Why don't Europeans play American Football?

[KingManULTRA]

There is the NFL Europe, sure, but it's mostly with American players.

American Football is a great sport that has the potential to be 5 times as strategic as soccer. If you disagree, you obviously hate America or have never really got into the sport.

And this comes from someone that used to play Soccer and Basketball in Middle School by the way.

[Foo]

Middle School does not qualify you as an authority.

[Tsakali_]

just as you boycott real football so do they, and in all fairness "soccer" was here first

[mik0rs]

I personally don't like the stop-start of it, I just find it boring. Just my preference and apparently the preference of a lot of people who weren't brought up with it.

[mik0rs]

just as you boycott real football so do they, and in all fairness "soccer" was here first

"Real" (association) football came first (along with rugby football), then the variety where the foot isn't nearly as involved with the ball. Merits of each game aside lets get our terms right.

[[FTF]Pyro]

1 game, 20,000 players, 40 referees, 1 hour game time, 4 hour reality time, start stop after every play,



sounds like fun

[R00k]

They're two totally different games. Besides, soccer has been a national pastime in lots of places in Europe for hundreds of years.

Imagine if somebody asked you "Why haven't Americans given up baseball for cricket?"

I'm a huge fan of football, but don't you think that's kind of an arrogant question?

[Canis]

Football rocks. I dont get rugby too much, but it's similar. Gotta convince the pretentious brits to change over to football, then it will go somewhere. I think, however, that football is a little too americanized for the rest of the worlds' tastes.

[mik0rs]

They're two totally different games. Besides, soccer has been a national pastime in lots of places in Europe for hundreds of years.

Imagine if somebody asked you "Why haven't Americans given up baseball for cricket?"

I'm a huge fan of football, but don't you think that's kind of an arrogant question?

Yep, it's been ingrained in a lot of European culture now since before 1900.

[mik0rs]

I dont get rugby too much,

You need to watch the All Blacks play, and maybe Wales now we're good (at least for 5 minutes).

[Canis]

I dont get rugby too much,

You need to watch the All Blacks play, and maybe Wales now we're good (at least for 5 minutes).

They separate teams based on race?

[mik0rs]

LOL. Hope you're joking.

[Ryoki]

If you disagree, you obviously hate America or have never really got into the sport.

I like when people post a question and the answer in one go :icon14:

[R00k]

I personally enjoy the playmaking strategy of American football.

I kinda think of it as a hundred high-speed, full-contact chess games. Except you have to pick your strategy and all your moves before the game, and let other people play it out the way you say; because after the match starts you no longer have any control over your pieces. You really have to read the other team and know your own in order to have a chance.

[mik0rs]

For the unitiatiated, these are the All Blacks. They do a tradiational aggressive dance before the games called the Haka, it rocks.

[Mat Linnett]

They're two totally different games. Besides, soccer has been a national pastime in lots of places in Europe for hundreds of years.

Imagine if somebody asked you "Why haven't Americans given up baseball for cricket?"

I'm a huge fan of football, but don't you think that's kind of an arrogant question?

Yep, it's been ingrained in a lot of European culture now since before 1900.

And South America, and Africa, and Asia, hell virtually EVERYWHERE except North America.
And they all know it as Football too, not Soccer.

Regarding Rugby, mik0rs man, sod the All Blacks, your own countrymen have been playing some of the most exciting rugby for YEARS recently; just look at the last 6 Nations!

[mik0rs]

Oh I know they've been playing very nicely and were pretty immense this year but I've learned to be guarded after a lot of let downs and false dawns. I went crazy when we won the Six Nations all the same though There was talk that Wales played a similar sort of explosive game as New Zealand, hearing parallels like that being drawn (even though we've acknowledged we're not quiet there yet) was so satisfying.

[Ryoki]

...rugby is only played in countries that have been supressed or savagely raped by the Brits at one time or another.

[mik0rs]

Yeah I the Dutch would suck at rugby too

[Hannibal]

To each their own. If I had been raised in Europe, I'm quite sure I'd have grown up playing soccer and preferring it over American football. I played football in college so that's my game. I respect everything about soccer (the players, the fans, the international drama), but it bores me shitless as an observer. However, I am wise enough to know that my preference is nothing more than an accident of history.

[mik0rs]

Couldn't agree more with that last bit.

[Mat Linnett]

Oo ar, was in an executive box in the Millenium Stadium today BTW
They were ploughing the soil and flattening it before laying the turf.
Fantastically well designed place.

[mik0rs]

Yeah it's a really nice stadium, Wembley's shaping up to be pretty lovely mind. I was so jealous of a mate who had tickets for the Six Nations decider with Ireland

[Ryoki]

Yeah I the Dutch would suck at rugby too

You have sensed my bitterness

[mik0rs]

*huggle*