[Nuclear1]

Because it's boring.

Well, it's all the mindset, I suppose; Europeans have soccer, a non-contact, high-energy sport, while Americans have heavy-hitting games like football that are based around two people making physical contact in order to determine the end of a play, or sports that rely on vast amounts of risk such as open wheel and stock car racing. 

Beg differ. American football is annoying with its stop-start business. Baseball slow.

And does rugby mean anything to you?

How about basketball?

Of course there are exceptions.  I was just saying that, in general, Americans tend to favor high-contact and high-risk sports such as football and racing.  This is why more people tend to have Superbowl/Indy 500 parties than World Cup/World Series parties.

[aldo_14]

Football is easily as high contact as American Football in my viewing, though, and the likes of F1 and Touring Car (ala TOCA) are pretty much equally risky; I'd say it's something a little harder to characterise than simply contact and risk.

I have to admit watching American Football on holiday and finding it incredibly boring and struck me as pretty low contact compared to rugby union; obviously you need to be a conisseur to appreciate a sport properly; well, in some cases - although I can still enjoy rugby, tennis, ice hockey, snowboarding (well, the races at the winter olympics) etc without knowing too much about them.

[Wobble73]

Bah..................I prefer Snooker.







 

[Nuclear1]

Football is easily as high contact as American Football in my viewing, though, and the likes of F1 and Touring Car (ala TOCA) are pretty much equally risky; I'd say it's something a little harder to characterise than simply contact and risk.

I have to admit watching American Football on holiday and finding it incredibly boring and struck me as pretty low contact compared to rugby union; obviously you need to be a conisseur to appreciate a sport properly; well, in some cases - although I can still enjoy rugby, tennis, ice hockey, snowboarding (well, the races at the winter olympics) etc without knowing too much about them.

Point taken.  I suppose it more depends on how one was raised to view sports as well; Americans will in general appreciate baseball, football, basketball, and IndyCar/NASCAR racing simply because they were raised with those sports on the television, whereas Europeans more cover soccer and rugby, but notsomuch football. 

(And just in case anyone hasn't noticed, in my posts, 'football' is used to denote American football and 'soccer' used to broadly encompass both soccer and European football, though I'm sure there are significant differences)

[aldo_14]

Football is easily as high contact as American Football in my viewing, though, and the likes of F1 and Touring Car (ala TOCA) are pretty much equally risky; I'd say it's something a little harder to characterise than simply contact and risk.

I have to admit watching American Football on holiday and finding it incredibly boring and struck me as pretty low contact compared to rugby union; obviously you need to be a conisseur to appreciate a sport properly; well, in some cases - although I can still enjoy rugby, tennis, ice hockey, snowboarding (well, the races at the winter olympics) etc without knowing too much about them.

Point taken.  I suppose it more depends on how one was raised to view sports as well; Americans will in general appreciate baseball, football, basketball, and IndyCar/NASCAR racing simply because they were raised with those sports on the television, whereas Europeans more cover soccer and rugby, but notsomuch football. 

(And just in case anyone hasn't noticed, in my posts, 'football' is used to denote American football and 'soccer' used to broadly encompass both soccer and European football, though I'm sure there are significant differences)

AFAIK the NFL Europe failed pretty much everywhere except Germany, so coverage is minimal.  It was only ever really a feeder for the NFL teams (to send their reserves out to gain practice or something), anyways.  I believe basketball and ice hockey are very popular in certain areas of europe, though; offhand, I think the Serbians like the former and the Czechs the latter (for example).  I don't know about American Football, but in the UK and - I believe - places like Italy and Spain, the football team you follow is very much part of your personal identity.

[Nuclear1]

I don't know about American Football, but in the UK and - I believe - places like Italy and Spain, the football team you follow is very much part of your personal identity.

Then there's one thing Americans and Europeans have in common.  In some places, you're almost seen as a cultural traitor if you don't follow your local team, and even worse if you support a different (or even rival) team.  (i.e. one in Indianapolis would be essentially murdered if you supported New England, given the two teams rivalry; the tension is almost on par with the Red Sox-Yankees situation).

[aldo_14]

I don't know about American Football, but in the UK and - I believe - places like Italy and Spain, the football team you follow is very much part of your personal identity.

Then there's one thing Americans and Europeans have in common.  In some places, you're almost seen as a cultural traitor if you don't follow your local team, and even worse if you support a different (or even rival) team.  (i.e. one in Indianapolis would be essentially murdered if you supported New England, given the two teams rivalry; the tension is almost on par with the Red Sox-Yankees situation).

How many US cities have 2 teams in the same sport, though?  This is something I'm quite curious about, because to me it seems the US lacks anything on the scale of, say, the Old Firm or the Boca-River derbies.

[Nuclear1]

I don't know about American Football, but in the UK and - I believe - places like Italy and Spain, the football team you follow is very much part of your personal identity.

