Baseball vs. Soccer

[Hemi-Cuda]

i can't watch soccer because i have zero respect for the players. the amount of diving and acting that goes on is ludicrous. if anyone thinks that diving is bad in the NHL has never watched a soccer match, that's for sure. i even had a drinking game with a few of my buddies who are big soccer fans during the world cup. everytime we saw someone flopping on the ground we had to take a shot, if a stretcher came out it was a double. needless to say we were pretty trashed by the end of the 2 games we tried this for

also i know soccer is a low scoring game, but it really takes it to the extreme. i remember there were 4 games played in one day at the start of the under 20 world cup, and the total goals combined were 3. with hockey if it's 0-0 at least you know with how fast the game is that someone could score at any point. in soccer though you know that for 90% of the game there is no chance of a goal because of how large the field is and how long it takes to get from one end to the other. the other 10% is the action actually taking place near the goal but usually it's one shot which is blocked/deflected and the offensive pressure is over. there's a limit to how much neutral zone battling i can watch

[Cowboy89]

I think they're both an aquired taste as in you have to grow up playing/watching to really enjoy them. I personally grew up with baseball and thus understand the intricacies of manager startegies and thus don't mind that there's a lot of time in between pitches. Soccer I'm not as familiar with, but as time goes and I understand more, I start to watch it more and more. I hear NASCAR's similar in that you have to watch every race for a season to pick up on which driver hates said other driver and the strategy involved. That being said I don't have enough time to watch an entire NASCAR season before I get any enjoyment out of it.

[fredr123]

I played a fairly high level of baseball growing up and absolutely love the sport. Up until the lockout, I was watching 3 or 4 games a week on the tube. After the lockout, I had a hard time watching for quite a while. Now I'll take in a game or two a month but tune in more regularly during the playoffs.

As for soccer, I played a little in school but not a lot. I couldn't stand watching it on television until the Euro Cup a few years ago. I made a conscious effort to give it a try and watched as many matches as I could. In the end, I found the tournament incredibly fun to watch. It's not like I stay up late to watch the matches on cable or anything but when the major tournaments happen I'm glued to the tube.

I've yet to see a pro soccer match live. Baseball, with all the sights and sounds and smells and experiences of the stadium, is a great way to while away a lazy afternoon.

[KTown]

I can watch both, but if I had the chance I prefer soccer over baseball.

I just wish north americans would give the sport a chance, yah there is divers, but there is bad sportsmanship and cheap shots in other sports. I'm not a fan of the diving, but if you've ever had someone slide tackle you from behind it does hurt and I can see why some of the players roll around a bit.

[KevanGuy]

Thanks for all the well though out responses guys. This thread is actually a bit of a throwback to the old CP days. Well done.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by KTown

I can watch both, but if I had the chance I prefer soccer over baseball.

I just wish north americans would give the sport a chance, yah there is divers, but there is bad sportsmanship and cheap shots in other sports. I'm not a fan of the diving, but if you've ever had someone slide tackle you from behind it does hurt and I can see why some of the players roll around a bit.

I was in the "soccer if boring" camp until I gave it a try. A good sampling of high-quality matches in a tournament of such size and tradition that it dwarfs all others is a great indoctrination. Likewise, if you find baseball to be boring as hell, try watching a few games during a tight pennant chase or during a decent post-season series. As with soccer, the quality of play and the grandeur of the stage raise the spectacle to something that even casual fans can appreciate.

[Magnum PEI]

I think a better question would be "baseball vs cricket" because soccer blows the standaround game out of the water. I remember going to Cannons games as a kid and just roaming around the concourse because the game was so boring, basically giant chess with a few sprints here and there. but the only thing worse than watching baseball is playing it. You do absolutely nothing for 80 per cent of the game (unless you're the pitcher or the catcher, then it's 50/50), I think you get more excercise playing golf, curling or bowling.
Yeah soccer games are low scoring compared to hockey or baseball, but that makes a goal so much more exciting and valuable, not like a home run every forth at bat for some roided up hulk of a man who can't run because his muscles will tear. And yeah some players dive or embellish fouls, but they do that in hockey all the time, and if baseball was a contact sport, you can bet ballplayers would dive too.
I'd also like point out that soccer is the number one sport in like 170 countries.

[Jagger]

Well, since I'm from England originally there's little doubt what my answer will be. I'm a huge Liverpool FC fan and was a season ticket holder for years.

I don't believe the majority of North Americans understand the game. It's not part of their culture. Elsewhere in the world people live and die for their footy team. It is hugely important to the quality of their lives, moreso than following teams over here it seems. If anybody has the chance to attend a Liverpool vs Manchester United game at Anfield in Liverpool they should do so. You would then get a taste for the passion and intensity that these two hated rivals have. The atmosphere is second to none. I have literally left Anfield, in the good old days of the standing Kop, with complete ringing in my ears, not being able to hear for a few hours.

