World Cup
quote:
Originally posted by SadGeezer:
Are you sure?! Someone told me that the biggest spectator sport (maybe that’s different) was something unusual like Formula One.
I have seen many news stories here in the United States commenting about the apathy towards football here. According to all these news reports, football is, without a doubt, the most popular sport in the world. When you get down to it, it’s a simple game that anyone in the world can play. You don’t need expensive equipment, just a ball and two feet.
IMHO, the popularity american football is beginning to fade. This is debateable, of course, but the ratings for the Super Bowl (the so-called “world championship” of american football) has declined in recent years. And without a doubt, baseball has also declined in popularity.
“Soccer Mom” is a derogatory term used here in the USA. It describes an upwardly-mobile mother who typically drives a mini-van or sport-utility vehicle. The stereotype also implies that her kids belong to soccer teams and she’s the one who takes them and their teammates to practice and matches. You know what I mean, the busybody who bakes cookies for everyone in the office. LOL! (No offence to any soccer moms out there! I was just describing a derogatory term for our friends across the pond.) Anyway, IMHO, I think the mere existance of such a term implies that soccer is increasing in popularity in the USA. In a culture where hip-hop and raves are now popular, I think jocko-homo american football must be less appealing.
It’s also worth noting that soccer was lampooned on an episode of [i]The Simpsons[/i]. The city of Springfield hosted the World Cup. The show acknowledged the fact that it’s the most popular sport in the world. But it was portrayed as dull and boring… and therefore started a riot! LOL
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Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing the match between England and Sweden later this afternoon. Yes, I know it’s already over, don’t tell me who won. It’s the only match they are showing on television here during the afternoon.
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I got a question. Where the heck did the word “soccer” come from? I suppose I already know the general answer, but I was just wondering what others knew about it’s origin.