Question - Serious Discussion

[Kickball Kevin]

What do you guys have against soccer? I'm looking for serious reasons.

[Ticket Mouse]

Too boring. Seems like a lot of down time. Take out offsides and you'll have more scoring. Maybe have it like in hockey where there's an actual offsides line instead of a subjected imaginary offsides line...but then of course the unions would be up in arms because linesmen would be out of work.

Plus, I can't stand all the faking and bitching and moaning. These guys whail around like they've been shot, a little mexican guy defiantly holds up una tarjeta de amarillo and then the guy is running down the field 30 seconds later like nothing happened.

You can't use your hands. That just smells of 3rd world peasants riddled with rickets or something and had to have their arms amputated.

[Kickball Kevin]

Boring? You're talking about a sport with no timeouts, and the only stoppages are when there is a foul, injury, or the ball is out of play. What about baseball? A very boring sport.

I'm with you on the faking and bitching. The governing body is trying to get rid of this part of the game. The referees are supposed to give a yellow card to any players who dives/simulates being fouled. However, some are good enough at it, that they can still foul the officials. It's a terrible part of the game, and one many(including players, coaches, and fans)who want it gone.

The use of no hands comes from the origins of the game. There was a game where you could use both. Two groups evolved from this one game. One who favored using the hands, and one who didn't. The ones who didn't went on to form what is now soccer. The others went on to form rugby, and eventually what we now know as football.

Plus isn't it weird that we call a sport that doesn't use its feet football? Say what you will about soccer, but american football is called football because it comes from the same original game.

[Kickball Kevin]

While there may not be a line as is the case in hockey, offsides is not difficult to understand. When the ball is played to a player there must be two players from the opposing team between the guy the ball is being played to and the goal. Offsides can only happen in the half your team is attacking. This allows teams to play an offsides trap and time the movement of the defense in such a way that they can catch a player offsides and stop the attack of the opposition. There are a few more stipulations but I won't get into those unless you want me to.

[karilou]

nothing against it. just never got into it. it's kinda like cricket to me. I dont understand it and never really took the time to look into it. i'm sure its way better in person than on tv.

[sully]

Boring. Too slow. Not enough action or scoring. Ridiculous flops...very similar to WWF wrestling. Baseball is not boring...you must not be American. Full of pansies, cry babies and gays.

[cowtownmike]

I am going to focus on my main reason for not liking soccer.

Time keeping.

1. The clock counts forward instead of backward like EVERY other sport on the planet. (bold claim, not really sure of this, but still hate the forward running clock)

2. The time displayed on the scoreboard is not the official time. The ref has that in his head and it is ONLY HIS BEST GUESS at what the official time is! You never know when the game is going to end. This leads me to question the officiating, which takes soccer into WWE rasslin territory in my mind.

[Kickball Kevin]

What is your definition of action?
Do you also hold the ridiculous flop argument against the NBA? Guys are constantly flopping to get foul calls in the NBA. Sure in soccer guys spend time on the ground, but when a guy comes into you full speed and your only protection are shinguards you're gonna need a bit to recover. In football you don't see this, but the play is over in a few seconds and you have 30 seconds before the next play, or you can get off the field and have someone replace you until you can play again. Soccer players are not afforded those luxuries, as the play will continue if there is no foul, and teams are only allowed 3 subs the entire game. If a team has used all of its subs and player can't continue then the team must play a man down.

How does saying baseball is boring make me not an American? I enjoy baseball, especially being at the game. I do however, have a hard time sitting and watching an entire game on TV.

[Kickball Kevin]

You are not alone in your reaction to the keeping of time Mike. I can't really offer up an explanation. It sucks that the clock does not stop and the ref is left to come up with a time he deems acceptable to add on at the end of each half. If play were stopped during injuries and such, that would go away. My only guess, is that it does not stop to encourage players to keep playing as time is always ticking away. Then the ref can add a few minutes if he feels like players wasted time. My issue is with the ref deciding on how much time to add.

[cowtownmike]

Jun 21, 2010 13:59:31 GMT -5 Kickball Kevin said:

You are not alone in your reaction to the keeping of time Mike. I can't really offer up an explanation. It sucks that the clock does not stop and the ref is left to come up with a time he deems acceptable to add on at the end of each half. If play were stopped during injuries and such, that would go away. My only guess, is that it does not stop to encourage players to keep playing as time is always ticking away. Then the ref can add a few minutes if he feels like players wasted time. My issue is with the ref deciding on how much time to add.

Also, there needs to be more offcials on the field. It is the largest playing surface and has only ONE referee and two linesmen? More pairs of eyes on the field would go a long way to better officiating.

[Kickball Kevin]

They are currently experimenting with adding an official or two behind each goal to help with decisions. Also, there is a fourth official. In the past his main duty has been to signal how much time will be added on, and substitutions. Now, he can help the ref make decisions when called upon.

[Ticket Mouse]

I understand offsides...I just think it's a little ridiculous. It's pretty crazy that a guy could score from a foot out but if he was ahead of the last defender before getting the ball he could be offsides. I think there should be a particular zone in the offensive end in which offsides cannot be called.

[sully]

Agree with Mike. Officiating is lacking, and time keeping doesn't even justify the time to discuss it. Sure, they flop in the NBA, but that's gay too.

Here's the difference from Football, Basketball and soccer. Yeah, a guy may run into you at full speed in soccer, but that guy weighs 100 pounds soaking wet, and has nothing behind it. In football, basketball and even baseball, when you are run into full speed, there's some power and weight behind it. Not some girly man with manscaped nipples and less meat on his bones than a pork rib.

[rp]

I'm not a huge sports guy anyway, so as a casual follower of sports I don't have time for one I don't know much about. If I'm going to spend a few hours a week watching a game, it's going to be one of the 4 I know well and have grown up with.
And although I can see a badass soccer play and appreciate the athleticism and all that, it is so different and foreign and slow and off-putting (the flopping, the WWI stretcher) that I don't want to learn to like it.
Might be stupid but that's why I will never give it a fair shot.

[cowtownmike]

In a world series game, MLB will use two extra umpires down the foul lines. I think soccer is slow to adapt to change. If you want the Americano to embrace the sport you need to make some changes, of course I don't think international soccer really gives two shits if the average American watches it or not. This attitude also pisses off the common man like me.