US Women's World Cup Team

[Eoraptor1]

Has anyone here (Besides me) been paying attention to what the US Women's team has been doing in the World Cup? I remember a lot of activity here for the men's series. Anyone?

JAMES

[CWOJackson]

Yes. It's been an amazing season for upsets. Now, if only our men's teams could play like these ladies.

[Wittpilot]

When Abby scored that goal Sunday, I think I damn near went through the ceiling!!! What a come back! And I just could not believe how bad the officiating in that game was.. I mean, I played the game, I've watched the game, and really in soccer a 'bad call' is kind a unique part of the game.... but when you have SEVERAL bad calls almost all going one way, it is too much...

I still find it extremely disappointing that in our society here, people have a mindset that soccer is for talentless fairies.... What these people don't know, is that it is a sport that desires speed, agility, strength, & intelligence.... there are no timeouts, no offensive coordinator to tell you the play... you make the play....

It is truly the beautiful game, and sometimes I truly wish it was the big sport here.....

-witt

[CWOJackson]

I still find it extremely disappointing that in our society here, people have a mindset that soccer is for talentless fairies.... What these people don't know, is that it is a sport that desires speed, agility, strength, & intelligence.... there are no timeouts, no offensive coordinator to tell you the play... you make the play....



...and amazing endurance.

[deKoven]

Count me as one who watches soccer, and has been watching "our" team. I find it MUCH more entertaining than hockey, fer instance.

Watched a fight last month and, mirabile dictu, a hockey game broke out. :sleep:

[Eoraptor1]

I think I said this before, during the men's World Cup. Soccer is an enormously popular youth sport in the United States for boys and girls; literally thousands of young people play it, and the "soccer mom" has become a very desired political demographic. Tim Green, in The Dark Side of the Game, complains that not enough young people are playing football, choosing soccer instead. I love football, but I'm a hobbit, playing at the high school level was never really an option, so I played soccer, which I was never particularly good at, but I learned to love. I very much looked up to my varsity coach, was in the best shape of my life after having had lots of health problems, and also had the best grades of my high school tenure while I was playing. I don't believe that was a coincidence. What soccer doesn't have is the media-fueled economic power of football or basketball (basketball is especially profitable) nor does it have the cultural cachet of baseball, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it.

JAMES

[Tako_Kichi]

What soccer doesn't have is the media-fueled economic power of football or basketball (basketball is especially profitable) nor does it have the cultural cachet of baseball, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it.
That may be true in the US but it stands alone in the world in terms of soccer culture. Soccer IS big business in 99% of the world.

Personally I have never been a big fan of soccer (even though I grew up in the UK), I much prefer rugby union, cricket or motor sports.

[ShawnG]

to get one point out of the way, I am an American who loves soccer, and has for a long period of time, but that 99% of the world just isn't true, and America by no means stands alone in not embracing the beautiful game. for one thing, soccer is very scarce in India, where cricket reigns supreme, and is liked, but largely ignored by the vast Chinese population, so really there's 50% of the population of the planet already that is at most ambivalent about soccer. add to that Canada, Australia, Cuba, Venezuela, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangaladesh,, and parts of the west indies. I'm no Russian expert, but I'm not sure that soccer is the premier Russian sport either.

To be very sure, Soccer IS the most popular game on the planet, but mostly that's because when it was invented in the age of Colonialism, the European powers exported it nearly everywhere, where the US influence on the world at that time was fairly limited. And because of the old colonial rivalries, there came a point where "being American" meant discarding soccer, thankfully the coverage in the US is FAR more balanced than it used to be, ESPN will regularly show highlights and scores now on sportscenter, and on my cable package there are TWO 24 hr soccer channels, that was never a possibility before, and the World Cup has finally become a really universally followed event in the US. so much better than it used to be, Soccer will never be our number one sport, but is is at least accepted here now.

[HouseHobbit]

Go Girls GO!!!
Yes been following this with Great interest..
Bravo to the USA team on their success..
:salute: :salute: :salute:

And there is MUCH Rejoicing!!

