F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone except Americans

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by smoyer on Thursday November 29, 2012 @07:37AM (#4847348)

I'm American, like F1 and NASCAR but rarely spend time watching either (or any other television). I also prefer to drive on a winding country road in a European touring sedan versus more boring routes.

I played soccer (shouldn't he have said football?) when I was younger and I'm fine with the metric system (the real question is why they taught it in elementary schools starting in the '70s, but didn't bother switching).

I think there are a lot of people in the US like me, but we don't spend enough money to get sponsor/advertiser attention. When was the last time you saw F1 tee-shirts, or F1 drivers on beer cans? Which events are offered is all about the almighty dollar.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by sjh on Thursday November 29, 2012 @07:43AM (#4847366)

It's 'football' in the UK, but in most of the rest of the Anglophone world, it's 'soccer'. Australia has its own 'football', as does Ireland.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by rmccue on Thursday November 29, 2012 @08:49AM (#4847631)

> Australia has its own 'football'

In fact, we have multiple: 'football' here can refer to rugby league in QLD and NSW, AFL in pretty much every other state (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barassi_Line ), or soccer.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by nicholassmith on Thursday November 29, 2012 @07:56AM (#4847417)

Oddly in most of Europe it's 'football' as well, EUFA, IFA, Ligue de Football and so on, seems to be quite fractured depending on whereabouts in the world you are, and with the rise in people learning American English through TV/movies/etc I can see it becoming more popular to call it soccer.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by riffraff on Thursday November 29, 2012 @08:33AM (#4847555)

it's football in south america too ( Fútbol,Futebol).

Maybe of interest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_for_association_football

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by dbaupp on Thursday November 29, 2012 @08:11AM (#4847477)

Over the last few years, there has been a move in Australia to use "football" for soccer. The 3 other footballs (rugby league, rugby union and AFL) are more commonly "rugby" or "footy".

(At least, that's what I've noticed.)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by dkersten on Thursday November 29, 2012 @09:39AM (#4847882)

as does Ireland

Yet if you say "football" in Ireland, it is assumed you mean soccer.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:F1, like soccer and the metric system, is OK for everyone... by antr on Thursday November 29, 2012 @08:06AM (#4847458)

i have to agree on "...is all about the almighty dollar."

at the end of the day, one-directional media consumption (almost anywhere) is driven by maximising ad dollar expenditure. we just need for the Formula One Group to make the same sales effort in the US as they've done in asia. since the sales push in asia (during the past 3 years) a whole bunch of new asian sponsors/cars/drivers have joined F1. i guess it's a matter of time.

[ Parent | on HN ]