Six specific reasons why soccer blows

[Shermann]

1) The game clock counts up instead of down and never stops. So, it counts up to some period (can never remember what it is) plus some minutes for stoppage (never know what that is either). This is less dramatic than a countdown to freaking ZERO.

2) Not enough scoring. If a team miraculously gets a 2-point advantage at halftime, they act like the game is all but over. Zero to zero final score is a thing. Ties are way too common.

3) Most scoring occurs on penalty kicks. Goalies often jump the wrong way. Why don't they just do a coin flip for the point instead?

4) Injuries seem largely faked. NFL players roll around on the ground in agony far less than these candy-asses. Get up and rub some dirt on it.

5) You can get penalized for merely kicking the ball to your teammate. OK hockey has this too, but at least hockey violence is real.

6) Announcers get way too excited when there is no actual scoring action. If you are listening to it in the background, you'd think the score is 24-23 (instead it is probably 1-0, or 0-0). Calm down, euro-dudes.

Did I forget any?

[Walleye]

1. It always seems kind of stupid to me to hit the ball with your head, most people try to avoid that

Also the stoppage thing. In high school wrestling it’s called blood time. I’ve covered a lot of sports as a News photographer hated soccer almost the most. Especially that you never know when the game is ending

[underpants]

3. There wasn't a clock visible?

[Walleye]

5. Not in the last two minutes

[underpants]

2. 3 is factually wrong. It's nonstop action and exactly 2 hours long.

Americans are used to static sports where nothing happens for 70% of the event. Basketball, like all sports involving a ball*, is derivative of fütbol.

*baseball is the exception but it’s odd in a lot of ways. Oh, and BORING.

[jimfields33]

26. The four most boring sports in history are

Baseball, golf, soccer, and tennis. The best I guess is football. Basketball has its moments.

[Shermann]

36. The only thing that is nonstop is the kicking of the ball out of bounds!

[underpants]

43. How much soccer do you watch?

The control of the ball they have is amazing. 20-30 yards apart 2 or 3 or 4 people all recognize what “the plan” is instantly. They then try to execute it in a surprisingly accurate way (with out the use of thumbs or flipping the wrist).

[Coventina]

4. I agree with you on the penalty kicks. On the rest of it: to each his/her own

I love football! (As it's known everywhere but here).

[3catwoman3]

7. At this exact moment, it is quite exciting.

No spoilers.

[hlthe2b]

8. I don't disagree with all that, but NOW THIS GAME IS BEYOND WHAT YOU IMAGINE!

I'm not a soccer fan, but it is riveting!!!!

[dem4decades]

12. Wow

[Walleye]

9. That being said, athletes of world champion caliber are always interesting to watch

I admit I’ve been watching these games and now France has tied it up, unbelievable

[dem4decades]

10. Who thinks 3 plays then a 3 minute commercial break is fun?

How about 40 seconds of huddle, a 4 second play, another minute of untangling the bodies, followed by another 40 seconds of huddle, etc.

[hlthe2b]

20. Yeah. I still like NCAA football, but have largely dismissed NFL.

Soccer, like it or not, has the sheer continuous athleticism that is only occasionally evident in western PRO football-- a bit more so in collegiate.

[underpants]

22. TV time outs.

Football has set game play stoppage to sell ad time. Consumerism is a big part of our football.

[dem4decades]

23. It's actually a big commercial with specks of football.

[Jilly_in_VA]

30. Exactly.

Even if you go to a game in person. BORING.

[underpants]

44. Well said.

Watching Steelers and Panthers because Dallas is blowing out the Jags.

[yonder]

46. Which is why soccer hasn't been allowed to be given a chance in this country.

With the exception of halftime, there is no room for the all important broadcast commercial. If my opinion is correct, it shines an ugly, capitalist-pushed, consumerist light on why any sports are even broadcast in this country.

Throughout the world, Futbol is watched and enjoyed by billions of people. It is sometimes played with little more than a ball and a pitch. Because it is universally played by people of all sizes and abilities, it is also a good athletic measuring stick. Why not in America where the sports emphasis is on large people, expensive equipment, flashy venues and too much TV-fed testosterone?

It seems that here selling more shit comes first, the American version of professional sport, second.

[underpants]

47. The ball. ⚽️

The pentagon stitched ball was developed for the 1974 World Cup hosted in WEST Germany. After the 72 Munich Olympics it was part of the reintroduction of Germany back into the world. 5 hour time difference to the US east coast. The common and accurate perception that seeing the spin on the ball is key. Soccer balls at the time generally were white like a volleyball. The pentagons allowed specifically American audiences to see the spin.

TV has struggled forever with ads on soccer. Early US presentations actually had commercials. If there was a score they replayed it.

[LakeArenal]

11. Go to a Latin American country and watch it.

Even in Spanish the excitement is contagious.

