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“This sport is stupid anyway,” says US paper after defeat

Posted by George Eaton - 28 June 2010 11:45

How the New York Post responded to the US exit from the World Cup.

NY Post

The Murdoch-owned New York Post amused us all with the jubilant headline "US wins 1-1" after the national team held England to a draw.

But, with the US losing 2-1 to Ghana on Saturday and crashing out of the tournament, they've since had to change their tune.

Unfortunately, "This sport is stupid anyway" isn't a line that's likely to console any Englishman. We're all still more likely to echo Bill Shankly's claim: "Football isn't a matter of life or death, it's much more important than that."

Hat-tip: Bad Journalism.

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Tags: World Cup 2010

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65 comments from readers

EhtchTee
28 June 2010 at 13:04

Yeh, yankie, and running around like a loon on a football field wearing motor cycle helmets isn't!

Yankee
28 June 2010 at 17:35

Yeah, the NY Post is a joke of a newspaper, just look at the picture there: $79 shopping savings inside. What respectable newspaper would have that on the front page (or back, which is where sports are located)? The answer is none.

Tony Columbo
28 June 2010 at 18:43

Kickball is a niche exercise event that can be attributed to a small inbred community of those that weren’t particularly gifted with speed, height or good hand eye coordination. Scientists who peer review global sports research say that American soccer keeps them off the premier playing fields and still gives them an athletic activity.

volpone
28 June 2010 at 19:03

Think the sub-editor who wrote this may be trying to be ironic. Bypassed a few people here. If they didn't care they wouldn't have put it on their front page. Even Obama watched it at the G8/20 for the cameras (despite him not knowing what was going on).

Celia
28 June 2010 at 19:38

All sport is equally stupid.

clem the gem
28 June 2010 at 19:46

At last! Newscorp says what it really thinks about football fans!

jeremiah
28 June 2010 at 21:00

The New York Post makes the Daily Sport look like the New York Times!

Buckskins
28 June 2010 at 22:00

It's an excellent sport for our girls. It is after all, a girly game.

clem the gem
28 June 2010 at 22:45

WellWell, Buckskins (or is it leather chaps?), something you and I agree on!

By the way, have you tried Rugby? A bit like your football, only without the armour. As they say over here: "No Helmet, No Pads, Just Balls".

Try it some time - your team did well at the last world cup, and most were amatuers.

clem the gem
28 June 2010 at 22:50

Before you take irrational offence, amateur is a good thing in Rugby Union - part of the tradition. Many of us were impressed at a young side representing their country who had given up paid work for the honour.

Your mates down under in Australia like it a bit too- both Union and League codes, so do give it a try, I implore you, it really does help get the aggression out. :)

Fred
28 June 2010 at 23:32

When I feel like sleeping I do one of the following two: 1) Turn the tube on a Baseball game.2) Pretend to be reading the New York Post. Both work fast.

clem the gem
28 June 2010 at 23:36

So not a great paper then? Owned by that great bloke Murdoch, so no surprise there. I sympathise Fred, I really do...

mike
28 June 2010 at 23:37

BOYCOTT THE NEW YORK POST

i am calling on all soccer lovers to immediately start boycotting the new york post in all it's formats, unless it makes a well publicize apology for it's insensitive front page headline: entitled ''this sport is stupid any way'' in a reference to soccer.i am tired of people making fools of themselves and talking nonsense about something they cannot understand because their intellect is blinded by hate. these fools seems determine to continually embarrass themselves in light of the clear fact that they are putting up an obviously futile fight against the most popular sports in the WORLD. soccer's popularity is growing exponentially in america, thanks in part to team USA's continued success on the world stage. in fact the US-algeria soccer game was the most watched weekday morning telecast ever for ESPN. so haters deal with it. love always overcome hate in the end.the beautiful game transcends race, nationality, language, wealth, poverty, political and ideological allegiance.and it will overcome hate.this great country has make tremendous progress in part to it's general rejection of racism. but

unfortunately their is now another enemy in america, a group of people who can only be classified as haters.these are people who are really not necessary racist,but they all seems to exhibit a consistency in their hatred of people of less fortune.and apparently because they see soccer as a poor man's sport thy automatically add it to their hate list.soccer is a game of unity and love, yet the haters foolishly want to use it to divide us.i really dont expect these

people with their restricted mentality to understand or appreciate the beauty in the on field action, like the dazzing dribbles exhibited by our playmakers when they make their runs, or the artistry when a bicycle kick, an air pile or through pass is executed, the feints , the step overs, the curling air bending power house shots,the precision power headers,the magnificence in the flying saves etc. all of which are on constant display throughout the game for continual entertainment,even if their is a scoreless result. all this intermingled with the extreme

passion shown by the fans with their elaborate costume etc. so at least i would wish if people would just attempt to put the hate and arrogance and self conceit aside and try to exercise some patience, i am sure even they will be able to appreciate how excitedly beautiful this sports actually is.or just get out of the way of progress and allow this great country to finally fully command world wide love and acceptance by by it's full embrace of this beautiful game.GOD bless AMERICA.

