Why Don't I Love Soccer?

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Hey Timmy. Some guys bashed out at real real football, so it was time to correct some things about the saintly soccer, by exaggeration.

Baseball is boring to watch. True. But it´s a great game to play. I really know what i talk about. 9 years of league soccer and after that league baseball (ended by disc problems). The feeling when you hit the ball correctly is awesome. It´s like you sliced trou butter, you don´t feel any force but see the ball traveling far far far... HR. A feeling i never experienced in Soccer. Never ever.

And yes, 0-0 games are boring (and 1-0 games, and 1-1 and...). I mean it´s called a game of 90 minutes. But actually the ball is in play for only around 50 minutes (= netto time). And in that 50 minutes it´s 45 minutes of ball shoving around midfield or in own half, or passing the ball around the corners to shave time. Actually there are 10 Shots on Goal (Hockey: 60+ !!) in a whole game (and of this, most come after corner and free kicks). Really that game is lousy. It´s only popular because kids grow up with it and it´s shown in TV endlessly. Kids are robbed (like me) of real games like American Football, Baseball, all kinds of other Football (Aussie, Gaelic), only because they don´t know about it, don´t get informed about it, don´t learn about it...

And yes i know Americans i watch NFL with, and i know Soccer fans in the same Sports Bar. The soccer fans are the first drunk, the first making stress and truly are not very intelligent. Not all of them. But there must be a reason they are hold back in a cage while for example the cycling audience is allowed to be 1 meter away from the athletes... Think about that.

And finally Soccer owns the most stupid rules in sports: passive and active offsides, supervised by refs who can´t say for sure if a guy is offsides or not. It´s a 50/50 chance. This (next to other things like red cards and penalty kicks) is leading to a incredible high influence of game outcomes (since games are low scoring) which normally should be decided by the players. I don´t blame the refs here. Studies showed that it´s impossible for a human eye to follow at least three moving objects (Defenders, Offenders, Ball) at the same time in a split second. The whole concept of the game is wrong. And Blatter is immune to change rules which could lead to a more attractive and fairer game.

For the time being i stick to real real Football with 11 minutes of playing time (compared to 5 in soccer), because in this eleven minutes hell breaks loose...

 

[Offtheback]

don't kid yourself, for 99.9% of the population it's just sort of off the side of the radar screen for a few weeks in case there is a doping scandal, then it's completely off for the next 49 weeks.

It has even less 'mindshare' than soccer. Sorry, wish I could be more optimistic.

Don't kid yourself. Europe has a big population and cycling is a major spectator sport. What other nation has around half it's population watching one bike race? (Tour of Flanders).

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Hey Timmy. Some guys bashed out at real real football, so it was time to correct some things about the saintly soccer, by exaggeration.

Baseball is boring to watch. True. But it´s a great game to play. I really know what i talk about. 9 years of league soccer and after that league baseball (ended by disc problems). The feeling when you hit the ball correctly is awesome. It´s like you sliced trou butter, you don´t feel any force but see the ball traveling far far far... HR. A feeling i never experienced in Soccer. Never ever.

And yes, 0-0 games are boring (and 1-0 games, and 1-1 and...). I mean it´s called a game of 90 minutes. But actually the ball is in play for only around 50 minutes (= netto time). And in that 50 minutes it´s 45 minutes of ball shoving around midfield or in own half, or passing the ball around the corners to shave time. Actually there are 10 Shots on Goal (Hockey: 60+ !!) in a whole game (and of this, most come after corner and free kicks). Really that game is lousy. It´s only popular because kids grow up with it and it´s shown in TV endlessly. Kids are robbed (like me) of real games like American Football, Baseball, all kinds of other Football (Aussie, Gaelic), only because they don´t know about it, don´t get informed about it, don´t learn about it...

And yes i know Americans i watch NFL with, and i know Soccer fans in the same Sports Bar. The soccer fans are the first drunk, the first making stress and truly are not very intelligent. Not all of them. But there must be a reason they are hold back in a cage while for example the cycling audience is allowed to be 1 meter away from the athletes... Think about that.

