Thoughts on Americans and soccer

I was reading over at Hey Jenny Slater about his being a casual fan of the game of soccer. He links to an article about Americans and soccer. I can't actually find where I saw the words - on the site or in the article - that basically say that somehow all Americans feel they need to fall into 2 categories: Crazy-About-Soccer-and-Fiercely-Defensive,-Calling-All-Who-Don't-Appericaite-Soccer-Stupid-and-unrefined OR Soccer-is-for-Lawn-Fairies,-Give-Me-American-Football-Any-Day.

And it's true. Soccer in America doesn't seem to find many casual fans.

I was going to comment on HJS's post about fans, but it got rather long so here I am posting on my own.

My theory on loving and enjoying soccer is simple, but I've not read anything like this, so I'm giving my own two cents.

I think you have to have played soccer to truly appreciate the game. There are so many nuances, and as I posted yesterday, it's easier to screw up in soccer than it is to do well. So I genuinely believe that to understand the nuances and really see a 90 minute, nil-nil draw as beautiful, you actually have to have put boot to ball.

And the soccer boom in America was a 1990s thing, so it happened too late for most Americans. Your average 30 year old has never played - has not even touched a ball. Though it's the biggest participation sport for kids now, that only encompasses the youngest set of the current adult population.

Soccer isn't easy to teach, or to learn. I've been coaching since I was in high school. I've coached teams and at camps. I've coached 4 year olds on up to high school girls, so I have some experience with this.

Soccer is a totally unnatural and foreign motion to us. We have a hard time learning to do something as simple as passing or trapping a ball. We don't know how to make the muscles do it. Even the 4 year olds here have a hard time just planting a foot and turing your toe out to be able to pass with the inside of your foot. You get fought every step of the way and usually I had to get on my knees and literally turn their leg out for them.

In America, we only use our feet and legs for transportation. The oddest thing we do it strap on some skates and glide.

Everywhere else, they're kicking a soccer ball before they can really even walk. It's a second nature situation.

Basically, because we were never taught it, Americans tend to find the game awkward and the movements uncommon. The no hands thing really throws us.

You really can't teach good soccer. Good soccer is all about touch. If you don't develop a good feeling, if you have no touch, no softness, no feel for the ball, you're screwed. Someone can teach you the basic skills, but you'll never have the finesse it takes to be a good player.

The thing about all the American sports is that yes, there's some touch involved, but it's all with your hands, where you have all the nerves for touch. And your hands aren't covered in socks and shinguards and leather boots. The finesse that's required for soccer is something we have no experience with.

I think a lot of what allows you to get into soccer as a spectator sport is an empathy for what they are doing, as well as awe for the things they're executing that you could never, in a million years, accomplish and if you've never played the game, you don't understand that. We true footies don't watch the game for the goals, which is why we don't care if it's a scoreless draw. The best American analogy for this I can think of is a pitcher's duel in baseball. The casual baseball fan, like myself, doesn't see the beauty in that. Soccer is much the same.

As an aside, the thing about the soccer boom for those of us that were already in the loop, is that we were kind of bitter. It was like we were the cool kids who knew about a band when they were still playing in a garage. Suddenly they get a record deal and EVERYONE knows your favorite band. It was a double-edged sword. It was great the exposure popularity got us, but we weren't so keen on sharing our fields or losing spots on the team to kids with no skill, but who were fast as hell. We took umbrage and offense when the kids on our team couldn't pass or trap. It was upsetting! It's like we were no longer the only ones who knew the big secret, but the new kids to the party didn't appreciate it like we did.