We'll help me drift off to sleep this afternoon. Works better than sleeping pills.

I'll watch a bit of it, hoping to see fights in the stands and fires.

How will the rest of you celebrate "the largest sporting event on Earth"?

To steal a joke.....

Whats the hardest part about being a soccer player?

Having to tell your parents you're gay.

What a freakin bore!

That's THIS year?

Soccer interests me about as much as watching grass grow. Or paint dry. Just not interested.

Now NFL Football... it pains me that I will miss the start of the season but I should be back by week 6.

I'll track it via espn.com though. :^)

For those that appreciate the skill behind the sport, soccer is incredibly entertaining. Although I do know it takes a lot of skill to perform in Nascar, I'd much rather turn on any soccer game than watch 10 laps in any race.

While the World Cup doesn't receive the highest of ratings from American viewers, the world practically stops with each game. Having played overseas, I can honestly say the pride and passion behind this sport trumps that of any sport.

Jeez SteveR. I hope post 2 is wrong lol

I played through college and traveled the country on a select team 60 pounds ago

Same here, but I played club ball. We were pretty good. 3 time national champs with several international tourney wins under our belts.

Regarding post #2, the joke is supposed to be made about rollerblading. But, that's ok. Soccer guys got all the girls in high school and college anyway. 🙂

Soccer wives and girlfriends

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/pgStory?contentId=3216398 

If I had a son I would rather him tell me he wants to be a figure skater then a soccer player. Or a floral designer. Or a hairdresser. Or a fashion designer.

Ugh!

Soccer is popular around the world because its a game that poverty does not exclude you from. Baseball, football, hockey, golf, lacrosse, etc all require equipment. Some of it can be very expensive. A ball is all it takes to play soccer, I have even seen kids kicking arounf an old nylon stocking filled with newspaper.

I admitted I stole the joke.

Mikey, I strongly disagree with your argument.

If baseball requires so much equipment and requires parents that are able to purchase it for their kids...why is America going downhill, while Central American and Latin American countries dominate?

Your soccer update...

Germany 2 Costa Rica 1 in the 43 minute.

The one thing I DO find enjoyable is listening to the fans in the stands. They are into it.

My favorite team is Manchester United. When you watch a game held in Old Trafford, their legendary stadium, you see everybody dressed in red. Throughout the crowd you see glowing fires. These are Red Devils, dressed up like devils holding a lit flare in each hand. Hundreds of them. Add in the non-stop cheering, chanting, singing and jumping, and you have yourself an incredible feeling.

Parents find the money for things they deem important. Every parent living in poverty say in the Domican Rebuplic thinks thier kid is their ticket off that rock if they can throw like Pedro Martinez or hit like Sammy Sosa. Plus, governments like Cuba take pride in thier national baseball team and invest money in the programs.

For soccer you don't need any special equipment. I have seen kids in Jamaica playing barefoot and shirtless and the "goals' were two paper plates with rocks on them. As long as you have two legs, you can play soccer. Hell, you don't even need arms! Now of course there are kids in the US playing "cheap" versions of baseball. ie stickball, wiffle ball, etc. but even the poorest of the poor nations have soccer.

I will say this about soccer players... do you know how much friggin' stamina it takes to run back and forth on that field for an hour? I don't mean jogging, though probably very few of us could even JOG for an hour. I mean wind sprints... for an HOUR.

I take nothing away from their athleticism. I just don't find the game entertaining.

Oh and David Beckham gets more ass than a public toilet seat.

I hardly think he's gay. (and I do realize you were joking, just making a point)

Playing soccer with a rolled up newspaper and paper plates for goals is the equivalent of playing whiffle ball here in the states. When you reach a higher level, costs are significant. Yes, equipment can be cheap, as cleats will run you anywhere from $25 to $400. Balls will cost $10 to $200. Then there's uniforms, additional gear and goalie equipment, if that's your position of choice.

Traveling expenses is never even considered. In order to play for top club teams, tens of thousands of dollars are required each year just for traveling. Tournaments throughout the United States and all over the world. All this, while you're just 13, 14, 15 years old...it's much different than traveling to a neighboring city, like football, baseball or hockey. Then factor in ODP, regional and national teams, which adds in even more costs.

Compared to other sports, soccer is far from being inexpensive.

MAC - 90 minutes, plus injury time, which could add as much as 10 more minutes onto the game.

Also, in most tournaments, you are required to play 2 or 3 games each day.

it is the greatest sport on earth! now, let's be honest, lacrosse is more exciting (they are the 2 team sports i have played on an official team). they are both poetically beautiful! skill, stamina, speed.

i am with stever 100%--i would much rather watch soccer than 10 laps of ANY car race.

on the other hand, man u SUCKS! liverpool ALL the way! and i have not seen flares in the UK for quite a while, though they are still everywhere in spain and italy (i do not follow other european leagues).

See how much I know about soccer?

Either way, I know I wouldn't last 30 minutes doing that. Probably not even 20. I can jog five miles... but not very fast.