Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site unc.unc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!unc!fsks From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Newsgroups: net.sport Subject: Re: World Cup History (or what's wrong with the USA) Message-ID: <519@unc.unc.UUCP> Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 14:01:24 EST Article-I.D.: unc.519 Posted: Mon Nov 4 14:01:24 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 06:31:13 EST References: <834@utai.UUCP> <235@Navajo.ARPA> <411@ssc-bee.UUCP> <14@uw-june> Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Organization: CS Dept, U. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill Lines: 22 Summary: >> 1. We don't take it seriously enough. In other countries they treat >> soccer like Texas treats football. Kids in Europe and South >> America get soccer balls instead of a nerf or a baseball mitt. Ewan Tempero: >Mainly true but it's not just that people don't play as much, >they don't get any support from their fellow countrypersons. >[...] >As James commented, US hasn't done as badly as you might think, >it's just that no-one knows about it ( extremely biased media ) >and most people don't care. However you would think, given the >number of soccer players in the country ( while a small fraction >of the total population, is probably larger than soccer populations >of many soccer nations ) US could provide a better showing. The main reason few people take soccer seriously in this country is that schools don't promote the sport. Most sports-minded youths put their effort into those sports with the biggest payoff, i.e. those sports with pep-rallies and pretty cheerleaders. Frank Silbermann