World Cup 2010

[Shane]

it's those horns that ruin the game.

I think he means the vuvuzelas (aka lepatatas). Those are what keep people watching a soccer game from falling asleep before the match ends.
-Shane

[racoll]

I think he means the vuvuzelas (aka lepatatas). Those are what keep people watching a soccer game from falling asleep before the match ends.

7-0 to Portugal today - now that's a basketball scoreline!

I am ashamed to say I only got maybe 20% of what he was trying to convey in his communication attempt

[sidguppy]

so far I'm amazed at the amount of football I've watched so far; usually I'm not so much into watching sports.

the Vuvuzela is The! Best! Supporters Toy! Ever!
I think it should be mandatory in the Dutch competition
oh yes.

you wouldn't believe the evil foul racist crap your regular Dutch football "fan" seems to bleat around in huge crowds.
don't think for a minute that Hooligans are something British, we have way too many ourselves, really.
now all I hear is TWOOOOOOOOOOTTTTT instead of all the deranged insults
go Africans go! I want to shake the hand of the sheer genius that invented that one

the level of the games is amazing.
I've seen teams that should play top notch mess around with boring eyewrenching badly played manure, if you pardon my English.
and since we're talking about the English....
hate to say it here, but what on earth are these guys doing at a world championship?
there's guys in there that are -and I quote- "clumsy and non-professional-football-worthy-material" (one of the best comments I heard lately on Sporza)

can't pardon my French either!
what on earth are they doing? This Is Soap!
As The Ball Turns? The Ball And The Beautiful?
these guys should go to Hollywood, really. epic drama for the win.

on the other hand I've seen great playing by for example Mexico, South Korea and Germany in their first game.....
what's this? Germany playing fun football?
they usually excel in digging a trench in front of the goal and going counters in spare time, something the Italians are very good in too.

a winning strategy, for sure, but after watching a game like that I usually need a blunt spoon to scrape out my eyeballs.
looks like the Dutch are going in that direction.
the results are nice, but it's not much fun to watch it.

seems like the Italians are in for a baaad time. i can live with that
one of the best games I've seen so far was New Zealand pulling one of the biggest stunts in professional football humiliating Italy......the crowd went berserk at the end, never knew Kiwi girls were known for ditching their clothes in public.
hell I like this game

Brasil does what it does best: foul play. the second and third goal in the game against Cote D'Ivore were pure hands......
and the referee's in on it, making jokes afterwards to the very player that pulled the stunt with him 3 feet away....... not even Maradona with his infamous "hand of God" was this bold.
wich shows that the FIFA is indeed rotten to the core, rotting down from the very top wich is Fuhrer Blatter.
every other sport that's as big as this has fixed camera's all over, and they can change faulty results afterwards.
not football! the FIFA refuses to do so, because the way it's set up now is they can influence the result.

I'll take a safe bet that they need 'the big uns' at the finals to keep people watching. and they don't care that people watch badly played football, as long as they can rake in the money by the shipload.
revolting, really.

I hope Ghana can pull a stunt, since Cote D'Ivore, South Africa and Cameroon probably will be out of it. it's a bit sad that so many African teams will be gone too soon. it's them, and the Koreans, Mexicans, Kiwi's and the Us team that make it a lot of fun. more unpredictable football please!
go Africa!


note that I never use the word "soccer". I flat out refuse to call it that; it's called football
the Us version of rugby is called "American football" wich means that without the "American" tag, the version the rest of the world plays is plain football. easy, is it not?

ending my rant with a question for the Americans:
why does a country that prides itself on its' masculinity need to strap-on 40 lbs of protective gear to play a game of rugby?

[Viktor Jarikov]

Dearest Sidguppy! Maybe it's only me, but I think you have just opened a can... no... a barrel of worms... or a box... no... an aircraft-carrier-size box with Pandora's name on it...

[L number Banana]

it's those horns that ruin the game.

I think he means the vuvuzelas (aka lepatatas). Those are what keep people watching a soccer game from falling asleep before the match ends.
-Shane

I did understand that but couldn't resist poking one at the american style ball And lepatata as a word is just as awesome as vuvuzela. Our household now uses it as a noun and a verb.

Sidguppy:

ending my rant with a question for the Americans:
why does a country that prides itself on its' masculinity need to strap-on 40 lbs of protective gear to play a game of rugby?

Hmm, I'm not american but I may have some insight here. I think they bundle up so they can hit harder. I'm guessing this is the case because since hockey's 'protective' equipment got bigger and 'better', injuries are up. Hmmm.
Did you say the kiwi ladies were losing their gear? Heehee. Naked football/soccer would double the female viewers. Did someone say Ballack again or was that me?