With that said, I'm sure baseball, gets pretty much the same rap. If you are not brought up around the game then it means little to you. Being English, baseball is pretty much like the game "rounders" in England. That's a girl's sport! Men play cricket. Now there's a sport that North Americans understand less than soccer.

That's the real debate: Cricket or baseball?


Edit: Oh yeah, I hate diving too. It's been a pet peeve of mine for years. You never saw much of it for quite a while in England until they opened up the shores to the Continental players. The only time you saw it back then (70's to early 80's) was when an English team played mainly Italian teams in one of the Euro cups. It was infuriating to watch. Since that time it has become a problem in England too but still less than other parts of the world. FIFA has continued to make statements that they will stamp out such poor sportsmanship but so far that is purely lip service. It does take away from the game for sure and I can completely understand why it would put some neutral soccer fans off the sport.

[HalifaxDrunk]

Some say baseball is too slow, but they have forgotten (or don't know) its history and nuances.

Baseball remains a great show because it breaks down into so many great confrontations. Pitcher vs. batter, fielder vs. ball, slugger vs. slump, teams vs. expectations or even curses.

In the weeks after the 9/11 attacks, nothing was more exciting than the hopes of a Mets/Yankees World Series. The Yanks eventually lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 7 games but baseball brought some joy to a grief stricken nation. I know this doesn't make an individual game more exciting, but it is a part of the rich history that makes the game great.

EVERY play is about thinking. When you know the difference between how a fastball and a breaking pitch arrive at the plate, the game starts to take roots. The pitcher just threw an inside fastball. Does he dare come back with another fastball, or go with the curve, slider or even a change-up? Does this hitter feast on the inside pitches or down and away? So many choices, but so many ways to lose.

I am not a fan of soccer and because of that I will not bash or give my negative opinions on the sport, I respect it for those who enjoy it. I do watch World Cup games but don't have a particular team so the end result doesn't mean that much to me.

[habernac]

for the potato detective:

[troutman]

No sport is interesting unless you invest the time and emotion in learning about the personalties and histories of the players involved. That, and having a vested interest in which side wins the game. I thought soccer was deadly dull until I started watching the World Cup in the 1980s. Baseball is terribly boring, unless you concentrate on the strategy. Playoff baseball is vey exciting - but it is hard to get excited about game #100 in a long season.

IMO, if you were equally immersed in the five major team sports, I think they can be ranked as most exciting to least exciting as follows:

1. Hockey (nothing is as gripping as a playoff O/T game, or your team trying to kill a penalty in a tight playoff game).

2. Football (CFL or NFL - I love it all, even low-scoring defensive games - too many breaks though)

3. Soccer (European style can be overly defensive, Latin American has more attacking but too much diving)

4. Basketball (love to play it, but why all the time-outs at the end of the game - can't they design plays in practice?)

5. Baseball (playoffs I would rank 4, ahead of basketball)

[ParaNoia]

baseball, no question about it.

it's a boring sport to watch if you don't know the strategy part of the game..sort of like watching a chess match...you have to know what exactly is planned and counter-measurements to opponent's strategy.

other factor is, unlike the clock-driven sports, baseball had to be played to the very last out in order to call it a game. that is, anything CAN happen, and you actually will lose a game even if you are riding a 14 run lead. not a lot of sports out there allows this to happen (yes, football or basketball, but each has "multiple scoring" system...it's harder to score just 1 runs...in baseball you have to score 1 by 1 all the way up to win.)

it's also not as easy to actually play the game. try stand from the rubber, throw strikes without being hit, or try to step in the box and make solid contact to the pitched ball. and that's only the basic of the game like skating and lift the puck in hockey.

soccer? don't get me wrong, it's also not easy to play soccer, but there're 2 reasons i really dislike the sport.
1. what's the problem of soccer players being touched and they all automatically go down and cover their faces like they've been run over by a car or something. then healed once the opponent team was punished or trainers wiped their tears with a tower.? what the heck?
2 and the biggest reason, soccer is internationally known as a "violent-related" sport, due to brawls on field, brawls between fans. what? is it ok to burn down the stadium because the home team lost? it's ok to shot the national team player because his brain cramp resulting a scoring play? heck morally it's not even ok to punch an opponent fan in the face because their team won the game...but it's being done in soccer. Not every game but soccer people has to admit, a whole lot.

edit. i shouldn't use the word "hate", i apology. it's nothing against the sport, sure it's fun but just how the game is carried out. i absolutely dislike it to the extreme.

[Daradon]

I don't disagree that there is a lot of strategy in baseball.

I would however contend the athletes in baseball are easily the most unathletic of any major sport and the sport itself is rather 'unsportlike'? Most other sports you can just bust it out till your sick in one play, grab the game. Baseball, aside from slugging a few over the fence or the pitcher toasting the batters, most players can't really try to seize the game. There's no end to end rushing all basketball or hockey (or soccer) there's no sudden interceptions like in football, there's no awesome rallys like in tennis.

But that's just me. I don't mind soccer at all, it would be nice to have some more Canadian talent to cheer for.

