NationStates Jolt Archive

This is from a US newspaper - the Pioneer Press in Minnesota. It was reprinted in the Observer's sport section on Sunday 18th June. Sadly, I can't find the article anywhere on the Observer or Guardian website, nor on the Pioneer Press site. However, I swear that this really is a true article from an American newspaper, or you can sue the Observer.

If the government really is serious about identifying illegal immigrants, it has a unique opportunity to record their whereabouts. All the Department of Homeland Security has to do is monitor the city-by-city television ratings of this months's World Cup. Agents should be dispatched to any area where the ratings reflect any unnaturally high level of interest. That likely signals a concentrated pocket of illegals. No one who is actually from here cares about the most over-hyped, mind-numbingly boring event in the world.

Thirty years after soccer was supposed to be the next thing here, ESPN and ABC will again attempt to 'educate' as well as entertain American viewers during the World Cup. The arrogance is astounding. The networks still think Americans aren't interested in soccer because we don't understand it. In fact, just the opposite is true. We don't like soccer because we do understand it. And it's awful.

It's time to quit apologising and tell the truth. When it comes to soccer, we're right and the rest of the world is wrong. If they want to dance in the streets of Cameroon or Belgium over this stuff, fine. But the sport does not suit American taste, and we should stop feeling guilty about it.

Americans are an industrious people. We use our hands. We catch footballs. We throw baseballs. We hit golf balls by gripping a piece of equipment. It is unnatural for us to put our hands behind our backs and try to 'pass' a soccer ball to a team-mate by bouncing it off our heads. We aren't circus seals, and no one's going to toss us a fish if we do it right.

Yes, America may be the only country that doesn't go goofy for soccer. We're also the only remaining super power. Don't you see a connection there?

I'd rather have a colonoscopy than watch a minute of it. Soccer's the rest of the world's problem. Let's not even fake it anymore.

Now. A few things before I begin. Firstly, I realise that this is an opinion piece. It's written in the first person. Second, I can tell that the Pioneer Press clearly has a comparatively uneducated readership, and is therefore aimed at people more likely to be 'patriots'. Sentence structure isn't exactly advanced, and the majority of sentences are under ten words long. Thirdly, I know that this is the view of many Americans - the majority of Americans, even. I don't want diatribes about how this is what Americans really think. I know some don't, so just don't bother.

Right. Television ratings for the World Cup so far show that for the first 8 games in Germany (of which America played in precisely 0), average audience is 2.6 million viewers. From a quick search on Google, I found that the very top programmes get about 20 million viewers, while only 15 get over 10 million. I'd be interested to find out the viewing figures for USA vs. Czech Republic. It seems that football in America has a healthy tv audience - ok, it's only 1% of the population, but if the top shows get under 10%, it can't be that bad.

But that's not the point of this thread. I was pissed off with the sheer arrogance and dumb hypocrisy of the first bit I put in bold. "The arrogance is astounding...We're right and the rest of the world is wrong"? What. The. Fuck?! I can't quite get my head around this. Is this an attempt at irony? Or did someone seriously think that this was a good way to make such a point? If it's the former, then the person who wrote this needs to get a grip. If it's the latter, then...:headbang: (I feel that for the first time I am justified in using that icon in a serious post).

The other part I bolded - someone should point out to this person the meaning of the phrase 'non-causal relationship'.

And, finally, "We catch footballs". With your hands. You catch a FOOTball with your HANDS. (Sorry, I just got pissed off by the end of the article).

Rant over. Comments?

The other part I bolded - someone should point out to this person the meaning of the phrase 'non-causal relationship'.
Someone should point out to you the meaning of "satire" and "hyperbole."

Americans? Self absorbed and arrogant? :eek: What shocking news!

Americans are an industrious people. We use our hands. We catch footballs. We throw baseballs. We hit golf balls by gripping a piece of equipment. It is unnatural for us to put our hands behind our backs and try to 'pass' a soccer ball to a team-mate by bouncing it off our heads. We aren't circus seals, and no one's going to toss us a fish if we do it right.


