It’s the eternal debate. Globally, no sport reigns supreme like soccer. Nationally, no sport reigns supreme like football. On one side you have 22 men and a ball rolling around for hours, scoring opportunities are rare but when the ball does get in the goal, the announcer’s call alone gets registered on the Richter scale. It’s not complicated but a lot of us still don’t get it. The rest of the world sees “beauty” in the game, while many Americans have nodded off for a nap. When you wake up to catch the ending, the crowd is going berserk and some crazies are defining ‘hooliganism’ in the stands. The riot police are called, and you wonder what you could’ve possibly missed in a game that ended abruptly with a final score of 1-0.
They’re equally perplexed across the pond. Remember NFL Europe? That didn’t exactly take off. Every year the annual game in London is hyped and every time they show crowd reactions the English look confused. Probably, because they’re collectively wondering how any morons could call this game “football.” Roger Goodell’s effort to globalize dementia and early onset Alzheimer’s is going to take longer than you’d think. Euros just aren’t as attracted to our brutish game like we are. It’s going to take more than an annual contest between random squads to undo centuries of European history.
Consider it "nationalistic" or "ignorant" if you want. On one side we argue for soccer. On the other we argue for football. It’s part-debate, part-schizophrenia. The bottom line is: you'll have to be the judge. It’s the U.S. against the world. The NFL vs. Soccer: Which Version of Football Reigns Supreme?
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