Qball, on Jun 17 2010, 03:21 AM, said:
1. It's really easy to play - you just need a ball and some space that will serve as a field. You don't even need proper goals - you can mark the bar spots on the ground and you're all set. Anyone can go out there and kick a ball - it's not that obvious in the case of basketball or volleyball, where you need a lot more preparation on your own part (you need to be prepared technically, handling a basketball or playing volleyball is more demanding) as well as in terms of proper equipment. It seems that football is the most 'natural' sport for human beings. You don't have difficult rules, like those concerning 'travelling' in basketball or handball.
This.
Qball, on Jun 17 2010, 03:21 AM, said:
2. It's much less predictable than other team sports. In basketball or volleyball, you have a proper 'course of action' - team A attacks first, then team B attacks, and again. You don't have that in football. Players have many possibilities regarding what to do with the ball. There are more players in each team than in other team sports (11), so the playing possibilities are much less restricted. It's all left to the imagination and tactics. You can do almost whatever you want with the ball - and in other team sports you have to, more often or less, adjust to the rules that tell you what to do.
And this.
And soccer is a legit name
I'm ashamed of those "fans" that are ignorant and pompous enough to insist it should ONLY be called football.
Anyway here's my answer to your question. I love the game because of its a great mix of technique, physique and tactics. It's like rock paper scissors at times and you really need a good blend of each element to produce a good team. Admittedly, I'm a purist and I place the technical aspect of soccer above all else because that is what makes it unique. If I wanted to watch a physical sport, I can watch Tour de France or Rugby, or if I want to watch something more tactical I can watch chess (
), basketball or NFL. Not to undermine or detract from the technique involved in other sports, but controlling a round ball with your foot and parts of your body other than your hand isn't that easy. The slightest bend in your body position and where you strike the ball can make the difference between a shot on target and one that lands in row Q, and I appreciate that skill.
I appreciate the tactics too, even though it's not as tactical as some sports. As one saying goes (and I'm paraphrasing), football tactics are like having a small blanket on a cold night - move the blanket up to cover your neck and the feet get cold; cover your feet and your body is cold. Football requires the team to shift as a unit, but because the nature of it means you need players close to a ball to be more effective, spaces are left that can be exploited by the other team. And because you essentially only have pre-game and half-time to prepare your tactics, you can't have your players respond to certain plays sometimes. Also, despite the tactics that are used, sometimes all it takes is a moment of genius and creativity for a defence to be unlocked.
Qball also brings in a great point about the fluency of the game - it's not stop-start (for the most part) and it is free flowing so you always need to have one eye on defence if you're attacking and vice-versa. I don't think there are many major sports like that. Not to mention that you don't get ads popping up every 3 seconds from a break in play!
Although there isn't as much physical contact compared to some other sports, soccer allows a physical battle and a lot of people like the passion, the blood and the guts that come with it. Sometimes no matter how good you are technically, players can outrun you or use their strength to win the ball, which adds another dimension to the game. Players have to have a wide range of skills physically - fitness, stamina, pace, power, jumping ability and agility and I find it interesting that a sport dominated by the feet relies a lot on core and upper body strength.
I think the blend between all these factors means there are so many ways to play and dominate a game and it's really about finding that balance, whether you are playing at amateur or professional level. It also means it can be played by anyone, no matter what size or shape you are, and I believe that accessibility contributes to soccer being such a popular game. Most of all, it's easy to organise and you can play with as little as 3 vs 3 to 11 vs 11 anywhere, any time as long as you have a (make-shift) ball. There are even people that play with coconuts or barefoot on asphalt/concrete in South America and Africa! >.<).
When (and if) you watch more, you will also see that there are other factors that come into play about the philosophies in football, some of which I have alluded to. Different cultures have different interpretations of how to play the game and some of the main ones include whether or not a manager is a pragmatist or a purist, which affects how a team plays. For example, getting to the other person's goal as fast as possible and scoring or providing a spectacle for the audience (a.k.a the question of functionality vs flair); whether or not you believe in playing an attacking style, a defensive style or somewhere in between; whether you place significance on the physical, the tactical or the technical aspects of the game; whether you see football as a science or an art - to have your players follow instructions to the letter or allow them to express themselves on the pitch. The World Cup is great because you get to see how teams from different parts of the world interpret and play the game - even if globalisation and increasing revenue means the game is becoming more focused on results
I'm not proud of the theatrics either
1
) is like trying to quantify why I like cheese. I just do!
) and, of course, the national squad. Football is always televised during the regular season, and we watch the European leagues as well. International events are greeted with great anticipation and massive fervour throughout their duration.
I can appreciate, and even like "American football" - but both baseball and basketball leave me distinctly cold. Then again, 
That doesn't happen in soccer enough for us. 
It's not my fault, it's was how I/we were raised!
) - so whenever I played the ball just used to go flying into the stratosphere! However, I watch all the Grand Slams (Wimbledon next week, clashes looming 
) and understand the different styles of play and eagerly await particular match-ups on particular surfaces.