[Shane]

note that I never use the word "soccer". I flat out refuse to call it that; it's called football

Hmmm, strange then that World Cup headquarters in South Africa is called Soccer City. I know you can't reist a poke at the Americans, but soccer is a British word not American. Until 1995 it was the official name of the sport not only in the US.... but also Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

why does a country that prides itself on its' masculinity need to strap-on 40 lbs of protective gear to play a game of rugby?

You need to see a professional NFL player up close. The average NFL tackle weighs in at 318 lbs. Two or three of these guys tackling you is the equivelant of being run down by a horse. Literally. The average American football career is 3.3 years long and professional players die, on average, by age 57. You can only be run over so many times.
While on the topic...Can someone explain to me why everytime a soccer player trips they lays on the ground and crys like a 5 year old girl in front of a million viewers? These guys have no shame. You would never see that in an American football game.

-Shane

[Bas Pels]

If I compare Australian football with American football I see the Aussies do it without any protection - just as rugby is

I think, being without it makes one more vulnerable, and therefore there's a need to keep the other team away from wanting to harm you. Rugby is one of the most fair sports, while football is among the meanest in the world

I don't know about Australian football and American football, but I think one sees the same pattern

During the last Olympic games I was looking at hockey (ice-hockey is what we call it) and the brutalness in the game offended me. They are all protected, thus the brutalness does not hurt that much, but still the exampkle for children is made: Violence is good.

Perhaps I'm very European, but as long as American football is played with protection, it's nothing I would spend a second on

[Richard B]

Ok hears my rant.
play ing foot ball the a ball with out points on the ends is weard .it's those horns that ruin the game.
What are Allwhites? I live in the USA we have free speech. but you arn't have anything ALLWHITE it is called raceisum.
And last but not least Budwiser is yellow because ,well figure it out.
have a nice fathers day Ya'll

The ALL WHITES are the NZ football team because they play in all white kit, so not a racist comment. They also have a rugby team who play in an all black kit called the ALL BLACKS.....

[Yann]

Ok!!

Let's join the pack...I am probably one of the few european to have play all 3...soccer, rugby and American football

Totally agree with you Shane on soccer player...acting is more and more a skill...and it is really getting ridiculous...thought the FIFA was going against those but so far I could only see them being successful...nice lesson for the children...cheat, fake and you will win...and best of it you ll get away with it!!

Rugby and Football are very similar and very different...the tackling techniques are very very different...you would and could never use a football tackling technique in Rugby...or you would just end up dead at best... that is why there are protection...and even of there are protection, turst me you can badly hurt yourself, I played 7 yrs, and got a bunch of bruises...my neck, every articulation hurt like ....every single day

The tackling technique in Rugby is very basic...and you just don't try something new, you don't just throw your body at it...but if you look carefully more and more rugby players are using pads and helmet...just like the very early years of American football...

Cheers
Yann

[DJ-don]

just would like to add my input but first of all,,
GO KOREA REPUBLIC!!

but may i also add that i play rugby over in australia and it does require more skill than it looks.

you have to have a defensive pattern, you have to learn to ruck the ball, you have to see how the other team is defending so you can attack in different ways, forwards have to know how to scrum without killing them selves and backs have to pass both ways with out failure and there are heaps more! and its heaps more different to gridiron. Gridiron involves pads because there are literally no rules on how you can tackle. Rugby Union has rules on tackling. Like you can't lift the player above a horizontal axis because that could potentially break the players neck if he is put down to ground. no tackling above the armpits-explains it self.
but people wear head gear because it reduces the amount of shock it gets if the player gets knocked in the head some how and shoulder pads are there to obviously protect the shoulders from getting hurt in a tackle. but as a player, shoulder pads dont help at all. they reduce the movement of your arms which in the end could hurt you if your not careful. another reason for the lack of armor is that american football players literally pile up on each other to stop the opposition from passing the scrimmage line or getting a touch down. but rugby union has rules about piling on each other. in the ruck, (A rugby term for clearing off members of the opposing team to get the ball safely off the ground and into a place it can be used advantageously) you can only clear off the opposition if your on your feet so you just cant jump on or its a penalty. so that level of safety is there too but rucks do get dangerous and very squashed at times.

i've played top div rugby for my age for 2 years now. worst injury i got is a bruised sternum and a minor lower back injury. but i hate wearing protective gear because it tires you down ridiculously because it increases heat and such

Australian football other wise known as AFL doesn't have pads because its literally no tackling at all. just the occasional bear hug-no serious big tackles like rugby

Can someone explain to me why everytime a soccer player trips they lays on the ground and crys like a 5 year old girl in front of a million viewers? These guys have no shame. You would never see that in an American football game.

this is known as the famous soccer dive. soccer players do this to get penalties. it makes it look like the tackle is worse than it seems. i love soccer but could do with out the diving. drink a cup of cement and harden up!!

and also with the vuvuzela, hearing experts say at the ground, its going to kill your ear drums because everyone blowing it at once at a game, has the same decibels as a gun shot!!

