Soccer?

[AnaBBarrosFan]

I want to start off by saying I am, in no way shape or form, dissing this sport, or trying to disrespect it's fans. I understand that it's very important in many cultures, played all over the world, and has a very passionate following...

Why do people love soccer so much? Every time the World Cup rolls around I roll my eyes and groan. I've tried to sit through and watch an entire game, but I just can't. For the life of me, it doesn't appeal to me, bores me, and slowly gnaws away at my sanity. In fact, I dare say I almost abhor it.

I understand that was a little harsh but, the whole point of this thread is to see if I can actually see it in a better light. I would love it if you guys expressed your passion/like of this sport and gave your reasons why.

[TheBaronOfFratton]

^Oh lawd, BB - trying to quantify why I like football (yeah, yeah... ) is like trying to quantify why I like cheese. I just do!

I mean, I suppose I could say how - for me anyway - it's always been part of my life. In Argentina it's wildly popular, and people are born into supporting their local/family team (Banfield ) 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.

It would be easy to make fun of the US, as just being 'out of touch' with the rest of the world in this respect. Mind you - things like this headline don't help:

(<Thanks to Michael*)

(Ugh! Just how wrong can one headline be?) But there is some truth to that: You don't have the same history. I know you've had attempts both in the past, and more recently to establish leagues with big name stars (and your national team are no pushovers) - but as far as I was aware it's seen as more of a fringe thing, or even 'just for women'? I can appreciate, and even like "American football" - but both baseball and basketball leave me distinctly cold. Then again, I've not been raised in an environment where they were the norm, or I played them at school etc... Polo is a big deal for us too - and that's pretty unique. I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else around who knows the rules to that - even in the UK (where it's far more an elitist sport).

But, not everybody at home loves football (just most!) Not even everybody in Brasil either. Maybe percentage-wise we're pretty high - I don't know??? These things aren't scientific. It's not actually in our DNA! Maybe it is environmental though - and the sheer passion that's surrounded football since I was old enough to notice has perhaps simply seeped into my bones..?

Still doesn't explain my fondness for cheese though!

[Qball]

I'm not a very keen football fan, so I can't really say what I love about it... My peak of interest was when I was about 13-15 years old, but as I grew up my interest faded and faded... But now that I'm not so excited about it, ironically, I can enjoy the World Cup all the more I mean, I can finally look at those teams and see what the names are, who's the best nowadays, I can catch up on the latest stats... It's a cool thing. I'm not obsessed with it, I just enjoy a good match from time to time. Today's matches were nice so far, I hope the last one today won't be any worse.

But you're probably asking - what's so appealing about football? I guess it's exciting because:

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.

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.

I hope I managed to get through with my point, however inconceivable it may be to those who don't get football at all

[AnaBBarrosFan]

First off, I want to thank you guys for actually taking the time and responding with actual well-thought out answers. I'm sure plenty of people saw the thread (saw who posted it) and merely decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

Now:

Baron: I do believe it has a lot to do with the sport you're exposed to. I mean, for as long as I can remember the Super Bowl has been almost a religious holiday in my household, as the World Cup is for many avid fans. But at the same time, no one in my family likes tennis and yet once I held a racket in my hand and got out on the court, I INSTANTLY became smitten with it. I've tired to play soccer, and we just don't click...

QBall: I totally see your point about it's simplicity being golden, so to speak. There are very little overwrought intricacies that can stifle a casual viewers interest. But that's also one of the things that puts me off about the sport, I sort of like having to really follow the action by knowing rules and regulations and what-not. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but a lot of futbol is about strategy and placement... sort of like chess. As much as I appreciate chess, I can't watch a match. See?

[MattLoveModels]

Us Americans love scorin'. Results like 1-0 bore the hell out of us. :|

[gigiriva]

[red_ed]

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.

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 <_<

[MattLoveModels]

I usually don't read long posts but i've read everyone's in here. I for the most part knew everything you guys stated but I understand it much more clearly now. I still think Americans don't watch it because their short attention span. We like seeing shit going into other shit That doesn't happen in soccer enough for us.

