I'd like to consider myself a mindful sports fan, but I am not a forgiving or forgetful one. I'm well aware that some calls will go in one's favor and some will go against. Of course the referee isn't evil. Hell, I don't consider NBA ref Tim Donaghy "evil" and he admitted to fixing games. Donaghy may have been wrong, but ultimately it was an NBA game, hardly a life or death experience, as the league's comatose crowds can attest to. I've experienced the benefits and detriments of officiating. But it still hurts a great deal to have one go against you. The pain of Argentina's 1990 and 2006 World Cup defeats are still fresh.
I also agree on the major points. I don't think Americans are too "parochial" for soccer, though. Americans have tons of distractions. No single sport in the USA comes close to rivaling the importance of soccer in, say, Argentina. I don't think ALL US sports combined have that sort of social importance. Americans do want to win and to have the world's best leagues. It is difficult to accept that the US is not the best at something, but increasingly American fans are coming around to the truth that the national team is competitive and among the top 15 or so sides in the world.
I also think that the decline of interest in baseball among those born in the US, especially in participation, is coinciding directly (this does not imply causation) with the rise of soccer. I am a fan of both sports and will save this observation for a more detailed post at a later date.
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