I've played chess, football, and soccer and can tell you unequivocally that football is far more like chess than soccer.

Football is far more strategic than is soccer. That's because you have more options (run, throw lateral etc), you have more TIME to decide (30 seconds in between plays etc) and the rules of the game promote more teamwork (more players per team and pretty much every play is DEPENDENT on many players performing individual tasks). Just look at the typical NFL playbook versus a soccer playbook.

NFL players DO get to sit down more (soccer is pretty much constant) BUT I guarantee you the calibre of athlete (not just endurance but size, speed, power, co-ordination and HEART) in the NFL is higher than in soccer. For example take a "neutral" sport like Rugby (neither plays it professionally) and allow the WORST TEAM in the NFL to play the best soccer team in the world and I'd bet serious money that the NFL athletes wipe the floor with the soccer guys. I mean the first time Ray Lewis lays into one of those pasty white little soccer guys it's over. Can you picture poor David Beckham trying to keep up with Reggie Bush? Please, it'd be like me trying to run down some world class sprinter.

Now you do make it good point with your quip about dogfighting. The NFL is turning into thug central and from what I can see soccer PLAYERS have done a much better job than their NFL counterparts in staying out of jail or the news. But don't feel too good because I could always bring up soccer FANS (quite possibly the most boorish and destructive louts in all of organized sports).

But what do you think of my suggested "improvements", Mikael? 10 players per team. 5 balls in action at once. And CONTACT,allow blocking.

Now don't you think THAT might be a little more exciting than 1 to 0??