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[sonerohi]

It's only dull because you don't understand it at all. Football is a very tactical game, but to an untrained eye it looks like they're just running around randomly.

I get soccer. I play it, so I have to. I love playing soccer, but watching it is boring as hell.

[DJ]

American as well? You guys can't appreciate any element of a game other than scoring

Personally, I find basketball dull as hell, because it's too easy to score so you never see any brilliant defence. Good defence in football can be just as entertaining as a good goal.

[RedKing]

Because we all know soccer fans cheer a well-executed pass with the same gusto that they do for a goal. Although screaming "WELL-EXECUTED PASS!" at the top of your lungs and stretching it out to 5 minutes long doesn't flow quite as well.

I love good defense in a game, because it makes every little turnover or breakaway that much more important. A hard-fought 2-1 OT hockey match can be a thing of heart-racing excitement.

I know it's fashionable to say that Americans are just too uncultured or too stupid or what have you, and that's why we don't like soccer. But maybe we just don't like it? To me, it's like a bunch of people saying "Wow, have you tried this thing called BREAD? Bread is awesome! Bread is the best! Bread tastes better than anything else! You must not have taste buds if you don't like bread!" and I'm like, "Umm..it's just bread?"

[scriver]

I suppose the one point in favor of soccer is that it's highly portable. All you need is a ball and a large open field. (Although basketball is rapidly gaining in popularity in a lot of crowded world cities because it requires far less space, and you just need a ball and something to serve as a hoop).

Just like with basket, football doesn't depend on the size of the field. All you need is a ball, and a goal. And anything can serve as a goal.

Because we all know soccer fans cheer a well-executed pass with the same gusto that they do for a goal. Although screaming "WELL-EXECUTED PASS!" at the top of your lungs and stretching it out to 5 minutes long doesn't flow quite as well.

Yeah, you really can't appreciate something unless it makes you scream out of joy.

I love good defense in a game, because it makes every little turnover or breakaway that much more important. A hard-fought 2-1 OT hockey match can be a thing of heart-racing excitement.

So can a football game. It depends on what you like, it's not like football fans aren't excited when they watch it. Footballers like football for the exact same reasons hockeyers like hockey, basketers basket, or cricketers cricket.

I know it's fashionable to say that Americans are just too uncultured or too stupid or what have you, and that's why we don't like soccer. But maybe we just don't like it? To me, it's like a bunch of people saying "Wow, have you tried this thing called BREAD? Bread is awesome! Bread is the best! Bread tastes better than anything else! You must not have taste buds if you don't like bread!" and I'm like, "Umm..it's just bread?"

Americans don't like football because it's not part of their cultural heritage to like football. Just like the rest of the world except Japan don't give a damn about baseball. Doesn't make any one of them any less worth as a game than the other.
And what the hell is up with you and not liking BREAD? It's like air, flour and water - but in one bite!

[DJ]

No, it's like me saying "bread is rather good" and you saying "ewww, bread, how can you eat that shit?". Anyone who thinks that bread is disgusting is a bit loony IMO.

[Siquo]

"Umm..it's just bread?"

Are you serious?! Bread is awesome! 
And soccer is more watchable than american football, basketball, and icehockey IMHO (when you say hockey, everyone outside of North America assumes you mean fieldhockey). Why? Tempo. Soccer is a lot slower, you can actually see the buildup, the defensive moves, the flank, the surprise position-change in one fluid motion. Basketball and icehockey are too fast to see any of that, and american football is just start-stop-start-stop, quick tempo in short bursts. They're like US commercials: fast and loud. It's what the USians like.

[Duke 2.0]

 Siquo, you forgot Tennis and Baseball.

[Kogan Loloklam]

International "Football" (Called Soccer in America) focuses all the attention on the 'foot'. The ball part is just how the feet score.
American "Football" focuses all the attention on the ball, the feet are just what carry the ball to score.

I'd say of them both, American Football requires a more tactical mind to be successful in. That is probably why Americans like it so much, because it resembles where we put our focus in military matters.

[DJ]

You're watching the game, but you don't see it. Technical skills are crowd pleasers, sure, but they don't win games. Taking control of the game's pace does.

[Nikov]

Win.

[cowofdoom78963]

American "Football" focuses all the attention on the ball, the feet are just what carry the ball to score.

I thought it was becuase the ball was a foot long. Or at least closer to a foot long compared to other balls.

[Siquo]

Siquo, you forgot Tennis and Baseball.

Tennis is british, as far as I'm concerned, and not really something the typical USian watches AFAIK.

Baseball I don't get, so I'm not going to remark on it. I never took the effort to understand the game, the tactics, etc.

[Nikov]

Siquo, you forgot Tennis and Baseball.

Tennis is british, as far as I'm concerned, and not really something the typical USian watches AFAIK.

Baseball I don't get, so I'm not going to remark on it. I never took the effort to understand the game, the tactics, etc.

Americans don't really watch tennis, but like to play it, particularly the middle or upper class. Like golf, its more fun to do than watch.

Of course, my impressions of Americans come from rural 99% white small town America. I'm sure they're just crazy about lacross in the northwest.

Best sport ever? Shooting skeet. I shot 20/22 at Scout camp once, and my father's jaw was on the floor.

[AtomicPaperclip]

"Umm..it's just bread?"

Are you serious?! Bread is awesome! 
And soccer is more watchable than american football, basketball, and icehockey IMHO (when you say hockey, everyone outside of North America assumes you mean fieldhockey). Why? Tempo. Soccer is a lot slower, you can actually see the buildup, the defensive moves, the flank, the surprise position-change in one fluid motion. Basketball and icehockey are too fast to see any of that, and american football is just start-stop-start-stop, quick tempo in short bursts. They're like US commercials: fast and loud. It's what the USians like.

To me (American) the soccer players all kind of run together and the ball moves back and forth across the field, dragging the players with it. It never goes into the goal, it just goes back and forth. It's really not any fun for me to watch. It's really fun to play, but I don't like watching it.

American football is like, boring, boring, boring, really awesome play where someone threw the ball really far and the guy ran like 50 yards and caught it and knocked out the defender with one arm and it was awesome, boring, boring, boring.

Basketball you focus on the guy with the ball, and the defender, and in your peripheral vision you see what everyone else is doing. The ball keeps moving and everyone has to do their job or a weak spot opens up and you can see it all happening. IMO it's the rapid changing of score, possession, and lead that makes it interesting.

[Heron TSG]

American football is just start-stop-start-stop, quick tempo in short bursts. They're like US commercials: fast and loud. It's what the USians like.

As a USian, I feel qualified to tell you that not everything needs to be fast and loud to be interesting in the U.S.. In fact, I myself prefer running, which is fast and silent. Nobody runs a loud race, and it's still fun.