My parents were into soccer. My grandparents into cricket. I appreciate the sports. Back in high school I'd go to a couple soccer games a season just because it was "sporty" and in season. Though overall I don't watch soccer. Its alright but not "captivating" to me. - Lack of scoring gets mentioned for why it doesnt appeal with people. To me its the DENIAL aspect, such as not being able to use hands and not going offsides. Its can be as simple as some people appreciating having to perfect skills around the limit, and some don't. I think its a nifty strategy. I know all sports have limiting rules, but I tend to favor sports that require dexterity of all limbs. - There's definitely cultural reasons affecting interest. There's the "go-getter" aspect of America of not wanting to be told NO you CANT use __ to your advantage. American probably dont have the patience to see the artistry and the "game within the game" nuances of soccer. - You'd think Americans would appreciate the beauty in soccer's simplicity. But Americans seem to like STATS. I know there's goals, assists and saves in soccer. Americans like looking at batting averages, points per game, steals, blocks, touchdowns, yards, catches, homeruns, rebounds, tackles, yards per carry, RBI, PER, etc.... There's advantages and disadvantages with stats. It means you can actually watch LESS of the big US sports and go off stats. Soccer you're much better off WATCHING THE ACTUAL GAMES, no stat lines to help you out. No shortcuts. - I think there ARE athletes playing soccer. I think its relative country by country: In South America and Europe the best athletes might play futbol, in America they play football.
How many shots on goal? Say there are 6 to 3 in shots on goal....that would be equivalent to 18-9 in the NFL..... There really is no difference other than Touchdowns are worth 6 points, and field goals 3...... DD
This might be the most insane idea ever, but also one of the greatest ideas ever in regards to getting Americans interested in the sport. DD always thinking out of the box.
I am not saying make the goals worth more, but if you compare scoring chances or TDs to actual goals, I think the games are pretty close in scoring. If you think about it, Field Goals are failed scoring attempts......which are like saved shots in soccer. So to me, the scoring in the two games is about the same.....only one game gives you more points for scoring than the other does. DD
I don't think that is an apt comparison at all. Field Goals are an integral part of scoring in American Football, how often do you see game-winning touchdowns as opposed to field goals? The field goal is worth points, they are part of the scoring. Shots on goal don't garner you any points, if a game is 18-9 in the NFL... somebody ended up winning. 0-0 draws? Not so much.
And what about 2 pts. for a safety? Just the thought of it gets me excited for football season. Fantasy soccer doesn't really have the appeal.
It depends on how you slice it, revenue, self-declared fans, people who profess to play it, etc. Nowhere in the world have I been, have I seen kids playing tennis, rugby or cricket. It's all soccer and basketball. Basketball is popular just about everywhere except the Indian sub-continent, which has an awfully large population, for them it's cricket. Some lists say cricket is #2, others basketball. If you google for stats, no source seems to agree -- all of them seem to have different criteria. One site insisted that respective #1 and #2 are Volleyball and Table Tennis, so go figure. In Israel, basketball is THE most popular sport, but I think a lot of that has to do with fact that it's the sport they have had the best success at internationally. And I haven't been in the US for 5.5 years. I might very live in a bubble, especially since I have to wake up at 4AM to watch NBA games, but basketball is certainly big news in China, Europe and Middle East and I'm sure I'm not alone.
No, because I am ignoring the missed shots in soccer which would be equivelant to the missed FGs or TDs. I am only saying the shots on target that are stopped. FGs are failed TD opportunities......just as shots on goal that are stopped are failed goals. US football and soccer are about equal in scoring, it is just that one sport awards multiple points for scoring and the other one only gives 1. American football is not as high scoring as people think...... A 28-14 game is equivelent to a 4-2 soccer match. Or Portugal winning 7-0 against North Korea is equivalent to 49-0... DD
DD you can't be serious. A field goal isn't a "failed touchdown drive", there are plenty of teams who opt for 3 points over 7 points even when close to the goalline. 4th and 1 from the 12 yard line. You take the points based on what the situation is. You don't "fail to score a TD" you take 3 points and put your team in a better position to win. Team A kicks 7 Field Goals and Team B kicks 2 FGs, Team A wins the game comfortably 21-6. Team A had 9 shots on a goal, Team B had 2 shots on goal. Team B made 1 goal, Team B wins 1-0. Scoring rules change everything, surely you must recognize this is a poor comparison. Shots on goal are not worth anything.
If you guys absolutely HAVE to compare it to something in football. Shots on goal = Red Zone attempts
And I don't think you have to do that. American sports don't seem to like goalkeeper sports. They like to see lots of scoring, but they don't appreciate how much the scoring means. 1 goal in a tightly contested soccer game is instant elation or despair. If people don't understand soccer or don't want to get into it, that is their own personal preference. I think the reaction we saw yesterday speaks for itself as to how many Americans really do care about soccer. Most of my friends enjoy soccer and I have slowly come around over the years and learned to appreciate it, but you aren't going to convince anyone that soccer has a lot of scoring. SOG is a stat that can have zero relevance to the scoreboard, I mean you could say SOG is comparable to Total Yards in American Football . One team can out-gain the other by 200 yards and still lose. Its a stat that tells more about possession than it does score.
Yes, I concur, I was only trying to put some perspective into lack of scoring with another game that has lack of scoring, but awards more points for it. DD
The only aspect of soccer that I truly hate is that it can and does often end in a tie. No sporting event on any level should ever end in a tie, it's pathetic
My issue with soccer is the athletes. I feel like they are pretty boy Euro sissies. It would be like watching the NBA if the only players that were in the game were guys like Sasha, Dirk, etc. Flopping around, faking injuries, pulling their hair back, etc.
Soccer is a beautiful sport, Americans are used to high-scoring and it takes a little while to truly appreciate a game like soccer in which the build-up and the intensity as well as the sheer athleticism culminate to create a beautiful display of competition. Well, we have the knockout rounds now. Which means penalty kicks if it isn't decided after 120 minutes of play + stoppage time. Penalty kicks on the World's Stage = the most exciting thing in sports bar none.
