So, I wanna know. Who here cares about the World Cup?

[billyskank]

I seem to recall the USA did quite well last time. :bounce:

Europeans and South Americans, probably no need for you to reply. We can guess the answer. ;)

[KitchenWitch]

1. I do not know enough about soccer!

I am always happy when the US has a good showing though.

[billyskank]

3. Quite soon most of the rest of the world is gonna go football crazy

for almost a month. Even people (like me) who hardly give a shit about football the rest of the time will start caring. :bounce:

[WCGreen]

2. The World Saucer.......

[billyskank]

4. Funny thing is, the trophy isn't even a cup

:crazy:

[WCGreen]

5. Imagine that!!!!

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[billyskank]

9. You trying to incite a sport-related flamewar?

A moderator should know better.

[terrya]

14. No...just offering my opinions.

No rule against that...even we moderators can have opinions. :-)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

67. Oh my. A moderator had a deleted message. That's gotta be a first.

I mean, since that one who actually was neither from Cuba nor a liberal. :rofl:

[SlavesandBulldozers]

69. lol

that was funny

[AussieDave]

7. The only reason I'll half-follow it is because Australia

is in it for the first time in 32 years. It'll be a big thing until they're eliminated.

(on edit - it's 32 years, not 30 - numbnut Dave !!!)

[billyskank]

8. That's fair enough

It has to be said, interest in England tends to wane once we are knocked out too. Usually by the Germans.

On penalties. x(


























;)

[AussieDave]

11. Hmmmm - at least you can see the irony.....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[MissHoneychurch]

22. As much as we suck these days

you might get lucky :rofl:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

45. At least you didn't get knocked out on a phantom handball.

x( :D

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

68. Ahem. Your memory needs to be refreshed.

[billyskank]

82. Did you post that in the wrong place, Dirtbag?

:D

[alarcojon]

10. As one of South American descent....

Hell yeah! Go Ecuador!

[SlavesandBulldozers]

12. i can't wait for the world cup.

in 2002 I had to become an insomniac to watch it live from Korea. This year should be easier.

[billyskank]

16. It was pretty wierd

I had to watch one of our matches before leaving for the office! :crazy:

[SlavesandBulldozers]

34. exactly.

i would watch two games at night then call in sick or take vacation time.

[SKKY]

111. And I'll be watching it from Spain, so it's PRIME TIME BABY!!!!

[underpants]

13. I do

NO SPOILERS

[billyskank]

17. Brazil are going to win

;)

[underpants]

18. Brazil are?

:rofl:

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. I do! I admit, I didn't used to, but MrG is a HUGE soccer fan and our

son just started playing a couple of years ago. :)

[xmas74]

40. My daughter also plays.

She's become a fan and I suspect we will keep up on soccer alot more this year.

[tjwmason]

19. Can you really guess about me?

My patriotic inclinations are going to be stretched to the very limits by the (inevitable) proliferation of George Crosses on cars - I'm minded to go and hide for the entire time that it's on (I don't even know when it is).

[billyskank]

21. So you will be unmoved even when Germany knock us out

from the semi-finals after extra time on penalties? :rofl:

[tjwmason]

29. I won't even know

Though I fear that I'll pick up the news at work the next day.

[billyskank]

50. It's because football is a proles' game, isn't it?

I know you :P

[tjwmason]

57. I've just never got into it.

Never even watched a match all the way through - the nearest I get is watching Footballers Wives on television.

[Blue Poppy]

59. Or if England has another "Hand of God" experience courtesy

of Argentina.

Mr. Poppy and I will be watching. I wish I could just take the month off and watch the entire tournament. I can't wait!

[MissHoneychurch]

25. England plays in Frankfurt

I am thinking about going to an Irish pub to watch the game :rofl:

[BigMcLargehuge]

20. I can't wait for it

:)

[AngryAmish]

23. Sung to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"

"You can scream and you can shout,
even suck our eyeballs out,
but soccer's not a real sport!"

[billyskank]

24. I wouldn't know

I've never heard of soccor :P

[Brewman_Jax]

26. Time for the real football!

:woohoo:

[MissHoneychurch]

27. I KNEW you would show up here

Are you going to watch it on TV or in real life in Germany. You knew I had to ask :D

[Brewman_Jax]

28. Looks like it'll be on TV

the parents are improving, but aren't getting well fast enough. :( It'll add to my collection, I have tapes of World Cup '94, '98, and '02.

