World Cup GDT: June 24th

[Gundo]

Suarez officially charged with biting by FIFA.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=...z-2384766.html

[jammies]

Going back to an earlier topic, one big reason I think many Americans don't like soccer is because it's an international game at which they don't excel. There is still quite a popular and insular nationalism which believes that America is always the biggest and the best at anything important: since they are on the same level as Ghana, Iran and Greece in soccer, the obvious conclusion must be that soccer isn't important and worthy of attention.

[Gundo]

Americans dont like soccer because of its lack of scoring and their short attention span, even the NHL needed to try and increase goal scoring to improve popularity.

With more exposure to soccer on TV they will start to view it more regularly but with this arises the other issue. TV companies don't like soccer because you can't sell commercial time it's a 2 hour game with the only place for commercials being at the half, limited commercial sales = limited money making in comparison to other major sports on TV.

[Tinordi]

What I don't like about soccer is just how many game deciding calls are made and how many of them seem to go badly. It's sport's equivalent of a Greek tragedy. Nothing ever really goes right. There's always some controversy. And there seems to be a reluctance to really clean the game up using video review, after the fact suspensions and the like.

You may like the theater of the Uruguay Italy game but all I saw was a horribly choppy game from all the diving and theatrics. Blown calls. And no real resolution at all on who the better team was or who should have won. It just felt like I was in the twilight zone watching some interpretation of a sporting event with the dials cranked on all the things I liked the least.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Bagor

And? You think moving the ball back one or two yards would change that significantly?

You seriously think moving it back a couple of yards would encourage defenders to foul? Seriously? Where the conversion rate would probably remain at (guess) least 70%.

I'm not suggesting they shoot from the half way line. Just make it a tad harder.

You seriously want to change the rules and every soccer field in the world for a change you yourself are calling insignificant?

And you are arguing that an insignificant change would somehow make the game more exciting?

(I also find it a bit amusing that people who barely follow the sport seriously seem to think they have all the right answers for improving a game that is pretty much the most popular thing in the world after sex )

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Itse

You seriously want to change the rules and every soccer field in the world for a change you yourself are calling insignificant?

And you are arguing that an insignificant change would somehow make the game more exciting?

(I also find it a bit amusing that people who barely follow the sport seriously seem to think they have all the right answers for improving a game that is pretty much the most popular thing in the world after sex )

Never ever said I wanted to. It's a suggestion. You make it sound as if it is a change of significant magnitude. How so?
Yes. You saying otherwise?
By your amusement at people that "barely follow the sport" I presume this is your way of self appreciation and stating to us that you really follow the sport therefore your argument carries more weight? Or have I got it wrong? What exactly is the point of that last paragraph?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

What I don't like about soccer is just how many game deciding calls are made and how many of them seem to go badly. It's sport's equivalent of a Greek tragedy. Nothing ever really goes right. There's always some controversy. And there seems to be a reluctance to really clean the game up using video review, after the fact suspensions and the like.

You may like the theater of the Uruguay Italy game but all I saw was a horribly choppy game from all the diving and theatrics. Blown calls. And no real resolution at all on who the better team was or who should have won. It just felt like I was in the twilight zone watching some interpretation of a sporting event with the dials cranked on all the things I liked the least.

That was indeed a terrible game. As someone mentioned those two countries playing each other is like Bruins-Canucks. We knew it would be the most desperate and the diviest match yet.

Which was stupid cause Mexico-Croatia and Ivory Coast-Greece played similar do or die games with a team needing just a draw and those games were fantastic.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Bagor

Never ever said I wanted to. It's a suggestion. You make it sound as if it is a change of significant magnitude. How so?
Yes. You saying otherwise?
By your amusement at people that "barely follow the sport" I presume this is your way of self appreciation and stating to us that you really follow the sport therefore your argument carries more weight? Or have I got it wrong? What exactly is the point of that last paragraph?

I didn't really mean anything else by it other than "I find it amusing".

I guess the point was to suggest that I find this argument a little silly and I think I'll stop.

(I hope you don't take that as a slight of any kind. I'm perfectly okay with people making silly suggestions sometimes, I've made more than a few of my own on this forum )