Pat Soda
29 June 2010 at 00:50

That is a funny headline. Pull the popsicle sticks out of your rectums and relax.

Amad
29 June 2010 at 07:32

Disgraceful title sounds like something a Child would say when they lose a game grow up. Every sport has a winner and loser but in World Cup the stage is 100 times bigger and the pain is felt by the entire nation so instead of blaming the sport for losing why don't you blame yourself for the dumb UN-supportive titles that don't support the players. why not print a title saying "Good Job Boys you made us proud" at least you could have been more nicer to the players that traveled across the world to support you country Colors and pride Shameful Behavior from a so-called Respected News Paper.!!

Pavel
29 June 2010 at 07:41

All yankees are stupid anyway!

...hello from Russia!)

Harry Barracuda
29 June 2010 at 08:21

What exactly do the septics know about sport? They play rugby dressed up as girls and call it "football"; they call rounders an adult sport; and the love girlie sports like netball.

Really, they should stick to their "world series" and stay out of the rest.

A True Brit...
29 June 2010 at 16:03

Only one thing good to come out of America, and that is a aeroplane bringing people back to normal countries that have thinner people with smaller mouths, less fat asses and consideration for others. USA think they own the world; in actual fact you're the one's ruining it.

David
29 June 2010 at 16:08

What do you expect from a country that play a sport with their hands, the ball is not a ball, it's an EGG, dress up like astronauts and call it FOOTBALL!! or these other one that is a poor imitation of Criquet but it's not even half bigger as the original...

DK in USA
29 June 2010 at 16:09

Hey everyone - here is the fundamental reason why American's don't like Soccer. The rules give the referees have too much power - their calls OFTEN change the outcome of the game. A missed offside or a missed hand-ball in the crease mostly result in a goal being called back, or the RIDICULOUS penalty shot, which is FAR too big of a punishment for most offenses. And because goals are so hard to get, getting the ref to make a call in your favor is so important that it drives the players to act like little crying babies anytime somebody gets near them. If a pro hockey player acting like these idiot soccer players, they'd get beat up by their own team-mates for being un-manly.

IF you guys can clean up the rules, you have a chance of getting Americans to care. Until then, we'll stick with our own crazy sports.

shuunu
29 June 2010 at 16:19

Oh well , lets all get pissed cuz some shit newspapper from US said that soccer is shit.So if a newspapper from Russia says that American Football is shit...then what?World war over some stupid sport? Dumb asses

The voice of reason
29 June 2010 at 17:00

I think everyone fails to see that sport is for enjoyment, and if we don't enjoy soccer/football in America it simply points out the irony that none of it really matters. Not baseball, not American football, not cricket. Every one of them is a game that nobody is required to like, appreciate or enjoy. You can't force us to like soccer, and quite frankly, while it is gaining in popularity, there are simply too many other sports that are designed and marketed to our American tastes for it to ever take hold the way it does in the rest of the world.

talmir brasileiro
29 June 2010 at 19:21

que pena que voces pensao assim do futebol fiquei muito emocionado com sua seleÃ§ao eles deram o sangue pelos seus pais .realmente achei que vcs tinhao mudado esse geito arrogante de ser( assisti todos os jogos de sua seleÃ§ao gostei muito pena que voces nao acham o mesmo)

talmir brasileiro
29 June 2010 at 19:26

what a shame you two Pensao so football was very touched by your selection to Â§ they gave blood for his country. really thought you guys changed this geito held him to be arrogant (I watched every game of his selections to Â§ liked you two penalty not find it)

Buckskins
29 June 2010 at 20:36

Soccer will never come near the popularity of our American sports. There is something un American about soccer. Every 4 years there is a little flutter on TV about it. That's it, all over for another 4 years. Our girls enjoy it and that's understandable. Most of them have aspirations on being actresses, so soccer is excellent training for them.

John
29 June 2010 at 21:17

God damn, maybe this sport *makes* you stupid. How can you not read this as a joke? Somebody said it sounds like the sort of thing a child might say--exactly. It's funny, smile a bit. Also, have all the fires been put out over in England yet, or are the yobs still rioting after losing to Germany?

