HAHAHA, you spelled soccer with a u so it sounds like suck. That's pretty clever. Did you come up with that one all on your own?
There are some big misconceptions about soccer here. Just because you don't understand how soccer players move does not mean they don't move a certain way. Of course, there can't be plays as specific as in US football, because the game isn't stopped every freaking 10 seconds. There is a lot of team strategy; teamwork is definitely much more important in soccer than US football, because you don't always switch between offensive and defensive lineups. Oh, right, men's game. Because real men can't do sports without wearing a helmet and various protections. Please. If you want to talk about a man's game, we can talk about rugby. It's actually the opposite. People who did not have the chance to know a little about soccer tend to prefer other sports. People who had the chance to know about soccer and other sports tend to prefer soccer. There are lots of different sports in Europe. Rugby, handball, volleyball, basketball, even some really minor leagues of baseball and US football.....But guess what is by far (and I mean by really far) the most popular sport ?
So how do you explain the popularity of soccer throughout Europe where rugby and cricket have been popular forever, right along with soccer? I haven't been there in a couple years, but last I checked, Europe wasn't third-world. What about Australia? The 'convenience as popularity' argument doesn't hold up: - The only thing you need to play baseball is a field, a stick, and a ball. Hell, you could use a rock and accomplish a lot of the same. - What about American football? Same thing: a field, a ball, and some guys to tackle you. - Basketball and hockey are the only ones that aren't as 'convenient' due to the equipment you'd need: an actual ball to bounce per the rules in basketball and a basket of some sort mounted on something and the need for sticks of a particular shape, ice, and skates needed in hockey. Even Latin America, where the 'third-world convenience' comment seems to hold more water, has a large baseball fan-base, and basketball is catching up as well. The above quoted text doesn't make any sense to me.
Hey, I'm fine with that--rugby is a better game than soccer, too. How am I supposed to take someone seriously who literally falls to the ground screaming bloody murder and writhing in pain, and then gets up and runs again in 30 seconds? And then he does it again fifteen minutes later? That's pu$$y. It just is. And it may be a rather minor aspect of the game, but I think a lot of people (including myself) can't get past it. If I imagine a world where soccer players don't do that, I find myself hating soccer much less. But yeah, back to your statement, rugby players are definitely tough guys--I just don't find rugby as entertaining as some of the other sports I enjoy, though I can chalk that one up to a lack of exposure to the game where I live. Hockey and soccer seem very similar to me. Except that hockey is faster, generally higher-scoring, MUCH more exciting, and I have genuine respect for many of the players. Hell, if I want to watch people fall down and writhe in pain with incredulous looks on their faces, I'll watch Jazz games.
So you'd have to admit that basketball sucks then, right? After all it happens more in basketball than it does in soccer.
what!? last time i checked people who run into shaq on a pick dont fall down like a pansy and cry bloody murder, could you imagine a soccer player running into a screen, they'd have a field day, no pun intended, with that.
I'm a big basketball and soccer fan, I watch a lot of games of both sports, and let me tell you: if you hate soccer because of the flopping, then you must really hate basketball too. As of today, there is as much flopping in both sports, with less flopping in soccer than what it used to be and more and more flopping in basketball. Something like that: <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MTdERYOtqsg&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MTdERYOtqsg&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> would actually warrant a 2 or 3 game suspension in soccer, they're changing some of the rules to fight flopping (and there is still a lot to do in that area, I'm with you on that one). In basketball, players can and will keep on doing it more and more.
Handball, volleyball, and non-competitive minor league baseball or football (like NFL Europe) aren't major sports. Soccer has been available in the US forever, even through multiple attempts at major professional leagues. Every kid in America probably has played soccer at some point, and most in organized youth leagues. There is no lack of opportunity to play or watch soccer, it is just that given the choice Americans prefer basketball, football, hockey (which is saying a lot because hockey almost went under), and even non-sports like golf and NASCAR. Australia I believe rugby (or possibly Aussie rules football) is the most popular. Baseball beats soccer in the DR, Nicaragua, Taiwan and Cuba. Canada and Finland prefer hockey. Grenada, Guyana, India, Pakistan, Jamaica, Nepal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Bermuda and Wales all feature Cricket above soccer. Basketball is more popular in the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Most of those countries have had long exposure to soccer, but have chosen another sport as their favorite. How many countries have strong American Football leagues and still prefer soccer?
People ABSOLUTELY "fall down like a pansy" when they run into Shaq. I'm not saying I hate basketball. Obviously that's not the case. I am saying that if you hate one sport because of the small minority of flopping that occurs and then overlook that in the other sports you like, you're either a) A hypocrite; or b) Lying about why you don't like the first sport.
No other country has a strong American football league, period. Nobody else besides Americans really like the sport. They tried it in Europe and Germany was the most receptive to it (mainly due to a lot of overseas US troops). Last I checked the Bundesliga was one of the top 4 soccer leagues in the world.
ok, how about just a normal screen and roll....hardly do i see people in the NBA just fall over...i can just picture it now..a soccer player falling over before even running into the guy. does flopping occur in the nba? yes, is it ridiculous? yes...but the extremities of fake flops, injuries etc is beyond ridiculous in soccer. i think there was a discussion about soccer earlier on this board, numerous people posted vids of the fake injuries in soccer. like someone else said, its a minor thing...but it really sticks out, and its hard to get by. someone else mentioned how play doesnt stop every 10 seconds...ehh really in soccer it does, the clock itself doesnt stop, but play does. when the ball goes out of bounds, the throw in, corner kicks, etc all are dead periods. do i hate the sport? no, i respect people who play it, i guess i just dont want it to take up time from other sports i'd be much more interested in watching. ignorant? maybe, just the way i feel
That happens in every sport. If I wanted to I could make a video of basketball players doing the same thing. I'm not enough of a loser to make a video trashing a sport (even if I didn't like it). You say "I can picture..." and then invent a scenario. It's obvious that you're LOOKING for these things and focusing on them. You're looking for a reason to not like the game. There's 6-10 seconds of dead time on out of bounds plays. Contrast that with how much time is wasted in other sports and there's really no comparison. It is ignorant (but at least you admit it). How is it taking time away from other sports? Nobody is forcing you to watch it and it's not like soccer dominates the TV. The plain fact is you don't like the sport and don't want to and don't want anyone else to be able to watch it.
Why would anybody want to visit some third world country? Places like Spain, England, France, Italy, Germany, you know, where the citizens are too poor and dumb to like a real sport. Jeez, leave the US. Give me some of what that guys smoking.
As a fan of both soccer and basketball, I will say that there is more flopping in basketball than soccer - but the flopping in soccer is more theatric. It's kind of hilarious, but many of the complaints in this thread(falling down all the time, no strategy, et al) are made by fans of soccer against basketball because they're ignorant of what's going on.
hows it taking time away from other sports? uhhh...tv time my friend. also take a chill pill, getting little worked up over there.
ESPN shows about 15 hours of soccer a month (if that), and even then it's relegated to ESPN2 or classic. Heaven forbid you miss out on your 2003 semi pro poker tournaments and spelling bees. ABC has 2 games a year and the WC final every 4 years. The only other channels that show it are soccer specific or Spanish language channels. Seriously, if you're going to complain at least try to make a valid point, as it is you're just making yourself look silly.
