Speed, agility, skill, brawn.
A 60 mph round ball full of air? Huh. What about a 120 mph 3" diameter x 1" thick solid rubber disk. Get if front of one of them. I have. It hurts.
And of course, fighting is part of the game. Now that's manly.
Posted on 08/26/2005 10:37:29 PM PDT by philisthemaster
American football is a "manly" sport. Everyone knows that. It mixes strategy and tactics with pinpoint execution, and brute force. I don't care for the sport myself, but I'll admit it does take a lot of skill. What's the deal with making a touchdown 6 points though? Really. To make it seem like it has a much higher score? And I don't like how everyone who tries to give an accurate summary of a football situation usually says something like "u try running a set route at a set speed, jumping up in the air, catching the ball, and getting crushed by a HUGE guy." You can make any sport sound exciting if you break it down like that.
Baseball is probably on of my least favorite sports. To be fair, it probably takes more accuracy and precision than most sports though. I'm not saying hitting a 90 Mph ball with a round bat is easy, I'm just saying....why? Why would this sport be any "manlier" than soccer? It's all planned out by the manager. Hitting and pitching are the main two points I can really give to baseball. Catching? A line drive, sure, but anyone who can't catch a ball that they have 12 seconds to adjust to is just plain unathletic. There are definitely some exceptions, but it's not that hard. It's longer than a typical soccer match (as are most sports televised in America), and it's MUCH slower. Fun to play, but really...who wants to watch medicinally enhanced guys in tight pants swing at a ball and miss 20 times before one of them hits it...and gets out?
Basketball is one sport I can give credit to. Maybe the closest American relative to soccer. It's high scoring, which is what Americans want to see. It has flair, and style, and plenty of chances to go get snacks. I don't have a problem with basketball, but it just takes a lot more physical skill than mental. But that's not at all to say it doesn't take mental skill. I'm just saying that when you have 2.3 seconds to make a three pointer, you need a lot more physical than mental skill. There are plays and everything, I realize that, but it's been turned into a slam dunk contest. There aren't that many players who want to play the game for what it is, and not for the huge multi-million dollar deals they get. The game itself has TONS of strategy and mental activity, but when I say it has little, I'm talking about the NBA.
Finally we get to soccer. A lot of people hate the game because "it's all so low scoring." It may be low scoring, but it's a tactical game also. Every pass is building up to something, and when they finally pull the ripcord and get a shot, the resulting save or goal is usually worth the 5 minutes of waiting. Is it a slow game? Not as slow as football. Let's say there are 100 plays in a football game. That's one play every two or three minutes. One play that lasts maybe 5 seconds. And don't even get me started on baseball. A lot of other people hate soccer for the completely illogical reason that "you don't use your hands." Oh, is using your feet too hard? You use your feet because it requires more practice to learn. You're already used to using your hands to do everything else, so why not use your feet once in a while? It's also inaccurate to say you ONLY use your feet. The chest and head are used almost as much for many players. And it's harder than you think. To give a little situation, imagibe this: you're standing behind a muscular defender, and the ball is coming in at, oh let's say 60 Mph. Would you be brave enough to jump up and redirect the ball (which when fully inflated is just as hard as a basketball) with your forehead? All the while, the defender is grabbing at your shirt and pushing...and once you get in the air, don't think he won't throw an elbow, or even head you. I could go on, but I'd rather hear other people's opinions.
For what my plea is worth, please don't just say "soccer sux, its so gay." If you're going to say that, please give me a reason. I'm just wondering if anyone has a good reason to not like soccer.
"I'm just wondering if anyone has a good reason to not like soccer."
The socks.
interesting first post.
Soccer. What's that?
