Top 10 Reasons Why Soccer Is Better Than Football

Real Clear Sports ^ | January 9, 2014 | Brian Colella

[C19fan]

Soccer is, without a doubt, the world's most popular sport. Football is, without a doubt, America's most popular. Football absolutely dominates in the U.S., but once you leave North America and nobody cares about Brady vs. Manning, or Auburn vs. Alabama. Messi vs. Ronaldo? That's more like it.

The new year dawns, like always, with a zillion college bowl games and the NFL playoffs, and the over-saturation of football has us puzzled as to why its popularity so outstrips soccer's in this country. Football's flaws, some unredeemable, are there for all to see: serious injuries, drawn-out replay reviews to interpret Byzantine rulebooks, and - let's be honest - extremely creepy commercials for Old Spice. What good reason is there to choose all that mess over "The Beautiful Game"?

[dfwgator]

Back in the 70s, players could get away with murder on the pitch, since then they’ve really tightened up the rules, but back then, by the time a game finished, you’d be bloodied up pretty good.

[Colonel_Flagg]

I guess I don’t see where communism has any relation to the relative popularity of the NFL and world soccer, but you’re welcome to try to make the case.

What I said, which has nothing to do with communism, is that soccer is growing in popularity in this country but that it’s not as popular as the NFL. I also said that millions of kids play it and World Cup television ratings are up.

If you can make the communist case, I’ll listen.

[M Kehoe]

Good afternoon. I hope you are doing well.

Back in the 70s, players could get away with murder on the pitch, since then they’ve really tightened up the rules, but back then, by the time a game finished, you’d be bloodied up pretty good.

I know you have heard of these schools...

Dillard, Plantation, Stranahan, Ft. Lauderdale, Nova, NE, Norland, S. Miami, etc. When we played these schools, blood was on the field, AND in the parking lots.

It was glorious.

5.56mm

[King Moonracer]

Soccer is socialisms game.

[driftless2]

Maybe. I don't condemn soccer outright. A sport is either interesting to watch or it isn't. The fact of the matter is the rules of most major sports make low-scoring games much more prevalent than high-scoring. (Except for basketball...which is my favorite sport.)

Like I said, nine players for football, eight for soccer. Baseball is fine with nine, but three balls instead of four would help break the complete dominance of pitching over the sport. Hockey might have the right number of players, but they could loosen the rules up a bit.

[trisham]

I hate soccer.

[driftless2]

Don’t try to fool me with your reptilian logic.

[driftless2]

No I didn't, but so what? I love basketball, but it would quite useless to try to convince people who don't like it to watch it. I assume most people have seen all the popular big sports. If they don't like it, they don't like it. I've watched big Euro soccer games with my Brit in-laws, and it was only interesting to watch them react to the plays. That is, the few actual important plays there were. But whatever floats your boat.

(by the way, one of my Brit in-Laws is a huge Packer fan. Guess which part of the U.S. I'm from?)

[Colonel_Flagg]

You know, it’s funny (not as in ha-ha funny, but more ‘that’s odd’ sort of funny): the NFL itself was a minor league compared to college football from its formation in 1920 to the 1958 championship game between the Colts and Giants.

It took that game and the appointment of Pete Rozelle as Commissioner to get the league into the place it enjoys today, which is quite remarkable. It took about 40 years, like soccer has taken to get more or less into the mainstream in this country.

So even in the case of the NFL, it does take time.

[sopwith]

DITTO

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

Watching soccer is like watching paint dry. No thanks.

[slorunner]

The Aussies describe it perfectly.

A game for Wogs, Sheilas and Pooftas

[dragnet2]

Soccer is a girls game...

It’s kick ball...We used to play that in 4th grade..

And whats with these weirdos using their heads to bounce the ball around? Very odd.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

A game for Wogs, Sheilas and Pooftas

Wordsmiths... I couldn't have said it better. ;)

[citizen]

Bfl

[driftless2]

And let me add a little of my own info. I'm in my sixties and retired. And in my approx. forty years of sitting in work lunchrooms, bars, family gatherings, nights with the boys, not one single time did I hear anyone mention anything about soccer.

Now maybe the younger generations are tuned into it. But even in my last years of work, when I was working with guys 20-40 years youngers than me, not one of them ever brought up soccer. So, in your hopes for a soccer-loving America, good luck.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Thank you. Like I said, it’s not nearly as big as the NFL here. But there are places in the world where they don’t care about Aaron Rodgers either. (My house being one, but then by my profile you know where I’m from). I love both sports.

All I know is soccer is growing and it’s going to get bigger here before it gets smaller. Will it be a ‘big four’ sport? Who knows?

[cuban leaf]

I confess that I could not have given up TV in 1997 if I liked to watch sports. Even my daughter’s games. I’m a doer. I love playing in classic rock and country bands, but I don’t like watching other bands play, except when I’m trying to get pointers.

I can watch soccer as I get my hair cut or in a auto repair waiting room, but that’s about it. I’ll watch football as a “male bonding” experience and I think it DOES have a lot more exciting moments - between huddles and commercials.

Regarding baseball, I love going to Louisville Bats games with my wife. We sit a couple rows above the home team dugout for $11 a seat. Nice weather and fun minor leage antics. It feels like it’s 1936. I like that.

[Scotswife]

Soccer puts me right to sleep.

[mojito]

“I keeeek a touchdown!”

Garo Yepremien

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGC-uGKivvE