Perhaps you are the one that needs to learn how to read (oh no, you don't make snarky comments do you ) I never said anything about time to celebrate or lack of strategy. I said the game was slow moving and dull because the field is too big, creating a dearth of scoring opportunities, and the goal is too small, making those scoring opportunities nearly doomed to failure. I've been successfully posting here for a long time, I don't need or want your advice on how to do so. If you think soccer doesn't suck, good for you. If you want to talk about it in this thread, great, perhaps some good things about it, or counters to others (very legitimate) complaints about it's problems. If you want to just take shots at people because they don't appreciate your favorite game, that is fine too, but it is a little sad and pathetic when you dish it out while preemptively announcing that you can't take it in return. Oh, and I have never been to Mexico, Det.
I have a few suggestions to make soccer more enjoyable: 1) Reduce the number of players on each team to five. That way, more guys would get scoring opportunities. 2) Reduce the size of the playing field. 94 feet long by 50 feet wide would be a good size. 3) Make the use of hands legal. Better yet, since it's easier to control the ball with the hands, make the hands the main means of controlling the ball and outlaw the use of the feet, just to make the rules simpler. 4) Replace the grass on the field with wood, so the ball doesn't get dirty. 5) That white ball is kind of hard to keep up with on TV. Change the color of the ball to something a little bit easier to see, like orange or brownish orange. 6) Instead of having to put the ball through a goal that's perpendicular to the ground, make the goal parallel to the ground. Also, raise the goal off the ground about, oh, 10 feet. The player would have to throw the ball upward at an arc in order to get the ball through the goal. Of course, a regulation sized soccer goal would be too easy, so the goal would have to be made smaller. I suggest a goal about a foot wide. To avoid the ball getting punctured on the edges of this small, sharp goal, make the goal a circular hoop, still a foot in diameter. To make the game a little more exciting, put something like a big piece of plastic behind the goal. That way, players could ricochet the ball of this board into the goal. Wow, that game sounds pretty cool. I think I shall call my new game Hoop Ball!!
I'm NOT much a soccer fan at all, but why people watch Ernie Els lining up for a put on his 4th attempt cars going around and around on a track chunky dudes with a visor and blue jean shorts sitting on their tush with cards in their hands over soccer I'll never know. The absolute fact of the matter is: ANY SPORT that's ever been created, there are NO CONVINCING reasons to like ANY of them There is no rationale for watching people other than yourself working towards a desired outcome of a sports match. (Might be a bit morbid, but) whats in it for you? Its all the same. Just as no one can quite explain "Vince Young fan", nobody can explain "football's" draw and someone's personal interest in it., or a sport in general. But we still do it. And will persist on following our favorite sports no matter what I agree, soccer backlash is unnecessary. And if it miraculously becomes the US's most popular sport, so be it.
skimming through this thread made me laugh at some of tehse suggestions. soccer is a beautiful game. people who have atrue appreciation for the game would never want to change it. its all good though, soccer isnt for everyone. unrelated but related. in my opionion, i think all sports/games where one score = 1 point are the most competitively balanced games. dont get me wrong, basketball is my favorite sport to play and watch, but i think sports like soccer, baseball, hockey are the better designed games. i think that having the different scores iwth different values take away from the spirit of the sport. i dunno im just rambling and im kinda wasted
Ahh, yes. I figured I would get this. Yes, there is flopping and flailing about in basketball, and it sucks...I agree. It's one of the reasons why I think basketball isn't as fun to watch as it used to be. But there is no comparison on the theatrics. I'm the first to admit that I haven't seen nearly as much soccer as I have hoops, and maybe I'm just somehow stumbling upon the only theatrical players in soccer whenever I see it on, but there it is. I have seen people hit by cars showing less pain than these guys. So can anyone explain to me why soccer is a better game than hockey? I can't really see any areas where soccer has the advantage (other than the hot-ass Brazilian girls, I'm willing to concede on that point ). And I don't want to hear the "it's more popular" argument. That's just super, but if someone can't explain to me WHY it's more popular, that's not doing anything for me.
Oh little boy, are your feelings hurt? I wasnt referring to you regarding the "no strategy" and "no time to celebrate" comments since you obviously didnt make those comments. I was referring to someone earlier who made those comments. I'm sorry i offended you, its not worth crying about. I'm glad to hear you've been successfully posting here for a long time, wtf do you want, a f%cking hug? whatever kid. Wow i can't take shots in return, okay. Last time i checked, i wasn't the one who came out and attacked you. I don't even know who the F$ck you are, never heard nor cared about you i was just responding to posts but you felt the need to bring up my name. Next time son, please keep my name out your mo'f&cking mouth. Back to the topic please.
