Football in the US of A

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:55 pm

In the moment of severe personal crisis, I can think of no better place to seek advice than SYM. Therefore, fellow SYM:ers, please aid me in this most delicate matter.

How do you watch European football on TV in the US? Are there any cable channels you can buy? I am specifically referring to Champion's League, but also the upcoming Euro 2008 and Primera Division, Premier League, Serie A and other European football leagues and competitions.

Help!

PS If you are under the delusion that "football" refers to a ball game where players are allowed to carry the ball around with their hands, you are not qualified to answer in this thread.

Noober · Post by **Noober** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:54 pm

GolTV (GolTV Inc.) is apparently the place to go. I think FOX only covers the Premier League.

VonDondu · Post by **VonDondu** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:56 pm

I don't mean to make fun of you, but how is this a "severe personal crisis" or a "most delicate matter"? (I assume you were being serious.)

There are a couple of American satellite TV services that broadcast international sports events, including DirecTV and the DISH network. You might consult a site such as LiveSoccerTV for specific program schedule information. That's the best I can offer.

Good luck!

EDIT: Here is the Euro 2008 Qualifying TV Schedule for FoxSoccer.com:
FOX Sports on MSN - Europe - Euro 2008 Qualifying TV Schedule

You might see if there is a link to specific American cable TV channels.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:25 am

VonDondu wrote:I don't mean to make fun of you, but how is this a "severe personal crisis" or a "most delicate matter"? (I assume you were being serious.)
<snip>

Well, not being able to watch football if having to / going on a trip to the states - I could see that qualify as a severe personal crisis

prof. Moriarty · Post by **prof. Moriarty** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:09 am

Indeed. I agree wholeheartedly with that. But I too have a hard time understanding what's the delicate matter unless his/her Special Other violently disagrees with his/her enthusiasm for football.
Heh... Suddenly I have this picture of Henpecked Hou's sad face before me.

Deus Vult!
P

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:39 pm

Thanks for your advice, I will certainly investigate all possibilities!

VonDondu wrote:I don't mean to make fun of you, but how is this a "severe personal crisis" or a "most delicate matter"? (I assume you were being serious.)

Well, I was sort of semi-serious. I am pathologically addicted to football, in fact it's the only thing I watch on TV and the only "popular culture" I care about and actively follow. I do plan my holidays in order not to miss important football events, and I love spending hours discussing football with my colleagues at the lab since it's such an international bunch of people.

Xandax] Well wrote:
Seriously, it is a personal crisis (although a minor one) that I will soon find myself living in the US. I'm too old for such culture shocks.

prof. Moriarty] Indeed. I agree wholeheartedly with that. But I too have a hard time understanding what's the delicate matter unless his/her Special Other violently disagrees with his/her enthusiasm for football. [/quote wrote:
I exaggregated slightly, but it is true that the hubby is not entirely happy about my love for The Beautiful Game. On the contrary, I think he was hoping that he'd finally get rid of these football evenings.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:42 pm

C Elegans wrote: I exaggregated slightly, but it is true that the hubby is not entirely happy about my love for The Beautiful Game. On the contrary, I think he was hoping that he'd finally get rid of these football evenings.

Well, you could just send him off to bond with your child, while you jump up and down in front of the TV engaging in wild Neolithic cheering as your favoured team scores

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:01 pm

C Elegans wrote:Well, I was sort of semi-serious. I am pathologically addicted to football, in fact it's the only thing I watch on TV and the only "popular culture" I care about and actively follow. I do plan my holidays in order not to miss important football events, and I love spending hours discussing football with my colleagues at the lab since it's such an international bunch of people.

Nice, maybe this thread should be expanded to include discussion about football, no?

Anyway, just wanted to ask you, CE, which club team do you support?

C Elegans wrote:Primera Division

Could this possibly be the Primera Liga of Spain?

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:22 pm

dragon wench wrote:Well, you could just send him off to bond with your child, while you jump up and down in front of the TV engaging in wild Neolithic cheering as your favoured team scores

That's the usual pattern already, I think it's the neolithic part he was hoping to be spared from

Loki[D.d.G] wrote:Nice, maybe this thread should be expanded to include discussion about football, no?