[MissHoneychurch]

30. Too bad

guess I have to wait till September to meet you.

[Brewman_Jax]

32. September

:D

[tjwmason]

35. By real football - I presume that you mean rugby of course.

:P

[Brewman_Jax]

38. Rugby?

Hmm...sorry, don't know that one.







:evilgrin: :rofl:

[billyskank]

49. Game invented by a load of toffs 'cause they couldn't play football

;)

[tjwmason]

56. As has been said

Football is a gentlemen's game played by yobs,
rugby is a yobs' game played by gentlemen.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

46. You're right

The draft is Saturday. :bounce: :woohoo: :bounce:

[Brewman_Jax]

48. Should've said the true football

played with the feet. Too many funny people. :P

[Mutley]

31. My parents will be at the game in Germany.

Italy and the US, I think. :D

I won't be with them. x(

[billyskank]

53. Hey mutley!

:hug: :hi:

[Mutley]

61. Hey billy!

:hug:

[nickgutierrez]

33. Checking in

:hi:

I think the US has a chance to make some pretty serious noise this time around too.

[TheBaldyMan]

36. "Football isn't a matter of life and death ...

it's far more important than that", Bill Shankly.

For those of you that don't know Association Football, you may know it as soccer, is the game of BILLIONS. About 60% of the whole world population will be watching. (Last time 2002 the peak audience was estimated at approximately 6 billion viewers worldwide).

No matter where it is held I devour as many games as possible.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

91. 6 billion?

That's the entire world population. (Or would have been in 2002 -- it's around 6.5 billion now.)

You're telling me that EVERY person in the world not only had a TV but was watching the World Cup in 2002? I find that a little hard to swallow.

[TheBaldyMan]

112. population figures are at best a 'guesstimate', the latest puts world pop.

at 9 billion, slightly less than the 1970s estimate for 2010 of 10-12 billion. I remember when world population was 3 billion and it was pretty crowded back then, China's population was 750 million and India's was 450 million.

btw 60% of the world population watching a football tournament might seem like a lot but Association Football is played everywhere, Europe, Africa, Asia and America. The whole world is gathered round a TV screen somewhere. I remember being in Amsterdam one world cup, in this bar round a tiny 12" B&W portable watching were Russians, Belgians, Dutch, Spanish, Germans, Moroccans and me (I'm Scottish - football is the official religion).

Most footy fans laugh when we hear about the baseball championship referred to as the 'World Series' apart from USA, Japan, Cuba and Canada nobody seems to play it.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

114. That's simply untrue

I checked numerous sources; the current world population is estimated to be right at 6.5 billion. This figure comes from the US Census Dept., the UN, the Population Reference Bureau and, well, pretty much every institute that analyzes and estimates world population figures.

Where are you getting this 9 billion number from? I've provided my sources. It seems unlikely that 3 billion people would suddenly go missing.


http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

http://www.prb.org/

http://esa.un.org/unpp/p2k0data.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

[TheBaldyMan]

120. I'd say the data is fundamentally flawed

I'm not disputing your sources but I am sceptical about their projections for a depressed birthrate from 2000 until the future. I admit my 9 billion figure is as wildly inaccurate as the official figure.

Continents such as Africa and Asia as well as central and south America seem to have a birthrate that seems to be based more on wishful thinking than reality. Even considering the impact of AIDS and antibiotic-resistant disease there seems to be an almost magical decline from 2000 onwards.

Most of the world population is under 30, this younger generation is starved of resources and healthcare. Bush is pushing aid tied to abstinance only programs of birth control. The Vatican has categorically refused to back contraception. And it seems the only continent with a declining birth rate is Europe.

All this points to a birth rate that will not be significantly reduced globally. Despite efforts of developing nations to control population growth. I find the projection of less than 1% population growth very hard to take seriously. The figures you have provided have a massaged look to them. Especially the almost miraculous reduction from 2000 to 2050. My money is on a sustained 1-2% birth rate sustained for the next two generations at least (say 40 years)

The mortality rate is rising in ex-communist countries and N. America (non-existant or poor health care for a large proportion of the populace). The countries afflicted by climate change and AIDS also have a greatly reduced life expectancy but the reductions are more than offset by the birth rate.

