack on with the science series, looking at fatigue, but something that I almost have to discuss is the controversy that is rapidly building momentum regarding the vuvuzela. This is the name of the traditional horn that South African football fans blow at football matches. If you have watched even one single minute of the action so far, you know exactly what it is. Either that, or you are concerned that every match is about to be halted by the world's largest swarm of bees.

Last year, when the world first met the vuvuzela during the Confederations Cup, there were reports that broadcasters in Europe received complaints from viewers who thought that the broadcaster had messed up the sound. Or they thought there was something wrong with the TV sets. Well, now, nine matches in, you know that the sound exists. The question is: How do you feel about it?

Growing resentment and patriotic defence

If you hate it, and find it impossible to sit through 90 minutes of a match, then you're not alone. In fact, your company is growing at an alarming rate. A facebook site called FIFA-Ban the annoying vuvuzela (horn) from the South Africa World Cup has been set up, and already it has over 60,000 members. More remarkably, in the 5 or 10 minutes that you might take to read this post, membership will have grown by about 200 people. And that's on a Sunday afternoon/evening. It seems destined to build even more in the week.

The controversy over the horn is nothing new. The complaints around the Confederations Cup last year led to discussion over a potential ban. That was met with patriotic fury from within South Africa, where the general consensus was that it was part of the atmosphere, the unique character of the tournament. Interestingly, some of the most vocal criticism now seems to be coming from SA, because the vuvuzela is being blown everywhere, not just in stadia. Shopping malls, airports, public places - the sound is ubiquitous and I think people's patience is wearing thin.

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2010/06/vuvuzela-love-it-or-hate-it.html

[harun]

52. Just mute it, announcers suck anyway. Then fire up the laptop

and complain about sh*t on DU.

That's what I do anyway.

[Brewman_Jax]

53. Yes

I've been watching the World Cup, morning and afternoon and replays. Wouldn't miss it. :thumbsup:

[iamthebandfanman]

59. i find the sport incredibly boring

and painful to watch...

dont get me wrong, those guys are more athletic than i could ever dream of being...

but yikes boring.

our 'football' is too tho, i mean... didnt someone do some statistics on football games that showed outa the entire time the game was played only 4-5 minutes was actually running plays?


i guess my low attention span will always make me a fan of basketball... either that or the state ive been raised in ;)

[HuckleB]

64. Anyone who watches auto racing should feel right at home!

[brooklynite]

71. I like baseball; I like soccer...

...live with it.

(from someone who saw Pele play in his prime)

[EFerrari]

72. Me, too. My brother learned how to wind up like Juan Marichal

and all our kids played soccer. :thumbsup:

[redqueen]

76. It's not that big a deal to me. I miss the chanting...

but otherwise, meh. It's just background noise.

I don't get what all the caterwauling is about, really.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

78. "Get those damn kids off the lawn!"

:think:

[provis99]

79. those horns are the only exciting thing about soccer.

Why else is the world press talking about the horns, rather than the games? Because soccer is an incredibly slow, dull, pointless sport. The only reason to go to a soccer game isn't to watch the game itself; its to participate in a riot; just as any real soccer fan.

[Onceuponalife]

81. +1000

[City Lights]

82. I had a difficult time staying interested earlier in the tournament, but I've

since become a fan. I've tuned out the buzz of the horns and really enjoy the sport. :bounce: