A little fun: Your thoughts on soccer

wilthrill · 07-23-2007, 11:48 AM

I heard today that David Beckham (apparently some bigwig in soccer circles who is getting paid like $100 MILLION dollars to play in the US) played in his first game for a whole ten minutes. The final score was 1 to 0. Mr Beckham is making $100 million in the hopes that he can light a fire for soccer in the US (similiar to the way soccer is suported elsewhere).

Which got me to thinking....

First of all, I LIKE to PLAY soccer. It's fun and a damn good aerobic workout.

But watching soccer on TV? Give me the two worst teams in the NFL ANYDAY over any soccer game I've ever seen. 1 to 0. Oh that must have been truly exciting to watch. I'll have to pencil that one in somewhere between watching the paint dry and the grass grow.

But as always Wilthrill is here to help...

To all of you soccer lovers, if you want an exciting game that Americans might watch you need to do what my middle school PE teacher did. He had sixty kids in that class so you had like 30 people per team. HE WOULD THROW OUT SIX SOCCERS BALLS AT ONCE! Now that was pure driving excitement, baby. Six balls going at once!! And hell if you played goalie, you'd better be on your job because you might be defending 3 or 4 shots at the same time.

ambergirl · 07-23-2007, 12:59 PM

haha yeah David had to catch himself during his speech. He called it football.

wilthrill · 07-23-2007, 07:00 PM

He wishes....

But if they had say ten or eleven people per team, 5 balls in play at once and allowed blocking THAT might be an exciting enough game for me to watch.

Mikael · 07-23-2007, 08:42 PM

Soccer is like human chess. Like hockey on grass. NFL players sit down half of the game-even longer, depending on who has control of the ball. Plus they don't really have too much time for dogfighting, lol!

wilthrill · 07-24-2007, 09:32 AM

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??

Krafty Ken · 08-03-2007, 06:53 AM

I'm a big fan of the World Cup and internation soccer matches. Not so much a fan of club soccer or the MLS. I really enjoy sticking it to the Mexicans everytime we beat their asses. Their fans are so obnoxious, rude, and disgusting.

Mikael · 08-03-2007, 09:16 AM

I don't even watch soccer and really, I'm not about to start. But I do respect a "football" player's endurance.

putzdaddy · 08-03-2007, 03:16 PM

Too much flopping! And that's bad coming from an NBA fan. I like how every soccer injury requires a stretcher to remove the player from the field. The dude goes to the sideline then a trainer squirts some water on the injury site and he's good to go. Drama queens!

wilthrill · 08-03-2007, 05:13 PM

Too much little guys running up and down the field kicking the ball to one another. I admire their endurance also but just as I wouldn't watch a WHOLE Marathon in real time I won't watch a bunch of guys "passing" the soccer ball all game long. The "Simpsons" did a hilarious version of this.

You see in football you have big plays. Exciting plays. And I mean more than two or three a game more like ten or more per QUARTER! When the two teams line up you don't KNOW what's going to happen. Run? Pass? Short? Long? To the left? to the Right? Up the middle? etc ?

Soccer it's like he'll run left or right or pass the ball for the thousandth time to a guy who is going to pass it back to him thirty seconds later. And once in a blue moon someone MIGHT actually take a shot at SCORING!!

Which is WHY the soccer people should adopt my suggestions. 10 players per team only one goalie per team. Five soccer balls in play at once. (Let's the SCORING begin and you are also going to see some FABULOUS plays coming from that ONE goalie per team). And finally CONTACT baby. Allow blocking. NOW THAT WOULD BE AN EXCITING SPORT TO WATCH!!!!

Mikael · 08-03-2007, 07:08 PM

Screw trying to fix soccer, Wil. Let's just continue to export football the way we did baseball. Speaking of which, although baseball is a slow game, it's been my fav since little league.

07-23-2007, 11:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
wilthrill Band Whore Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 825 Rep Power: 46	A little fun: Your thoughts on soccer I heard today that David Beckham (apparently some bigwig in soccer circles who is getting paid like $100 MILLION dollars to play in the US) played in his first game for a whole ten minutes. The final score was 1 to 0. Mr Beckham is making $100 million in the hopes that he can light a fire for soccer in the US (similiar to the way soccer is suported elsewhere). Which got me to thinking.... First of all, I LIKE to PLAY soccer. It's fun and a damn good aerobic workout. But watching soccer on TV? Give me the two worst teams in the NFL ANYDAY over any soccer game I've ever seen. 1 to 0. Oh that must have been truly exciting to watch. I'll have to pencil that one in somewhere between watching the paint dry and the grass grow. But as always Wilthrill is here to help... To all of you soccer lovers, if you want an exciting game that Americans might watch you need to do what my middle school PE teacher did. He had sixty kids in that class so you had like 30 people per team. HE WOULD THROW OUT SIX SOCCERS BALLS AT ONCE! Now that was pure driving excitement, baby. Six balls going at once!! And hell if you played goalie, you'd better be on your job because you might be defending 3 or 4 shots at the same time.

