Soccer and the Super Bowl, or: Football vs Football, or: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
By: Daryl | February 7th, 2010
As I’m sure most of our American readers will know, today is Super Bowl XLIV (or Super Bowl 44, if you don’t speak Roman numeral). Super Bowl Sunday is an easy excuse for us soccer fans to indulge ourselves by bashing the “other” football, reminding fans of said sport that there’s only one beautiful game.
But as anyone who’s ever looked at the internets knows, the trading of football vs football jabs usually ends in a massive, unproductive flame war with a line drawn down the middle and no one keen to shake hands. So, because The Offside is a soccer blog with a sizeable percentage of US based readers, some of whom I’d wager are fans of both footballs, I thought maybe this was a good place to make the case for peaceful co-existence.
There’s no doubt that soccer is the more global sport. In my opinion, it’s the best sport in the world and by some distance. But that doesn’t mean all other sports automatically suck. After living in the US for four and a bit years, I’ve been exposed to a fair number of NFL and college football games, and you know what? It’s not bad. Not bad at all. I’m not keen on the stop-startyness or the excessive advertising, but when the ball is in play, incredible things can happen. Things like the Detroit Lions comeback vs the Cleveland Browns in November 2009, with an injured Matt Stafford disobeying the Lions’ medical staff to throw this touchdown:
How can you not appreciate that? OK, it’s not as good as the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final. But it’s still pretty damn good.
I think the reason soccer fans are sometimes so anti-NFL might be because the other football’s dominance in North America reminds us how far our football still has to go in terms of captivating the mainstream. To see millions upon millions of people celebrating a sport we think is inferior drives us absolutely insane. Especially when that sport has stolen our sport’s rightful name, lumbering us with the less appealing alternative of “soccer”. There’s also the fact those who are most dismissive and/or ignorant of soccer tend to be football fans. So maybe it’s only fair that we vent a little and get our own back from time to time.
But ultimately, where does that lead us? Nowhere, that’s where. Unless you count endless internet based arguments as a destination. Which you certainly shouldn’t. So, if anyone’s listening, I’m (somewhat optimistically) calling a truce.
I know there are NFL fans out there who’ll continue to bash soccer. It will probably even increase come World Cup time. They can have at it. Soccer doesn’t need the approval of those who don’t understand it. So I’ll be over here enjoying the football I know and love, but also taking the occasional, enjoyable, glance at the other football too. As I will today when I watch the Super Bowl, even if I don’t fully understand what’s going on. Because there’s no such thing as a bad sport, only people who are too dumb to try something new.
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Category: World Football
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Comments
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When I was watching the video, I wondered where the ball was all the time.
When you watch soccer, you can actually see where the ball is.
Posted from
Netherlands
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Im in Australia so I cant talk about NFL but with us its rather AFL.
The reasons we cant get along is because the AFL is threatened by the sport in this country. They try and make everything as hard as possible for football in this country. They make loud noises over nothing and are always backed by mainstream media.
A few Altercations between the sport are:
Last season the A-League Grand Final was to be played at Etihad Stadium on the same day as a pre-season game of AFL. AFL made a big hoohaa about it but Etihad decided to take the GF (obviously more money involved).
The most recent ones are the AFL threatening to sue the FFA if they allowed the use of the words Melbourne and F.C. in a new Melbourne teams name (ignored club named Melbourne Heart FC) AFL are checking there legal options.
The biggest talking point has been our WC bid. The AFL knows if Aus hosts a WC then football will be established in this country forever, so they came out making rash false statements, turning the media against the 2018 and 2022 bids, in turn making AFL fans outraged due to the aparant fact that the AFL wouldnt be played for a season if the WC came here, which is false as the season would still go ahead, just at a different date.Dunno how bad u guys got it but its football against AFL and NRL down here
Posted from
United States -
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of our style of football, but when I hear football fans, here and abroad, discounting the sport, I always get a bit annoyed. To say that sport isn’t exciting, or to question the intelligence of the sport is plain arrogant. I’m particularly annoyed by people who haven’t actually watched it at all (i.e. not from North America) who simply write it off. Xenophobic kneejerk on their part.