I am afraid we will have to disagree about the population figures, a lot of the world simply doesn't have reliable censes to base figures on but I will dismiss utterly the projections for a falling birth rate. Family planning takes money and education, two things that are being systematically denied the developing world, I can't see things improving with Paul Wolfowitz at the helm of the World Bank. The situation is likely to deteriorate further as corporate interests are put before climate change and sustainable development.

Allowing the 2000AD population of 6 billion and my estimate of 1-2% being sustained for 40 years gives a population of 6.9 billion in 2010, 8 billion in 2020, 9.3 billion in 2030 and 10.8 billion in 2040. These figures could be wrong but they are just as trustworthy as official UN estimates it's just that mine are arrived at with no political pressure from various interests.

This still doesn't change the fact that most of the world population will be following the World Cup.

[ikri]

113. Strange TV ratings

There are a couple of ways of figuring out how many people watch a TV broadcast. You can use the more traditional method of using a sample of households like the Nielsen ratings system to provide an estimate of how many people are watching.

There's also the method that's used far too often when measuring viewers of programs that are broadcast in multiple countries. The FIFA World Cup Final and the Superbowl are perfect examples of this measurement. Whilst the Superbowl is watched by about 140-150 million people within the US the game is also sold to foreign TV channels. Realistically, outside the US the Superbowl is watched by very few people, probably less than 50 million. However, the game is often said to have been watched by an audience that ranks in the billions. How do you get 150 million + scattered handful worldwide = 1.5 billion? Easy, you measure the potential audience. If the game is shown in the UK you simply add the UK population to the overall audience count, show the game in China or India and even if no one watches the game you can add over a billion people since they could have watched the game.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup final was probably watched by over 1 billion people if it was measure using a Nielsen ratings type system, but since the game was broadcast in every country in the world the audience was measured as being pretty much the entire world's population. The 2006 World Cup final will be the same, it will probably be viewed by between 1 and 2 billion people but we'll be told later that the number was much larger.

[Kellanved]

37. Snarf

I do care, but so far it is:
-the reason for about 50,000 stupid regulations
-the excuse for a metric fuckload of proposed laws (mostly regarding privacy, police and the military)
-the justification for "terrorism incoming" fearmongering; especially regarding Iran
-the theme of just about every commercial
-the fifa is behaving like a royal jackass. (want a public big screen? I hope you like Bud)
-and I didn't even get tickets :grr:

[billyskank]

77. Don't forget all the English hooligans

I apologise in advance for that. :(

[Kellanved]

79. They should form an orderly queue

After the German, Polish, Dutch and - according to our islamophobic Interior Minister - the Iranian hooligans.

:D

That's the beauty of World Cups in Europe. People do care so much about them and travel :hide:

[xmas74]

39. I keep up a bit.

I used to really keep on w/ all manner of sports-nearly anything would do. Nowadays, I don't have as much time.

My five year old is a bit interested now. She's a soccer player and it just dawned on her that there is more than what she sees at her games and the local college games.

[Squeech]

41. I like the bit

where, whenever Brazil wins a big game, all the Brazilians in the neighborhood drive around honking and waving the flag. The word for this activity is "paseato." It's really silly, but festive.

I'm not a sports buff, but I do find soccer more compelling to watch than anything else.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

47. I'll fucking kill myself if Brazil wins again.

x(

[Blue Poppy]

60. Ditto n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

66. Can I quote you on that?

:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

[billyskank]

78. Oh, and that free kick in the last world cup was a fucking fluke

:P ;)

[Blue_Tires]

107. i'll help with your 'transition'

remember; suicide is painless and it brings on many changes!

[DS1]

62. Move to Framingham

;-)

[Squeech]

64. Unnecessary

They do just fine in Somerville too. (The best paseato Mrs. Squeech ever saw was Allston/Brighton, where the original Cafe Belo was.)

[DS1]

65. My parents were in London during one of the recent cups

Apparently Brazil won a big game, or the whole thing I don't remember, but the locals just took over the round-a-bout at Trafalgar Square, jammed it with cars all waving flags.

[billyskank]

76. During the last world cup

when England had just won a match, I was walking into town and every single driver was sounding their horn. I thought, when the hell did I move to Argentina??

