Uncategorized Soccer: So here’s the deal…

Soccer: So here’s the deal…

Uncategorized

Soccer: So here’s the deal…

We’re about to be inundated with World Cup Soccer, and, yes, I will be doing some Cup stuff. And I’ll will do my best not to be a condescending about it all. I want to embrace it with new vigor and an open mind. But…It’s also fair for me to come clean about my sordid past when it comes to soccer cartoons. Here’s one that kind of says how i have felt watching soccer in the past. Let me know what you think about soccer and the World Cup. Or about how much this cartoon makes you a little peeved. That’s cool too.

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27 thoughts on “Soccer: So here’s the deal…”

  1. Good Morning from Omaha,

    I have NO desire to watch world cup soccer or any soccer for that matter. I understand that its the worlds game and that almost every country has a team in the world cup. i couldn’t care less.

    I would even clean the helicopters from the maple trees out of the gutters than watch any of the soccer.

    I guess that when you have to hype something for months ahead of time,like they have this soccer tournament, its a sign that it must not be that good. and yes, espn will lose money broadcasting this multi-cultural event.

    I hope I am not misunderstood about my lack of love for soccer. Yes I am a neanderthal, but I am a happy little caveman.

    Strive for excellence, nothing but your best.

    Gene

  2. Good Morning from Austria, yes Austria, that litte Country in middle Europe.

    Gene, i can understand you. Soccer never had, and will never habe that Momentum in USA or Kanada then it has here in Europe. Same as Football, Baseball, Basketball or Ice Hockey will here never be so popular as Soccer or Ski. FIFA allways tried to get Soccer more popular on the North American Continent, but it will never be.

    Drew, i hope it`s ok that i don`t write Mr. Litton, im looking every day on your Site now for a long Time. I still remember back the Day`s of Rocky Mountain News – still sad that it was closed. I love your Cartoons and hat lot of Fun with them.

    I hope you will never run out of Idea`s and Creativity and most of all i wish you and your Familiy the Best for the Years to come.

    Ah yeah, before i forget…. Yes i will watch some of the Games from the World Cup, not each single one, just that Games that look interesting for me. And i can`t wait till the Football Season starts!

    Greetings, Chris

  3. Good morning from Minnesota.

    I can understand that soccer isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (joke intended), but I really don’t understand how someone can say soccer is too boring and then also say they’re a big baseball fan. Hockey fans I can understand them saying that. Basketball fans even. But baseball fans I just don’t understand it.

    Heck, even football. In a given 3 hour game, only 10 minutes of actual action is shown:

    http://contexts.org/socimages/2010/01/20/a-breakdown-of-televised-football-broadcasts/

    Now this being said, I enjoy all the above. I find baseball easily the most boring of all the sports, although I’m starting to think all “professional” sports are dull.

    Still I wonder, how many of the “soccer is boring” people have actually been to a game? I’d say baseball is a ton less boring at a live game, compared to TV. Now maybe that’s the case with soccer, but at least there’s not a “commerical interruption” every two minutes.

  4. I don’t have a problem with people not liking soccer, and I can’t say that I’m an avid fan even though I do like to wake up on a Saturday morning and catch a premier league match on television. (FTR and by way of full disclosure, while in England, I used to stay up to all kinds of oddball hours to catch broadcasts of routine NFL games.)

    I think World Cup soccer is one of the most exciting events if nothing else for the shear madness of it all world-wide. Even more so than the Olympics (which tends to be mostly a broadcast in the U.S. as an American-centric of sappy human interest stories), the World Cup reminds me of paradoxically big and small the world is and how that despite a good many differences people are people. The fervor and excitement of the fans across the globe is not forced or contrived. Unlike our own Super Bowl which usually has more cell-phone-addicted corporate junketeers in attendance than football fans, World Cup games have painted loonies with horns and scarves oozing out of every corner of the stadium.

    And, humbly, to Gene’s point about needing to hype the event for months: The Super Bowl is hyped year round. Doesn’t make it not exciting.

  5. I cannot stand soccer. I was trying to figure out the strategy of the game one time because I didn’t see anyone calling plays or anything like that. So I asked some people that played soccer about the game one time and they said that there is no strategy or game plan, they make everything up as they go. So it might be fun to play, but to watch 22 people kick a ball around until it goes into a net is boring.

  6. Good morning from Oregon –

    I don’t care a whit about soccer one way or the other – I just think it’s cool someone from Austria is a fan of Drew! 🙂

    Hey Chris – are you a native of Austria, or an American Ex-Pat? Possibly military stationed there?

    I’m all a curious! 🙂

    IG

  7. Hey IrishGoddess – American Military here in Austria would be hillarious – since the last foreign Soldier left Austria back in 1955 😀

    Im a native of Austria, born and still living here. Good for skiing and Soccer, but badly to the bone while trying to watch Football. Sunday Games as usuall at 1 pm et are easy to watch, but the Sunday evening and especially Monday Night Games are horrible.

    But well, my Employer knows the Deal, each Monday after Superbowl Sunday im away from Work 😀

    Chris

  8. I’d rather watch soccer than NBA. Not that I’ll probably watch any. MLB takes priority. Heck I’d rather watch America’s Cup rather than NBA.

  9. I can only stomach soccer about every 4 years to watch the World Cup. To make it much more enojoyable and interesting I suggest making a few wagers. It gets you more involved to the game.