Posted from
United States -
In UK, luv both sports.
Looking forward to the Super Bowl, though it means midnight in GMT.The footy vs soccer debate is just like basketball vs soccer, rugby vs American footy. The most amazing thing for any sport is its soul and passion. So guys just chill out and enjoy it.
Posted from
United States -
Wob-
have you watched an EPL game? The ball is booted out of the camera’s view for sizeable portions of time match, so I’m not exactly buying that claim.
However, I agree with Daryl that the corporate sponsors seized on gamebreaks to make the games unwatchable at this point. I am absolutely terrified that soccer will institute some form of replay, and the corporate cash will lead to 4 hour drawn-out affairs.
Posted from
United States -
There is a definitely cultural bias against soccer and soccer players here in the US. Sure, it’s fine when you are in elementary school, but somewhere around the seventh or eighth grade the general expectation is that you play the “other football” or some other sport. In high school, the soccer team got razzed for being lightweight and less masculine as compared to the other football team…yet, ironically, 20+ years later I’m still playing my sport and I seriously doubt most of those guys can even run. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
The other slam on footy here is that following it makes you somehow “less American” than the other football. One could argue that there is nothing more American than a diverse group of people–a melting pot, if you will–getting together on the pitch and bringing their diverse styles of play together…but then you will often be shouted down by chants of “NASCAR! NASCAR!” and told soccer is for [insert homophobic slur here]. How do you retort? “Isn’t NASCAR that sport where the winner dumps a big jug of milk in his face for a celebratory money shot?” Your keen rejoinder will not be appreciated.
I enjoy both footballs, one WAY more than the other. It was only when, a few years back, someone asked me about “the big game” (i.e., the Civil War, a college football game between schools UO and OSU) and I thought he meant the Manchester Derby that I realized my priorities were not in alignment with the rest of my co-workers…
Posted from
United States -
I think it is a two way road as far as bashing. I think American ’soccer’ fans are the worse though. One minute they bash the American Football because it is, well, American football.
Then the next minute, they bash international football watchers trying to convince people around the world that the USMNT is always underrated, always have calls against then, that the MLS is a superior league, etc…
On the other hand, Brits make fun of our ’soccer’, and make fun of how we use the word ’soccer’, when the word ’soccer’ was used quite a bit in the UK before the 1970s (read Simon Kuper’s Soccernomics).
But, Daryl, if you want to see a good comeback, nothing beats the 1994 UF vs. FSU, aka…The Choke at Doak!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U14orBc2xws
Posted from
United States -
I enjoy both, and I don’t see much of a conflict (apart from the occasional Sundays when the NFL game I want to watch is on at the same time as the Premier League or Serie A match I want to watch). They’re completely different sports, despite having the same name. It’s been perfectly acceptable in America for decades to follow four or five different sports avidly, and I just can’t understand why soccer has had trouble fitting into the mix.
Posted from
United States -
One more reason to not hate football: At least in one case, it’s helping soccer succeed in the US. The Seattle Sounders (MLS) and the Seattle Seahawks (NFL)share a stadium and, more importantly, a marketing department. When the Sounders came into the league, their marketing and PR apparatus was already in place; they didn’t have to spend time, energy and money reinventing the wheel. That helped make Seattle the most financially successful MLS franchise in history, with year two looking even better.
Thank you, American football.
Posted from
United States -
I grew up in Germany and now live in the US, I am a fan of both. Like what @mylons mentioned, its very unfortunate that they both share the same name. If they didnt share the same name, I would be convinced that there would be a lot less bashing between the two sides and it wouldnt end up with USA Supremacy vs Europe or rest of the world.
Posted from
United States -
I’ve personally never liked American football (rules seem way too contrived, don’t know half the players in the field, too violent), but that’s always been it: just my opinion. I never thought that soccer is objectively a better sport, just more suited to my tastes. That perspective is what is usually missing from these arguments, hehe.