That's funny I don't read long posts Makes sense I find getting through a whole soccer game difficult It's not my fault, it's was how I/we were raised!

Just know I am still trying to get into this. WAGs help

[SympathysSilhouette]

Well I can understand how someone who was raised on basketball would be turned off by the lack of scoring in football.

I like both sports, though obviously for different reasons.

Mind you, if people are basing their opinion of the game on this world cup, we should probably point out that the first fifteen games of this years edition have for the most part been (very) poor.

Teams that managed to entertain (somewhat) so far: Chile, Spain (in spite of their loss) and Germany.

Add to that the fact that this is the lowest-scoring world cup through the first round of group games ever. And that even the amount of chances created and shots on goal are down from previous editions. Too much stifling defense going on for any team to get into an offensive rythm.

[TheBaronOfFratton]

Baron: I do believe it has a lot to do with the sport you're exposed to. I mean, for as long as I can remember the Super Bowl has been almost a religious holiday in my household, as the World Cup is for many avid fans. But at the same time, no one in my family likes tennis and yet once I held a racket in my hand and got out on the court, I INSTANTLY became smitten with it. I've tired to play soccer, and we just don't click...

^I take your point. I was talking about it at an emotional level - I was a decent enough player at school etc, but never that great. I don't think that has helped or hindered my interest in watching it though...

I too really enjoy tennis. But I'm absolutely shit at that!!! I think it's because I played badminton first - too much wrist-action ( ) - 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.

Also, when I went to live in Australia, I instantly got into "Aussie Rules" football. So much so that once the season started I went to see my adopted team whenever they were playing a 'home' fixture. Not sure why I became so smitten, so quickly but - like football (as Qball and red_ed testified) - it's very free-flowing and 'end-to-end' stuff. There are also lots more goals. So maybe you and Matt should check it out!

[MattLoveModels]

They actually have different rules, or you mean the play different?

[TheBaronOfFratton]

They actually have different rules, or you mean the play different?

^It's a completely different game, my friend. Australian Football is as American Football (hence, I guess, the need for the term 'soccer' there too?)...

Yeah, a bit of Acker/Dacker and a meat pie - bonzer!!!

[AnaBBarrosFan]

They actually have different rules, or you mean the play different?

^It's a completely different game, my friend. Australian Football is as American Football (hence, I guess, the need for the term 'soccer' there too?)...

Yeah, a bit of Acker/Dacker and a meat pie - bonzer!!!

Looks a lot like Rugby to me. Is it Rugby?

[TheBaronOfFratton]

Looks a lot like Rugby to me. Is it Rugby?

^No, again it's completely different.

I don't really care for rugby myself... Though it's become more popular at home this last 10 years or so (rugby 'union' that is, you see there's even two distinct versions of that - the other one being rugby 'league'!).

[AnaBBarrosFan]

Looks a lot like Rugby to me. Is it Rugby?

^No, again it's completely different.

I don't really care for rugby myself... Though it's become more popular at home this last 10 years or so (rugby 'union' that is, you see there's even two distinct versions of that - the other one being rugby 'league'!).

I just watched some Australian football. Tis fascinating stuff!

[gigiriva]

Us Americans love scorin'. Results like 1-0 bore the hell out of us. :|

It looks like you're wrong:

[MattLoveModels]

Sure we'll watch us play. We don't care about it otherwise. Soccer has definitely gained in popularity this past World Cup though

[SympathysSilhouette]

I never understood this obsession in some circles to try and convince the Americans of the merits of the game. If they don't like it, then fine. It's already by far the most popular game in the world, does it really need North-America to embrace it as well?

[gigiriva]

they're trying to civilize them

football in colombia:

[COP11]

A lot of Americans aren't into soccer. They don't grow up watching. I got into it as a kid since my dad lived in Libya and as a kid there thats what we played