Discussion of sports is welcome in the sports forum. Not in GD. Thanks. Unless it is very big news (but you must add spoiler alert)

The OP says world cup so if you don't want to know what's going on in the World Cup, don't click the post.

I would be scolded and the post would have been locked. We have a sports forum for sports discussion. Thanks.

apples and oranges. Reruns of the Big Bang Theory and Family Guy are some of few shows that beat World Cup Soccer on Cable on Thursday. Granted the US game was number one for cable, the other teams not so much.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/06/27/thursday-cable-ratings-world-cup-soccer-wins-day-nba-draft-the-challenge-loiter-squad-defiance-dominion-more/277439/

that makes in a bigger event than one country's annual basketball tournament.

It is viewed in hundreds of countries all over the world.

every now and again over the god-awful screeching, ranting, whining garbage-slinging argument-du-jour threads that get going here about once per week...

sP

As do things like the Super Bowl, World Series, etc

As the Superbowl and the World Series are the finals.

thanks for making my case.

Same as the others...as events. If a comparison between a one day event and a multi-week one is hard to make them consider the Olympics as a whole also falls under the exception.

The world cup is more like the NBA playoffs. If someone was to discuss a minor foul in a second round series in the NBA playoffs, that also would not be allowed.

If the game was so popular why were half the seats empty for most of the game?

who crowd around just to watch a large screen of the event from 1000's of miles away... it is NOTHING like the NBA playoffs... nothing.


sP

But why were the stands less than half full during most of the game?

You wouldn't see something like that in the NBA, MLB, NFL. Playoffs...Regardless, how hot it is.

whereas most of the World Cup teams are playing ON A DIFFERENT CONTINENT and no, nowhere do you see 10's of 1000's of people crowded around large screen TV's watching the NBA playoffs (think parks and city greenspaces with huge outdoor venues setup just to watch the game... and this is happening in the USA where soccer is nowhere near the most popular sport. Millions WORLDWIDE pay attention to and watch the World Cup... the NBA, MLB and NFL have almost zero following outside the USA. Oh, and yes, there are plenty of instances where playoffs in the USA have unsold and empty seats...just ask any Braves fan a few years back.

But keep trying to convince the whole damned world that the World Cup is a negligible sporting event that doesn't constitute major news/events... keep trying. it's entertaining.

sP

On Edit :

<snip>
While not near the totals scored by the N.F.L. playoffs or, certainly, the Super Bowl, the American audience for the World Cup game on Sunday easily eclipsed the N.B.A. finals this year, which averaged 15.5 million viewers, as well as the 2013 World Series, which averaged 14.9 million viewers. The N.H.L. playoffs are not even remotely as popular as the World Cup, having averaged only five million viewers this season.
</snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/business/media/bigger-than-baseball-us-portugal-world-cup-match-outdoes-world-series-in-ratings.html

You point to one game and compare that to the average of all the games in the NBA finals. Did Game of Thrones go up against the soccer game? No. the game was in the afternoon, not going up against your standard prime time fare. NBA Finals goes up against Game of Thrones, Mad Men, and other prime time events. World Cup goes up against a Larry King infomercial.

you're doing great...

sP

The numbers have been crunched - and globally nothing touches the World Cup.

to take away from the normal Metatastic that is GD.

If you don't think this belongs, that's what SOP alerts are for. If the hosts disagree, move on. Trash the thread.

if you don't like what I am posting, put me on ignore. And move on.

You're going to disrupt this thread because you don't like the fact the hosts allowed it to stand. Lovely.

Or sailing?

n/t

West Indies is currently playing New Zealand but that's for the sports forum - it's not a World Cup

That positive attitude should give an even bigger boost to our guys.

of USA's chances before they arrived in Brazil.

It would be impossible for the US team to win?

Like basic training for military people - you break them down so as to build them back up stronger than they were before.
Quite common ploy.

It would be an amazing occurrence.

I would be very interested to see how we could pull such a feat off. It would be like us beating Brazil.

in my bracket but Argentina going to the finals.

The teams that reach the semi-final then play in the final or third place game. The US winning two games is plausible.

We've just seen World Cup history: the first official hydration break!

Mexico have had a few half chances, but I don't think either call on either side was a strong penalty shout. The corner call was clearly wrong, yes.

We'll see who'll deal better with the heat and humidity in the second half.

Wasn't that amazing.
Mexico has a history of not scoring goals in the first half.
It was almost all Mexico in the first half and there is no doubt that Mexico will handle the head and humidity better.
That said the Netherlands cannot be ruled out given their ability to score goals.

n/t

The one in Manaus. It wasn't built into the game but the refs called for one in the second half I believe.

I'm sure if I was to post about Jeff Gordon's fender bender on lap 126, I would get scolded by the same people who post World Cup stuff.

I really enjoy the NHL and NFL, especially the playoffs. I don't give GD play by play.