And finally Soccer owns the most stupid rules in sports: passive and active offsides, supervised by refs who can´t say for sure if a guy is offsides or not. It´s a 50/50 chance. This (next to other things like red cards and penalty kicks) is leading to a incredible high influence of game outcomes (since games are low scoring) which normally should be decided by the players. I don´t blame the refs here. Studies showed that it´s impossible for a human eye to follow at least three moving objects (Defenders, Offenders, Ball) at the same time in a split second. The whole concept of the game is wrong. And Blatter is immune to change rules which could lead to a more attractive and fairer game.

For the time being i stick to real real Football with 11 minutes of playing time (compared to 5 in soccer), because in this eleven minutes hell breaks loose...

well I played soccer for most of my life, and dribbling through a field or something of that sort is an amazing feeling. I guess in this case it comes to individuals, but it is clear many people loving playing the beautiful ganme.

I also played cricket for a couple years, and although hitting the ball nicely was a good feeling it has nothing on soccer.

In australia, even despite little no none media attention here it is the most played sport outside of schooling.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

well I played soccer for most of my life, and dribbling through a field or something of that sort is an amazing feeling. I guess in this case it comes to individuals, but it is clear many people loving playing the beautiful ganme.

I also played cricket for a couple years, and although hitting the ball nicely was a good feeling it has nothing on soccer.

In australia, even despite little no none media attention here it is the most played sport outside of schooling.

Comon Timmy running with or without a ball is as sexy as cycling There´s no special feeling about it. Cricket i don´t know. Seems the bats are flat and bigger, so you might feel the force even if hitting the ball with the sweet spot.

BTW even better feelings are sacking a QB. It´s like you run trou a wall without pain coz your adrenaline is so immense. You´re proud and feel the pain later.
But the best is throwing a perfectly timed TD-Pass over the defenders, dropping the ball right in the hands of your WR who´s dancing to the EZ. God there are so many great impressions in real real Football, i feel like going out now.... but wait my back is kaputt.

 

[Spider1964]

Baseball is boring to watch. True. But it´s a great game to play. I really know what i talk about. 9 years of league soccer and after that league baseball (ended by disc problems). The feeling when you hit the ball correctly is awesome. It´s like you sliced trou butter, you don´t feel any force but see the ball traveling far far far... HR. A feeling i never experienced in Soccer. Never ever.

C'mon Foxy... have some courage in your convictions... Baseball is a great game. OK, so I'd rather watch Albert Pujols or A-Rod clunk one out of the yard than watch a pitchers shootout, but great game, and not boring to watch. Great game to play too.

Until someone gets straight up after a "tackle" I can never warm to Soccer. When they feint as if shot, it p's me off no end. Sublime skills at the highest level, but corrupt in so many ways.

 

[ramjambunath]

Also almost every country in the world uses degrees celsius and the metric system. Plus, as far as I know, American football is popular in no other country except the US, same with baseball (except for Japan and some South American countries).
I think the U.S. developed almost uninfluenced and independently from any other country through the centuries, as opposed to Europe where everything is much closer and through countless wars through the ages certain cultural aspects just kind of spread around. South America, Africa and large parts of Asia were colonized by Europeans, so they brought soccer/football with them.

As far as I know baseball was played in England in the 1700's or so. So, I think the fact is that US sport hasn't developed uninfluenced.
Secondly, European elites took their sport whichever place they colonised. Around my part of the world, Cricket is by far the biggest sport and until recently football was a non entity outside Calcutta and rugby union is still played sporadically in Calcutta. Golf on the other hand has always had a lot of amateur players here. Climate also plays a part of course, in Malaysia and SIngapore it always rains so cricket never became a big sport.

I've always enjoyed football and never bothered too much about a good match ending 0-0 or 4-3, but the recent (past 10-12 years or so) spurt in player wages transfer fees, egos and diving and various shenanigans put me off football (mainly big money leagues are telecast here). I'm not complaining though disillusionment with football is what pushed me into watching the spring classics.

 

[Anonymous]

As far as I know baseball was played in England in the 1700's or so. So, I think the fact is that US sport hasn't developed uninfluenced.
Secondly, European elites took their sport whichever place they colonised. Around my part of the world, Cricket is by far the biggest sport and until recently football was a non entity outside Calcutta and rugby union is still played sporadically in Calcutta. Golf on the other hand has always had a lot of amateur players here. Climate also plays a part of course, in Malaysia and SIngapore it always rains so cricket never became a big sport.

