I have been a part of soccer since I was 4 years old and I have grown to love everything about it. However, this sport that I've grown up playing and watching, most Americans have a lot of problems with. Most of these concerns are associated with two things: the lack of scoring and the lack of physicality.
LACK OF SCORING
There are very few rules in soccer, but the main rule is the "offsides" penalty. The offsides rule, simply stated, is that you must have at least one defender between you and the goal before you are passed the ball. If you are behind the last defender before your teammate passes you the ball then you are in an offsides position. However, if you have one defender between you and the goalie before you are passed the ball then you are not in an offsides position. Here, watch this brief explanation.
A lot of people think that this rule limits the game. In a way that is true. Without the offsides rule the field would be more spread out which could possibly result in higher scoring games. One of the biggest complaints that Americans have is that after sitting through a 2 hour game they may have only seen one goal, or maybe none at all. Getting rid of this rule might increase the amount of goals scored. However, by getting rid of this rule you would substantially decrease the difficulty of the game. It's like if you were to get rid of the 3 seconds rule in basketball. Or the offsides rule in football. Making the game easier will almost always increase the scoring, but isn't necessarily always a good idea. Both the NBA and the NFL have made a number of rule changes that favor the offensive side of the ball. NBA defenses get zero leeway, and NFL cornerbacks are basically at the mercy of the wide receivers. As a fan of both football and basketball I hate the fact that defenders get nothing these days. Both the NBA and NFL are becoming one dimensional. It is no longer a matter of who plays the best overall both offensively and defensively, but a matter of who has the ball last. In soccer the team is constantly changing from offense to defense. The team that usually plays the best overall, offensively and defensively, is the team that will win. It is how a team transitions between offense and defense that wins games. It is more complete.
Another note about low scoring games. American football is by far the most popular sport in America. However, many games will finish 7-0, or 7-14. For some reason this isn't seen as a low scoring, uneventful game. Instead it would be tagged as a low scoring, grind it out, defensive battle. Thousands of fans sit through a 4 hour defensive battle to see a total of 1, 2 or 3 goals. However, a 1-0, or 1-2 soccer game is seen as boring and a waste of time. Call me crazy, but as far as scoring goes, it sounds to me like you waste twice as much time watching a defensive football game then you do a soccer match. Again, I know that they are very different sports, but as far as the complaint Americans have about low scoring games there isn't much difference. Maybe if soccer counted each goal as 7 points then more people would watch it.
LACK OF PHYSICALITY
The only thing I have to say about the lack of physicality concern is watch this video. There are a lot of videos online of hard soccer tackles and injuries, but a lot of them show broken bones and things like that so I stuck to this mild tackle. If you take some time on the internet there is plenty of physicality to see.
A lot of people think that just because they aren't strapped into helmets and pads it isn't a physical game. Take part in a competitive game of soccer and you'll quickly find out just how physical it can be.
I know exactly where a lot of people form their impression of soccer as weak, or as a children's sport. A lot of people have a hard time with the embellishment of fouls that is seen often in a soccer game. Not all the time mind you, but from time to time. This next video is kind of a funny visual of this basic criticism.
I do admit that at times some soccer players embellish a foul now and then, (believe me us soccer fans hate seeing it as much as you do) but watch this next video and then tell me that embellishment of fouls is unique only to soccer.
Manipulating officials, and getting away with fouls, is part of professional sports. However, only in soccer is a player penalized for their embellishment if caught. A "dive" is punished with a swift yellow card.
Although there are a number of things that people dislike about soccer they are completely missing the point of the game. It is how a team works together to get that elusive goal. The solid defense, the passing between the midfield and the forwards, the hard cuts and runs, and the athleticism to beat your man. Everything has to work together and as a team in order to get a goal. Rarely is a goal score that isn't assisted by one, or two, other players. It is the ultimate team game.
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I love soccer and have been playing my whole life. The difference between soccers lack of scoring and other sports I think is that with soccer, there can be a lot of passing the ball around in the defensive area waiting for an opening before anything happens. Sometimes the patient, pass back and forth and wait to make an attack is what makes it seem boring. Offsides is a great rule that has to be there (I was/am a goalie, so I'm a bit biased on that one) but it's mostly just understanding what is happening rather than expecting attacks the whole game. With physicality, baseball still is popular but I don't see people being physical in that sport. People watch the olympic races, not physical there either. I love both of those, but I udnerstand with all of them the role that physicality plays in those sports. And with all the foul embelishing, happens in every sport, get used to it, happens in every aspect of life. Soccer players may be worse than the other sports, but there are just as many that get right up after a hard tackle and keep playing as there are that want to roll on the ground until the whistle blows. Good post
ReplyDeleteI love the videos, especially the training fake fouls one...I'm from Germany so I love soccer. I hope Americans can continue to catch on to how awesome soccer is! I got your back, man!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is an awesome video of that tackle. I have never seen anything like that.
ReplyDeleteAbout offsides, I love that rule. As a striker, I really think it adds a whole other dimension to the creativity and strategy of the game. However, I sometimes feel like the refs call a lot of the questionable plays off sides when they really should be less strict and encourage scoring opportunities.
Physicality, man, you should see some of my games. I haven't flipped like in the video, but I sure do go flying sometimes.
I love the fake injury video. THat is awesome that they have a video. That is one thing I cannot stand. hehehe, that's funny though.
Awesome post bro. the videos do a good job of showing what soccer has to offer. Too bad you couldn't show the video with the guys leg bent completely backwards. And as far as scoring goes I remember the first RSL game I watched after my mission. We scored six goals. The awesome thing about soccer is you are always on the end of your seat because you never know when someone is going to score.
ReplyDeleteI don't think soccer gets enough attention either, but let me submit a defense on why I don't enjoy watching it as much. Americans like TV sports. With Football and Basketball there are pauses in the action in which plays are called, or the ball is transitioned down court. This allows TV viewers time to get a drink or go to the bathroom if needs be. We can comment to our friends, "Ok, if Favre doesn't pull a hail mary, we are screwed!" or "Ok, give the ball to Kobe for a 3, we need this one." Soccer doesn't have this dynamic. It moves too fast, there are thousands of possibilities at all times. There is only a few thoughts for the viewers (unless you are experienced players and know the better), steal the ball, pass the ball, shoot now! That gets old after 15 minutes. Americans have short attention spans. Football and Basketball plays to that. They have shot clocks and delay of game penalties.
ReplyDeleteSoccer is more fun to GO to the game and enjoy. There is a reason everyone likes to play soccer, but only some people like to play football. It is more fun to play, but less interactive to watch from home.
Americans like everything big and brutal. That's why they love the explosions in movies and the physicality in American football. I always believed that is why they love American football so much. Its just the sort of thing their culture is into. They have a low tolerance for anything that isn't "OMGWTFBBQKABOOOOM". Basically, low attention spans. They don't know how to appreciate anything with a subtle elegance.
ReplyDeleteAlso, another reason is because Americans are incredibly full of themselves, and think they are the greatest in the world. That is why their most popular sport is also a sport that nobody else in the world plays. Basically, they don't have competition. How could they, they're the only country that plays it. That makes them the best, and Americans love being the best. They're no good at soccer, mostly because it doesn't get any attention, but nonetheless, they are not that great. Of course they wouldn't be that interested.