Alt, Twitter gets behind World Cup as rest of America fiddles
By Thomas Ricker 
posted June 11th 2010 7:19AM
posted June 11th 2010 7:19AM
Alt, posted June 11th 2010 7:19AM
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the usa will never let england live it down if they beat us on saturday...
they'll claim "revenge for what bp did" or something like that.
@Wiggy Fuzz, what do you mean "if"?
@StringMon You're right - the US don't have a hope in hell.
(he says, somewhat hopefully)
@Wiggy Fuzz Football (the one played with feet) is simply dead in the USA, and the problem is that a lot of people think of it as science or techniques while in fact it is pure art and talent.
@RincewindWiz
ha ha, summed up my thoughts exactly :)
@Techno1q
No, what we think it is, is boring. You play 90 minutes and have a 2-1 score, and if you're lucky, none of those points came on penalty kicks. Don't get me wrong - it's a great sport to play (I played for years), and I have a lot of respect for the players as athletes (really have to be in shape, unlike say, baseball players), but watching it is painful.
@blazeofglory Watching baseball is painful
@Wiggy Fuzz
Honestly, if the USA wins it's the best for the sport. It would push for more US people to watch the World Cup and grow Soccer's popularity. I'm sorry but the US dwarfs England in population and spending power, plus England will still love the sport, the US loses interest fast.
@blazeofglory
Says the country who enjoy baseball. The most boring sport ever created (right after golf).
@JakeK66 So in that case, we should let China (qualify and) win it.
@blazeofglory
Yup, its the big points that make cricket so exciting to watch.
High scoring football matches are often dull to watch because it usually indicates that one team is much better than the other, and there isn't much competition. If you want high scores on both sides, you could always watch the locals playing 5 a side in the park, but is it really more more exciting?
I think that games where the points are constantly racking up are great for people who are easily distracted, but I prefer games where the goal is a major achievement at the end of a long exciting build up.
If I wanted to see points right left and centre I would watch darts.
@blazeofglory
You are right. BUT the World Cup is different, it is this 4 yearly event where teams that are not used to play together playing just football and the game becomes much more interesting to watch. Don´t ask why just pick a team cheer for them and enjoy the show ;-)
@Wiggy Fuzz Hey Americans, dont lose all your hope, this is actually gonna be a great game and only the 2nd time it happens on the World Cup. It's kind of an historic game since US beat then-powerful England in 1950 with a team of amateurs who had day jobs like accountant, etc.
Also, US is surprising. Last year, they went all the way until the final game with Brazil (off course they lost but it was a close 3-2) on the Confederations Cup so don't give up!
VAI BRASIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My exact thoughts. Soccer is the world's most viewed and truly the only sport to unite continents.
I still laugh when i see american announcers say that "The Superbowl" is the most important event worldwide. I didn't know America counted as being the whole world because in other parts of the world, nobody cares.
And yes, it is FOOTBALL, not soccer.
My bet's on the US to get to the quarterfinals.
@chrisrottan not to be a kill joy but for usa to get to the quaterfinals they have to beat england or germany
@chrisrottan Good luck on that buddy. No trying to be negative, but US will more than likely be out within the first few matches. They were never good at fotbal, and never will be. The main sport here is Fooball, as in Rugby Style sport. Take a damn rugby team and play em against an NFL Team and see how that will go. Holy crap, a smackdown for sure...
Either Spain, Brazil or Italy will win the cup...
@chrisrottan
I think there is a problem in Geography knowledge:
U.S.A. is NOT the same as America.
There is North America, Central America, Caribbean and Antilles, and South America.
And yes, Football is the most popular sport in the world.
I have a question why American Football is called football if they use mostly their hands? Is not that weird?
@chrisrottan You sir, are correct.
Also, http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/comment/4/2010/06/7209e88be5beb590e42780fac4c4a693/original.jpg
@chrisrottan Shouldnt you be at an Obama rally right now?
@cornelp
Oh man this is pure gold.
A rugby team wouldn't even bother to play NFL in the first place. Most NFL players have no talent, they are just massive guys and their manager works out where to place them upon which they run forwards at the blow of a whistle. They are pawns.
NFL is chess.
@chrisrottan If you're going to complain about what it's called atleast spell it right. It's futbol.
I personaly don't give a crap what it's called. Both names work fine. What really annoys me is the word rubish referring to trash I here when I watch UK news broadcasts. Rubbish just sounds completely gay.
@gfrantz
I speak spanish as my native language, yes we call it Fútbol in spanish and in portuguese is the same name, but I always thought the name for it in english was Football. Since I was a child I knew that in U.S.A. they called it Soccer to avoid confusion with American Football.
@chrisrottan GERMANY GERMANY GERMANY
@gfrantz Here in the U.K. it is football. No doubt about it. Most other countries have their own word for it, because they have different languages (pretty obvious), but it all means that same thing and in British English at least it is football.
I have no idea where you got "futbol" from? Beatnik is probably right about that though, you just got British English and Spanish mixed up (and missed the acute accent =p).
As for "rubish" being a "gay" word. Please don't insult us. Firstly, I don't know what "rubish" is. I know whar rubbish is. Secondly, "trash" is disliked here in Blighty by a fair few people (you've ruined our Pokémon games with it, damn you!).
@gfrantz
Stop rubbishing our language!
On a separate note, since I was supporting Scotland in this world cup, I hope USA and England BOTH lose. And I hope all of the other teams lose too, and that Scotland gets the cup because they tried quite hard to qualify and did not that bad but not very good either. :*(
@chrisrottan
The USA will have to get past the group stage first. Unfortunately for them England and Slovenia are the best teams in their group :)
Can't wait to own the USofA
I never got why American Football is called that let a lone why they're allowed to call it Football.