Given how fat and lazy such a large segment of our population is, I hardly think our dislike of football has anything to do with our "industrious" nature...I think we're just not physically fit enough to handle something so demanding.
And if you think football moves are unnatural, try golf. I've been playing it for a while and I can say some types of swings, positions, and clubs used go far beyond even the most unnatural positions used in football.

Stupid people being stupid. Just keep them in their corner and watch them get drunk and kill themselves over a stupid football game while we enjoy the rest of the World Cup.

Someone should point out to you the meaning of "satire" and "hyperbole."
Someone should point out to you the meaning of "target readership".

Stupid people being stupid. Just keep them in their corner and watch them get drunk and kill themselves over a stupid football game while we enjoy the rest of the World Cup.

Leave England out of this! This is an American bashing hypocritical thread dammit!

Doesn't look like USA is going to make 2nd round anyway..

Someone should point out to you the meaning of "target readership".
Can you say "public forum," little person? :D

Can you say "public forum," little person? :D


OOOO plays the munchkin card!;)

Can you say "public forum," little person? :D
Ohhh that was elite for such a person like you! :fluffle:

OOOO plays the munchkin card!;)
I love those little donut balls too!

Yes, America may be the only country that doesn't go goofy for soccer. We're also the only remaining super power. Don't you see a connection there?
ATTENTION! Strong connection detected!

The United States of America are the only remaining super power precisely because its citizens deslike football! The Yanks have revealed their greatest secret! Quick, convince your friends and relatives to start hating football (and start calling it soccer) and your country will be well on its way to become a WORLD SUPER POWER!



Hilarious.

I'd apologize on the behalf of the US (plus, what is this with us not liking soccer? Does *anybody* look at the size of the youth soccer leagues in this country? Go ahead, compare them to other sports... that's right. Soccer's big. Wait ten years, the US will go nuts about the WC too.), only the article can't be mocked any further. It does too good a job of ridiculing itself.

The article posted by IV Stalin has been chopped down from the original (http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/14741693.htm)by Tom Powers in the St Paul Pioneer Press.

The general gist and mood is the same though.

What I would ask is, what the hell does a baseball hack know about football and the viewing choices of the American public. Stick to writing about Morneau and the Twins Tom and you won't look so stupid in the future.

Football... fútball... what's the difference? "Move spherical objects to a predesignated destination more times than your opponent." With few exceptions, every sport comes down to the same basic premise of Hungry Hungry Hippos... although H^3 offers more excitement.

As far as I'm concerned, all sports are equally boring. However, I live in a free country, so I don't have to watch or play anything I don't want to. Although I can assure you, if I enjoyed one or more sport over another, I wouldn't feel the need to put out smear ads against the competition.

Right. Television ratings for the World Cup so far show that for the first 8 games in Germany (of which America played in precisely 0), average audience is 2.6 million viewers. From a quick search on Google, I found that the very top programmes get about 20 million viewers, while only 15 get over 10 million. I'd be interested to find out the viewing figures for USA vs. Czech Republic. It seems that football in America has a healthy tv audience - ok, it's only 1% of the population, but if the top shows get under 10%, it can't be that bad.


Actually, you're way off by American ratings. 20 million viewers a lot? Try the Superbowl with its 140 million viewers. Lets compare-

average World cup rating in U.S. so far this year : 1.4
highest rated game (on spanish channel Univision): 8.7
(Mexico-Iran)

average Superbowl in the U.S. clocks above 40. Regular season games are in the 20-30's.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3974523.html

http://www.ticketspecialists.com/nfl/super_bowl_tickets.htm

http://www.football365.com/features/mediawatch/story_187047.shtml

http://search.yahoo.com/search?sm=Yahoo%21+Search&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&p=All+the+Department+of+Homeland+Security+has+to+do+is+monitor+the+city-by-city+television+ratings+of+this+World+Cup.

Alright, we'll settle this the best way.

GOOGLE FIGHT!

And the winner is... World Cup with over 400 million hits.
The Super Bowl has 54 million.
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=World+Cup&word2=Super+Bowl

Gomen ne.

