World Cup Discussion Thread

[Nystul]

Neither of these assertions explains why soccer is not popular in the US but is the most popular sport in (literally) hundreds of other countries.

I don't know the real answer to this, but I think it is complicated, and has very little to do with soccer itself (other than in so far as soccer is inherently better suited to be the most popular sport in Ghana than curling or skiing). Why are there hundreds of countries where the most popular sport played is a verbatim ruleset developed on a different continent? I think the answer is largely political in nature.

The countries whose players are notorious for shamming injury are the mediterranean and Latin ones. These would be said by many to have a more macho culture than the US, and yet football is not seen as "sissy" there. I suspect you used that word because it is often played by girls in the US.

I think you are barking up the wrong tree on this one. Almost all sports in the US are often played by girls.