07-23-2007, 12:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
ambergirl Band Member GCB Senior Citizen Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Escatawpa, MS Age: 29 Posts: 2,525 Rep Power: 48	haha yeah David had to catch himself during his speech. He called it football. __________________ You've Got Questions. We've Got Ambergirl. www.myspace.com/pajamasakapj

07-23-2007, 08:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Mikael Band Member Band Whore Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Down In a Hole Posts: 905 Rep Power: 45	Soccer is like human chess. Like hockey on grass. NFL players sit down half of the game-even longer, depending on who has control of the ball. Plus they don't really have too much time for dogfighting, lol! __________________ I just saved a ton of money on car insurance by switching to no car insurance!!! www.myspace.com/13468360

08-03-2007, 06:53 AM	#6 (permalink)
Krafty Ken Fawkin' Newbie Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 78 Rep Power: 0	I'm a big fan of the World Cup and internation soccer matches. Not so much a fan of club soccer or the MLS. I really enjoy sticking it to the Mexicans everytime we beat their asses. Their fans are so obnoxious, rude, and disgusting. __________________ End the occupation from Iraq to Palestine!*Does not include Tibet, Hong Kong, Lebanon, or anyone else under Communist or Islamic subjugation. They need to stop bitching.

08-03-2007, 09:16 AM	#7 (permalink)
Mikael Band Member Band Whore Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Down In a Hole Posts: 905 Rep Power: 45	I don't even watch soccer and really, I'm not about to start. But I do respect a "football" player's endurance. __________________ I just saved a ton of money on car insurance by switching to no car insurance!!! www.myspace.com/13468360

07-23-2007, 07:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
wilthrill Band Whore Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 825 Rep Power: 46	He wishes.... But if they had say ten or eleven people per team, 5 balls in play at once and allowed blocking THAT might be an exciting enough game for me to watch.

07-24-2007, 09:32 AM	#5 (permalink)
wilthrill Band Whore Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 825 Rep Power: 46	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??

08-03-2007, 03:16 PM	#8 (permalink)
putzdaddy Band Member Band Whore Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: the GPT Posts: 368 Rep Power: 35	Too much flopping! And that's bad coming from an NBA fan. I like how every soccer injury requires a stretcher to remove the player from the field. The dude goes to the sideline then a trainer squirts some water on the injury site and he's good to go. Drama queens! __________________ metal health will drive you mad!!! www.myspace.com/bestleftunsaid

08-03-2007, 05:13 PM	#9 (permalink)
wilthrill Band Whore Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 825 Rep Power: 46	Too much little guys running up and down the field kicking the ball to one another. I admire their endurance also but just as I wouldn't watch a WHOLE Marathon in real time I won't watch a bunch of guys "passing" the soccer ball all game long. The "Simpsons" did a hilarious version of this. You see in football you have big plays. Exciting plays. And I mean more than two or three a game more like ten or more per QUARTER! When the two teams line up you don't KNOW what's going to happen. Run? Pass? Short? Long? To the left? to the Right? Up the middle? etc ? Soccer it's like he'll run left or right or pass the ball for the thousandth time to a guy who is going to pass it back to him thirty seconds later. And once in a blue moon someone MIGHT actually take a shot at SCORING!! Which is WHY the soccer people should adopt my suggestions. 10 players per team only one goalie per team. Five soccer balls in play at once. (Let's the SCORING begin and you are also going to see some FABULOUS plays coming from that ONE goalie per team). And finally CONTACT baby. Allow blocking. NOW THAT WOULD BE AN EXCITING SPORT TO WATCH!!!! Last edited by wilthrill; 08-03-2007 at 05:19 PM.

08-03-2007, 07:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
Mikael Band Member Band Whore Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Down In a Hole Posts: 905 Rep Power: 45	Screw trying to fix soccer, Wil. Let's just continue to export football the way we did baseball. Speaking of which, although baseball is a slow game, it's been my fav since little league. __________________ I just saved a ton of money on car insurance by switching to no car insurance!!! www.myspace.com/13468360