If you limit it to Fifa World Cup (To eliminate the hundreds of other sporting world cups) then the World cup still wins but with only 71 Million.

yes one persons opinion must be the true feelings of everyone in the country they call home.

And how many people enjoy US football?

Yeah.

And how many people enjoy US football?

Yeah.

Raises hand

And how many people enjoy US football?

Yeah.

Raises hand as well.

And how many people enjoy US football?

Yeah.

*raises hand with a Hermione-like enthusiasm*

Ooh, ooh me me!!!

Americans? Self absorbed and arrogant? :eek: What shocking news!
lol, I was thinking the same thing.

How many of you that raised your hand were born outside of the US, and reside outside of the US?

It's an odd, singular game. And people bitch about soccer? Crazy.

Actually, I think anyone who wishes to really ought to read the whole article. While the gist and mood are similar, it is interesting to see what bits were hacked out.

Yes, and some freaky Canuks like it too.

But we're pretty isolated in that, us North Americans.

Yes, and some freaky Canuks like it too.

But we're pretty isolated in that, us North Americans.


You wont be offended if I call you Canadian will you?

How many of you that raised your hand were born outside of the US, and reside outside of the US?

It's an odd, singular game. And people bitch about soccer? Crazy.

Hey, I like most sports, and have played most sports as well. What does it matter where you live? US football on the beach in Brazil is fun. :)

I hate the United States because it doesn't even have football in the way the rest of the world has it. It's so offensive to other countries. Plus, the American football is so violent. I hate being American.

On illegal immigration, I personally don't think any human being is illegal. The immigrants are only coming for education and healthcare, and those are basic human rights. I don't see what is wrong with the native population learning some Spanish. It's time America made up for killing and oppressing people.

This is from a US newspaper - the Pioneer Press in Minnesota. It was reprinted in the Observer's sport section on Sunday 18th June. Sadly, I can't find the article anywhere on the Observer or Guardian website, nor on the Pioneer Press site. However, I swear that this really is a true article from an American newspaper, or you can sue the Observer.



Now. A few things before I begin. Firstly, I realise that this is an opinion piece. It's written in the first person. Second, I can tell that the Pioneer Press clearly has a comparatively uneducated readership, and is therefore aimed at people more likely to be 'patriots'. Sentence structure isn't exactly advanced, and the majority of sentences are under ten words long. Thirdly, I know that this is the view of many Americans - the majority of Americans, even. I don't want diatribes about how this is what Americans really think. I know some don't, so just don't bother.

Right. Television ratings for the World Cup so far show that for the first 8 games in Germany (of which America played in precisely 0), average audience is 2.6 million viewers. From a quick search on Google, I found that the very top programmes get about 20 million viewers, while only 15 get over 10 million. I'd be interested to find out the viewing figures for USA vs. Czech Republic. It seems that football in America has a healthy tv audience - ok, it's only 1% of the population, but if the top shows get under 10%, it can't be that bad.

But that's not the point of this thread. I was pissed off with the sheer arrogance and dumb hypocrisy of the first bit I put in bold. "The arrogance is astounding...We're right and the rest of the world is wrong"? What. The. Fuck?! I can't quite get my head around this. Is this an attempt at irony? Or did someone seriously think that this was a good way to make such a point? If it's the former, then the person who wrote this needs to get a grip. If it's the latter, then...:headbang: (I feel that for the first time I am justified in using that icon in a serious post).

The other part I bolded - someone should point out to this person the meaning of the phrase 'non-causal relationship'.

And, finally, "We catch footballs". With your hands. You catch a FOOTball with your HANDS. (Sorry, I just got pissed off by the end of the article).

Rant over. Comments?

Tom Powers is the name of the person you should rant at.

His e-mail address is given in the link you failed to provide to the original article.

Be very careful. His sentence structure and syntax are superior to yours.

No wonder I don't get along with so many of my fellow USians. They hate the only interesting sport out there. While they're busy watching 400-pound steroid adicts crashing into one another, 200-pound steroid adicts hiting a sphere with a stick, and 120-pound steroid adicts running around bouncing a ball on the floor, the rest of the world is actually watching an interesting sport.

