Football vs. Football (Soccer)

Amidst this World Cup, soccer, or what the rest of the world knows as football, has appeared to grow on much of the nation. Even with the U.S. team’s premature departure, much of American “football” fans have latched onto other countries in hopes of backing a winning club.

However, there is another sport here in America that shares this same name.

Football is quickly becoming the nation’s new pastime, if it hasn’t already. Even though many have become fascinated by the World Cup, don’t expect any football fans to be less interested in this upcoming season.

Come August, these new soccer hooligans will retreat back to their roots of true blooded American football, because when you compare the two sports there should be, and is, a true favorite.

Intensity

Comparing the intensity of football and soccer is like comparing Game 7 of the World Series to five-year old Tee Ball: it’s just not in the same ballpark (yes the pun was intended).

Unlike football, soccer really only has one pace. From kickoff to the end of extra time, it is the same old repetition of trying to formulate a play out of nothing. And when a play is produced, the chance of them getting their shot on net seems highly unlikely.

With football, every play has the chance for either team to score. There are kickoff returns where athletes such as Devin Hester, Joshua Cribbs, and Daunte Hall have made a living of going 100 mph straight into a charging defense. There is so much going on during each play, and so much that could happen during each play - the possibilities are endless.

Not only is it a game of elite strength, but a battle of wits where head coaches and offensive/defensive coordinators study and try to outmaneuver their counterpart.

Point: Football

Scoring

If you think a soccer game ending 1-0 is more exciting that a football game that ends 27-24, you should probably stop reading this article. The mere fact that ties are prevalent in soccer should be a red light. Want to know how often ties occur in the NFL?

Current Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb, a six time Pro-Bowler, stated while quarterbacking to a tie game between the Eagles and Bengals in 2008, “I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book."

The fact that there is more than one way to score in football proves the scoring system trumps soccer.

Point: Football

Fans

Don’t think soccer would get completely shut out.

Hats off to anyone who has the patience to sit through 90 plus minutes of footsies. Now I understand why they light fires in the stands and sing songs throughout the game; they have to keep themselves entertained somehow, right?

Note: Gratuitous amounts of alcohol must be included.

Point: Soccer

Physicality

Falling down, rolling around, and gripping your leg as if someone just snipped your Achilles tendon with garden sheers after an opposing player brushes up against you doesn’t count as physical play; it counts as a loss of man points.

Football isn’t a contact sport, it’s a collision sport. The whole point of the game is to run into each other; just ask Reggie Bush how hard he was hit by Sheldon Brown during the 2007 NFC Divisional playoff game between the Eagles and the Saints.

Point: Football

Championship

There are so many soccer leagues around the world that the top players are spread out, therefore thinning the talent. You are only able to see top talent play against each other once every four years

However, in football all the top players are in the NFL. In football, fans watch the best of the best play each other every week of the season, then every year for the ultimate prize.

Point: Football

Overtime

On the rare occasion that a soccer game is permitted to go to overtime, it can actually beat out the NFL design. If you can handle sitting through non-sudden death overtime, then you will get the rare chance to see a shootout.

This is where soccer is at its peak, where each shot is life or death, and where goalies have the opportunity to accomplish one of the most difficult feats in sports in blocking a penalty kick. Simply put, the NFL does not have an overtime format to match that of soccer.

But college football does.

College overtime matches if not surpasses, the shootout. This is a 25-yard brawl where the most clutch players are put on a pedestal, and where the coaches flip to the back pages of the playbook in an attempt to stump the defense.

Point: We can call this one a tie, even though I’m sure soccer players won’t mind.

Football Wins 4½-1½

Many people will make the argument that soccer is still the world’s most popular sport, but did anyone think that could be because other countries haven’t been able to taste football like America has? Would their opinions change if they had the chance to play our football?

Soccer has been around for hundreds of years, and surely our Founding Fathers were fans, but they clearly wanted something more. Years down the road it was created, and this fall, Americans will be able to celebrate their true favorite, football.