[Bassic]

42. I can't wait for it.

The World Cup kicks ass. It's the best sports tournament there is. After the Hockey playoffs of course. :D

[Common Sense Party]

96. Well it's one of the few interesting, truly WORLD-wide competitions.

World Series? Please.

[Bassic]

109. Yeah, I always wondered why the World Series were

called like that.

[Bridget Burke]

43. Oddly, I do.

"Oddly" since I'm not a big sports fan, generally. Unless one of my local teams is doing well. And I don't follow "soccer" consistently.

But I find the World Cup interesting. For one thing, there's lots of coverage beforehand--I can see what the experts have to say about various teams' chances. The games move quickly. The players are neither extremely tall nor extremely muscled--they are just right! And each World Cup tells a story. Will the Americans do miserably--or slightly better? Will a Colombian player put a ball through the wrong goal? (When an Argentine friend saw that, he said "he's a dead man." He was right.) Will the swarthy Croatians beat the ever-efficient Germans in a semi-final?

There are many avid football fans here in Houston who don't care about UT versus the Aggies. Or the Dallas Cowboys. (We get American football crammed down our throats in Texas. Perhaps I'm just rebelling.)

[SlavesandBulldozers]

70. Texas is a futbol powerhouse.

so is Florida, and DC. we need about one more generation in, then we will be real contendors in the WC.

[Bridget Burke]

73. Houston just got a Major League futbol team.

And amateur leagues--with players of all ages--fill up the parks every weekend.

[ceile]

83. I haven't caught a Dynamos(?) game yet.

Are they any good?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

89. nice

Orlando needs a team. we have an amazing crop of players here.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

44. I do.

I love watching the World Cup.

Club soccer... not so much.

[_testify_]

51. The what now?

J/K

I have tried and tried to like soccer but I can't do it. The field is too big, and they count the time UP rather than down. Weird.

[SIU_Blue]

52. I do,

Live in the U.S., fan of Sweden (liberal paradise of course), Spain (no idea where that one came from), and Turkey (if one of your starters is named Hashen Shash you're ok in my book).

[SlavesandBulldozers]

71. Hassan Sas is awesome.

I'm going to be looking out for Turkey this year, they were a great team to watch last time - complete underdog story.

[SIU_Blue]

85. indeed

good thing i'm so good at spelling his name :sarcasm:

:)

[SlavesandBulldozers]

88. im not so sure i got it right. you spelled it like it sounds though.

its all good.

actually, it's Hasan Sas, after checking.

[ceile]

86. Unfortunately, no Turkey this year.

Loved watching them in 2002.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

101. no Turkey?

FECK!

[SmileyBoy]

104. Turkey lost in the final elimination round.

It sucks.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

105. oh man! thanks for the info.

nevermind! Sas you suck!

[northzax]

54. shame the US won't get out of the first round

I know, we're ranked what, fifth in the world? that's a friggin joke.

[billyskank]

55. You got into the third round last time

IIRC.

[northzax]

58. well sure, but this time

we're in the same group as the Czechs and the Azzuri, (and Ghana) we might be able to tie the Czechs, if they have a bad day. we'll lose to the Azzuri, and probably beat Ghana 2-0. So it'll come down to goal differential. So figure we get out as 2E. That means we get 1F in the second round, who is, of course, Brazil.

The US simply isn't that good. I know a good keeper can keep you alive for a while, but Keller isn't THAT good. CONCACAF is the weakest region, by a country mile, and the World Cup Draw Committee knows it, which is why a region winner still gets put in a group with tough teams.

[da_chimperor]

63. The Czechs will mop the field with us, IMO.

I think the Italians will also beat us, but I do agree we can probably beat Ghana. Don't want to sound pessimistic, but I don't think we're getting out of the first round. x(

[northzax]

74. right now, on a neutral field

I'd give the edge to Italy, the Czechs aren't at 100% (and let's be honest, if the Azzuri A squad shows up, they are always a force to be reckoned with. So I think the group looks like this:

Czech Republic 2-0-1
Italy 2-1-0
US 1-1-1
Ghana 0-3-0

And Ghana is no pushover, by any stretch. This isn't the official 'Group Of Death' (most people give that to the Holland/Serbia-Montenegro/Ivory Coast/Argentina group, but if all four teams come into the US group playing at top form, then at least one team will be going home who would advance in almost any other group. the US plays a soft schedule, because our group pretty much sucks, so our rankings are inflated (tell me all you want that it's hard to win in Grenada or Panama, but it really shouldn't be) So of the 3 CONCACAF teams, it looks like region winner US is going home, while Costa Rica and Mexico should make the second round. Bad draw for the Yanks.

