Soccer: It has to be said....

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by JayP

Baseball is the definition of a game that is interesting and entertaining because of the little things. MUCH, MUCH more so than soccer.

That's just your opinion and one that I personally don't agree with. I MUCH MUCH prefer soccer and, like it or not, many more people agree with me over you.... (There, that's what you don't like about soccer fans isn't it? )

BTW I actually don't mind baseball that much either. My son's a huge fan so I've got to show some interest at least!

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by browna

Although a slowly fading tradition, matches in English Cup go to entire game replays when tied after 90 minutes. Of course, that's not going to work in a World Cup, but it goes to show how having the teams at their best to decide matches takes precendace over an extra hour of endurance.

Unfortunately that is not the case anymore in England. Both the League and FA Cup are decided by PK's after the half hour of extra time. In fact, my team, Liverpool won the FA Cup by the shootout this past season.

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by Jiggy_12

It's almost like Soccer is more of a religion to some people than it is a sport.

You know, truer words have probably never been spoken.

In England, supporting your local football team is a way of life. You live and die with the team. I remember one of my friends dads' enjoyment of a weekend depended on whether Liverpool won or lost on the Saturday. Now that's not a particually healthy way to be but it illustrates how ingrained people are with the sport. It is a religion in a way. Good call.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Jagger

You know, truer words have probably never been spoken.

In England, supporting your local football team is a way of life. You live and die with the team. I remember one of my friends dads' enjoyment of a weekend depended on whether Liverpool won or lost on the Saturday. Now that's not a particually healthy way to be but it illustrates how ingrained people are with the sport. It is a religion in a way. Good call.

There is much truth to saying that in many places in the world the cathedral has given way to the stadium as the centre of a town's worship.

[habernac]

is that any different than the way a lot of Canadians feel about hockey?

[nfotiu]

I'm not a soccer fan at all, and agree with what is all said about the diving. But are we fooling ourselves by thinking hockey is any different at all??

Ever since the automatic 2 minutes for a high stick rule came into play, every single nhler who gets brushed with a stick in the facial area drops his stick and goes down holding his face.

Now this year with the crackdown on hooking,etc. Every time someone feels a stick on their side they go down.

It is sad when professional hockey players go down a lot easier than guys in my beer league.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Jagger

That's just your opinion and one that I personally don't agree with. I MUCH MUCH prefer soccer and, like it or not, many more people agree with me over you.... (There, that's what you don't like about soccer fans isn't it? )

It was nothing to do with what you prefer. I'm not slagging soccer, I'm just saying baseball is the more strategic game.

I'll admit I'm not a soccer expert, but it's hard to argue that soccer is a more strategic game than baseball. I find it funny when soccer fans call the sport a chess match when that's really what baseball is. The complexities of the pitcher-batter scenario are ridiculous. The game completely changes for every count, where the base-runners are, etc., etc.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I am all for people liking whatever sport they want (even baseball). I think it's a matter of opinion, and can respect that people will like sports I hate and people will hate sports I like...

but...

how can you say football or basketball have more "non stop action" then soccer?

Football is a game that is stopped after every play. If you add up the time spent between plays in a game it will be higher then the actual time spent playing. That is "non stop"?

and basketball. The last 2 minutes of a basketball game take like 10 minutes. Foul, free throw, foul. free throw.
That's non stop too?

I happen to like both Basketball and football, so I'm not trying to insult those sports, but there's no was they are have more "non stop action" then soccer. The words "non stop" should not even be used in reference to those sports.

There's stoppage between every play in football, but there's consistent excitement every 20 or 40 seconds depending on which brand of football. There certainly isn't action in soccer consistently every 20 or 40 seconds.

Your argument for basketball is hilarious - what about the other 46 minutes? Do they not count? I'm not a basketball fan, but to argue that soccer has more non-stop action than basketball is just plain ridiculous. Yes the last two minutes can be very boring, but soccer can consistently be too.

[northernflame]

Then you come in, with the message board equivalent of shouting and stomping on our sand castles coming across that we are all stupid to watch this charade, all while not seeming to realize we all pretty much agree the diving is ridiculous. There are really level headed posters that were dismayed by your post.

Well, that is just T99's MO you have to learn not to take it personally. Although I must admit it really surprised me when I first found out he is a moderator. None of the others resort to screaming and stomping to make thier points, which is the more effective and acceptable way of getting a point across.

Having said all of that, if you get past his screaming, once in a while he does hit on an insightful comment. But you're right, his obsession with the admittedly bad side of soccer is not one of those moments. It's not even an argument, just a blanket statement one can't logically attack, nor can he logically defend it.