I love my American Football. The scoring system kinda makes sense if you think about it. It is roughly merit-based, which is as American as it gets. So the lowest score is 1, an easy kick at point-blank range. The defense gets to score 2 for a tackle in the endzone. That alone encourages flat out raw animal clashes in those situations. You also get 2 points, often changing the final outcome of close games for being bold enough to think and believe your team can put it in the endzone twice consecutively from scrimmage. I think the reason a field goal is worth 3 is because the team usually has to organize a decent drive to get close enough. Obviously, touchdowns are what you want to see in a game, they are just that spectacular. The reward is double because it's just that much harder to do. And the chance to add one more makes it worth more than double. That ensures that no strategy to only get close enough for your ace kicker will work in the long run. We want TDs and we're willing to pay big points for them, which is very American.
This scoring system was deliberately set up to produce close but not identical scores, which are always more exciting. It encourages risk taking for greater rewards. Risk means suspense, and the endings of some of these games can have grown men chewing their fingernails.
Can you tell I'm ready for the season to start?
I don't have to, you already have. One thing is for sure with OUR American sports....People are not stabbed, beaten to death, or crushed to death!!!! The sport simply will never match the popularity of Football, Baseball or Basketball. We have too many years and years of sports stars and legends. And your comment about "medicinally enhanced guys" is laughable. Oh, and soccer is steroid free?? Yeah right!! You belong in England, I'm sure they would appreciate your enthusiasm for such a sucky and gay sport over there!!
I find no enthusiastic stimulation in team sports. Now boxing, martial arts or UFC...or really as I think about it, it's really the individual triumph that I enjoy. Each sport has it's moments, but most team sports are slow.
Next, there are times during a soccer match that hands are used, like by the goalie for a block or save, and for some inbounding of the ball.
Soccer can be fun to play, but it is a total bore to watch. NBA basketball has outed itself from my heart because of all the trash that now goes on in the game...too many spoiled, overpaid, Jordan wanna be's.
Baseball is fun to watch because of the intensity factor...bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, 2 outs, and the home team down by 1.
American Football is by far the best to watch. You just never know what's going to happen next. I can't count how many times I've been in front of the TV (or sometimes in the stadium), screaming! I, for one, love instant replay, but I usually have the call down before they even take it to the booth. It is just so damn exciting.
Most sports have a certain level of ability to play well, yes, even golf and fishing (which I love to do both) for various reasons.
I believe that out of all the sports listed, soccer is the easiest. You learn where to stand, what lines not to cross, and kick or head the ball to someone else with the same color shirt. This is probably why you like this sport so damn much, it's the only one your good enough to play.
One advantage of soccer...You don't have to be a Gorilla to play :)
Soccer is not a sport, it's an Italian aerobics exercise.
Soccer is incredibly boring. It's more boring than baseball if that's possible. You're lucky if there are 2 goals per game in soccer.
Well said...soccer is the sport for dorks that can't play any other...
"..soccer is the sport for dorks that can't play any other..."
Classic. It's also the perfect sport for wuss-ass liberals worried about 'self esteem' for their kids. Everyone gets to go out there, run around aimlessly, generally accomplishing and contributing little to the team's effort, with little scrutiny on the activities of any player and then after the 'game', everyone gets told how well they played. The perfect commie sport.
That's a good reason.
Speed, agility, skill, brawn.
A 60 mph round ball full of air? Huh. What about a 120 mph 3" diameter x 1" thick solid rubber disk. Get if front of one of them. I have. It hurts.
And of course, fighting is part of the game. Now that's manly.
Soccer players.
I was tempted to make a snide remark, but I'll answer seriously. Arguments about the degree of skill various sports require aside, the main reason I personally can't get behind soccer is the lack of tradition it holds for me as an American. When I was growing up, soccer was only played by girls and boys too young to play football. What small amount of professional soccer there was in the US held no interest because it was played mostly by Europeans and Third Worlders I couldn't relate to, plus no one I knew was interested in watching it or discussing it. When they were hyping World Cup soccer, I wasn't interested because a large part of sports for me is tradition and rivalry that have personal significance in my own experience; I can't get excited about Germany vs. Mexico like I can about UGA vs. Auburn or the Braves vs whoever. Also, the sports I follow are NFL, college football (SEC), baseball, hockey, NASCAR, and golf. I really don't have room on my plate for another sport.
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