Soccer or Pool

tom mcgonagle · Jun 23, 2010

We're starting to catch up to the rest of the world in the game of soccer. We won our pool for the first time in eighty years today.

Strangely enough the strangle hold we had on the game of pool over the same period, even longer, seems to be slipping away from the United States.

What's more important, our advancement in soccer or our recent decline in the game of pool?

dareads · Jun 23, 2010

I have a feeling you might not get an unbiased opinion here with that question.
I think most Americans only care about the world cup because they have an "American" team to cheer for. After they are elimintaed, it's back to life as usual for the next 4 years till there is another team to get behind.

NewStroke · Jun 23, 2010

I think if pool players could flop around on the floor like dying carp and blame everyone else for their mistakes, pool would be just as popular.

LAlouie · Jun 23, 2010

I noticed a seismic shift of the millions of fans who once followed pool going over to soccer. You used to get the wpba games at least once every three months on espn, and now it's been replaced by soccer.

It's disgusting. Don't they realize they could turn a soccer stadium into an open air, 900 table pool room? I also think vuvuzelas can turn pool's future around.

Apocalypse2017 · Jun 23, 2010

I was watching darts last night on ESPN, and it seems like they have a large following over seas... Pool must be more intersting than darts right?

LAlouie · Jun 23, 2010

NewStroke said:
I think if pool players could flop around on the floor like dying carp and blame everyone else for their mistakes, pool would be just as popular.

Earl, Grady, and a lot of other players already do that. It's not working.

NewStroke · Jun 23, 2010

LAlouie said:
Earl, Grady, and a lot of other players already do that. It's not working.

Not like those morons.

deadstroke13 · Jun 23, 2010

Pool is more important. THe US team will get a big head again and lose in the round of 16. My money is on Italy or Brazil to win.

catscradle · Jun 23, 2010

tom mcgonagle said:
We're starting to catch up to the rest of the world in the game of soccer. We won our pool for the first time in eighty years today.

Strangely enough the strangle hold we had on the game of pool over the same period, even longer, seems to be slipping away from the United States.

What's more important, our advancement in soccer or our recent decline in the game of pool?

JMHO but ... I enjoy playing and watching soccer more than pool. I started playing both later in life (soccer @ 48, pool seriously @ 54).
I currently play league in both (>60 division in soccer). Pool is a great game but there is no face to face in it even though it is 1 v 1 and not a team sport. Today when the USA put that goal in after 92 minutes of struggle I went through the roof with exhilaration, never has watching or playing a pool game brought that can of sports high. The last time I remember that kind of exhilaration was the famous time when "Havlichek stole the ball!" for the Celtics.
So for me there is no contest soccer all the way is more important.
Steve.<== hoping his >60 soccer team wins the championship Sunday.

catscradle · Jun 23, 2010

deadstroke13 said:
Pool is more important. THe US team will get a big head again and lose in the round of 16. My money is on Italy or Brazil to win.

I think the US will be playing Germany and, big head or no big head, they'll lose.
I see Brazil winning, but my heart wants the Netherlands to win (assuming the US doesn't pull off a miracle).

LAlouie · Jun 23, 2010

catscradle said:
JMHO but ... I enjoy playing and watching soccer more than pool. I started playing both later in life (soccer @ 48, pool seriously @ 54).
I currently play league in both (>60 division in soccer). Pool is a great game but there is no face to face in it even though it is 1 v 1 and not a team sport. Today when the USA put that goal in after 92 minutes of struggle I went through the roof with exhilaration, never has watching or playing a pool game brought that can of sports high. The last time I remember that kind of exhilaration was the famous time when "Havlichek stole the ball!" for the Celtics.
So for me there is no contest soccer all the way is more important.
Steve.<== hoping his >60 soccer team wins the championship Sunday.

I was watching a soccer game. I sneezed and missed a goal.

dareads · Jun 23, 2010

catscradle said:
I think the US will be playing Germany and, big head or no big head, they'll lose.
I see Brazil winning, but my heart wants the Netherlands to win (assuming the US doesn't pull off a miracle).

If Germany holds on to win against Ghana, the US will play Ghana in the first "knockout" game.

BobTfromIL · Jun 23, 2010

There's a soccer tournement going on? Really?

catscradle · Jun 23, 2010

LAlouie said:
I was watching a soccer game. I sneezed and missed a goal.

You jest, but that is one of the beauties of the game. No going out to the fridge for a beer during a timeout or between innings. Soccer is a game you've got to pay attention to because it all changes in an instant. Pool you can miss a whole rack and you really haven't missed anything. When points are cheap they become boring.
That all said, I understand the disinterest of somebody who doesn't understand the game. When you think of how you feel about soccer, that is how the average viewing public feels about watching pool simply because they don't understand it and pool is immensely boring if you don't understand it. They think they understand it, but they only understand the rules not how it is played or how difficult it is to do what the pros do.

zy112 · Jun 23, 2010

This forum will say pool, the rest of the world will say soccer.

I could give a rats @ss about soccer, while they will say the same thing about pool.

Tramp Steamer · Jun 23, 2010

I was wondering. If you were unfortunate enought to be involved in a horrendous automobile accident and lost both your arms, couldn't you still try out for the college soccer team and make it? I wonder about stuff like that. It's probably why I don't have a very large circle of friends. :smile:

NewStroke · Jun 23, 2010

Tramp Steamer said:
I was wondering. If you were unfortunate enought to be involved in a horrendous automobile accident and lost both your arms, couldn't you still try out for the college soccer team and make it? I wonder about stuff like that. It's probably why I don't have a very large circle of friends. :smile:

Wow, I was just thinking if Japanese has lower health costs because they are shorter.

LAlouie · Jun 23, 2010

NewStroke said:
Wow, I was just thinking if Japanese has lower health costs because they are shorter.

Shorter people put less strain on the heart.

Tramp Steamer · Jun 23, 2010

zy112 said:
This forum will say pool, the rest of the world will say soccer.

I could give a rats @ss about soccer, while they will say the same thing about pool.

I've alway wondered about rat's asses. Do they have any value? I hear people say, "I wouldn't give a rat's ass if you bought that cue or not." Or, "She doesn't give a rat's ass if you live or die." They couldn't be worth very much. It's a rat's ass for crissake. :smile:

LC3 · Jun 24, 2010

As an American pool player, the US' decline in pool is important to me. Looking at the bigger picture, our advancement in soccer would have much more of an impact than our dominance in pool would. I like soccer a lot and hope the MLS becomes at least an equal fifth of the US major league sports pie.

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