And as far as our experience here in the States with American football fans, I’ve known how it can be worse with European (or South American) soccer fans. They usually don’t have the American experience of growing up with a variety of sports… so try explaining the allure of baseball to them and they usually try to fit it into the context of soccer. Which is pointless, but it’s like they can’t conceive of a sport in which you’re not actively sitting down for 45 minute stretches staring at the action.
Posted from
United States -
soccer rocks football is terrible terrible
Posted from
United States -
Lions and Browns? That’s the best you could come up with? Two of the 4 teams that haven’t won Super Bowl in their own Futility Bowl.
With 310+ million people in the US, there is plenty of room for football of both kinds. And the echo Laurie, the NFL and MLS are good friends. And even Jerry Jones and his new stadium in Dallas hosted 6 soccer matches before the first american football match was played in the stadium. And he is gunning for Dallas to be a World Cup venue.
I like both games for a variety of reasons. There will always be ignorance and pride on both sides, but soccer is growing rapidly in the US and shows no signs of stopping.
Posted from
United States -
I developed hostility toward American football simply because of all the “soccer” bashing that I grew up with. If they insult your sport, why would you like theirs?
But then I grew older, and finally started to understand American football. And yes, there is plenty of room for both sports. I am a Chicago Bears fan, which is a team that my entire city roots for (with occasional idiot Packers fans here and there) so by default I watch their games just like most other Chicagoans. “One city one team” is the slogan that I see on public transportation buses.
American football is still not my cup of tea, and I never forced myself to like it, but like Daryl said: it’s not that bad. But I’ll take “soccer” any day
Posted from
United States -
You’re not American if you do not know today is the superbowl.
Posted from
United States -
I am a New Englander so I love the Patriots, and grew up supporting them. I only came to enjoy “soccer” in my late teens. So, I love both sports equally.
Posted from
United States -
Because there’s no such thing as a bad sport, only people who are too dumb to try something new.
Baseball. I rest my case. That is a bad sport.
I’m both a soccer and American football fan, though soccer > football by a long ways. Both sports could learn from each other though, like, how to make 60 minutes be 60 minutes, not 4 1/2 hours with advertisements every other second. And soccer could wake up and allow video replay…though not in the manner the NFL does it.
Geaux Saints!!
Posted from
United States -
“it’s like [some Europeans] can’t conceive of a sport in which you’re not actively sitting down for 45 minute stretches staring at the action.”
alessio proves my point ;)
Posted from
United States -
Al –
Packers >>>>> Bears
haha
Posted from
United States -
“You’re not American if you do not know today is the superbowl”
I think this may be the reason for any tension between the sports. American Football is American. There is no other country in the world that enjoys this sport as much as America, not even close. So when people criticise American Football, its like they are criticising America.
I believe that if the sport was as global as football, then it will lose its american-ness, and there will be less tension.
Posted from
United States -
Football is better. Both as a sport and as an recreational activity. You can actually play it yourself for fun.
For me watching american football is like watching two chess players that kick each other’s ass at every other move. I’ll never really understand chess, or american football.
When I see some movie that has characters playing american football for fun, it’s always shockingly bad, like they’re all acting, faking the play, like in that other american absurdity: “professional” wrestling.
Don’t get me started on that one …
Posted from
United States -
I have thoroughly enjoyed this comment board. There is much less bad blood bashing either sport. I say this as the typical football (or American Football fan since this is a soccer/football blog) that really is not into the world’s game.
I still question whether the world’s game is going to catch on here. I was once one of those millions that played the game of soccer, but I did so under protest like many other of the kids on my team. We wanted to play football, but our parents felt it was too expensive and too dangerous.
Now, I would not have an issue if the game of soccer actually caught here, but it is still a sport that is “gaining steam” even though a large part of the population has immigrated here from south of the border where soccer is a religion and the sport has had several youth movements. The sport should be bigger here by now, but it is not.