Personally, being from H-town, Houston, Texas, USA...I don't like ice, I don't like cold, I don't like wearing 50 pounds worth of bulky pads, I can't skate and I don't want my teeth knocked out while playing sports. Other than that I think I could really get into hockey. Especially if I lived in Buffalo. I'd probably be a huge Sabres fan. I don't and I'm not... so I like the 'Stros, the Dynamo, the Rockets and the Texans. Sports are great. And please tell me...how in the hell did poker become a sport? Sports I wouldn't be good at...horse racing (I'd be the worst jockey), stock car racing (maybe I'd change my mind with a cool looking car a some good sponsers), ski jumping (can you say broken neck?) and polo, I would suck at polo, probably fall off the horse and get hit with a mallet. I MIGHT be good at curling, cricket and rugby (but again the teeth thing might come into play)
Why does one sport have to be compared or rated to another? Why not enjoy a sport for what it is instead of listing ways it's different (better or worse) from something else? Is there some rulebook that says if you like sport X you have to hate sport Y that I don't know about?
The thread starter asked why people hate on soccer so much. I've stated that I think it's somewhat similar to hockey, but from what I have seen from my own meager experience as a spectator, hockey seems (to me) to be superior because of the reasons I've listed earlier in the thread. That's why I don't like soccer, which was the original question of the thread. I don't give a rat's ass if you like soccer, or if you don't, or whatever. I'm looking for a reason for someone to propose why I should care about soccer. That's what this thread is about.
So you think a game is better simply because there is more scoring or because there is a winner? Using that simple logic: soccer = baseball < football < basketball < cricket ? Or you can invent a game where all you do is spitting on the grass, the one with the furthest spitting distance the winner! That game can last 30 seconds and it's better because it has a winner!!? Your concept of "a waste of time" is very simplistic. Let me ask you a question: 1) A game is played for 90 minutes. It ends in a tie. 2) A game is played for 90 minutes. A team scores at the last second and win 1-0. 3) A game is played for 90 minutes. The 1st team scores 1000 points, the 2nd scores 900 pts. This does not have to be soccer or football. This could be any kind of game. Are you saying the 1st game is a complete waste of time? Just because something happens for 10 seconds as in the 2nd game changes everything? What about game 3? Does scoring 1000 pts make the game better than the others regardless of anything else?
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/teuLJp04XPA&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/teuLJp04XPA&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> I invite you to play this YouTube and notice how the players spread out and pass each other the ball. NO OFFENSE?!?!?! You must be crazy, man. , Yeah, there's so LITTLE room in Baseball and Football. You just look at the score, but you don't see in the score how many times both teams came close to scoring and made the game exciting. Sure, a score gets everyone excited, but so does coming close to scoring. How about that awesome PITTSBURGH vs. MIAMI game 2 weeks ago?!?!? Didn't you just say something about "TEAM OFFENSE"?!?!?!? Isn't this a contradicting statement?!?!? Why would you want ONE GUY keeping control, when the object of the game is to score by passing it to your teammates??!?!? It's called: "FIRST TOUCH" (when as soon as the ball gets to you, you tap it or pass it quickly to your teammate so that the defense has little time to react to your pass). You can celebrate a GREAT GOALIE STOP, a RED-CARD to an opposing player, a great DEFENSIVE stop, a great SHOT, a CORNER KICK gained. Why not? NOTE TO ALL YOU SOCCER HATERS: I invite you to go to a DYNAMO game at least ONCE in your lifetime, or to a U.S. and A. or MEXICO National Team game at least ONCE in your lifetime. If in Europe, much better. I turned a non-soccer fan into a soccer lover this past year by taking him to a Dynamo game. A boring 1-0 win, mind you.
I consider myself a casual fan of both soccer and hockey. To me, hockey is harder to follow on television, but much better live. And hockey is so fast and physical that you don't get the full effect on television. Heck, I like live hockey better than live football. I rarely watch a hockey game on TV (I go to 2 or 3 minor league games a year.), but watch quite a few Team USA and Dynamo games a year.
hmmmmm <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K60mAc89w-Y&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K60mAc89w-Y&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> vs. (nsfw music) <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HX_P8DGTpAs&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HX_P8DGTpAs&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