[Eoraptor1]

I was speaking of the US sports market in my last post. I should have made that more clear. As to the 99% figure, IMO, it's common (that is, not scientific usage) comes from the rather free use of statistical claims from media, especially advertising. I don't know how it is now, but when I was learning research methods, the 99% and 95% confidence intervals were the most common when used as part of a study using analysis of variance. People tend to think a 99% confidence interval means greater certitude, as though it were a 99% probability, when it fact all it may mean is that the researcher is using a wider distribution of events so that the event he's looking for has a greater chance of appearing within that distribution. I personally think (remember, this is just an opinion) people hear the figure so much in advertising and on procedural dramas, they reflexively apply it to whatever they themselves believe to be true. I try not to, but I still catch myself doing it all the time. You want someone to get really mad at you? When you hear this number, ask them where they got it.

JAMES

[stiz]

It is truly the beautiful game, and sometimes I truly wish it was the big sport here.....

-witt

you wont though if it ever does, its all you hear about then, players get paid in the millions but have off shore "businesses" where the money goes so they dont have to pay the taxes on it, their also just a bunch of panzies .. rugby .. now theres a proper game!! :mixedsmi:

[Cazzie]

Oh you bet, I think the women are better as a team than the men, much better at ball play and playing to the goal rather than taking the long shots. Refereeing has been terrible, just as in the men's Cup.

Witt, I was out of my mind when Abbey scored on that header! After the PKs, I needed a drink! :icon29:

Stiz, rugby is a game for brutes also, I would be killed playing that game.

Euroraptor, I was a kicker in my HS football, place kicker than is, not punter. I too am a hobbit, but so were most players in my day, the brutes took over the American game 20 years after I hung up my spikes. Anyhow, I tried a walk-on for my university football team and just lost to a soccer-style (I kicked toe-on like Lou Groza, my hero) kicker from England. However, I was approached after my try out by the university soccer coach, who must have liked what he saw (I was also very fast in running) and he approached me to play soccer. I had never seen soccer in my life, much less played it! I went out and within one month, I was so into the game, I played four years! The only sport that I excelled in better than soccer has been cycling, which I still do. But I love the game, many Americans do not enjoy the low score and frustrations that come with soccer, but they are learning after so many of their Hobbit kids take up the game because they cannot play American football with the brutes either. Soccer use to be a clean sport, as did cycling, by that I mean no tattoos and little piercings. But I see that has changed today, more cycle and soccer stars are marred with arm and leg tattoos and ear piercings. That is an anathema to me. Why junk your body up with tactless emblems and look like some criminal? It is my age I am sure, but I just do not understand why decent looking men and women use their body for worthless craft they will have to expose for the rest of their life. I do have tattoos, but they are most often called scars. They are a chronology of every accident that ever happened to me in bike racing.

Caz

[Eoraptor1]

Oh you bet, I think the women are better as a team than the men, much better at ball play and playing to the goal rather than taking the long shots. Refereeing has been terrible, just as in the men's Cup.

Witt, I was out of my mind when Abbey scored on that header! After the PKs, I needed a drink! :icon29:

Stiz, rugby is a game for brutes also, I would be killed playing that game.

Euroraptor, I was a kicker in my HS football, place kicker than is, not punter. I too am a hobbit, but so were most players in my day, the brutes took over the American game 20 years after I hung up my spikes. Anyhow, I tried a walk-on for my university football team and just lost to a soccer-style (I kicked toe-on like Lou Groza, my hero) kicker from England. However, I was approached after my try out by the university soccer coach, who must have liked what he saw (I was also very fast in running) and he approached me to play soccer. I had never seen soccer in my life, much less played it! I went out and within one month, I was so into the game, I played four years! The only sport that I excelled in better than soccer has been cycling, which I still do. But I love the game, many Americans do not enjoy the low score and frustrations that come with soccer, but they are learning after so many of their Hobbit kids take up the game because they cannot play American football with the brutes either. Soccer use to be a clean sport, as did cycling, by that I mean no tattoos and little piercings. But I see that has changed today, more cycle and soccer stars are marred with arm and leg tattoos and ear piercings. That is an anathema to me. Why junk your body up with tactless emblems and look like some criminal? It is my age I am sure, but I just do not understand why decent looking men and women use their body for worthless craft they will have to expose for the rest of their life. I do have tattoos, but they are most often called scars. They are a chronology of every accident that ever happened to me in bike racing.

Caz

Always nice to hear from another hobbit. Never be ashamed of your furry-footed heritage; when you want the impossible job done - send hobbits. I just got back into cycling this Spring after my mother died. My doctor wants me to build up my heart muscle, so I got myself a cheap mountain bike that I've been upgrading in the garage. I have a really nice Nashbar touring bike but it can't withstand Niagara Falls potholes. I can go for maybe three blocks and then hiiiiiiiiiisssss.