And after a while all the strategy and stopages just get boring.

[Maserati]

^Don't worry the canadian national soccer team is prety good.Will see some nice games from these guys in the future.

As for the Cricket VS Baseball. If you didn't grow up playing or watching cricket it would be very difficult to understand.It is pretty hard to explain how it is played to someone.

[HOOT]

I just love sports! There is nothing like a Sunday(that isn't nice) where I can just lay around the house and watch whatever is on TV. I have found something good about almost every sport.

I find if you have grown up watching it or have spent time learning about it and its rules you start to like the sport even more. I think even more importantly is the more you understand the stategy of the game you can really get into it.

For me personally there is Hockey and then every other type of sport. However I am sure there is a person who would not put hockey in their top 10 (crazy people that is )

I would rate Baseball and Soccer about the same it would really depend on the venue and teams playing for me to determine who I would want to watch. If its Philly vs Nationals Regular Season or Brazil vs Argentina World Cup, I would pick the World Cup for sure.

[OzSome]

For me both games are boring to watch but not bad to play. Soccer will never be the same as baseball here in North America. It is like talking hockey in the Southern part of the United States because people are not familiar with the rules and the way how it plays. Most Americans especially grew up playing baseball, american football and basketball so for Americans, they will always pick baseball over soccer. YOu talk to Europeans especially the soccer world country and I guarantee you they will say Soccer is the best sports and none or probably only 1% will pick baseball over soccer. I am in the same way, I grew up watching basketball and only heard of baseball or soccer when I moved to Canada. Then I learned to appreciate watching hockey because I am living in hockey world country.
In short, if you are going to ask me which sports is exciting and which one is boring, I would pick hockey, football(CFL) and basketball as my most exciting sports and pick soccer and baseball as the boring sports. If I have to choose between baseball and soccer as the sports I would watch, I would pick baseball anytime because I can relate to the sports and understand it more.

[Otto-matic]

I enjoy watching Soccer on the tube more than baseball, I'll catch a couple innings but Soccer I try and watch the whole game. Some of the diving in soccer is just brutal but it hurts like hell when you get cleats in the back of your leg or ankle. Sure the replays might not show it but if you get clipped even a little bit it hurts, but for sure the sport would be better to watch with less diving but the skill the players show is very impressive to watch. Some of the goals scored in soccer are mind boggling, I was watching the Score 64 and I think Roberto Carlos scored a goal and they got a scientist to analyse the goal and they proved that it was impossible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwRYYeEk5Eg

[RyZ]

Soccer and baseball are in the same group as NASCAR, curling and golf when it comes to slowness. They can all be absolutely brutal to watch at times if you are not in the mood. The thing that gets me (and probably most red-blooded North American males) about soccer is the rampant puss-ism. After watching hockey and football (american) all year, I get embarrased for men everywhere when I watch soccer. I'd rather walk into a fight with the guys from Queer Eye by my side then any random group of guys from the Italian or French super leagues.


RyZ slow-sport flow chart of enjoyment
golf > baseball > soccer > curling > NASCAR

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by RyZ

Soccer and baseball are in the same group as curling and golf when it comes to slowness. They can all be absolutely brutal to watch at times if you are not in the mood. The thing that gets me (and probably most red-blooded males) about soccer is the rampant puss-ism. After watching hockey and football (american) all year, I get embarrased for men everywhere when I watch soccer. I'd rather walk into a fight with the guys from Queer Eye by my side then any random group of guys from the Italian or French super leagues.

not much > baseball > soccer

You very clearly have never played competitive soccer at any level... especially when saying guys essentially playing on concrete with no padding for 90 mins are pussies compared to guys who play in 30-40 lbs of padding and get breaks every minute or so. Soccer takes a massive toll on the body, most of those high speed collisions and tackles would take any "red blooded male" out for a good while, and if you don't believe me, ask a doctor or physiotherapist. (Of course, there are a lot of divers and that is shameful, but tell me with a straight face that it never happens in hockey.. to me there's nothing more shameful than a guy wearing a visor collapsing to the ice grabbing his face when a stick grazes them, or fails to connect at all).

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

You very clearly have never played competitive soccer at any level... especially when saying guys essentially playing on concrete with no padding for 90 mins are pussies compared to guys who play in 30-40 lbs of padding and get breaks every minute or so. Soccer takes a massive toll on the body, most of those high speed collisions and tackles would take any "red blooded male" out for a good while, and if you don't believe me, ask a doctor or physiotherapist. (Of course, there are a lot of divers and that is shameful, but tell me with a straight face that it never happens in hockey.. to me there's nothing more shameful than a guy wearing a visor collapsing to the ice grabbing his face when a stick grazes them, or fails to connect at all).

playing a sport and watching it are very different. of course one can acknowledge the physical demand of a sport, but that doesn't make it more or less boring for said person to watch. the fact is that some people need non-stop action, pain, aggression, and/or shiny objects to keep them entertained.