Not that I watch much soccer. I don't watch any sports.

Tom Powers is the name of the person you should rant at.

His e-mail address is given in the link you failed to provide to the original article.

Be very careful. His sentence structure and syntax are superior to yours.
Regardless of the sentence structure issue (a result of editorial pressure probably) do you think that Tom Powers is in a position to judge what the US has decided with regard to football. Come on, he is a sports hack in Minnesota (or perhaps Minneapolis) and not in a position to know what people really want.

Regardless of the sentence structure issue (a result of editorial pressure probably) do you think that Tom Powers is in a position to judge what the US has decided with regard to football. Come on, he is a sports hack in Minnesota (or perhaps Minneapolis) and not in a position to know what people really want.

That is why I suggested that the original poster e-mail Mr Powers with his beefs rather than bash everyone here who did not write the peice.

Google Fight??

http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=FIFA&word2=NFL

Funny...that's pretty damn close, considering it's "one country" against the whole world.

Also...

Second, I can tell that the Pioneer Press clearly has a comparatively uneducated readership...

And that simply shows that you know absolutely nothing about that particular newspaper, the Twin Cities, or Minnesota in general.

I hate the United States because it doesn't even have football in the way the rest of the world has it. It's so offensive to other countries. Plus, the American football is so violent. I hate being American.

On illegal immigration, I personally don't think any human being is illegal. The immigrants are only coming for education and healthcare, and those are basic human rights. I don't see what is wrong with the native population learning some Spanish. It's time America made up for killing and oppressing people.
LOL...

just remembering someone else saying Rugby is the better sport because American Football has all those saftey equiptment...

Actually, I think anyone who wishes to really ought to read the whole article. While the gist and mood are similar, it is interesting to see what bits were hacked out.
can you link to the article?

can you link to the article?

Page 1 post 15

What you don't see is the dozens of letters to the editor published in the days following that piece, berating Powers for his borderline-racism ignorance. Don't judge all Minnesotans/Twin Citians by the actions of one local maniac.

What you don't see is the dozens of letters to the editor published in the days following that piece, berating Powers for his borderline-racism ignorance. Don't judge all Minnesotans/Twin Citians by the actions of one local maniac.

Dont blame Minnesotans? HAH! Too late. IV Stalin has blamed an entire nation. It's in the title. Hes got 3 and a half dozen replies already and quite a few are right with him.

I don't go around randomly insulting the entirety of your nation whenever a SINGLE member of your nation does something assinine or ridiculous.

Apparently there is at least one member of this nation of "Arrogant Assholes" who still has the courtesy to not immediately result to slander when something I disagree with is espoused, and the decency to not try and use ad hominem as proof of one's case.


Oh and for what its worth calling everyone or even the majority of people in America arrogant, selfish, conceited, or whatever other term you use is flame baiting, and is against the online code of conduct.


I understand a certain amount of anti-american sentiment due to the actions the USA has taken during the Bush administration, but leaping to conclusions about the United States in general is PURE hogwash (read unfounded, illogical, and trite).


Bush STOLE the 2004 election through some very shady election manipulations, and has managed to make very effective use of propaganda in the home country. This man and his policies do NOT represent half let alone a clear majority of what the United State's people desire. His public opinion polls are proof of this.



So climb off your hating horse and come back to the realm of rational discourse USA bashers. Some of us are actually waiting for a discussion of foreign affairs which DOESN'T degenerate into a "Let's Bash America Contest."

NT

Excellent! In Australia it's called soccer and it's not the most loved sport here either.

We're about to become a Superpower! :)

About time too, I say.

I hate the United States because it doesn't even have football in the way the rest of the world has it. It's so offensive to other countries. Plus, the American football is so violent. I hate being American.

On illegal immigration, I personally don't think any human being is illegal. The immigrants are only coming for education and healthcare, and those are basic human rights. I don't see what is wrong with the native population learning some Spanish. It's time America made up for killing and oppressing people.
You're a nut.