If you don't like tats you'd probably best stay out of Niagara Falls. The women and the men here are covered in tattoos like Vikings. I was going round the park the other day and saw a girl of maybe 10-11 years with two cat's paw tats on her chest. I'm hoping those were temps.

JAMES

[AckAck]

I was speaking of the US sports market in my last post. I should have made that more clear. As to the 99% figure, IMO, it's common (that is, not scientific usage) comes from the rather free use of statistical claims from media, especially advertising. I don't know how it is now, but when I was learning research methods, the 99% and 95% confidence intervals were the most common when used as part of a study using analysis of variance. People tend to think a 99% confidence interval means greater certitude, as though it were a 99% probability, when it fact all it may mean is that the researcher is using a wider distribution of events so that the event he's looking for has a greater chance of appearing within that distribution. I personally think (remember, this is just an opinion) people hear the figure so much in advertising and on procedural dramas, they reflexively apply it to whatever they themselves believe to be true. I try not to, but I still catch myself doing it all the time. You want someone to get really mad at you? When you hear this number, ask them where they got it.

JAMES

And always remember that 83% of statistics are made up on the spot. It's likely more than 90%, but likely means anywhere from 60% to 90%, so that opens it up to from 49% to 100%. Or something like that.

Brian

[Wittpilot]

And you know, the more I think about it, the more I really prefer that most people don't care for the sport here.... I think it makes it that much more special & enjoyable. You guys had a good point about IF soccer were huge here... it would probably begin to suck like all the other major sports....I mean, do you guys watch football ever? I think there is a commercial every 30 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!

-witt

[Piglet]

We used to call it Communist Kickball....:icon_lol:
Never liked sports. Used to follow some baseball, but they don't recruit Americans anymore, it seems like.

[Flyboy208]

I am very proud of our US Women's 2011 squad and I hope they go all the way ! I played from age 8 to 18, 10 years and I love the game, more than most in the US ... If the MLS existed in 1989 when I graduated High School I probably would have played pro as a Right Wing or attacking midfielder .... played regular league and at the Club level from age 15-18 - anyhow, really pulling for Abbey, Hope, Megan and Company on Sunday ! Mike :jump:

[Eoraptor1]

And always remember that 83% of statistics are made up on the spot. It's likely more than 90%, but likely means anywhere from 60% to 90%, so that opens it up to from 49% to 100%. Or something like that.

Brian

Exactly.

JAMES

[Dangerousdave26]

And always remember that 83% of statistics are made up on the spot. It's likely more than 90%, but likely means anywhere from 60% to 90%, so that opens it up to from 49% to 100%. Or something like that.

Brian

Your wrong its 87% :icon_lol:

<a href="http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-05-08/" title="Dilbert.com"><img src="http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/00000/5000/600/5652/5652.strip.gif" border="0" alt="Dilbert.com" /></a>

Myself I don't watch or follow any professional, college, or high school sports. Honestly I could careless about any sport.

That said I wish the Girls well and I hope they win but I will not be watching.

On the officiating problems that were reported above...

Bill Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers always said that "A good Football team can over come bad officiating". Clearly this is what he was talking about. The concept applies to all sports.

As for everyone else enjoy watching and promoting what ever sport you like.

[Bushpounder]

Loving this! Tied 1-1 . :( Like starting over!

Don

[rayrey10]

Congrats to Japan! They won a hard fought game and won in PK's.

[CWOJackson]

Although I hate seeing a championship ended with penalty kicks, congratulations to the Ladies from Nippon for taking home a much needed uplifting moment. They earned it.

Congratulations also to the Ladies from the states; you represented us well.

[Wittpilot]

Good for Japan... But man that was a hard game to watch... I really thought they were going to pull through....

[Eoraptor1]

Congratulations to Japan. They need some good news about now, and their team showed great heart. Now, I HATE shootouts. If I were in charge both teams would play 15 min overtime periods until their a**es sucked buttermilk, and someone won. As it is, the US team had their chances to win. They bombed the Japanese goal with shots but couldn't put it in the net. The Japanese settled it on the field and earned their win. Even that final red card made sense stategically in an otherwise squeaky clean game -- think of a defensive back who knows the wide receiver has him beaten and takes a pass interference penalty rather than see the completed pass go into the end zone. The Japanese team earned their win.

JAMES

[SpitXIV]

On a high note the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. :icon29::icon29: :salute: