just like they watch movies and can't act

*

I agree. Because sports, other than warfare, is pure unbridled competition, and competition produces winners and losers. The making of a winner or loser is high drama.

*

Soccer brings out the "tribal" mentality in men. We identify ourselves with various teams and obviously, people like to identify with the winners. That's the reason Brazil is the favourite team.

*

I don't think people are interested in soccer per say, but it's just conveniently the most dominant and most widely covered sport in Singapore. I think people like to follow professional sports because a) even if they don't play, as long as they appreciate the intricacies of the game, a match is just as good of entertainment as any other television show or movie, with the added benefit that it's unpredictable and unscripted; you don't know how the game will turn out and who will win. And also b) people feel a need to have a sense of belonging with a team, due to various reasons, which are articulated in this article better than anything I can describe http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=1986

*

Yes. As mentioned in part 1.

-More emotional attachment -Diversion from reality -Gambling

-Possible conversation topic amongst peers -Interest in sport statistics (minority)

*

Don't agree. There are armchair fans, but lots do still play. There is a very vibrant Sunday foootball league scene in singapore. Who do you think buys all those jerseys and boots from Queensway?

*

Its a game where the result can usually change in the final minutes

*

See above. That, and the perceived added difficulty of the sport (given the usage of less conventional appendages and the dearth of goals) gives it its world wide appeal.

*

No, I think most of them would have at least dabbled in it while schooling though it's unlikely they've kept up the habit. Soccer is a hobby/interest, so it's like asking why do people collect stamps? Why do people watch tv? Why do people listen to music? They just like it.

*

Yes. Soccer is the sport of choice in S'pore, just like baseball and basketball in the States. I never figured why. I guess its partly because soccer managed to garner a critical mass or was the most fun / accessible game when we all still lived in Kampongs

*

I’m sure there are many people who watch but don’t play, although me and most of my male friends play and watch football quite often. Some of us follow football, golf, badminton etc to improve on our own game, to try the tricks that the pros use. But I’d say people follow the sports as a fantasy, meaning they would hope (often in vain) and fantasise that they are one of the players, that their team will sweep all the trophies, and maybe that their kids one day will play for their teams etc. I for one am like that.

*

Yes. It's probably a product of their past - so perhaps they wish to preserve this artifact from their chilhood.

*

well marketed ... soccer is exciting

*

aspirational? choice of tribe? the team you support has no link to your own ethnic history, or any kind of history. It is an example of freedom of association, and that all can partake in.

*

Not certain but I would think most would have dabbled while in school. Also, of course, there is the collective madness/passion of crowds, even virtual corwds i.e. when they know that so many share this interest. (I'm yielding slightly to temptation to go with the less conventional since I expect you'll get lots of replies)

*

As above, they only bet. Or perhaps it's a vicarious existence

*

at some stage in their youth most guys especially those who follow football does play the game when they are young. that i believe is true.

*

Most definitely. Sports news and programmes are more ubiquitous than pitches and teammates. As with people who share the same sideline interest. It is more convenient to participate from the armchair than on the pitch. Lazy singaporeans too, perhaps?

*

Yes. They used to play soccer in school. used to watch EPL when it was first televised in singapore. cult following, newspaper, friends, join in the crowd.

*

Perhaps it's a prevalent culture in Singapore with so many pubs and hawker centres screening SCV soccer matches almost every week during the season, it becomes almost unavoidable to miss the topic. It's a great conversational piece with friends and fellow enthusiasts.

*

Cliche as it sounds, it's a universal language.

*

Most past their prime (in sporting terms) but the passion never dies!!

*

YES! they don't want to be exposed as the fat lumps of lard they actually are. they show interest in soccer in order to fit in and feel good about themselves, and to fit the sterotype of what they think a guy should be like. i assume this question applies to men. *

One needn't be an artist to enjoy art. I think the same rule applies to football.

What you have mentioned is true, most people remain passionate spectators but many others carry that similar passion on the field or on street soccer courts. All in all, it's the love for the game that matters.

*

I agree, I think that there is a great deal of vicarious enjoyment going on, and it is part of belonging to a *tribe*. Maybe they would play soccer more often if it was easier to find a place to kick a ball around!