Fans on tv are way more violent than watching with a group of fans.

For the record: Flops are part of the game. Young kids practice flopping on the school field. The kids playing next door practice flopping. It’s considered part of the game and they practice to be good at it.

To me that’s way better than actually hurting each other.

When your team gets the other them carded, it’s as good as the goal. Almost.

[MLAA]

13. As a World Cup fan not a day in day out avid 'football' fan,

I got a smile out of your assessment. Number 6 particularly resonates and it goes double if you flip over to the Mexican station, the excitement level is through the roof.

France just scored twice in the last minute to tie up the match!

[JT45242]

14. 7. If you are lazy on defense, the offense gets penalized..

Offside is ridiculous, it rewards lazy defense. Imagine in basketball, a breakaway pass being a penalty instead of a funk.

Or in football. The WR outruns the safety...no touchdown.

[underpants]

21. Cherry picking

People who don’t come down to play D in basketball are frowned on. Not an official rule but it’s just not considered cool. After maybe one but after a while no one passes to the cherry picker.

Soccer could be like that if not for the offsides.

[dem4decades]

25. You can start a play in football in an offsides position?

[hlthe2b]

15. You guys are missing out on a truly riveting game and I say this as a non-fan.

sad, but sometimes your assumptions need to be tested.

[underpants]

19. The ref let them play. Gave Argentina one last "play"

Fox better not switch this over to another channel for the NFL.

[bucolic_frolic]

16. Players are way too tired from all that running

They should shorten the field 25% and use two goalies per team

[relayerbob]

17. I will care about professional sports ...

as soon their salaries match those of teachers

[AZSkiffyGeek]

27. Yet you cared enough to post

Gotta make sure everyone knows you don’t care?
The best way to show you don’t care is to just keep scrolling…

[relayerbob]

48. And of all the posts on this thread to react to...

you chose mine. Weird.

[hlthe2b]

18. EXTRA TIME! If there was one match I am glad I am watching it is THIS ONE!

Phenomenal players and spirit.

[Jilly_in_VA]

24. If you don't like it

then don't watch it. It's not necessary to come here and trash the game.

[JohnSJ]

28. +++

[vrguy]

29. Its so wierd

How much time people devote to stuff they don't like!

[hlthe2b]

33. If there was EVER a time such an OP post would have been so ill-timed & tone-deaf...

it is now. This is an incredible and apparently record-setting game of "firsts."

[Shermann]

37. There's room to poke some fun at the game without "trashing it" nt

[3catwoman3]

38. There's always someone who has to come and rain...

...on someone else's parade.

I find American football and baseball both rather boring. Golf, too. This post being a rare exception, I don't either start threads or add to threads bashing that which others enjoy, be it a sport, a genre of music or films, a type of cuisine, whatever.

[Shermann]

45. Do we really need an emote for this?

[snowybirdie]

31. It'll interrupt

Broadcast of football if it doesn't end soon.

[hlthe2b]

32. GOOD!! No loss.

[Jilly_in_VA]

34. Oh boo hoo.

This is REAL football. Not hand and charge and hit ball.

[3catwoman3]

35. Some counters to your critiques:

- Not enough scoring - are there no NFL games where very few touchdown are scored? Of course there are. Would you find it any more palatable if a soccer goal was worth 5 point instead of 1? I'm guessing you wouldn't.

- Penalty kicks - there are plenty of games where no penalty kicks are awarded. PK are expected to go in. They are successful 75+% of the time. A dramatic save is very exciting.

- Candy asses? Hardly. A soccer player who pays the whole 90 minutes of regulation time may run up to 7 miles in a game, especially the midfielders, who have to cover both sides of the pitch. In American football, the average play lasts 4 seconds, and in an entire NFL broadcast, the ball is in play for about 11 minutes. I'd like to see an NFL player run for 90 minutes.

[Shermann]

40. Some NFL games are low-scoring defensive struggles

Some are high-scoring shootouts.

Some are blowouts.

The variety makes it unpredictable and interesting.

The most candy-assed World Cup player could still kick my candy ass, I wouldn't take me too seriously.

[Shermann]

39. 8) What's with the striped player jerseys? The players look like referees.

[hlthe2b]

41. The same uniform Argentina has worn for 84 years.

with vertical stripes in echo of the horizontal ones on their flag.

There are very few guarantees in life... but one of them is what Argentina will wear at the World Cup. Since their very first World Cup appearance 84 years ago the Argentinians wear a white jersey with light blue vertical stripes. They're doing it again in 2014. The familiar jersey is based heavily off of the national flag and has the AFA's badge in one corner with two gold stars above for their World Cup wins in 1978 and 1986. On the shoulders are three black stripes, yup, this is an adidas jersey.

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[Shermann]

42. Ah, interesting! nt