Anyway, just wanted to ask you, CE, which club team do you support?

Of course we can expand the thread to include football discussions!

Arsenal is the club in my heart, but I also hold a special admiration and respect for Milan. I am Swedish, but Swedish club football doesn't interest me at all due to the low quality of the clubs and the incredibly boring playing style that is traditional here.

What about you? What club do you support and what competitions do you follow?

Could this possibly be the Primera Liga of Spain?

It's the same thing

Liga de Fútbol Profesional, "La Liga", Primera Division, Primera Liga - the Spanish professional football league.
See:
Web Oficial de la Liga de Fútbol Profesional

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:01 pm

Brilliant. A fellow Gooner. What do you think of our recent games? Damn, they finished second in the Champoins League and now have the prospect of facing some of the top teams in Europe.

:laugh:

I follow mostly the Premier League, CL and when I have time, the Serie A and Primera Liga. International football, I'mnot so interested in. Seems to me players give their best for club, not country.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:00 am

Lifelong Pompey (Portsmouth FC to the uninitiated) fan here. Happy as a pig in, er, muck with the way the seasons gone so far, we'll soon overtake Arsenal.

Any thoughts on Capello becoming England's manager? Seems like the best choice once José Mourinho turned the job down.

I also follow Calcio quite a bit, been a Fioentina fan for nearly twenty years, good start to the season, but things have been going bad lately.

Moonbiter · Post by **Moonbiter** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:46 am

Heh Heh... This thread made my day.:laugh: I usually make a point out of picking vacation spots where I can get as far away from any mention of football as possible! Especially during the main events.

CE, why don't you just do as many of my buddies: Stay home to watch the game? Or you can always bring a laptop and watch them online while sitting on the beach, like many of my nutjob friends do.

I remember the last time I visited Mauritius. There was absolutely no football on the telly or in the newspapers, and I thought it was heaven. Granted, I live across the street from Oslo's main Arsenal supporter pub. I can't go to the grocery store without passing by a bunch of clowns in supporter gear making farmyard noises. The last time Norway was in the World Cup, sometime back in the previous century, divorce rates skyrocketed because dad cancelled the family's summer vacation to stay home and watch the games. That's priorities for you! People actually got fired from work because they stayed home in front of the TV.

Back to the initial question: Do it online, like I said. You can watch absolutely everything on web-TV, and it's mostly free of charge.

prof. Moriarty · Post by **prof. Moriarty** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 11:21 am

*Laughs, maybe a little embarassed.* The only club that I will ever cheer for is ESK, Enköping SportsClub. In "Superettan", "Super One" (one series below the highest series) in Sweden. Due to local patriotism and a careless vow.

Deus Vult!
P

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:27 pm

prof. Moriarty wrote:*Laughs, maybe a little embarassed.* The only club that I will ever cheer for is ESK, Enköping SportsClub. In Division one (two series below the highest series) in Sweden. Due to local patriotism and a careless vow.

Deus Vult!
P

I salute you, great that at least some people support their local team come hell or high water.

Have you ever played Championship/Football Manager and taken ESK to the dizzy heights?

prof. Moriarty · Post by **prof. Moriarty** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:44 pm

Heh... No. Never been one for sports games. I like to WATCH sports. Maybe even dabble in some IRL (I like swimming, martial arts and football). But the rest I leave to the rest of you.

Deus Vult!
P

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 6:39 pm

Loki[D.d.G] wrote:Brilliant. A fellow Gooner. What do you think of our recent games? Damn, they finished second in the Champoins League and now have the prospect of facing some of the top teams in Europe. :laugh:

I follow mostly the Premier League, CL and when I have time, the Serie A and Primera Liga. International football, I'mnot so interested in. Seems to me players give their best for club, not country.

I am of course pleased with the season so far, but unfortunately I can't watch Arsenal in the Premier League since the only Swedish TV channel that shows PL is a very expensive pay channel. I'm currently investigating my possibilities to see Sunday's match. Considering the injury situation - Fabregas, Flamini and Hleb doubtful and Walcott definitely out - I have to admit I'm quite pleased Drogba chose to have his knee surgery now.
Finishing second in the CL group was certainly suboptimal. Surely it allows for a very exciting last 16-round, but I would by far have preferred Celtic, Schalke or Olympiakos as the opponent rather than Barca, Real, Milan or Inter.