[troutman]

Football is a beautiful game that has been ruined by simulation, obstruction and a corrupt Euro oligarchy. FIFA needs to do what the NHL did, and completely over-haul the game so that it can be beautiful again.

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by JayP

It was nothing to do with what you prefer. I'm not slagging soccer, I'm just saying baseball is the more strategic game..

Well that's not exactly what you said, Jay. You said that baseball is much more entertaining and interesting than soccer and I disagree with that statement as would many other people in the world.

Baseball is a very strategic game, you'll get no arguement from me there.

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by troutman

Football is a beautiful game that has been ruined by simulation, obstruction and a corrupt Euro oligarchy. FIFA needs to do what the NHL did, and completely over-haul the game so that it can be beautiful again.

Exactly right. Football is a beautiful game, tainted right now. Will FIFA have the gumption to fix the problems? I'm not so sure about that to be honest.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Jagger

Well that's not exactly what you said, Jay. You said that baseball is much more entertaining and interesting than soccer and I disagree with that statement as would many other people in the world.

Baseball is a very strategic game, you'll get no arguement from me there.

You must have misread me. I meant that if there was a sport that was entertaining and interesting because of the little things (ie; the things that a casual viewer would never pick up on) it's baseball (much more so than soccer). I was saying this in contrast to the soccer fans who complain that people who don't like soccer just don't "get it" (realize the little things) and then turn around and rip on baseball. I know more than a few of them. To me, if that's the reason soccer is so great then most soccer fans should absolutely adore baseball..

[StoneCole]

Originally Posted by JayP

You must have misread me. I meant that if there was a sport that was entertaining and interesting because of the little things (ie; the things that a casual viewer would never pick up on) it's baseball (much more so than soccer). I was saying this in contrast to the soccer fans who complain that people who don't like soccer just don't "get it" (realize the little things) and then turn around and rip on baseball. I know more than a few of them. To me, if that's the reason soccer is so great then most soccer fans should absolutely adore baseball..

Skip Bayless? Is that you?

Seriously though I tend to agree, not to rip soccer, because I like it, but baseball is king of in this regard.

Baseball and Soccer to me are 3A and 3B after Hockey and Football, although if I had to pick, baseball probably gets the slight edge.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by JayP

There's stoppage between every play in football, but there's consistent excitement every 20 or 40 seconds depending on which brand of football. There certainly isn't action in soccer consistently every 20 or 40 seconds.

Your argument for basketball is hilarious - what about the other 46 minutes? Do they not count? I'm not a basketball fan, but to argue that soccer has more non-stop action than basketball is just plain ridiculous. Yes the last two minutes can be very boring, but soccer can consistently be too.

I guess it depends on your defenition of of "action". If you are talking about scoring plays, then basketball if the most action packed sport on the planet. But IMO, very few plays in basketball contain what I would consider to be action.
I find that there is no excitement in the average basket because it happens so much.
They even have to constantly play music in the arenas because the "action" of the game is not enough to entertain the people there.

As for football, again it's a matter of opinion. Aside from the big plays, I don't think there's much action there either. TDs are great, but the 2 yard runs that make up most plays are comletely lack action IMO.

[CaramonLS]

Why has this turned into a Baseball vs. Soccer thing?

They really have nothing to do with eachother - they are really completely different games. You want to compare baseball to cricket in terms of entertainment value and "action", then go ahead - if you want to compare similar games compare Soccer to Hockey.

That is IF you want to toss out comparisons.

Still, at risk to fotze going to town on me, one of the reasons I cannot watch Soccer is because I have absolutely have no respect for "athletes" rolling on the ground in pain and diving.

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but it is like watching Matthew Barnaby, Jarko Ruutu and Sean Avery - I can't possibly respect a sport completely made up of those guys. At least in hockey, you can identify those guys as villains and hate them, and usually there is only one or maybe two per team.

As far as the steriods in baseball comparison... at least they are trying to do something about it (or doing at least making progress).

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but it is like watching Matthew Barnaby, Jarko Ruutu and Sean Avery - I can't possibly respect a sport completely made up of those guys.

But the thing is the sport simply isn't completely made up of those type of players. Watch the English Premiership and you will see much less diving and play acting. To be honest it has gotten somewhat worse over the years as more and more nationalities play in England but nowhere near the extent of the WC. The games are generally more exciting too.

[Table 5]

agree or not on the quality of the game, but its impossible to argue the fact that soccer has the world's hottest girls. I wouldnt mind diving into these!

http://www.wet-tshirt-worldcup.com/

(probably not work safe.)