I don't like football (soccer) and I am not going to apologize for that

One thing that we can count on bringing the people together over here in Vietnam is sports and sports bars. For the most part the games that we like are on at really silly times of day and you have to go out of your way in order to see them. The one exception is Australia sports and lately I have become a bit of a fan of AFL but only because it is the only sport that we can watch without staying up until the middle of the night or waking up and starting to drink at a silly time in the morning.

Case in point: The NBA playoffs are currently taking place right now and I have not seen a single game despite being a long-time fan. This is because the games start at 6 or 7 AM. I like sports as much as the next guy, but not enough to wake up early for it unless it is the Super Bowl.

The other night I found myself in a bar with a bunch of football (soccer) fans who were glued to the screen of a English Premier League game. I was there hanging out with them and the next thing I know the game is halfway over and the score is still 0-0. There were some moments where things were close, but I wasn't even paying attention. I'm sorry, but I just can't get excited about a game where we go a full 45 minutes and nobody scores at all.

Sports that can end in a 0-0 draw after more than 90 minutes of play is something that I really will not ever be able to get on board with.

I try to be a bit patriotic when the USA men's team is playing but even thought it was a while ago, how am I supposed to get excited about a game against Canada where you can't even win? 1-1 after 90 minutes? What an exciting event that must have been!

Whenever my friends here extend an invitation to watch Man United or whoever play, I will normally turn it down. Not only do I not enjoy the sport, but it also starts at 11 pm to 3am or something like that. If I start drinking at that time I am going to ruin the next day for sure - maybe the next 2.

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Another thing that gets me about football (soccer) is the faking of injuries. It gets old really fast and I can't believe that with all the technology that we have at our disposal that they don't do more about this than they do. I realize that this is a part of the sport and it also exists in other sports as well, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I wonder how much time and effort is spent on getting a free kick that you do not deserve rather than simply playing the game?

I'm not going to try to say that anyone is wrong for liking what they like just like I don't expect people to enjoy American football and trust me when I say that Americans get plenty of criticism for enjoying this sport when it is on. Every sport has its followers and they all have their reasons for why they like the sport. I'm not judging anyone - you do you.

I just can't get on board with soccer and trust me, based on where I live and the amount of people that enjoy it, I have indeed tried. I leave people alone for the most part and will not get on their case for what they enjoy but I simply don't like it and I am not going to apologize for that.