Can I make a new sport that has a very occasional use of bases and a none spherical object involved and call it Baseball? Can rename that 'other' Baseball "Slugger" while I'm at it?
@Hobsie Because they want people to get confused and watch American Fotball (also known as Rugby). They want American Football to dominate the world. It has taken lightly to some european countries, but will NEVER dominate the world. Its not a WORLD sport. Fotbal (soccer as we call it here) has been around for dozens of years. Not sure about NFL, but its not cool they call it the same name. That ought be a copyright issue, really...
@cornelp
"around for dozens of years" - I know the USA is a young country but come on now :P
@cornelp
What?! Rugby is not the same as American Football, not even close! Best thing I've read all week, cheers!
The reason American Football hasn't caught on is it is simply not a very good sport.
@JBaker
And yes no other country gives a monkeys about the superbowl.
@Hobsie apparently it's because that damn thing they also call a "ball" (ball?! BALL?!) is a foot in length.
cue eye-roll.
@JBaker Actually due to canada's proximity to the US I would say we probably care the most about American football compared to any other country. We call it football not American football and we call football soccer here also. Football was the biggest sport at my highschool and university apart from hockey.
@Hobsie
"Can I make a new sport that has a very occasional use of bases and a none spherical object involved and call it Baseball? Can rename that 'other' Baseball "Slugger" while I'm at it?"
sure, knock yourself out.
@cornelp
fotbal? WTF? the correct spanish/hispanic spelling is "futbol." (except the accent is missing)
@mattmilone
Settle down spaz
@Hobsie
"I never got why American Football is called that let a lone why they're allowed to call it Football."
take a look at this:
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gridiron_football"
"Gridiron football, or more commonly Gridiron, is a non-standard umbrella term used in some English-speaking countries outside North America to refer to several similar codes of football played primarily in the United States and Canada."
it's not even an american term! i guess instead of dropping the football part, we dropped gridiron and called it football. interesting, i didn't know there was a legit reason we called it football.
@Hobsie
"Given that so much of the world favors football, why do Americans call the game soccer?
It's an abbreviation of association football. Both soccer and American football come from the same set of precursor sports, which became popular in upper-class English schools in the early 19th century and spread across the Atlantic. All these games involved advancing a ball through an opponent's territory and scoring at the far end, but the rules varied from place to place. Ultimately, the version adopted as standard in the United Kingdom came to be known as association football, while another set of rules won out in the United States. Thus the Americans took to calling their gridiron variety football, and referred to the British sport by the slang term soccer, derived from the soc in association."
http://www.slate.com/id/2255959/
You can either continue to be an idiot, or you can learn something.
@mattmilone Wow. Nice language. You need to learn how to act like an adult first. Personal attacks are not necessary (if you act as an adult).
Anyways. NFL does want to rule all sports. Reason? Reputation and money and publicity.
First, England wants NFL to come to their country so that they can make more money. I mean who in the hell does not wants a sport in their country? It creates jobs, money, etc etc.
Second, just because one country (England) wants the sport, does not mean is the biggest sport in the world.
Three, Why did they copy the futbol word? Why couldnt they call it something else? I mean basketball, they play with a basket, therefore the name matches. Baseball, they play with a baseball and a bat, matches the name. Golf, they play with a gold club, hence the name. Football, they play with their hands, YET, they call it football, and the ball is not even round for god sakes. There are MANY similarities from Rugby, YET, they didnt call rugby football.
Another reason why the gross income is sooo high is because the players love to play the game, not for the money, but for the game itself.
And if you trully believe (and Ive seen the stats, dont believe it) that NFL makes more money than Soccer WORLD, you must be smoking something (give me some too please).
I live in US, and played soccer professionally in Germany. I love both sports, but to go and steal a great name such as fubol is just shame...
Next time, please comment properly and with LESS nasty language. There is no need for it. Settle down and comment like a mature man/woman...
@maveric101 In my native country we call it futbol. Here they call it soccer. Some parts of the world they call it fotbal. It all depends where you from. I know in spanish they call it futbol (my spanish wife always says whats up with soccer, lol)...
I was just using the word as it being stated around here, thats all...
@Zimzoom
"Given that so much of the world favors football, why do Americans call the game soccer?"
I never said that? Also the fact that "American Football" is derived from "Gridiron football" doesn't change the absurdity of calling it Football in the first place nor does it absolve anyone for continuing to use the name.
Its not a ball and you barely use your feet to interact with it, get a better name! preferably one that isn't already taken.
@cornelp
"Three, Why did they copy the futbol word?"
did you not read either of the two links above you?
@Zimzoom That still does not justify for a game to be called a name's from another sport.
Just because the Americans decided to slang call the sport "soccer" does not give it justice. They (US) just wants to take the name and justify it by a means of early history and slang. Nice, very nice of them. They ought to call it handball or ovallball, but football? Come on. Not right....
@cornelp
So what are you going to do about it?
@GreatLoner
I'm somewhat confused as to why he NEEDS to do something about it other than express his dismay?
Unless we're in a School playground? At which point I'm now double daring you to spread the word that "American Football" is now known as..."GRIDY" (Taken from Gridiron).
@Hobsie
I'm tired of hearing the same whining every couple of years about the same crap about our sports. We will never stop calling American Football 'Football', or stop calling Soccer 'Soccer'. As I said in another post, I have a simple solution, if you don't want to accept or watch our sports; then don't. In turn, leave us Americans to our interests and don't force us to watch your sports or speak your nomenclature. We will not change our ways.
@GreatLoner
So what are you going to do about it?
@Hobsie
Keep on calling diveball soccer.
@GreatLoner
That's cool you do that while playing Gridy and hunting with the National Rifle Soccer...
@Hobsie
With pleasure.