I hate the United States because it doesn't even have football in the way the rest of the world has it. It's so offensive to other countries. Plus, the American football is so violent. I hate being American.

On illegal immigration, I personally don't think any human being is illegal. The immigrants are only coming for education and healthcare, and those are basic human rights. I don't see what is wrong with the native population learning some Spanish. It's time America made up for killing and oppressing people.


If this is legit, then you are so ignorant its scary. Just how the hell is using the same name for something different "offensive to other countries." Just to let you know Austrailian Football trumps American Football in the violence department hands down. Nifty: Go to a country you do like then.


They are in this country in violation of the law. That is definitionally illegal. They are leaving a corrupt country where they are denied "basic human rights" and so it is the job of the United States to pick up the slack? In what dimension is it the job of the US to make sure Mexican citizens receive "basic human rights?" By all means let people learn Spanish; that doesn't have SQUAT to do with illegal immigration.

Killing and oppressing people... Find me a country that hasn't killed or oppressed people at some point during its history. The US is just as bad as any other country really.

And once you get this Anti-USA nonsense out of your head you will realize that illegal immigrants harm the US tax payers. Why in the hell should US tax payers bear the burden of ensuring the welfare of MEXICAN Citizens?! Mexico is NOT a poor country, and if its elite weren't making ninety-something percent of its countries money, then your average citizen in Mexico wouldn't be so badly off.

NT

Rant over. Comments?Said person certainly isn't speaking for all Americans.

Mexico is NOT a poor country, and if its elite weren't making ninety-something percent of its countries money, then your average citizen in Mexico wouldn't be so badly off.


Thus the problem with capitalism.

This is from a US newspaper - the Pioneer Press in Minnesota. It was reprinted in the Observer's sport section on Sunday 18th June. Sadly, I can't find the article anywhere on the Observer or Guardian website, nor on the Pioneer Press site. However, I swear that this really is a true article from an American newspaper, or you can sue the Observer.



Now. A few things before I begin. Firstly, I realise that this is an opinion piece. It's written in the first person. Second, I can tell that the Pioneer Press clearly has a comparatively uneducated readership, and is therefore aimed at people more likely to be 'patriots'. Sentence structure isn't exactly advanced, and the majority of sentences are under ten words long. Thirdly, I know that this is the view of many Americans - the majority of Americans, even. I don't want diatribes about how this is what Americans really think. I know some don't, so just don't bother.

Right. Television ratings for the World Cup so far show that for the first 8 games in Germany (of which America played in precisely 0), average audience is 2.6 million viewers. From a quick search on Google, I found that the very top programmes get about 20 million viewers, while only 15 get over 10 million. I'd be interested to find out the viewing figures for USA vs. Czech Republic. It seems that football in America has a healthy tv audience - ok, it's only 1% of the population, but if the top shows get under 10%, it can't be that bad.

But that's not the point of this thread. I was pissed off with the sheer arrogance and dumb hypocrisy of the first bit I put in bold. "The arrogance is astounding...We're right and the rest of the world is wrong"? What. The. Fuck?! I can't quite get my head around this. Is this an attempt at irony? Or did someone seriously think that this was a good way to make such a point? If it's the former, then the person who wrote this needs to get a grip. If it's the latter, then...:headbang: (I feel that for the first time I am justified in using that icon in a serious post).

The other part I bolded - someone should point out to this person the meaning of the phrase 'non-causal relationship'.

And, finally, "We catch footballs". With your hands. You catch a FOOTball with your HANDS. (Sorry, I just got pissed off by the end of the article).

Rant over. Comments?
I don't watch soccer. I don't watch any sports. But this dude is an idiot if he thinks soccer isn't fun to PLAY. I loved to play soccer when I was five--twelve. It's what kept me healthy then, that and baseball. I was great at soccer--I was the reason our team went to state year after year--but I sucked at baseball. No, if any sport is truly boring, its baseball. Soccer is more fun to watch than baseball.

cough (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_World_Cup_1994)

You're a nut.
You're a bolt. Now, let's build something.

Aaanyways. What a silly person.