I've always enjoyed football and never bothered too much about a good match ending 0-0 or 4-3, but the recent (past 10-12 years or so) spurt in player wages transfer fees, egos and diving and various shenanigans put me off football (mainly big money leagues are telecast here). I'm not complaining though disillusionment with football is what pushed me into watching the spring classics.

I hear football is really big in Goa and the north-east. I have been to a few game in new delhi where the indian national team were playing and 70% of the fans were from northeast india.

 

[ramjambunath]

True Goa has a fan-base but I personally think it is a bit more Brazil and Portugal oriented rather than Indian. Only 3 or 4 Indian clubs have a good fanbase or are working toward solidifying their fanbase and two are Calcutta's historic teams (East Bengal and Mohun Bagan) the other 2 clubs being Shillong (north east) and Pune FC. At least in Pune, new host of Indian matches, we get 3000-5000 fans almost all locals.

 

[Anonymous]

So, is it fair to say that your statement about football being a non entity outside calcutta is not correct.

 

[ramjambunath]

I eat humble pie sir.
In fairness though, I forgot to add only Goa into the list. The rest of the country started watching football once the Premier League started being broadcasted here.

 

[Anonymous]

I eat humble pie sir.
In fairness though, I forgot to add only Goa into the list. The rest of the country started watching football once the Premier League started being broadcasted here.

Is watching more important than playing?

 

[ramjambunath]

Well watching Indian football is the first step. Nobody watches cycling here and many people have not even heard of the Tour de France, let alone other races (even the 2 day race Nashik & Mumbai cyclothon). I have seen some decent players playing at amateur levels around the country who end up going into desk jobs. Any sport barring cricket and to an extent here is a massive risk as even the top players is not high (the annual budget of top Indian football clubs is roughly $2 million). Infrastructure is in shambles and we don't have the sheer volume of players playing the game (like Brazil, or even India in cricket).
Even in cricket, India was not a force some 35 years ago, then surprisingly won the WC in '83 and the squad consisted of players mostly from one team (mumbai), now though it has a huge reach and players from all over the country. If Indian football can improve (it is slowly), then they can at least reach the Asia cup regularly.

 

[shawnrohrbach]

I find the sports I competed in the most interesting, with a few exceptions. in order of most participation:

Football (Soccer)
Skiing/ski racing
Cycling/racing
Rock climbing speed competition
Baseball
American football
Tennis
Lacrosse
Track and Field (sprint events mostly)
Rowing (competitive shell)

hate but also competed in:

Basketball UGHHHH
Golf UUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH

I was a paid sports writer for a local paper starting when I was 15 and don't get angry at sports figures as much as I do dumb writers who don't get the game.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

C'mon Foxy... have some courage in your convictions... Baseball is a great game. OK, so I'd rather watch Albert Pujols or A-Rod clunk one out of the yard than watch a pitchers shootout, but great game, and not boring to watch. Great game to play too.

Until someone gets straight up after a "tackle" I can never warm to Soccer. When they feint as if shot, it p's me off no end. Sublime skills at the highest level, but corrupt in so many ways.

OK, Baseball was a great game. And it is certainly not as boring as soccer. The best times were the 80s (Boggs, Mattingly, Strawberry, Sax, Gibson etc.) when players received paychecks you still could explain. It all got out of hand when Steroid-Rod signed a 250 Mio. $ contract at the end of the 90s. That´s the time i stopped watching the greedy selfish players hitting a ball 4 times a game and catching max. 6 balls.

Soccer: You never have to warm with it. The rules are funny (see my older post). Just imagine the ref can decide when a game stopps or he can prolong it like he wants. That leads to sooo ugly situations like WC 2006: game is tied at ... 0-0 of course. Australia plays Italy. The ref let them play 95 (!!) minutes until he saw a chance to call a penalty kick* (no need to mention there was no foul) for Italy. Italy scores, and seconds after, the ref called the game. Unbelivable manipulation possibilities lead to such sick outcomes. That was just the worst example. There are thousands of it. The "Tuck-Rule" (even tough very silly) is nothing against it, since the opponent still has a chance to correct the umpires mistakes. Not so in soccer: A game of cheaters for cheaters played by wimps and pretenders.

You don´t miss a thing.