    Abe

  10. I’m in my 50’s but love soccer. I didn’t start playing recreationally until I was well past 30. I fell in love with it when my daughter started playing. I’m hooked on the English Premier League and will watch UEFA Champions league games especially when an English team is playing. Although I’m a hard core American, English soccer beats MLS hands down. The World Cup will consume me for those three weeks. I’ll record every game and stay up late watching them. I’m finding more and more Americans that share my passion.

  11. I can’t wait for it! i think it’s more of the parties that I look forward to, like going to little italy, My country has qualified(canada) but that just means i can party where ever!

  12. Would be nice if Soccer get`s more Attention in America and Canada. It`s a simple Game like Football, but it`s also complicated as Football is. Tactic is very important there, the Champions League Final this Saturday between Inter Milano and Bayern Munich will be an Interessting one..

  13. This is just too cool. Everybody weighing on World Cup from places as far away as Austria (Yeah, Chris) and Minnesota (yeah B) and Canada (yeah RUSH). Amazing! I’ve got a few more of these coming in the next few weeks as we near opening kickoff.

    OK. So here’s the reason I’m more open minded about The World Cup this time around.

    Several years back I attended the World Baseball Classic in Arizona. The passion that came from the fans of Mexico was Off the Charts. It probably wouldn’t be quite the same now since Arizona has in-acted concentration camps along the border, but I digress… The excitement the fans displayed was like nothing I’ve ever seen before, even during a Broncos-Raiders game. It was bedlam. And it got me thinking. If World Cup Soccer is anything like this, it can’t be all bad. So I’m going to give it a go this year. Just don’t blame me if I come back with a cartoon or two like this one.

  14. Drew, you can`t be blamed for Cartoons like this. Everyone who don`t understand them must either be an Iron Maiden or totally not from this Planet

  15. Drew, I am one of your biggest fans but this is an example of even the masters of their craft can produce a dud every now and then. Instead of sharing my outrage over this cartoon, I try to keep in mind “Ya know, even John Elway threw a stupid interception a time or three in his career”.

  16. GMFO,

    I thought the responses to your cartoon by all were brilliant. You seemingly have touched a live wire with your work. While I don’t enjoy soccer i love all of the responses.

    If you liked the world baseball classic, you would really enjoy the college world series, here in Omaha.

    Keep up the great work drew. Responses from around the world, wow!!!! Now if you could get a martian or two to respond?

    strive for excellence, nothing but your best.

    Gene

  17. Yes… I live at least six hours away from the nearest MLB team. In my mind, it is better to go than see on TV. Football is not for four months away. NBA playoffs is unwatchable (same teams, not the same as it used to be, etc…). College Baseball is terrible. Best players get called up to the pros… So, why not consider the World Cup? Especially since it has such a history, and every other nation in the world has a passion only replicated at a college football game.

    Just my .02….

    Andrew

  18. Gene – The World Cup has to be hyped months in advance, so it must not be any good? Hmmm.

    The Olympics, Super Bowl, World Series, BCS bowls, March Madness… no advanced hype with any of those, right? 😉

    Some people love soccer, some hate it, others simply appreciate the sport and the athleticism it requires (I fall in category 3). But nothing, NOTHING, in sports draws the world’s attention overall like the World Cup – including the olympics. I’m willing to give it its due respect and will watch the USA for as long as they are alive in the tourney.

  19. On a side note (and this is not directed at anyone in particular – just a general observation), it certainly seems that those who hate soccer tend to more readily go out of their way and go to greater lengths to let everyone know about it than the “anti-fans” of any other sport. It’s as though it’s some kind of by-law for membership in the club.

    Again, just an observation.

  20. Not to jink the States, but I wonder what would happen if this team was to somehow say make it in the top four. It could happen… Their group is favorable, and the ones in D are pretty pedestrian. After that, they may face France who is supposedly down. Just a thought.

  21. Can’t wait for the World Cup to come! It is the premier event of the sport, just like many non-fans tune into a given sports’ championship game, I see this is a great opportunity to learn about a different sport, see rabid fans, and feel like a citizen of the planet rather than just a given country. Bring it on!!! After the Cup, soccer can go back to the musty cupboard in my head with all the other sports which I know just enough about to sound ignorant.

    Chris: Hello to Austria. We spent a few days in Salzburg, and few more in Breggenz for our honeymoon. Love your country and your countrymen!!

  22. i cant wait for the world cup, the nba playoffs have been a complete bore and the usa is opening against england, i think that’s pretty rad.

    funny comic though

  23. Since I’m Brazilian, you probably know how I feel about soccer. But I also love ice hockey and, possibly surprising, baseball. The World Cup? When I was younger I was definitely nuts about it. Now it’s just something that has my attention. I’ve discovered my team is more important, and now I’m pissed that the Libertadores Cup will have to wait two months to see its semifinals, because of the World Cup… (Yes, my team is playing those semifinals!)

  24. This is what I find curious yet interesting at the same time. In Soccer especially in the world cup people paint their faces and bodies to support their teams and we think of them as “freaks” (for lack of a more polite word). Yet there are people in places like Oakland, or Cleveland who do the same thing to support their teams in football and they’re just “rabid fans”.

    Not saying that’s good or bad. Just think about it.

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