[racoll]

Can someone explain to me why everytime a soccer player trips they lays on the ground and crys like a 5 year old girl in front of a million viewers? These guys have no shame.

The idea is to deceive the ref, and get the decision to go your way.

All part of the fun of the game! The game would so so much duller if everyone played fairly and honourably.

People (especially British!) always complain at this type of gamesmanship, but they love it really.

Fantastic entertainment, in my opinion!

[DJ-don]

may i also add that i feel quite sorry for the england team. being booed of by fans i think is degrading.

they booed of their own country me n because they tied for the second time. all teams and players have those moments where they lose/tie a game they should have won and such. it's like booing at your own child for losing a game they should have won in a small junior soccer game. you would say to your child, "aww bad luck. you'll do better next time!"
thats the attitude that people should carry if their country loses a game. and plus england still have a chance to get passed knock out rounds

[Jools]

So, any Slovenians in the house?

Jools

[krazyGeoff]

The All Whites are doing OK for the underdogs eh.

I knew there was something in the water down here

[racoll]

The All Whites are doing OK for the underdogs eh.

I guess its partly because they have nothing to lose.

Who's going complain if they play like crap, and lose to say Italy?

This must make a big difference psycologically. No pressure - just turn up and do your best.

[crkinney]

Sorry for the confusion Viktor. I have a problem understanding english as spoken on the other side of the pond.
Yello snow I would not know about it don't snow much in florida. I think you got it.
Vuvuvelas or as I call them ,them horns were handed out at a baseball game between the Rays and Marlins it was a disaster the players claim it affected their play and they only gave out 15000 of the damn things.
As far as tha All colors thats cool as the ACLU [american civil liberty union] don't get envolved
I do like rugby and ausy football [pointy ball] I would love to see the american players take off all the crap they wear and try to play the game,What a hoot that would be.

[crkinney]

Well I guess I am on a roll today .
As far as american football player they are a bunch of wooshes. Who would want to pay 50$ to see a game where you get a penalty for hitting the guy with the ball. For that kinda money lets go back to gladators and lions. these guys make MILLIONS WHAT A COUNTRY!!

[bronzefry]

note that I never use the word "soccer". I flat out refuse to call it that; it's called football

Hmmm, strange then that World Cup headquarters in South Africa is called Soccer City. I know you can't reist a poke at the Americans, but soccer is a British word not American. Until 1995 it was the official name of the sport not only in the US.... but also Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

why does a country that prides itself on its' masculinity need to strap-on 40 lbs of protective gear to play a game of rugby?

You need to see a professional NFL player up close. The average NFL tackle weighs in at 318 lbs. Two or three of these guys tackling you is the equivelant of being run down by a horse. Literally. The average American football career is 3.3 years long and professional players die, on average, by age 57. You can only be run over so many times.
While on the topic...Can someone explain to me why everytime a soccer player trips they lays on the ground and crys like a 5 year old girl in front of a million viewers? These guys have no shame. You would never see that in an American football game.

-Shane

My dentist played in the NFL for a number of years. Let me tell you, he can place a filling with one finger that most dentists need multiple impliments and assistants. I'm always stunned by his height and width. And he's old school!
Amanda

[L number Banana]

Bas Pels wrote:
During the last Olympic games I was looking at hockey (ice-hockey is what we call it) and the brutalness in the game offended me. They are all protected, thus the brutalness does not hurt that much, but still the exampkle for children is made: Violence is good.

OO, my turn to rant!
As an extreme hockey fan, I hate to hear this but have to agree when the violence is actually violence. When the players go by the rules and the rules are enforced, it's a beautiful game, like chess on ice. Watch women's hockey sometime and see how the game is played. Even some of the macho male broadcasters love women's hockey because you can see the strategy, moves and countermoves.

The last few games that were really amazing had no fights because they had highly skilled players - big difference. It's funny that everyone talked about these games the next day and oohed and ahhed about the moved yet the networks still show fights and hits in their advertisments...

They are all protected, thus the brutalness does not hurt that much

Completely false. That was why my comment about the so-called 'better' equipment, it's better for the player doing the hitting or checking but is much worse for the player being hit. I wouldn't slam into someone with a lot of force if it was going to hurt me. I wish that there was less body armor, head yes but body armor no. On the other hand, Al Iafrate could shoot the puck at 105 MPH!! so it's not fair to ask players to wear less equipment if the league expects them to block shots.
Look at these stats - this is how many times there was a guy out for a game due to injury...270 games for the top team alone.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/h ... le1438180/
Funny though, the skilled players seem to know how to move out of the way most of the time and idiot-boy charging him only slams himself into the boards.

