soccer is teh ghey, football rocks your socks off

[LJ]

and monster is a weenie

[elSicomoro]

I'm confused...soccer is known as football in most countries, so I could be voting for soccer either way. I'm sorry...I cannot vote in this poll.

[lookout123]

football - the world's game. the beautiful game. you know - the one where they use their feet.

[Cloud]

ghey? uh. no.

[DanaC]

I voted soccer.....under protest!. Yours is the only country (as far as I know) where Football doesn't mean soccer.

[Bullitt]

Rugby.

[ZenGum]

I can think of nine sports that go by the name of football somewhere or other:

Soccer (association football)
American Football (gridiron)
Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football League
Rugby sevens football
Touch (Rugby) football
Australian Football (Aussie rules, Footy)
Gaelic Football (Irish)
International rules (compromise between the last two)

So, ahhhhh, which one did you have in mind when it came to sock-rocking?

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by lookout123

football - the world's game. the beautiful game. you know - the one where they use their feet.

Beautiful...until it you're watching it on television. And then its just boring. I guess you have to grow up watching the sport to get excited about watching 90 minutes of running, running, more running, some passing, and yet even more running only to have the game likely end with a score of 1-0.

[Cloud]

Football (American football, that is) is the only game I can really get interested in watching.

it's sound and fury signifying nothing, but it means "home" to me.

[Shawnee123]

Line dancing is to dancing as "soccer" is to ______

a) sports
b) no-arm diversions
c) boredom

[lookout123]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

Beautiful...until it you're watching it on television. And then its just boring. I guess you have to grow up watching the sport to get excited about watching 90 minutes of running, running, more running, some passing, and yet even more running only to have the game likely end with a score of 1-0.

see that is what most people think. in fact, i think the same thing if i turn on an MLS game. they are pretty boring unless you are a supporter for one of the teams. BUT if you watch teams that play attractive football, then it becomes a beautiful thing to watch, even on tv - especially on tv.

If you actually want to see the beautiful game i would suggest you watch some games played by: (in no particular order)

Arsenal - go you gunners!
Barcelona
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Sevilla
AC Milan (although the italian leagues can be annoying with their diving)
pretty much anything in Brazil.

Avoid MLS unless you are already a fan. It is definitely a kick and chase long ball league, but they are improving slowly.

As far as the 1-0 thing goes, yeah it happens. 2-1 is more typical though. But have you ever watched an amazing NFL game that ended at 14-7? the only difference is the increment in which points are awarded.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by lookout123

AC Milan (although the italian leagues can be annoying with their diving)

Annoying??

Did you see the world cup game Australia vs Italy?

Australia had made the Cup for the second time, and had got into the second round ... after 89 minutes it was 0-0, until the Italians got the ball forward and took the most appallingly staged dive inside the box, free kick, goal, game.
In one minute this undid all the good publicity for soccer that weeks of the Cup had done.

BTW Dana, Down Under, football does not mean soccer. If you use it that way it gives you away as a recent migrant

[lookout123]

i didn't see that. I cannot stand the Italian national team. The whole lot of them are cheaters and divers. Serie A is not quite as annoying but I would say that is because of the influx of foreign players who weren't taught to fall down and scream anytime someone looked at them. unfortunately, it is infectious as AC Milan's keeper is evidence of. A Brazilian player with a decent reputation...up until this season. He is now just a joke and his fine career is nothing but a footnote on the joke.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by lookout123

Avoid MLS unless you are already a fan. It is definitely a kick and chase long ball league, but they are improving slowly.

I think this might be the big issue for why I never managed to get into it -- I really don't think the good games people refer to are actually aired, here. I've yet to see a game where players do anything more exciting than casually walk the ball down the field, pause to check for open players to pass to, walk the ball some more...

It is almost as if the field is too big to permit any frequent, exciting interaction.

Originally Posted by lookout123

As far as the 1-0 thing goes, yeah it happens. 2-1 is more typical though. But have you ever watched an amazing NFL game that ended at 14-7? the only difference is the increment in which points are awarded.

Lots of boring NFL games -- I can't get excited about them, either. College [American/grid iron] football players are inexperienced enough to make enough mistakes that something interesting is usually going on during any given play.

To me, this still all comes down to frequency of scoring. I can't get excited about any goal in basketball -- how can you when there often more than one hundred points per team? On the opposite end, a single goal in the first minute of a soccer match might be the only one in the entire game -- enduring the rest of the game is merely painful because it isn't possible to be excited about field position, since a single kick frequently arcs the ball into a dead zone on the opposite end of the field. I find [American] football to be the closest you can get to a fairly happy balance, as even when the score is tight and teams are evenly matched, there is a tremendous amount of importance to field position and you can be excited/nervous at even a few yards of loss or advance. Getting a first down is, in essence, a goal in itself. The game is progressive and all players, not just the guy in possession of the ball, are forced to interact during every play, meaning no one is standing around with their hands in their pockets.

I think, for those reasons, are why [American] football appeals to Americans in a way that soccer has had a tough time gaining acceptance. Football matches our attention spans -- we appreciate the sudden "on/off" nature of football, with enough breaks to permit for beer/food runs without any need to miss a moment of the game. You couldn't walk away from a soccer match for fear that you'll not see the one and only game breaking goal.

...but I'm still trying to give soccer a chance, given that so many people tell me I'm missing out on something incredible. This is all, I'm sure, a cultural thing, anyways.

[lookout123]

i don't know how to embed the youtube stuff in here like you cool people, so here is a link of a little bit of the beautiful stuff.
thierry henry
ronaldhino
C Ronaldo

It doesn't actually get going til abotu 1:45

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0wJsBQF9zWo


if you want to ever enjoy soccer/football you need to realize that it isn't all about the actual shot that finds the back of the net. it is the buildup, the interaction, the movement. every player is involved for 90 minutes with only a half time break. while some teams just kick the ball down the field and hope their striker can get it, the really great teams control the ball, use the whole field from end to end, and side to side. and sometimes the speed of the game is just insane. Liverpool v Arsenal this year was just insane. Liverpool had a couple guys that were ready to pass out by the last 5 minutes but there was nothing they could do but keep going.
if you are only interested in the ball hitting the net then just catch the highlights on EPL week in review on Fox Soccer channel or you tube. The game is what happens in between the points though.