It's all about hegemony and to date the dominant global power has not convinced the rest of the world to abandon its sport for US sport and it has not ever won the trophy for the most popular sport on the planet.

than posting play by play from soccer games.

And I don't recall Americans ever demanding anyone "abandon" soccer.

but you might ask why the US Embassy sponsors basketball in a variety of cricket playing places?
Why do Cuba, Haiti and DR play so much baseball?

You see every world power pushes its sport.

Do you know why baseball is no longer in the Olympics?
Because the world power could not bear losing to the amateur Cubans.
It's the same reason the Ann Coulters of the right wing hate football/soccer.
The same reason the British Commentators hate Brazil - they assume that they are supposed to win in all spheres and that the rest of the world will just follow their sport and never beat them.

Likewise there is this assumption that all global international sporting events should only be hosted by Western countries.

Can you send me some of that good Jamaican?

And yes, go CONCACAF!

(Though I must confess to also cheering for France - Allez les bleus!)

Had my fill - am eating tangerines

Here comes excitement

For the sake of drama, I can't say I'm too disappointed.

1-1

6 minutes time

the jaws of victory.
The Netherlands look likely to move on here...unless there is a miracle.

Next time they'll opt for overtime. Stupid foul - clear penalty.

And, sadly, no miracle today.

To the last eight

Bravo to them, indeed!

Costa Rica playing down a man for some of the second half and the entire extra time and they still managed to hold Greece off.

They deserve this win. Kudos to them.

ten men lift a game in ways eleven can't - strange game.
Truth is Costa Rica would have given them 3-1 if they hadn't lost a man.
They have to stop fouling so much.

Unbelievable

A underdog is controlling a match and takes the lead, then goes defensive and looses...

Not the best officiated match, it was biased towards the Dutch. They should have been carded on a couple of fouls. I won't dispute the penalty as a very legit one could have been called earlier in the game that Mexico got away with.

In the end in was Mexico's match to win.. or loose. I'm sorry we won't see more of Ochoa; he's unbelievable.

So close, so close...

But kudos to Holland to dominate the match after the Mexican goal under these conditions. Ochoa was immense again for Mexico.

I think the penalty was fair. Notice how Robben jumps over the first challenge (which would have been a penalty also), but the second challenge looked like a clear foul to me.

Brilliantly-taken penalty too. This tournament continues to excite. Mexico sat back too much after going ahead (understandably to save their strength), but it cost them in the end. Holland got 10 corners.

What an awful way to go out. They really seem star crossed.

They might have won in extra time.
Sad exit indeed.

That was a classic dive. I've seen good dives by punters in the NFL, and VERY FEW compare with that one.

Mexico was robbed.

He (Robben) does have a reputation, but he could have easily got a penalty in the first half already, although that wasn't absolutely clear until a replay.

I've seen that final penalty on a couple of replays now, and there really is no doubt that it was the correct call. Notice Robben jumped over an earlier challenge just prior to the penalty call.

Mexico made the mistake of sitting back after they went ahead, no doubt to conserve their strength in the heat and hit Holland on the counter. Sadly, it backfired.

it all evened out

I have no favorite between the two sides but that's what it looked like to me. It was a tough loss for Mexico and I feel for them. I went outside this morning to water my trees and I heard multiple voices screaming loudly from a house down the street, including what sounded like two dozen kids and adults. For a moment I thought someone was murdering them. But then I thought of the World Cup and that Mexico must have been playing and that a goal was just scored by Mexico. It's a house with a Mexican family and they were having a family soccer party. I went in the house to turn on the TV and sure enough that's what it was. It's too bad.

can you be ahead by 1 at the end of the game and then the referee adds another 5 minutes to the game?

It's no wonder why I like real american football.

And, in fact, a team can lose it's final games and still make the playoffs because of the play of other teams.

I don't get the extra time thing either. It seems like they should just stop the clock when they stop play.

Having said that, soccer players are so much more athletic and fit than most football players. They are a joy to watch. Pure athleticism. American football is great if you want to watch fat guys knock the crap out of each other. I doubt most of them could run 10 km in a single game.

I also like the fact that there are no commercials during play. If advertisers have figured out a way around that, why do we have to have so many damn commercials in football games?

can bench press 20 reps at 220 plus pounds? LOL

own physical requirements, and sometimes even within a sport.

My husband was an F1 fan and always maintained that those drivers were the world's best athletes.

That said, I'VE always maintained that soccer players were the best-looking.

You get the most for wins, then you have draws and goals for and against.
It's very fair. The two teams with the most points move on and then it's sudden death and you have to win - even if it means overtime and then penalty kicks.
Football is like life and sometimes it takes a while to sort out the winner.

I suppose works for some.

You will probably enjoy reading this http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2014-06-25.html

For realizing I was tongue in cheek

would fly in the Boston Garden!