By the way, the "US Wins 1-1" was also a joke, see http://gnnr.tumblr.com/post/696996218/what-that-usa-wins-1-1...

Nathan
30 June 2010 at 00:19

I love soccer.

clem the gem
30 June 2010 at 02:08

John, calm down mate, I think most of these posts are in fun.

(Except for dear old Buckskins, who just hates the British)

Nobody in a good state of mind would take any sport THAT seriously, would they?

It is only a game after all, not some test of national virility, a'la 1936 Olympics.

I think what amuses most in soccer-supporting countries is:

a) NY Post is owned by Murdoch, who invests heavily worldwide in buying up Soccer and other sports tv rights, promoting the game to high heaven.

b) The Post, on behalf of the US, has taken an attitude that you would expect from a six year old girl.

c) Those lining up to post anti-soccer rants are following the above lead...:)

Never mind, its only once every four years - at least for the USA. I have to suffer soccer almost all year round, and it will be Euro 2012 soon.

Problems
30 June 2010 at 03:25

There are quite a few problems with Soccer which will make it difficult for it to ever be big in the states.

1. Television - There are no frigging commercial breaks. How is the network supposed to make any money putting this on television? Also how am I supposed to figure out what beer company has the hottest women acting slutty and therefore determine what I will buy from them in thanks? When they decide to make actual rules for this game they need to pencil in some TV timeouts. Which brings me to...

2. The rules - The referees seem to just arbitrarily make up rules as they go. For gods sake they just ADD time on to the end of the game! This is the modern era and we have the ability to STOP a clock when some lass from Ghana is crying on "the pitch".

3. Tie Games - Americans hate ties, it's why we did away with them in "our" sports. Who the hell wants to watch an hour and 30 minute game (plus arbitrary time) just to see it end in a tie? An idea how to fix the ties...

4. The size of the field - Seriously they might as well play this out on a dry lake bed. The field is HUGE, it makes for a whole lot of passing the ball back and forth with a scoring chance every 30 minutes. Make the field smaller and let's have some scoring.

5. Penalty Kicks - Not only is this call only enforced when they ref decides to it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. The net is gigantic, the goalie is a little foreign guy, and the kicker is like 10 feet away. At least turn the net sideways or something. I've got 10 bucks that says my grandma can put 1 out of 3 penalty kicks in the back of the net.

And the last issue with Soccer is that you let the French play. If I could have had my World Cup wish it would have been France vs. North Korea and the game would have have went something like this. North Korea comes out and immediately starts beating the crap out of all the French players and kicking them in the nuts repeatedly. The French team would have thrown the coach in to the fray and ran out of the stadium crying. The clock would have continued to run throughout the battle because the refs are not sure how to stop the clock. The Koreans would have won the game 70 to nothing. After the game Kim Jong-il would have used his invisible phone to order an attack on the French mainland at which point the French would have asked for our help. This time though we tell em to kick rocks!

clem the gem
30 June 2010 at 03:54

Sensible policies for a future FIFA President! Move over Blatter - a new snout is in the trough...

SB 30 June 2010 at 08:32

What is wrong with draws? I find a draw a very respectable result especially if your team can hold the best team in the league at bay when they have better players and spent more money than you- I understand that draws can be boring if it's 0-0 but in the English Premier League last year newly promoted Burnley drew 3-3 with big spending Manchester City so surely that's entertaining and fascinating?

As for penalties the clue is in the name the other side is penalised for preventing an opponent from getting a chance to score a goal by tripping them in the box, pulling them back, handling the ball etc Penalties are saved sometimes! Penalty shootouts are only used when after 2hours of football nothing can separate the two sides (like Japan-Paraguay yesterday)

Cran
30 June 2010 at 10:03

Funny this comment came from a nation use their hand for their so-called "Football".... stupid!

Nikov
30 June 2010 at 18:40

I thought it was pretty funny!

Ditto Nikov
30 June 2010 at 18:51

Agreed, it's a funny headline!

talmir brasileiro
30 June 2010 at 20:21

voces desistem facil demais adorei ver sua seleÃ§ao jogar na copa voces tem tudo para ser uma potencia no footebol mundial mais ainda e cedo demais para isso, o brasil tem mais de cem anos que o esporte e praticado , voces ainda sao muito jovem nesse esporte vai com calma que voces vao longe

talmir brasileiro
30 June 2010 at 20:23

Do you give up too easily Â§ loved watching your selection to play in the cup you has everything to be a power in the world even more and footebol too early for that, Brazil has over one hundred years that the sport and practiced, you are still very young in this sport will calmly that you're going away

Fitba
30 June 2010 at 21:24

It really is an interesting question how American sports have evolved from European sports into short-attention-span, high-scoring, set piece games. Serious question: anyone know why? Pre-tv obviously.