Personally, I'm quite happy with Americans (not Americans in general, but "Americans" :p ) not being into football. As long as they quit attacking it in our threads, I don't think it's much of a problem.

That being said:
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,422072,00.html
Who Says Americans Don't Like Football?
By Andreas Tzortzis in Kaiserslautern

The entire soccer world dismisses the Americans as knowing nothing about the Beautiful Game. But USA fans have flooded Germany in record numbers for this year's World Cup. And have made huge sacrifices to do so.

For anyone looking for proof that America does not share the world's unbridled love for soccer, consider the case of Marshall Schnabel. When the Bostonian asked for extended weeks off to support the US soccer team in the 2006 World Cup, his employer turned him down.

So he did what he did the last time a boss refused to let him go to a World Cup. He quit.
Pictures: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,5538,14451,00.html

cough (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_World_Cup_1994)
Holy Shit! Did you just cough up a gigantic international tournament and media spectacle?

Holy Shit! Did you just cough up a gigantic international tournament and media spectacle?
:p
Yep, i think i blew an O-Ring too.:(

FIFA's decision in 1988 to hold the event in the United States over the bids of Morocco and Brazil surprised many considering the relative lack of soccer fans there (aside from a significant fanbase within the Latin American immigrant population). Despite these misgivings, in terms of attendance the event was a rousing success. The average attendance of nearly 69,000 shattered a record that had stood since 1950. The total attendance for the final tournament of nearly 3.6 million remains the greatest in World Cup history, despite the expansion of the competition to 32 teams in 1998. The overall attendance record will not be broken until at least 2010, as the maximum possible attendance for the 2006 World Cup is less than 3.5 million.
Take what you must from it folks.

Take what you must from it folks.

Considering that the World Cup attracts visitors from almost every nation represented (and many that aren't), and I think you have greater proof of America's capitalistic desire for tourism more than you have proof of soccer having "broken through" in the U.S.

Meh...either way. :p

Considering that the World Cup attracts visitors from almost every nation represented (and many that aren't), and I think you have greater proof of America's capitalistic desire for tourism more than you have proof of soccer having "broken through" in the U.S.

Meh...either way. :p
Exactly 'Six of one, half a dozen of another'.:p

Actually, you're way off by American ratings. 20 million viewers a lot? Try the Superbowl with its 140 million viewers. Lets compare-

average World cup rating in U.S. so far this year : 1.4
highest rated game (on spanish channel Univision): 8.7
(Mexico-Iran)

average Superbowl in the U.S. clocks above 40. Regular season games are in the 20-30's.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3974523.html

http://www.ticketspecialists.com/nfl/super_bowl_tickets.htmThe most watched Super Bowl was 1998's Super Bowl XXXII between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers which received a 44.5 rating and 67 share...And if we look at the figures for the World Cup?

From here (http://www.fifa.com/en/marketing/newmedia/index/0,3509,10,00.html) for figures of the 2002 World Cup.
The 20 most viewed matches of the tournament achieved an impressive average market share of 84.8%. The largest market share, 94.2%, was reached during Brazilian broadcaster TV Globo's coverage of the England v. Brazil quarter-final (46 million viewers and a 30.2% rating). This is an impressive audience for a broadcast that took place at 3.30 am local time.
Out-of-home viewing contributed to the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ Final being the most viewed match in FIFA World Cup™ history, with 1.1 billion individuals watching this game.
Don't tell me the Superbowl is big until you've witnessed World Cup fever.

And one last comment about American football? Did any troops ever completely cease fighting in a world war and then play a game of American football? I don't think so.

And once you get this Anti-USA nonsense out of your head you will realize that illegal immigrants harm the US tax payers.
What? There is no national system of healthcare, so it can't be that. They don't have real Social Security cards, so they can't get any real help from anything. Sure, their kids have to go to school, but who doesn't? There are alot of children and teens in school who probably shouldn't be there anyway. They pay local taxes obviously, and I bet they pay income taxes as well.
How do they harm American taxpayers?

And one last comment about American football? Did any troops ever completely cease fighting in a world war and then play a game of American football? I don't think so.
And Germany won 3:2 too!

