Soccer is a game that can be looked at in many different ways.
For the passive watchers, the ones who do not know the game and only go by goals, think of it as a boring game that is only for weaklings.
If you are an attentive watcher then you will notice the intensity and passion that the players have on the field.
Not only that, but to play the game you have to be so organized as a team. Triangles, diamonds and straight lines constantly have to be constructed and in the right place during the game.
A common thought is that soccer is a game where you just have to kick the ball far and be fast. What is not mentioned is that a team that is well coached actually do precise passing and ball movement. Having the vision to see people across the field and being able to perfectly put the ball in a specific spot is so difficult. Soccer is not a game that can be explained in one article like many other sports. It would take hundreds and hundreds of articles to explain soccer's vividness and brilliance.
'Weak', 'boring' and 'gay' are all words that have been used in explaining soccer.Other sports though such as football, baseball and basketball seem to be more popular.
Do any of those sports play 90 minutes straight without any breaks?
In baseball and basketball there is no contact whatsoever but they are not called 'gay' sports. Football is a high contact sport, but there is a break almost every 5 seconds.
Is contact the only thing that makes a good sport?
In soccer there is constant moving around, pushing, grabbing, sliding but its still a 'sport for weaklings'. People who don't play soccer at a high level can not say anything about it.
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5 months ago
excuse me? basketball not a contact sport. basketball is arguably just as much a contact sport as soccer if not more so
5 months ago
Abe-I agree soccer is without a doubt the sport that requires you to be the most physically fit. To the naked eye, (probably 95% of Americans, including myself) when the goalie averages about 4 saves per game and only lets up a usual max of 3, it is tough to sit through 90 minutes of it. Also, America is stat crazy and soccer is lacking highly in that category. Baseball for example, avg., era, whip., rbi's, etc. In soccer it is tough to come up with solid statistics for example to take in. I'm sorry to say Abe, but until there is more shooting and someone comes up with a whole bunch of stat categorys, soccer will remain stereotyped in the way that pisses off intense players, like yourself. If Beckham can't make it popular, who can?
from 5 months ago
There might not be a lot of publicised statistics, but look a little closer and you can find a whole host.
Goals per game ratio for strikers, assists, succesful pass percentage, clean sheets, average shots per game, ground covered and goal difference all spring to mind and are collated by the famed Actim Index.
Whilst these are not exhaustive or as easy to hand as baseball stats, they do still exist. You're right JC, you do get the odd boring game but Liverpool (the team I support) have averaged 17 shots on goal at home per match this season. Tottenham Hotspur (my girlfriend's team) have seen 84 goals in 17 home games in 07-08.
It is my opinion that soccer will never take off in the US purely for the fact that there are already 4 huge sports competing for airtime and fans. They tried it in the 70s with Pele and Cruyff and the US soccer leagues still didn't last in terms of fan attendance. However, it is still a much loved sport by many across the world and to see it as devoid of action is a little short-sighted. Just ask a Tottenham fan.
5 months ago
While I agree that soccer is a very underrated sport in America, until many more stars than David Beckham show up, soccer will be in the shadow of the other sports in America. I also agree that without the stats like the other sports have, soccer can't survive as one of the main stream sports in America.
from 5 months ago
i agree with u taylor but why can americans realize what it takes to play soccer and not just look at goals and stats.
5 months ago
Agreed that it is probably the most underrated sport in American, this is probably why in Europe its competing between contries and its something that "rival" countries watch and here in the US it would be US v. Canada then US v. Mexico then Mexico Vv. Canada. Its just our geography.
5 months ago
if you guys would like to see a sample of football statistics might I direct you to one of the articles on the world football section -
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/19545-The-Myth-Buster---Fergie-talks-one-game-plays-another-entirely
This is just a selection but is a window to show the possibilities of statistical analysis in the game.
5 months ago
Its not part of the culture. THat's why its not very popular. Just like american football isn't popular anywhere outside america. There is nothing wrong with that though, sports grow and become part of the culture over several decades. That may or may not happen with soccer.
As for the "soccer bashers" who try to convince others that its "boring" and "gay", well lets just say they wouldn't feel so threatened by soccer if it didn't dominate their favorite american sport in global viewership and popularity. Those who go out of their way to bash the sport simply feel threatened by its growth in the country.
5 months ago
How can you say soccer is not part of American culture? It is the most played youth sport in America.
5 months ago
How can you say soccer is not part of American culture? It is the most played youth sport in America.
5 months ago
Abe in almost every team sport you have to construct passing patterns. Yo can try and call soccer a contact sport but its not. Every time you slide tackle and hit a guy a card comes out of the refs pocket. Then a player goes to the ref and bitches about it. If soccer players want to play a contact sport play football. Also its not popular in America cause we suck at it.
from 5 months ago
Furf I am sorry but you are very narrow minded. Soccer is a contact sport first off. Football is not the only contact sport in the world. The players also do not always cry to the refs. Another thing Americans do not suck at soccer. There are plenty of good soccer players in the world that came from America. You might think we suck because it is more popular around the world than it is here. Think before you write another comment Furf.
from 5 months ago
BRETT FAVRE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN THE SPORT FOR IT TO BE A GOOD SPORT.