Then there's one thing Americans and Europeans have in common.  In some places, you're almost seen as a cultural traitor if you don't follow your local team, and even worse if you support a different (or even rival) team.  (i.e. one in Indianapolis would be essentially murdered if you supported New England, given the two teams rivalry; the tension is almost on par with the Red Sox-Yankees situation).

How many US cities have 2 teams in the same sport, though?  This is something I'm quite curious about, because to me it seems the US lacks anything on the scale of, say, the Old Firm or the Boca-River derbies.

Well I know that New York does this (Mets/Yankees for baseball and Giants/Jets for football), as does Chicago (White Sox/Cubs for baseball) but AFAIK those are the only examples in mainstream American sports.

[aldo_14]

Well I know that New York does this (Mets/Yankees for baseball and Giants/Jets for football), as does Chicago (White Sox/Cubs for baseball) but AFAIK those are the only examples in mainstream American sports.

That's quite interesting, because you'd be quite hard pressed to find a club in, for example, British football without some form of a local rival (at least at the top level); like the 4 or 5 london clubs playing each other (Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham), Liverpool vs Everton, the Manchester derby, the Old Firm derby, etc.

Although admittedly it's a wee bit rarer in europe because the big derbies are often the likes of Juve - AC (Turin - Milan), or the Classico (Real Madrid - Barca), even in that case it's still geographically close compared to (I'd imagine) most inter-state derbies.  (admittedly, the Classico is practically a Spain-Catalonia international, and owes a lot to the Franco era too)

[Dysko]

Although admittedly it's a wee bit rarer in europe because the big derbies are often the likes of Juve - AC (Turin - Milan)

Actually, here in Italy the big derbies are Milan vs Inter (the two Milan teams), Roma vs Lazio (the two Rome teams) and (but I'm not sure about this) Torino vs Juventus (the two Turin teams). But I'm not really sure about what I said so far, there has been a mess due to corrupted arbiters so some big teams are in a lower "series" now.

I am the exception that confirms the rule here: I hate soccer/football, which is Italy's national sport, but I like some American ones, like baseball.

[aldo_14]

Although admittedly it's a wee bit rarer in europe because the big derbies are often the likes of Juve - AC (Turin - Milan)

Actually, here in Italy the big derbies are Milan vs Inter (the two Milan teams), Roma vs Lazio (the two Rome teams) and (but I'm not sure about this) Torino vs Juventus (the two Turin teams). But I'm not really sure about what I said so far, there has been a mess due to corrupted arbiters so some big teams are in a lower "series" now.

I am the exception that confirms the rule here: I hate soccer/football, which is Italy's national sport, but I like some American ones, like baseball.

You're right (in a sense); I was thinking of the Derby d'Italia, which is Inter rather than AC versus Juve.  Juventus were the only team relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal, ending up in Serie B (at one point relegated to Serie C1, but winning an appeal - as did Lazio and Fiorentina, who IIRC had been due to go down to Serie B but ended up in Serie A with points penalties). 

Apparently Juventus - Fiorentina is also somewhat of a heated affair, although it's not officially a derby AFAIK.

[Centrixo]

hehe no kidding, i like baseball to an extent. i love nascar and indy .

your talking about ravalries, try Celtic vs. Rangers, these 2 have been at it for a while now.
i dont even like soccer, i even find tennis more interesting! and that is the most dullest and boring thing on the planet as far as i am concerned.

although i wouldnt mind snooker, Rocket Ronnie vs the darlin of ireland. or Higgins vs Ebdon. atleast there some skill involved (hand-eye coordination, brain power, motor controls), unlike kicking a bit of rubber around for 90 minutes, now thats boring.

[aldo_14]

For a while?  Try since 1888....

(although, to be fair, it wasn't the same hotbed then as it is now)

[Centrixo]

like i said for a while awhile can mean along time.

[Dysko]

I don't like soccer because I find it boring, too. Also, I consider it (and the Calciopoli scandal quite confirmed this)
much wrestling-like: many matches' outcome is already planned, there is not much real playing (but this is only my opinion). And it's quite weird that you hear more about soccer players in gossip services in the news than in sport services...

I also find boring some American car racing, like NASCAR and drag races (well... actually I prefer drag races for the spectacular accidents ), mainly for their scarce track variety (although I like very much drag racing in videogames, like NFS).

It would be very nice if here they'd broadcast Red Bull Air Races and similar things, but I don't think they would broadcast it for the only 4 or 5 people that know the Red Bull Air Races...

[MarkN]

They actually transmitted the Red Bull Air Races here in the UK, but it was on Chennel 5 (which is the cheapo channel) at around 1 on a Monday morning. As for Soccer, I am one of the people that don't think it worth kicking the ball around for 90 minutes for a 0-0 draw (which happens regrettably quickly). I am more a Rugby person myself (Rugby being like American football but without the need for such extensive body armour).

[Centrixo]

now thats a proper contact sport, with blood.