* It´s important for you to know that 80% of times a score follows after a penalty kick. So it´s basically always a free gift for the receiving team. No such sick rule exist in any other sport. Keep in mind that one score decides almost all games.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

I find the sports I competed in the most interesting, with a few exceptions. in order of most participation:

Football (Soccer)
Skiing/ski racing
Cycling/racing
Rock climbing speed competition
Baseball
American football
Tennis
Lacrosse
Track and Field (sprint events mostly)
Rowing (competitive shell)

hate but also competed in:

Basketball UGHHHH
Golf UUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH

I was a paid sports writer for a local paper starting when I was 15 and don't get angry at sports figures as much as I do dumb writers who don't get the game.

Here is my list:
(viewed from the fun you get playing it)
1.) real real Football (American Football)
2.) Baseball
3.) Snooker
4.) Pool
5.) Handball
6.) Badminton
7.) Cycling (only sprints)
8.) Table Tennis
9.) Track & Field (everything outside of running)
10.) Tennis
11.) Darts
12.) Soccer

(viewed from watching*)
1.) real real Football (American Football)
2.) Cycling
3.) Track & Field (outside of ´roid woman competitions)
4.) Pool
tied for next to last: Baseball, Snooker, Handball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis, Darts, Woman Track & Field
12.) Soccer

* only listed the games i played, there are many more interesting sports than soccer (like Aussie Rules, Gaelic, Nascar, Hockey, Hurling, Rugby, Indy Car, Motorbike Racing, yes even skiing, etc. etc.)

 

[Spider1964]

<Snipped, Agree though!>

Soccer: You never have to warm with it. The rules are funny (see my older post). Just imagine the ref can decide when a game stopps or he can prolong it like he wants. That leads to sooo ugly situations like WC 2006: game is tied at ... 0-0 of course. Australia plays Italy. The ref let them play 95 (!!) minutes until he saw a chance to call a penalty kick* (no need to mention there was no foul) for Italy. Italy scores, and seconds after, the ref called the game. Unbelivable manipulation possibilities lead to such sick outcomes. That was just the worst example. There are thousands of it. The "Tuck-Rule" (even tough very silly) is nothing against it, since the opponent still has a chance to correct the umpires mistakes. Not so in soccer: A game of cheaters for cheaters played by wimps and pretenders.

You don´t miss a thing.

To the bolded, as George Costanza would say "Oh the inhumanity!".

Best dive by a gay Italian man since Greg Louganis won the '84 Olympics! (And as George would also say... "not that there's anything wrong with that!")

 

[pmcg76]

Here is my list:
(viewed from the fun you get playing it)
1.) real real Football (American Football)
2.) Baseball
3.) Snooker
4.) Pool
5.) Handball
6.) Badminton
7.) Cycling (only sprints)
8.) Table Tennis
9.) Track & Field (everything outside of running)
10.) Tennis
11.) Darts
12.) Soccer

(viewed from watching*)
1.) real real Football (American Football)
2.) Cycling
3.) Track & Field (outside of ´roid woman competitions)
4.) Pool
tied for next to last: Baseball, Snooker, Handball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis, Darts, Woman Track & Field
12.) Soccer

* only listed the games i played, there are many more interesting sports than soccer (like Aussie Rules, Gaelic, Nascar, Hockey, Hurling, Rugby, Indy Car, Motorbike Racing, yes even skiing, etc. etc.)

Interesting that your Top 4 sports played dont involve any real level of physical fitness and which involve a lot of time spent not even participating or just standing around unless you just played amongst friends which is different to an official game of course.

Your obvious dislike for soccer and love of American football undermines your whole point of view. Based on your postings, it would seem that you were probably rubbish at soccer but as it is THE sport in Germany, you kinda had to play it. Understandable and the same problem for a lot of people.

Of course you have some valid points but you simply gloss over others, how can you chide soccer for lack of drug testing when in American football, its been virtually non-exsistent or minimal. Test positive, you miss a few games, thats it.

To suggest there is no skill in soccer whilst there is in American football is also plain ridiculous. I think most general sports fans would agree that the likes of Messi's goal in this year's CL final is superior to anything witnessed during any American football game. A QB putting a long pass into the hands of a WR would be considered the equivilant of a soccer player doing the same pass with their foot. Both equally difficult.