[da_chimperor]

81. Given that you've obviously put more thought into your position . . .

i'm going to defer to you on this one. I'm not an expert. ;)

I'm still somewhat in awe of the Czech team after watching their Euro 2004 match with the Netherlands, however. Both sides were playing at 200%. I can't put into words how FANTASTIC that game was. It was truly a match where it was a shame that one team had to lose.

If we do go down early i'm going to cheer for the Netherlands.

[SOteric]

72. I care, to some extent, but it should be noted

that pretty much my entire family consists of men born in Italy and they cheer for the Italians. :hi:

[billyskank]

75. Yeah, pretty passionate, those Italians ;)

:hi:

[ceile]

80. I'm taking time off work.

Still deciding what games to watch, but I'm definitely taking time off. Might even have a WC party!!:bounce: :beer:

[LaurenG]

84. I know nothing of world cups!

I know a bit about tea cups, coffee cups and other kinds of cups but not the world cup.;-) :pals:

[billyskank]

94. Never mind

I still love you :loveya:

[LaurenG]

97. lol, Thank you

I appreciate that!:loveya: :hug:

[noonwitch]

87. I care about the Stanley cup, however, at least until the Wings choke

It's looking like another year in which they prefer to play golf to hockey.

[LadyAziz]

90. I am so pumped about the World Cup

The countries that am guessing will do well are Italia and Brasil. But its totally anyone's game, for some reason some of the Brasilian players have not been at their best at their clubs. But its too early to tell. And you never know USA, Ghana and esp. Czechs could very well upset top seed Italia.

I hope that the African countries (Cote d'ivoire, Ghana, Angola and Togo) do well because it will be a victory not only for Africans but for African football.

[progmom]

92. oranje leven!!

[billyskank]

93. Hi progmom!

:loveya: :hi:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

115. I almost want the Netherlands to win.

Has to be the country that's most unfairly devoid of a World Cup win in the world.

Even if it hypothetically beats Brazil in a final, you won't see me get mad or surly.

[progmom]

119. I know I want them to win.

:D

[Common Sense Party]

95. I love it. I root for Argentina, mostly. The USA may actually do

well this year.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

116. I derive exquisite pleasure from Argentina's misfortune.

The Olympian Gods wanted me to work for an Argentinian boss during the last world cup. The day after that gloriously humiliating flop, all you had to do was look at him and grin. I was expecting his head to explode at any moment. :evilgrin:

[Common Sense Party]

118. They're the team everyone loves to hate. Their pride has much

to do with that.

I love Argentina, though. Always will.

[Arugula Latte]

98. Huh? Whaa?

You say somethin 'bout sports? :boring:

[Merrick]

99. The ultimate grandaddy of all sports events? You bet your ass

and if England, Mexico or the US wins it, I'll be a rich man (especially if it's one of the last two)

[Skittles]

100. me

I became interested in it as a child in England; one of my fondest memories is watching the '70 World Cup with my grandfather

[SlavesandBulldozers]

102. awesome.

i have great memories watching it too.

[SmileyBoy]

103. Turkey's not in it, so my level od excitement is less than 2002.

Back when they won the fricking BRONZE, for chrissakes. That was a proud moment.

[Blue_Tires]

106. i've been trying to generate interest in the lounge

for awhile now...


BRAZIL FOR LIFE!!! BRAZIL FOREVER!!!

[TroubleMan]

108. I always enjoy watching the World Cup

nt.

[SKKY]

110. In 2002, I think we took some teams by surprise, and got a little...

...lucky. If we can get a good result against the Czech Republic, we will have to be considered one of the favorites to get out of our group. The best thing the US has going for it is Bruce Arena. He's a freak-show talented coach.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

117. Portugal flopped UNBELIAVABLY. -nt

[tjwmason]

121. Has the damn things started yet?

I saw the first George Cross (English flag) up today. We don't tend to go in for the habit of flying the flag, but at major football competitions they suddenly appear everywhere, and a house between here and the newsagent had one up this morning.

If England do well this is going to become unbearable quite rapidly. x(