Watch womens's hockey - it's very fast but beautiful! One of our best players used to play with the European men's teams Even had kids between olympics!

Agree with setting a bad example for kids is always bad whether is lying about being injured in soccer, the fights that take place in baseball games, the hockey teams that win by brute force instead of skill or the corruption of referees.

So far my province has banned that evil mixed martial arts thing, has it invaded Europe yet? Worse than boxing

For my buddies up the street, go Korea!

I thought there was still an outside chance that South Africa can slip through depending on what the next match results are?? No?

[Bas Pels]

As I wrote ice-hockey, there is also another kind of hockey - on grass.

The players waer a normal football outfit, and a stick. Almost all of them also wear teeth protection, ans a thing in the crotch . goalies wear a lot more, obviously. The ball is hard, and I'm certain it will go fast, and can hurt you. Here it is almost exclusively played by rich people (but still NL is in the top-10 of the world, perhaps we have a lot of rich people?)

So Banana, ball/puck speed might not make body armour needed. But I got to admit, I did not play hockey - on ice or not - ever

[krazyGeoff]

I guess its partly because they have nothing to lose.

Who's going complain if they play like crap, and lose to say Italy?

Without being mean, but whilst still being fair, they were almost expected to loose They had nothing at all to loose

Over here football / soccer is actually the most popular sport until about the age of 13 (as I have been lead to believe), but then rugby takes over.

What the all whites have done will do wonderfull things for this sport in NZ.

[Jools]

What the all whites have done will do wonderfull things for this sport in NZ.

Yeah, well said.

Jools

[Shane]

The idea is to deceive the ref, and get the decision to go your way.

All part of the fun of the game! The game would so so much duller if everyone played fairly and honourably.

While watching the Algeria-US game tonight we came up with a term for this, "the Pink Card."
-Shane

[Jools]

If you weren't entertained by that (USAvAlgeria) game, you will never get football!

Jools

[TwoTankAmin]

Here come the Miracle on grass..........

[L number Banana]

Here come the Miracle on grass..........

As much as we like to poke fun at the US.... ....

In Canada we have 'Henderson's Goal' and I think the US will be talking about 'Donovan's Goal' for a very long time. Very graceful and humble at the press conference after the game. Good Luck


Ghana, yippee! My team won the game but it's really nice to see Ghana there, too. Quite the drama with the two brothers on opposite sides!

[bronzefry]

Here come the Miracle on grass..........

Too funny. The US doesn't even have a club nickname.

Stunned that Italy finished last in their group....
Amanda

[Jools]

Too funny. The US doesn't even have a club nickname.

I thought it was Stars and Stripes.

Jools

[sidguppy]

it's getting better and better!

today the Italians were send home by a team from a tiny country that is so brand new, they have a total of 28 or so professional football players
the map of that place has a bar code I think. it's that new

AND we have Africans still going strong. Ghana can carry the torch with pride


but more and more I have to admit that a once noxious and arrogant player i turning into a rebellious and downright genial hero, my Main Hombre Diego Maradona
that guy has a huge and hairy pair, I tell ye

today he gave us another gem with his little speech about the ball and the Fifa members
I love him

that he has a real Che Guevara tattoo doesn't hurt either.

I know you can't reist a poke at the Americans

that's what I do I wouldn't be myself, probably dead and attracting flies if I DON'T poke at the Americans.

most I met are really like-able and nice peeps, but even your average American person seems to believe that he or she is God's Gift to Humanity.
and I'm a walking talking ego-deflator. it's not just my job, it's what I AM.
I also do that at work; if people get all up and gushing about themselves and carry ego's the size of trucks, that's when I wake up from my stupor and start bein' jabby

Maybe it's only me, but I think you have just opened a can... no... a barrel of worms... or a box... no... an aircraft-carrier-size box with Pandora's name on it

yeah I know. the patting on each others' back and the tooth-sweet political correctness in here was getting kinda cloying, so that's when I have to walk in armed with a flamethrower and blowing a Vuvuzela to spice things up a little

can't wait to see what happens tonight. I hope the Dutch are starting to play something that's bareable to watch. really.

and with England Vs Germany coming up soon, now THERE is a real classic in the making.
let's get out the Stuka's and the Spitfire's and where oh where did I leave my Union Jack and Stahlhelmet?

[L number Banana]

Beer and pretzels for everyone