*

No. They probably have kicked a ball once or twice in their lifetime and are not very good at it (myself). What interests them is because it is a "guy" kind of thing. You can use it to communicate better with other guys. I did not include the female point of view as I do not really know much about their ulterior motives of watching soccer.

*

just have the fun, i watch selectively, may opening, final matches i will subto pay tv for that purpose

*

u interested in politics doesn't mean u join politics or involve what.u interested in watching fear factor doenst mean you will join fear factor what.

*

I have played football (soccer is American, purists say football which is invented in England =p) for leisure in my schooling days but I dont play regularly. The popularity of football might be down to its dominance of the TV networks etc, so compared to other sports, it is more widely accessible. Over time it has capitalised on its early dominance to build its unique culture and history (it's lovely how football talk can be used to break the ice across countries and cultures) And it's a source of identity for those who identify themselves deeply with the clubs they support.

*

Well, I follow soccer on TV and I have never played it before. I suppose it is the idea of living vicariously? Though from observing the male population in my place of work, I gather that most of them who watch soccer, play (although at a much lower level) soccer on a regular basis.

*

It's true that some people who watch football but do not really play it regularly.

It could be due to a few factors. Firstly, they might not have the time to play, given they have to work/study... these people might have played the sport when they were in school, e.g. during PE or after school, but when they become more busy, they do not play the sport.. they follow the sport instead.

Second, people who like football may not be as good in the sport themselves. Given the unforgiving nature of the sport, people who are not adequately good in the sport will generally feel demoralised to continue playing this game, as it is a team game which needs everyone to contribute. But the interest is still there. So they follow it instead of play it.

Thirdly, it is possible for those who are interested to watch football and yet physically unfit/lazy to play the sport. This applies to older or working people i guess.

In conclusion, I think you need not know to play a musical instrument to enjoy musical concerts.. that's my point.

*

Agree. They all played as kids, and they'd like to play now, but time, health, kids and lack of space and accessible facilities all intervene. Solution? Play vicariously through their teams.

*

I don't know about this one. I reckon that you don't have to love reading the sports pages, and play soccer regularly. They could be interested in soccer news, because everyone else around them is - and soccer-news often can be used as 'conversation-starters/topics' to bond/network/fit-in in a social setting. On the other hand, there are people who love playing soccer, but never read the sports pages. Case in point - I'm female, and i love playing soccer, was in my jc's soccer team. I never read the sports pages, nor follow soccer matches ardently on television (unless the WorldCup semis-to-finals are airing on tv, or perhaps it's the EPL's finals and a couple of friends decide to get-together to watch) .

So are the people who play soccer (and not read sports pages) - rare as they might - more interested in soccer than those who read (but not play soccer) ?

* I think that statement is true only to a rather limited extent. Based on my own microlevel of knowledge, I think that quite a lot of people do in fact play soccer regularly, especially for the males. I think the hypothesis would probably be more accurate in the context of female viewers?

*

Because the game is so unpredictable. The best team with best players may not necessaily win. Lots of tactics and strategies involved like a chess board game.

*

Yes. It could be a way for men to express their 'hunting instincts'- or their drive towards a goal, whether or not it is immediately crucial to their lives.

*

Come on, there is such a thing as a arm-chair participant! Please do not under-estimate the calories burnt and adrenaline produced simply by watching soccer on the box.

*

Understanding and passion for the sport.

*

Yes, I used to do that when I used to gamble with soccer matches. Money is at stake therefore its similar to checking the stock exhange.

*

Yes. I am unable to suggest an answer to the phenomenon, though I partly attribute it to the fact that it has been imbued in us that watching soccer is the 'man' thing to do, and a guy who watches soccer is like to have more common conversational topics with other male (or occasionally female strangers).

*

Sports mean two things to people

1. Something you do. No games, just sports. 2. Something you don't do but observe regularly.

I agree that these people are not reading about sports but rather about games that involve sports. They are interested in soccer not because it is a sport; it is the game aspect of soccer that they love the most.

*

Yes, because its the 'man' thing & it can be a common topic during lunch hours.

*

Yes. Part of the human instinct to proof that they are right (strategies, how to play etc).