Could part of the problem be this very conflict? The most popular sport here right now is football, so by fighting with that population is the sport of soccer hindering its ascension in the saturated sports world in the U.S.? Do American soccer fans even then want the sport to catch on? Some are open to all sports but some more seem to really love the fact that the sport is not part of the mainstream.
Of course, another problem could be that we have so many sports options here that simply fitting the game into our sports schedule could be an issue. It does not help that the biggest games in the sport of soccer are played once every four years. So, there is a major push in that World Cup year and then the sport slowly dissipates from the collective sports consciousness amidst a sea of Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, March Madness, what ever NASCAR’s big thing is, etc.
Now I will most likely watch some of this summer’s Cup simply because unbridled excitement is infectious (in that way I can get into almost any sport in the moment), but I will immediately put the sport to the side as I live life, work hard, and look forward to the next big thing in sports as a means of escapism.
Posted from
United States -
I’ll try to keep it short, cuz even I don’t have the patience to read long posts.
Coming from a Canadian perspective, I think that NFL football has become the de facto American sport, and hockey has become the de facto Canadian sport…
…because the average family in these two countries can afford to have their kids play these two sports that require such expensive equipment and playing field.
Expensive equipment and playing field = artificial sport settings where players can knock the hell out of each other and rarely break any bones.
Knocking the hell out of each other = entertainment for the average North American.
For the record, I like and have played nearly all team sports except volleyball. I hate volleyball.
Of course, I know there’s cultural and political and historical reasons as well, but my post would get way too long, so I’ll keep it to my simple economic argument.
Posted from
Canada -
The question really is American football even a sport? I watch it on channel 4 from time to time and its great because they splice it together so there are no adverts. I saw a game when i went to New-Hampshire however and WOW!!! Really every 30 seconds?
Think about the game itself a bunch of fat, idiots bashing into each other. There is one skilful player on each team (QB), one intelligent person on each team (coach). They then have the audacity to call themselves ‘world champions’ when they play exclusively in America. In football or ‘Soccer’ every player has to defend, attack, pass, strike for goal, head the ball…
I’m sure you true football (once again soccer) fans in the US will cringe at all the World cup bashing spread by your media. Some even tried to say that the Super bowl was more lucrative and had a larger audience than the World Cup!!!! BS!!
A recent study (Daily express newspaper UK ) showed that half a billion people on average watch the larger Premier league fixtures(around 10 or so a year). The Asians alone watch more EPL than the USA watch Super bowl!!
The problem in USA is that the MLS is still new but I hear its growing fast. This is compounded by the fact there is no incentive for MLS teams (other than beating your local rivals of-course). In the premier league the lower teams fight to avoid relegation, the middle teams fight to gain entry into the Europa league (6th or 5th) place or gain entry to the champions league (1st -4th place)(a spot in this is worth about £80m). The top teams fight to win the premier ship and compete with the best in Europe for the Champions league title. While all teams will play for the FA cup which next year is celebrating its 130th birthday (the oldest domestic football competition in the world). FA cup allows all teams from premier, championship, division 2 and conference leagues to enter.
As you can see the English game has great diversity which is why it’s so competitive and popular all over the world. It is also the richest sports league in the world by far, with tens of billions of foreign and domestic money recently being involved in the last decade, although admittedly the vast majority of this comes from Russian and Saudi oligarchs! But who cares we now have a league were the best players from the world come to, and enjoy salaries of $200,000+ a week ! Talks are now happening (although very early stages) that a 39th game may be added to take the EPL . This has been backed in a newspaper recently by Sam Allardyce (Blackburn Rovers manager). Any Americans drooling at the possibility of a Manchester United game on your home soil???? If you are not i know the big sponsors Nike etc definitely are!!
In contrast the American football game although not very respected in England, does receive a lot of support when it comes to Wembley (London) once a year and always sells out 90k tickets. I know I’ve ranted a bit about the EPL but is Gridiron really a sport???? Just ask John Cleese…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sD_8prYOxoPosted from
United Kingdom
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