Classic Rant #43 (July 14, 2009): Soccer Just Kicks Me Off

I hate the sport of soccer.

I just can't stand it. Kicking a ball around ad infinitum, running around after the ball, and hoping to score a goal is just so boring to me that I can't explain in words, really, what I think about this sport, which is known as football in most places in the world other than the U.S.

Well, the rest of the world can have this sport. As the U.S. continues to make itself a place in the international community, we have tried to get the country interested in this sport. Going back to the 1960s, soccer has been an enigma that the American public has had jammed down its throats, but which it simply doesn't want.

Even the presence of Pele with the New York Cosmos couldn't save the sport, or that league, in the U.S.

When I was in the Florida, the American team played a valiant game against highly rated Brazil, but lost after playing what was called a perfect first half. Who cares? I just wanted to see the baseball scores.

No matter how politically incorrect it may be to say this, soccer is simply B-O-R-I-N-G. And don't tell me I don't understand the game; I do, and it still stinks.

Youth leagues abound in this country, but this participation doesn't translate down the line when these kids grow up. The four main team sports here--baseball, football, and to a lesser extent basketball and hockey--are so dominating that there is little room for a fifth sport. And what's more, sports like bowling, tennis and golf are way ahead of soccer in popularity in this country.

So keep your World Cup, I really don't care. And I am sick and tired of having this game rammed down our throats as if we must love soccer, because the rest of the world does.

It's a niche diversion, nothing more, and it will never be anything more in this country. What's more, I think if the world woke up, they would see it as the same thing we do here in the U.S.: a sham game that really isn't too exciting when you look at it with a discerning eye.

Elsewhere, I believe much of the draw of soccer is that it is more political and nationalistic than our sports can ever be, hence the numerous riots that have accompanied various soccer matches over the years in Europe and other parts of the world.

I would rather watch mold form than watch soccer.