5 months ago
Furfi sometimes I wonder when you're ever going to get anything you say on this site right. There is only one sport where passing patterns are used and that's football. Football is not the only contact sport in America. EVer heard of basketball? Also, ever heard of the MLS many of the players in that league are American. There hundreds of thousands of ridicoulasly good soccer players in America. Just cause football is the only sport you pay attention to and taht Brett Favre doesn't play doesnt mean its not a great sport or that many americans are good. Think before you speak
5 months ago
Dacher think before YOU speak. There are passing patterns in almost every sport. Basketball has passing patterns (which I hate to break it to you, is not a contact sport), lacrosse, football, hockey, etc. Also, the MLS is home to so many Americans because it's an AMERICAN league. Most Mexican leagues have mostly Mexicans players for example.
from 5 months ago
well yes JC its an american leauge but in the mls on average about 50% of every team is american and the other 50 come from around the world. And the sport that i personally think is a waste is baseball. boring as hell.
5 months ago
Well Abe, take it easy there, much like soccer there is a lot going on in baseball that the naked eye can't see
from 5 months ago
JC, there is stuff going on in baseball that we wish couldnt be seen with the naked eye. actually, probably something baseball and fans wished didnt even exist. its called performance enhancing drugs, otherwise known as STEROIDS. theres a drug culture in america in which 3 percent of teen athletes take steroids. thats becuz they want to be just like the 400 pound guys who are their "heroes". cool i get payed 1 million $ for swinging a stick. u know its been found that monkeys have a slightly better use for wooden sticks. its called survival.
from 5 months ago
maybe JC but i mean idk like what is not seen i know u have to have good eye and hand coordination but what do u do accept stand there and wait for the ball and i know i am probably wrong about this but what is it tht makes baseball special?
from 5 months ago
there is ridicoulas amounts u gottta know where ur gonna be in every possible situation that may or may not happen. u gotta watch the pitchers arm, feet, check the runner, watch for signs, gotta be baseball smart, know the count, everything. Theres somethings that you dont even know u have to do, you jsut do it out of instinct when uve trained those instincts
from 5 months ago
400 pound guys? The fattest in 270 and he is a lot of muscle. A stick? It's called bat and people don't get paid $1mil for swinging it. Go to your local cages and try and hit 55mph. You won't be able to. Not even 10% of baseball players take roids. You hear the headline and think everything is true about baseball payers but it's not.
Abe what make kicking a ball special? Nothing.
5 months ago
We are all taking it to far. There are many sports that if you don't know the deeper intracacies you won't be able to understand. If you're ignorent towards things in a subject so be it, but don't go ranting about some other sport you know nothing of.
5 months ago
I am sorry for the commented i posted earilier
i had just drunk a Nesquick and i wasn't thinking correctly
5 months ago
as i said. 50 million $ to swing a stick? doesnt sound realistic. also, the best baseball players have success 1 time out of 3. if u fail 66 percent of the time in any other sport, u arent stickin around on that team. baseball is LAME.
from 5 months ago
Clearly we are dealing with a soccer player, and the hardest thing to do in sports, is to hit a curveball and I think most people would agree with me that baseball is not "lame".
from 5 months ago
Are you kidding me. In soccer you can be pussys, which most of them are, and run down the clock until it hts 90. In baseball you have to get 3 outs 9 times. In soccer a 15ft pass doesn't exceed 20mph while in baseball it can double it. In baseball you have 10 or pitches to hit while in soccer there are what 3 kinds of kicks? No in the MLB exceeds 27mil not 50. Maybe 50 over 10 years for most guys.
5 months ago
Pat-Remind me how much David Beckham gets paid? WAYYYYY TO MUCH. He only plays 45 games, baseball players play 160+ games. I can make an obnoxious comment like that "They get paid so much to kick a ball and run." If you want to stop soccer stereotypes, I advise you to not make them about other sports. Don't be the Al Sharpton of Bleacher Report. If you didn't get that one, look him up on google.
5 months ago
yea im not a big beckham fan, but his contract is worth 25 mil over 5 years. the other 125 million is endorsements, not for playing
5 months ago
Hey abe Arsenal is better than Man U
5 months ago
hey. in football, baseball, and basketball, the coach gets to decide what u do! doesnt that sound exciting. what a brain that must take. u, tackle whoever has the ball. u, run to the big 20 then turn right and keep running. u, swing. u, dont swing. the list goes on and on. its a load of bollacks
from 5 months ago
Half the sport the coach doesn't call the plays. Quaterbacks make audibles, in baseball they only get tol to swing, bunt, steal, or take. 4 things. What about in the 06 WC when the Germany goalie had a cheat sheet that his coach gave him to use when it was time for PK'S. He had it in his sock the whole game!
5 months ago
Pat shut up, your so obnoxious. When does the coach decide what you do in any of those sports besides call plays? The athlete has to perform. How about you just stop talking, and this would all be a lot better. You obviously have no clue what your talking about and just because your obsessed with soccer and think its amazing doesn't mean that every other sport involves no skill.
3 months ago
ok abe i sorta like the artical and i do belive with everybody else that soccer is a contact sport, it is tough, you have to be smart, and you have to be in top physical shape but chillax on the whole your always running and that kinda stuff cuz number 1 your a keeper so you dont do all that running, number 2 i belive there is a halftime in soccer if im not mistaken, number 3 the clock might not stop but if a player gets hurt or if there is a card givin or just a stopage of play for a turnover the whole game stops until the problem is resolved, and 4th although its not a sport for weeklinks, in a sport such as hockey, football, or laccrosse, a player does not go down on the rink or field and cry about it unless there is something that will take him out of the game and soemtimes games to come, soccer players go down, stay down and waste 2 minnuets complaining about how they got hit and it really hurt, and then they go back into the game a few minutes later
dont take offence to this i jsut want you to know as soccer is a contact sport and i love it and americans should start to admire it more and more, it is not the god off all sports
oh and dont listen to dasher basketball is the biggest pussy sport ever
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