*

Maybe they're living vicariously through following the sport. The game has been shaped as entertainment too so it's probably comparable to other forms of entertainment (eg. TV, gossip pages, etc).

*

I agree. almost all the soccer fans i know, with the exception of a few, don't even play sports. but i think soccer is very much a spectator sport and it's exciting to watch and easy to understand even if you don't play. it's like watching american idol - you can appreciate the music even if you don't sing.

*

(It's football, YB – which other code of football are you afraid of mixing this soccerball thing with? Is Singapore football played with a golfball to Australian rules?)

To fulfill their need for an idol, just like everybody else. The local sport pages are, to be frank, lacking in terms of depth, and tend to pander towards the flashy aspects of soccerball (the goals, the goalscorers), rather than the more sober, technical and less appreciable aspects, like tempo, possession play and style.

The difference between locally-churned reports of the local leagues and a report of, say, the English Premiership in a UK newspaper, is simply that local ones invariably go for the flash and the UK newspapers go for the flesh.

The boring technical details matter more to, say, the English and the Brazilians, who play soccerball with a feverish intensity as a national hobby, because there is a genuine soccerball culture, and a genuine interest in its details, as compared to Singaporeans, whose interest in soccerball start and end with the flashy, glamorous aspect.

*

I dunno about u. I enjoy watching porn (jpg or mpg) more than doing it! Maybe coz it's just too tiring!

*

betting

*

I agree - many/most (adults anyway) don't play sports (anymore). Interest in watching something has little to do with actually doing it. Its much easier to watch than to do. its vicarious pleasure. E.g. lots of people watch cooking programmes, but NEVER cook. Its all to do with how the programmes/events are put together, to appeal to us greed, lust, competetive spirit, inquisitiveness, etc.

*

more likely than not. they enjoy a good team sport.

*

I do not really agree with the statement. All of my friends who follow soccer matches closely do play soccer. Perhaps there are people who follow matches but do not play soccer, and I suppose these are gambling addicts.

*

cos they are spectators.. the mindless zombies..

*

yes, because the thrill comes from watching hte sense of camaraderie, just like we like to watch korean dramas but we are none at all like them.

*

I disagree to the fact that they never play soccer but perhaps more do not play regularly due to the lack of proper coordination and the culture of organising informal soccer matches. But irregardless of whether they play soccer or not, the interest remains as it's "in" to talk about soccer. It's a guy thing. Narrow as it maybe, many believe(guys included) that guys are all about soccer, babes, sex.

*

I do not agree. I am sure they dont play soccer that regularly because it is hard to make time to actually indulge in such activities. Besides, soccer means speed and quick reflexes. With age, playing soccer could be a rather difficult task. Watching the game could possibly be another way to be "involved" in the sport that remind them of their younger days?

*

I might be wrong, but I have always though most people read the section to find out who won/lost...

*

Agree - most are lazy slobs. Acting out their macho fantasies...!

*

Yes. It's a man's thing and it's like chasing after pop stars etc but never really singing and dancing themselves.

*

No. Based on my persoanl experience and anecdotal accounts I think most ppl who follow football have at some time or other in their life been regular players of the game/

*

It's probably a combbination of the lack of time and resources (like, say, a readily available football field, coordinating people's schedules) that hinder people from playing soccer. mostly, the girl in me likes to think its because men like to affirm their manliness in the said "macho" sport. and i might not be far from the truth. heh.

*

yes, talking topic, gambling?

*

talk is cheap... it's easier and more fun to read and gossip about something than actually doing it...

*

Yes, i agree. Because it's fun - after all, I love plays but I'm never going to act. oh and there's probably something there about re-directed aggression etc.etc.

*

I'm not sure about the first question. But interest in soccer cannot be explained. The joy and thrill of seeing your team win; and the agony you feel when they lose makes people come back for more.

*

Yes, because there are other avenues of "playing" soccer such as computer games. i.e the ex Championship manager, Football Manager series, Winning Eleven etc. In addition, there is always the punting side of soccer. This is evident by the number of people in Singapore pools looking at the LCD screens, underground bookies @ kopitiams during matchtime, advertisements and punting analysis in the New paper.

*