I agree with you that players usually give their best for their clubs, and I also think club football in general allows for a higher quality of the game. However, I love to watch the World Cup and I especially enjoy to follow it together with my workmates since we have people from almost all major football countries at our lab. I also try to follow the Euros, African nations cup and Copa America, but I rarely have time to watch as many games as I would like. During the last African Cup I was travelling around in West Africa. That was quite an experience. People would gather around some 20 year old radio and listen to the broadcasts, of course during intense discussions. When we came to Senegal, the most modern country in West Africa, we could even watch the games at TV.

galrean] Lifelong Pompey (Portsmouth FC to the uninitiated) fan here. Happy as a pig in wrote:
We'll see about that the 26th December

Save Jose, I think Capello is the best manager England can get. Not only because of his merits and obvious skills, but also because I believe his coaching style and type of strategic thinking will suit the England team very well. In one department he actually beats Mourinho, and that is his relationship to media. Capello is, afaik, spotless and will most likely remain so. Not even the English tabloid press will find anything disturbing about him, which I believe is nice for the players.

Moonbiter] I usually make a point out of picking vacation spots where I can get as far away from any mention of football as possible! Especially during the main events. CE wrote:
I have managed to find football also in the most remote places. Southeast Asian rainforests, Greenlandic glaciers, Sahara's nomad camps and Himalaya's snowy peaks - there are always people around who enjoy football

I can't stay at home to watch the games since I need to live in the US for a while. But watching online sounds like a good idea. I assume you are not the right person to point out for me where I can find those webistes

prof. Moriarty, post: 971600" wrote:The only club that I will ever cheer for is ESK, Enköping SportsClub. In Division one (two series below the highest series) in Sweden. Due to local patriotism and a careless vow.
Nothing wrong with that, I think it's quite sweet. I've been an Arsenal fan since childhood, and I don't even remember why. When I was a kid, my grandfather and I used to watch Premier League on TV on Saturdays. That was the only foreign football shown on Swedish TV, and for some reason I will probably never remember, I took a special liking in Arsenal.

galraen wrote:Have you ever played Championship/Football Manager and taken ESK to the dizzy heights?
I know this was to prof Moriarty, but I have to reply just because I love that game and because I'm damned proud of having taking AB (Akademiske Boldklub, in the second highest Danish league) to Champion's League victory in 7(!) seasons. Without cheating!

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:09 pm

At least van Persie has a high chance of playing come Sunday. Your thoughts on creating an Arsenal Supporters Thread?

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:09 pm

I don't recall playing Arsenal on boxing day for maybe fifty years or more. Some weird things have been happening in that regard this season. It seems like every week we do something we haven't done for fifty years or more. Best start to a season in the top flight for over fifty years; first win at Newcastle for over 50 years, first home draw with Everton since 1937, and just last week, first win at Villa Park in, you guessed it, over fifty years. There's something else we haven't done for over fifty years, win the championship!:laugh: I can dream can't I?

I once played Randers Freja in CM, got them to the Champions League, won the EUFA cup, but couldn't nail the big one.

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:27 pm

FM is the better game in my opinion.

Back on topic, I think Pompey will suffer once the African Nations Cup gets on the way. Think of all the players they will be losing.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:48 pm

Loki[D.d.G] wrote:FM is the better game in my opinion.

I was referring to CM before Eidos broke with SI, since that time I agree with FM being better.

Loki[D.d.G] wrote:Back on topic, I think Pompey will suffer once the African Nations Cup gets on the way. Think of all the players they will be losing.

Unfortunately your dead right, I saw that problem coming in the summer when Harry was signing even more Africans. We're effectively Team Africa these days, some good players, but they will be sorely missed for about a month; then we have to hope they come back healthy. Unlike when Yakubu and Lua-Lua came back suffering from Maleria. We really need the points in the bag by the end of February or we could end up in the drop zone. Fortunately our good start should see us through.