World Cup 2018

Anybody watching?

Russia v Saudi Arabia is a pretty uninspiring first game.

Also, the fact that we won the right to host 2026 but are sharing duties with our North American neighbors, who we have been busy alienating.

By 2026, hopefully, all that BS will be history. I'd like to watch some but I have to remember to look for it when I get home. I completely forgot. Who is showing it?

Fox, Fox Sports, and Telemundo.

2 of the worst teams in the world to open up the World Cup. Must see TV.

I want to watch when Iceland plays.  Smallest country to make it in.

US Open for me

marznc wrote

I want to watch when Iceland plays.  Smallest country to make it in.

They were fun to watch 2 years ago during their run in the Euro.

World Cup is skiing.  No idea why anyone would be talk8ng about that in the summer.

Soccer is boring as watching paint dry.  It’s beyond me why any gives a crap about it.

Z wrote

World Cup is skiing.  No idea why anyone would be talk8ng about that in the summer.

Soccer is boring as watching paint dry.  It’s beyond me why any gives a crap about it.

Excellent! Been missing out on late night trolling Z since he abandoned the politics thread.

No offense, I love skiing (ski racing I appreciate but am mostly meh about), but the World Cup of skiing only takes place on two continents as far as I can tell, with 90% of the season in Europe. And only by individual competitors from the same collection of generally wealthy, white, mountainous nations.

By contrast, national teams from all over the world (todo al mundo!) compete in their regions for a chance to play in the largest sports competition known to man. It has been held on 5 different continents. The players are all different colors, religions. Many of the stars rose to prominence from incredibly humble beginnings.

So saying that World Cup skiing is the real World Cup is a bit like saying that the members of this message board reflect a true cross section of modern American society.

Plus the sociopolitical aspect can be fascinating when an African country knocks off it’s former colonial oppressor, or countries whose leaders rattle sabres at one another go toe to toe on the field.

I feel that there is probably a lot that is “beyond” you Z! 🍺 cheers mate!

Isn't soccer the worlds largest sport?

It gets pretty intense, especially on the fan side of things. They light fires and everything. ROWDY!

https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/16/world/93-are-dead-after-a-crush-at-soccer-game-in-england.html

Nah. It’s just minivan driving moms and their little everybody gets a trophy kids.

So it's a happy place

Yes. In the same way that the OT is a happy place!

Spain v Portugal today at 2:00. Should be a good one.

Lucky for me I have multiple screens here at work ---- soccer on one and golf on another

witch hobble wrote

. . .

By contrast, national teams from all over the world (todo al mundo!) compete in their regions for a chance to play in the largest sports competition known to man. It has been held on 5 different continents. The players are all different colors, religions. Many of the stars rose to prominence from incredibly humble beginnings.

So saying that World Cup skiing is the real World Cup is a bit like saying that the members of this message board reflect a true cross section of modern American society.

Plus the sociopolitical aspect can be fascinating when an African country knocks off it’s former colonial oppressor, or countries whose leaders rattle sabres at one another go toe to toe on the field.

I feel that there is probably a lot that is “beyond” you Z! 🍺 cheers mate!

I learned to play soccer at North Country School in Lake Placid on a co-ed team of 7th and 8th graders back in the late 1960s.  My first year we played a series of three games against the Northwood freshmen.  A bunch of 9th grade boys who clearly thought they would beat NCS middle school kids without having to try very hard.  NCS won the first game, perhaps a bit because a few of the boys were scared to play hard against a girl.  I remember a boy backing off as I dribbled towards the goal when he noticed I was a girl.  But we also had a good coach and played well as a team.  The second game, the Northwood freshmen played all out.  They won, but one tackle was so vicious that an NCS boy was on crutches for weeks.  Both teams played for keeps the third game.  The boy on crutches was there to watch from the sidelines.  Fair to say, NCS was out for revenge.  And NCS came out on top for the game and the series.

As far as I know, that was the only time NCS and Northwood played three games in the same season.

Maybe that's one reason why I root for the little countries in World Cup.

That's a great story Marz. That might make a decent kids movie

witch hobble wrote

Z wrote

Soccer is boring as watching paint dry.  It’s beyond me why any gives a crap about it.

By contrast, national teams from all over the world (todo al mundo!) compete in their regions for a chance to play in the largest sports competition known to man. It has been held on 5 different continents. The players are all different colors, religions. Many of the stars rose to prominence from incredibly humble beginnings.

The reason why it's big is that the barrier to entry is low.  It's inexpensive, not that it's good.  From the little I saw/read/understood last time, the powerhouse countries aim to tie each other in the opening rounds, and pound the s*** out of the weaker countries to win their division.  Then maybe try a little harder to score goals in the later rounds.

If you look at the diving that some players take, it make the WWE look like a real blood sport.  Bring out a stretcher for a guy who comes back in 5 minutes later after being carted off?  Ridiculous.

How FIFA governs (in selecting World Cup hosts) seems to be a junior version of the IOC....giant paper bag filled with bills.

The fans are worse.  I still remember that poor Colombian bastard who got his ass shot and killed for letting a goal in his own net.  A la NASCAR racing/crashes, I should tape soccer games just to see if there's a riot I might be interested in seeing.  That's to say nothing of the goofs who wear an Italian team scarf in summer to a sports bar.  Those clowns may be 12.5% Italian, but there's a 0% chance they've ever been to Italy....and chances of them identifying Italy on a map are probably less than that.

Are there some inaccuracies on the part about strategy or host selection?  Probably.  But I know enough to know I don't care.

witch hobble wrote

Plus the sociopolitical aspect can be fascinating when an African country knocks off it’s former colonial oppressor, or countries whose leaders rattle sabres at one another go toe to toe on the field.

Meh.  I like it when that happens, just from the underdog factor, for any worldwide events.

There are kernels of truth in your criticisms, even if I think you’re taking each to its extreme and throwing the baby out with the bathwater if those are reasons you can’t enjoy a match.

There are primadonnas in all sports; no large international sports governing bodies have proven to be corruption free that I know of; and there are hundreds of millions of fans of all degree of passion from mild indifference to totally mentally unstable. Painting all fans with the brush of an infinitely small fraction’s behavior isn’t really fair. Speaking of fair, yes.....the barrier of entry is low. It’s incredibly egalitarian in that regard. My guess is a huge portion of high level world cup ski racers also grew up playing soccer/futbol/footie.  They were well off enough to have other options.

D.B. Cooper wrote

   That's to say nothing of the goofs who wear an Italian team scarf in summer to a sports bar.  Those clowns may be 12.5% Italian, but there's a 0% chance they've ever been to Italy....and chances of them identifying Italy on a map are probably less than that.
 

LOL --- Bravo!

D.B. Cooper wrote

  From the little I saw/read/understood last time, the powerhouse countries aim to tie each other in the opening rounds, and pound the s*** out of the weaker countries to win their division.  Then maybe try a little harder to score goals in the later rounds.

Not really.
Portugal 2 Spain 3 in the 60th minute.