American Football or Real Football the Scientists Have It Right

Again, I think it comes down to a knowledge of the sport.

Imagine watching a baseball game if you didn't know the rules or strategy.

 

Soccer will one day be considered a sport.

 

I tell you what, I love soccer, but I think the European style is a tad boring. Africa,Central, and South America play a very exciting brand. Most of my wife's family is in England and supports Man U (Who doesn't). When a team is on the road and is playing for a 0-0 draw how exciting can that really be? I am really looking forward to the World Cup and hope to see USA do their best ever even though they are in a tough group.

 

Thankfully, there are loads od ABUs (anybody but united)around now .

 

Thankfully, there are loads od ABUs (anybody but united)around now . </font>[/QUOTE]Does that even include Liverpool?

 

Now let's be careful here, Liverpool is a great team! Are we agreed on that?

 

Thankfully, there are loads od ABUs (anybody but united)around now . </font>[/QUOTE]Does that even include Liverpool? </font>[/QUOTE]Well, I will have to "no comment" sice one of my boys supports Liverpool - and I hate to see 16 year olds cry

 

I played soccer for one season when I was eight years old. Never went near it again until I was fourteen.

Then I got talked into playing for Barrington. I was immediately put on the travelling team and made an all star.

That just goes to show how little skill is involved in the game.

All because I could run and kick a ball at the same time. I've got a couple of trophies from that year. But I don't keep them with the real trophies.

 

The winners are not always decided by their skill, sometimes it is the other team's lack of skill

 

Mike is talking about American children playing soccer, not professionals.

I was an All-star in right field when I was a kid - is that representative of how much skill is required to paly baseball. I was starting center on a Pee-Wee football team in 1966 - does that represent the skill required to play American football?

 

There is skill required to play those sports.
Soccer is simply running back and forth kicking a ball. It ain't rocket science.

Honestly, it looks like something that belongs in the Special Olympics.

 

Not compared to a certain London side who dresses in a beautiful blue strip .

It is indeed "The Beautiful Game" when that particular side are playing .

"Blue is," after all, "the colour."

[ February 07, 2006, 07:12 PM: Message edited by: C4K ]

 

In the interest of fairness, I humbly add:
1. A scientific study? Come on. Polls are barely about as scientific as you can get in terms of fan following. Here in America, soccer is at the bottom of the list. Not saying pro or con, it just is what it is.
2. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. You largely need precious little to play. A ball, a pitch, and a couple of goals and there you are.
3. Soccer is an extremely physically demanding sport, but citing the continual play is a bit misleading. The clock continually runs, but it runs during dead ball situations as well, not to mention the time the keeper is hanging onto the ball, and the midfielders passing to each other 14 times per attack.
4. Soccer's problem is not lack of scoring. Hockey lacks scoring, but there's more action in hockey. Seeing midfielders pass the ball back and forth for 25 minutes is not intricate nor exciting.
5. "Americans don't understand the intricacies of soccer." What intricacies? I'd say offsides in soccer is the most difficult rule for most to grasp, and it only takes a reading or two to get it. Football has elaborate intricacies, as does baseball, basketball and hockey, and all these sports are more popular in North America than soccer (I believe we should include Canada in with this, too).
6. I am really bored with the "political correctness" of liking soccer. I like soccer on two levels - USA when we are in World Cup or the olympics, or Univ of Tennessee soccer. However, to most soccer fans, that's not enough. Somehow, I'm not learned if I don't like soccer and only the learned like it. Harris has done research that disproves that myth.
7. I'm also frustrated with "If we don't like it in America, it isn't real" mentality. Let the world love soccer. It isn't harming us one bit. It just gives us one more sport with which we need to use to dominate the world
8. People make fun of American football because they "require" padding. Yes, they require it, but not because they're not physical enough. People have died playing American football. Those of us who have played the game know you need it. Soccer is not without protective gear, either. So let's not be too snooty.
9. People say American football players are not well conditioned, usually pointing to the straw man of the OL/DL. Fair enough. But most of these guys are athletic. I'd put up any WR and DB against a soccer player's athleticism any day.
10. That being said, pound for pound, soccer players are probably some of the best athletes in the world.
11. Soccer fans are very passionate about the game, and it's unfair that the hooligans are painted as typical soccer fans.

 

Well said TomVols. Let the world love soccor. It is a good sport and I see no reason to degrate it nor do I feel insecure when the world attack's American Football. Thier constant attempts to belittle it show thier own insecurity. I do want to make one point though.

The OL/DL IS well conditioned. People are just too narrow in their definition, especially with regards to body type. Those guys arn't just fat. They're not even just fat and strong. There are thousands of fat and strong men in this country, and (unfortunatly) millions of fat men in this country. But only a handful will be paid millions of dollars to entertain us. That is because they are big, fat, strong, QUICK, fast, and SKILLED! Yes, the offensive line takes quite a bit more skill then any other position on the field. And as for endurance, they have to go at it, every play, ever game, full speed, battling some other huge gorilla who is trying to fight through them. You think that it is easy, try doing that for 15 straight play, 10 times a game. Most men don't have that endurance.

It is true that can not run the mile, nor are they super fast at the 100 meter (though they would probably surprise you, being faster then most who are reading this). It is their position that commands their body type and (unfortunatly) that they gain unhealthy excessive amounts of weights. Unfortunatly, many of them are unable to alter their lifestyle and lose weight (or worse, they keep eating and STOP training) and many live shorter lives then the average male in this country.

The only (major) sport where I think conditioning plays less of a role (in comparison to say skill) is baseball.

 

The English invented it. Charles Miller brought it to Brasil. The BRASILIANS perfected it. (No really, pentacampeao, 5 time World Cup champs I don't think anyone can argue)

 

</font>[/QUOTE]Ouch - expecting a comment about Chelsea from mnw in the near future