Sylvia York
30 June 2010 at 21:24

Typical journalistic reaction to failure, if the American team had won, they'd write it was the greatest game on earth - I was surprised they even made it to the World Cup... lol

*Runs 4 Cover*

Korey
30 June 2010 at 23:48

Some Americans who don't understand anything are so naive and pathetic these fools. Football as we know it is the most played and popular sport in the world the world cup is the most watched sporting activity world wide America is one of the few nations that don't appreciate the sport that is so multicultural and universal. I think they should just not participate in world cup qualifiers give up their spot to a more formidable Nation its not like the USA will be missed. They can't play it naturally so they don't like it these fools.

God
01 July 2010 at 06:36

what world cup.

The world ends by the US borders

JohnB
01 July 2010 at 10:06

The Yanks don't like football. Good!

Joao Almeida
01 July 2010 at 20:14

This newspaper is the perfect picture of the american society... a free speech society full of morons.

Problems
02 July 2010 at 05:37

Fitba: Americans like action sports, it is the same reason we prefer NASCAR and other short course racing instead of F1. In F1 the guy who hits the first turn in the lead usually wins the race. They even call it a chase. BORING!!!

Cran: You are no better than those people here in the states who won't even watch soccer or give it a chance. Closed minded and ignorant comment.

Korey: Football (soccer) is popular in the rest of the world because it is almost free to play. It takes only a small amount of money to buy a ball and go play. It is the same reason that Baseball became so popular here in the states when our country was still young. Kids could play it in an open field with a rock and a stick. As far as us not being able to play it you assume too much, our top athletes never even step on to a soccer field. The sport is most popular here among teen girls because it does not cost the schools much to put a team together and the girls get to compete in athletics. In my school the mens soccer team consisted of all the kids who could not make the Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Wrestling, Lacrosse, Golf, Track, and Tennis teams. Truthfully they probably should not have been on any type of field because they were dainty little fellows. As far as these more "formidable" teams go; why is it that they are not able to qualify and we are? We are not going away and as more of our actual athletes slip through the cracks we will get better and better at soccer. Hope I am alive to see the headlines when we finally do win the World Cup!

Sylvia: If we had WON we would have been as shocked as the rest of the world. The headline was meant as tongue in cheek humor because that is what MOST Americans reply when asked about soccer. Were we to have won the headline would have been something along the lines of "WTF! How did that happen".

Joao: None of us care what you think of OUR society. One of those benefits of freedom!

One other problem with soccer is that you really have to watch an entire game to appreciate it. Most Americans simply don't have time to sit in a bar and watch an entire game (we have to work). In the end there is absolutely nothing wrong with soccer it is just not our game.

EhtchTee
02 July 2010 at 15:22

Last time I watched a game of rounders, sorry, baseball, I ate so many hotdogs and drank so many cans of over-expensive cheap crap yank beer, I fell asleep.

Homeruns? what a load of ol' shit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2eha1ff-aE

yeii
03 July 2010 at 02:45

HAHA LOSEEEERS!!!!

alitis
03 July 2010 at 11:05

Murdoch has been using this ploy in Australia for years in order sell his papers. He started it over here were we have 4 competing codes of football; Rugby league, rugby union,soccer and Aussie Rules. His papers are constantly publishing articles that stirs up the fans and causes bitter rivalry between the followers. The principle of "divide and conquer" is well and truely at work.

julio marques-Brasil
04 July 2010 at 01:21

The country's war can not understand football.

This is a competitive sport, but do not have war, and where there is no war ianks not understand.

Graham
04 July 2010 at 18:55

A few points for Harry Barracuda and anyone else who mocks Americans for referring to American football as ‘football’:

(1) We in Britain call it ‘American football’, which means we also regard it as a type of football.

(2) Do you seriously expect them to say ‘American football’ in everyday conversation? Think about it.

(3) It evolved from rugby, which is also a form of football, hence the names of its governing bodies in England, the Rugby FOOTBALL Union and Rugby FOOTBALL League.

Soccer, rugby, American/Canadian football, Aussie Rules and Gaelic football are all types of football. If you can’t get your heads around that, you really shouldn’t be talking about this stuff.