As for baseball being more intersting than soccer!!! If baseball is better than soccer, then so is cricket. Definitely not the case.

Like/Dislike of particular sports is mainly to do with what people are brought up with, I am sure most Aussies would take AFL, Rugby league over soccer and in NZ its Rugby Union and India-Cricket. Of course there are exceptions to the rule as you have shown yourself but lets be clear, there are also people in the US who think American football is rubbish compared to soccer so it works both ways.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Interesting that your Top 4 sports played dont involve any real level of physical fitness and which involve a lot of time spent not even participating or just standing around unless you just played amongst friends which is different to an official game of course.

Your obvious dislike for soccer and love of American football undermines your whole point of view. Based on your postings, it would seem that you were probably rubbish at soccer but as it is THE sport in Germany, you kinda had to play it. Understandable and the same problem for a lot of people.

Of course you have some valid points but you simply gloss over others, how can you chide soccer for lack of drug testing when in American football, its been virtually non-exsistent or minimal. Test positive, you miss a few games, thats it.

To suggest there is no skill in soccer whilst there is in American football is also plain ridiculous. I think most general sports fans would agree that the likes of Messi's goal in this year's CL final is superior to anything witnessed during any American football game. A QB putting a long pass into the hands of a WR would be considered the equivilant of a soccer player doing the same pass with their foot. Both equally difficult.

As for baseball being more intersting than soccer!!! If baseball is better than soccer, then so is cricket. Definitely not the case.

Like/Dislike of particular sports is mainly to do with what people are brought up with, I am sure most Aussies would take AFL, Rugby league over soccer and in NZ its Rugby Union and India-Cricket. Of course there are exceptions to the rule as you have shown yourself but lets be clear, there are also people in the US who think American football is rubbish compared to soccer so it works both ways.

Interesting post.

Point for Point:
1.) Yes i don´t hide it: I hate running and endurance doing myself (but love to watch it, like cycling)! I hated practise, was more of a gamer (call it lazy if you want ). May that´s why JimmyMac was my hero: drinking beers friday night, running 4 stadium rounds in 12 minutes or better say walking. Man i still laugh when i recall it. But like him, on game day i was there: drunk, injured or having a bad cold.
My talents always were at motor skills. I couldn´t run, but came it to throwing or technique. Wow, that was my thing.
2.) I wasn´t that rubbish at soccer (2 gold medals and runner-up in the east germany youth country championship show for it). But of course i wasn´t there for running. I choose goal keeping.
Coach used to say "look at your GK, that´s the only guy of you ... that can juggle the ball in the air from one side to the other of the field." I had great times, i loved playing the game. It´s like with woman: Until you see a better one. Happened with me when i saw Baseball and Football in german Cable-TV.
3.) I am very critical of the way pro Football is handled. You are right here. But that doesn´t take away that the FIFA does nothing against their problems. Just remember Festina and Puerto: They killed investigations once came it to soccer. The Festina judge even became homless for some times coz of it. What a shame that club of grumpy old greedy guys called FIFA is.
4.) "A QB putting a long pass into the hands of a WR would be considered the equivilant of a soccer player doing the same pass with their foot. Both equally difficult." Only that the QB has max. 2 seconds to spot the location before he gets hit by some angry men. In soccer: Don´t touch me or i fake a foul. So basically the player has all the time in the world to make his pass. There is absolutely no way to compare soccer to Football here.
5.) Cricket i don´t know. Maybe it is, may not. But surely baseball is way better than soccer.
6.) You are absolutely right: the popularity of games depend on how you are grown up. But some guys say soccer is the best. They just don´t know better. That´s the problem here; they can´t compare. I said that many times before.

So US citizens: Don´t waste your time with soccer, it´s not worth it. Walter Camp has created the greatest game for you lucky ones.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

To the bolded, as George Costanza would say "Oh the inhumanity!".

Best dive by a gay Italian man since Greg Louganis won the '84 Olympics! (And as George would also say... "not that there's anything wrong with that!")

LMAO. Yeah the italians are the kings of cheaters. But those idiotic fans still watch the game, even tough the mafia basically manipulated the whole 2006 season (and who knows if not all seasons since forever)... The answer from FIFA? Disqualifiy the italians until they get their act together... Oh wait, why not handing them the WC instead. Sick...