'schland! 'schland!

http://www.buddy-icons.info/img/smile/1455.gif

I hate the United States because it doesn't even have football in the way the rest of the world has it. It's so offensive to other countries. Plus, the American football is so violent. I hate being American.

Dude. We have football, only we call it soccer. And I'm thinking you've never been out to your local youth rec fields on a weekend. Everywhere I've lived, you would see massive numbers of kids running around dressed up in uniform kicking actually round balls around. *shock* Alright, so MLS isn't real big in this country right now, but it'll do better. And okay, most Americans don't pay attention to the FWC. But if our team would actually get somewhere... ya know? All it takes for Americans to care, a lot, is for us to actually succeed, or almost succeed, once, at anything.

Plus, we also have American football. As far as I can see, more sports = better. At least as far as my entertainment is concerned.

On illegal immigration, I personally don't think any human being is illegal. The immigrants are only coming for education and healthcare, and those are basic human rights. I don't see what is wrong with the native population learning some Spanish. It's time America made up for killing and oppressing people.

Well, existing as a human being isn't illegal. But given that this country has a government and a system in place for dealing with people who want to become American, the people who go around that system are a nusiance and a tax burden. If they wanna come in, fine, but let 'em do it the right way. We, of course, probably ought to simplify the process... as you said, people shouldn't be illegal, and I extend that to say people shouldn't be treated as unwanted.

And Germany won 3:2 too!

'schland! 'schland!

http://www.buddy-icons.info/img/smile/1455.gifYou may have won the game, but you lost the war... both times. :p

*sulks*
*dreams of 1966*

Google Fight??

http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=FIFA&word2=NFL

Funny...that's pretty damn close, considering it's "one country" against the whole world.
Keep in mind Janet Jackson's role in the popularity of the Superbowl overseas ;)

And American football is crap. Why do you need two teams per side?

Why not just have one team that can both attack and defend, and last a whole match? Is it really that hard?

Plus it's like turn-based strategy rugby, but with helmets and stuff so that nobody gets injured.

This is from a US newspaper - the Pioneer Press in Minnesota. It was reprinted in the Observer's sport section on Sunday 18th June. Sadly, I can't find the article anywhere on the Observer or Guardian website, nor on the Pioneer Press site. However, I swear that this really is a true article from an American newspaper, or you can sue the Observer.



Now. A few things before I begin. Firstly, I realise that this is an opinion piece. It's written in the first person. Second, I can tell that the Pioneer Press clearly has a comparatively uneducated readership, and is therefore aimed at people more likely to be 'patriots'. Sentence structure isn't exactly advanced, and the majority of sentences are under ten words long. Thirdly, I know that this is the view of many Americans - the majority of Americans, even. I don't want diatribes about how this is what Americans really think. I know some don't, so just don't bother.

Right. Television ratings for the World Cup so far show that for the first 8 games in Germany (of which America played in precisely 0), average audience is 2.6 million viewers. From a quick search on Google, I found that the very top programmes get about 20 million viewers, while only 15 get over 10 million. I'd be interested to find out the viewing figures for USA vs. Czech Republic. It seems that football in America has a healthy tv audience - ok, it's only 1% of the population, but if the top shows get under 10%, it can't be that bad.

But that's not the point of this thread. I was pissed off with the sheer arrogance and dumb hypocrisy of the first bit I put in bold. "The arrogance is astounding...We're right and the rest of the world is wrong"? What. The. Fuck?! I can't quite get my head around this. Is this an attempt at irony? Or did someone seriously think that this was a good way to make such a point? If it's the former, then the person who wrote this needs to get a grip. If it's the latter, then...:headbang: (I feel that for the first time I am justified in using that icon in a serious post).

The other part I bolded - someone should point out to this person the meaning of the phrase 'non-causal relationship'.

And, finally, "We catch footballs". With your hands. You catch a FOOTball with your HANDS. (Sorry, I just got pissed off by the end of the article).

Rant over. Comments?

Why do you care this much what Americans think? They can think about football as they please....