Quinn
04 July 2010 at 20:20

To Brits:

The New York Post is our equivalent of your "The Sun". At time it is better, at others it is worse.

Brian Fingerton
05 July 2010 at 02:17

Soccer is a game for girls, slippery continentals and effeminate men who can't take a hit.

Brian Fingerton
05 July 2010 at 02:26

Ehtch Tee is correct about baseball: it is boring as batshit. People should play cricket in the summer and rugby or Australian rules in the winter (or gridiron if you are in America).

All other games are for shirt lifters.

JustAJoe
05 July 2010 at 23:15

This isn't an "American" newspaper, it is a Ruppert Murdoch profit center.

But this is nothing for Murdoch, his Fox News is taking American political discussion to the loony-bin gutter. The man is a cultural WMD and should be banned from all civilized countries.

EhtchTee
06 July 2010 at 02:16

Quinn, comparing your New Yawk Post to our The Sun is pushing it a bit, ey? At least we have proper tits on page three, yankie.

Quinn
09 July 2010 at 05:26

@ EhtchTee, Darn English, always one-upping us Americans!

Quinn
09 July 2010 at 05:31

What I learnt about British newspapers. I didn't leave have to leave my desk and I learnt so much more than that Chapman lady.

http://youtu.be/DGscoaUWW2M

(Yes Minister)

No Barry
09 July 2010 at 12:42

It's wierd how the best team in the world is Brazil? Those penniless sods have a football and a wall, of course they'll be good at football.

KingO
09 July 2010 at 23:52

Baseball is a joke. Nothing ever happens. And the players are unfit and fat. Just like golf it is not a sport.

j 11 July 2010 at 12:56

americans only say that because they cant play, if anyone is bunch retards running around on a pitch its the yanks and what about their sports they may be good at them but who else plays them in the world, like in baseball they have the world seris but no other countries play, if in any case other countries took part they would probably lose and start bad mouthing that sport as americans are such bad losers

charly
14 July 2010 at 07:19

New York Post said that? That newspaper is stupid anyway...

Graham
14 July 2010 at 21:29

j, that's such a moronic post, it's hard to know where to start with it.

"americans only say that because they cant play" - what does that mean? Some of them obviously can play, well enough to finish top of their World Cup group, above England.

"if anyone is bunch retards" - well, at least some of them have got a basic grasp of English, unlike you.

"what about their sports they may be good at them but who else plays them in the world" - er, you mean apart from basketball (a major sport in most of southern and eastern Europe, and Canada and Argentina, and huge in China), and baseball (big in Japan, Korea, Canada, and quite a few Latin American countries)?

chvasq
15 July 2010 at 06:19

How embarrassing and disgraceful. The problem with USA and soccer or this article (I can not generalize) is the fact is not that they do not appreciate the sport but they do not

Own it like the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, NFL AND Others. Soccer is a sport for humanity, a sport that unities people no matter their race, color, language, religion etc. it is a sport of honor and respect, a sport of hope and cultural values. so i can understand why they published such embarrassing title and embarrassed their country is because simply, they do not own it and they never will.

Graham
15 July 2010 at 19:28

chvasq, you said "I can not generalize", and then you did.

Funny how some people seem to think a headline writer for the New York Post (who probably wasn't being very serious anyway) was speaking on behalf of all 300 million Americans.

wazza
09 August 2010 at 17:04

fuck ye stupid americans da only sport dat ye have dat is retarted is american football da rest r gay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol
10 August 2010 at 06:50

the football from usa is terrible...watching that thing they call MLS makes me laught

Nas
03 October 2010 at 01:49

Funny really funny! I hate football and therefore do not watch it, that's just me. I was not raised to watch it, I have always played soccer, and therefore can care less about it. I feel that Americans are the same way, they woke up and found that the American Football is what they do! I can't blame them, but at the same time, they need to be open minded about it. The whole world plays it, and some still call it stupid, worthless,....etc. The U.S is, among very other few countries, the country that plays football at most, no one else does. They therefore feel bad about it. They have gotten so much better especially during the world cup.

Here are few differences:

Soccer: requires so much fitness and running around for 90 minutes, which i DOUBT A FOOTBALL PLAYER CAN DO. In football is what kills me, the game is STOPPED every like 10 seconds lol. What game is that?????

In football: To be in all you need is an oversized body, that's it!!!!! There are no skills involved. In soccer, if you know anything about, there are many skills involved.

In football there is the one point kick, which doesn't make sense. In soccer there is a penalty kick, which is what it is, a PENALTY, so don't complain about it.