[Coach]

Originally Posted by wretched34

Honestly, what it comes down to, when organizing a "pick-up" game of soccer or baseball, and having it run smoothly, is the very basic skill sets required.
For soccer, in it simplest form, you need to be able to run, and use your feet to move a ball toward your opponents goal.
For baseball, you need to be able to catch a ball, throw a ball, and hit a ball with a bat.
Obviously, at the simplest level of both, the games are going to move slowly, and not resemble a competitive style at all.
My point is, I think it is more viable to have a soccer game run smoothly with a group that has never played soccer before, as the majority of people can run and use their feet to move a ball, wether it is done well, or with good results, it can be done, and the game can continue to move forward.
if you have a group of people that have never played baseball before, it is unlikely that the pitcher will be able to throw the ball well enough for a batter to hit, and even if the pitcher is capable of getting the ball across the plate, is the batter capable of then hitting the ball? if neither of those things can be done, the game can not move forward. If the pitcher can do their job, and the batter can hit the ball, the fielders then need to be able to field the ball, and make a play in order to progress the game. There is a lot more involved in moving a baseball game forward, than a soccer game. Which is why, at beginner levels of baseball, rules are adjusted to keep the game flowing, because the game can not be played at full capacity. I'm not certain about beginner soccer, but I have never heard of rules being changed in ways that each team is only allowed a certain amount of possession before the other team gets their turn.

Yeah I'll agree with pretty much everything you say, but again you're applying skills to baseball without applying them to soccer. Like you say most people can run and use their feet to move a ball and also that most can throw, bat, catch. But then you say that most people may not be able to pitch properly and thus slowing down the game, but without mentioning that someone has to know how to actually aim the soccer ball properly in order to keep the game moving as well. If no one can complete a pass, what happens to the game? The rules of baseball from MLB to slow-pitch are made so that lesser players can't slow it down. 4 balls and 3 strikes. Each guy gets a max of 7 pitches (minus fouls and what not). So if they suck, that's the most time that is wasted on them. What about a soccer player who's constantly missing the ball or tripping over it? How do you cut him out to speed the game up? Just not pass it to him, but that's no fun for them.

Either way, we're obviously not going to fully agree here. All sports take different sets of skills, and getting it to the pro-level takes massive dedication no matter what. My argument is that playing with a ball in your feet is not something people do outside of playing soccer, as opposed to throwing, catching, and hitting things which are done in a variety of ways, including in other sports, and so picking it up is more difficult.