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Posted on 07/02/2014 4:35:56 AM PDT by NOBO2012
Soccer.... where riots break out when your team tied 0-0.
Agree totally...the NFL is dead to me, with their pink shoes, ugh...college foot- and basketball is coming close, but at this point I can't give up on sports entirely! Or can I?
When we [the USA] has a viable team ... one that can win. Or, better yet, one that shocks us by knocking out of the court, every American will be on board for soccer.
But, as long as we lag, and never win a game, we don’t care.
Close your eyes and imagine that you're watching the best soccer game ever played -- with the best players the sport has ever seen. Now imagine that the rules of the game have changed in an instant, and those same players -- especially the defenders -- spend up to half the game running backwards at full speed. And imagine that the player with the ball doesn't just have to keep opposing players from getting it away from him, but he also has to contend with opposing players who can line him up and belt him into next week in a full-speed collision while he has possession of the ball.
Now tell me which player has to be better conditioned. LOL.
Ironically, soccer has a natural tendency to devolve into a dull game because the players do need to be in great condition. The problem is that the conditioning for soccer is aerobic, while a more exciting sport like hockey is one where anaerobic conditioning is needed. That's what gives it such a frenetic pace.
Picture a guy running a marathon in typical fashion. Then picture another guy who runs the same marathon in a series of short bursts, where he sprints at full speed for 40-60 seconds and then sits down for two 40-60 second shifts ... then does this repeatedly until he covers the entire 26 miles. Which competitor has to be the better athlete here?
Being played more and more by feral thugs.
Soccer...the only game in the world that needs emergency lawn mowers on the sidelines.
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Don’t want to argue the merits of your who is the better athlete, hockey players or soccer but.....years ago I was sitting in a VIP box watching an indoor soccer game in the ‘Great Western Forum’. The usher asked my husband and I if two guys could join us. Those guys happened to be professional hockey players. Don’t remember their names or the team they played for but we got into a discussion about soccer vs hockey. Both players had played soccer and they both said hockey was much easier to play. They expressed great admiration for soccer players. Does that mean soccer players are better athletes, NO. It means all players who achieve the status of a professional are exceptional athletes, and they are gifted and skilled in different areas. Kudos to them all.
As the Tour de France starts this weekend, check out those guys. Amazing to watch them pedal for hours on end, day in and day out, for 3 weeks...I heard yesterday that some ride as many as 20,000 miles a year...
I don’t really care who is “better conditioned”. I care about being entertained. The U.S. played 4 games in the World Cup. And won, how many? 1 damn game. And that’s a success?
What a joke.
My favourite part of soccer is when the fans riot and even go so far as to beat the players. That is bang for the buck, right there.
I’m not saying that I don’t admire all good athletes. And you would think that someone like me who likes soccer would also like hockey. It’s the same principle, right? Get the ball or puck in the net.
But I enjoy curling more than I do hockey, and I think it’s because I can’t follow the puck. And I don’t particularly like that hockey is becoming as thuggish as the NBA.
Another thing that the World Cup has going for it is the nationalistic fervor. I’ve traveled overseas, and there is nothing like it when it comes to sports. The enthusiasm is contagious.
How could I forget the Tour de France?
I think you got me there. I, your humble servant, concede my point. But I did make exception with the Iron Man, and the Tour de France is that and more.
Since you spelled favorite with a U, that must mean you’ve been in those Chelsea or Manchester stadiums having a go at it. lol
> Water polo guys have buoyancy
Back in the day when I had low body fat(5%-6%), if I exhaled I’d sink. People that are in great shape don’t float well unless their lungs are inflated.
Success ? You mean like:
The Oakland Raiders
Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Timberwolves
Detroit Lions ( 0-16 in 2008 )
New Orleans Hornets or Pelicans ?
Chicago Cubs
Charlotte Bobcats
St. Louis Rams ( 2009 1-15 )
Carolina Panthers ( 2001 1-15 )
And the winner is Cumberland vs Georgia Tech 222 - 0 played in 1916.
Is a game with a score of 222 to 0 more exciting than a 0-0 nail biting duel to the finish? Or the exhilaration of finally getting that goal in the 89th minute?
Soccer will never be as big in the U.S. as it is in the rest of the world. And the rest of the world is okay with that.
Each sport has their own fitness requirements.
My brother used to play small-college basketball. He would play pick-up b-ball games with soccer players, and he was surprised how quickly they got winded. Their bodies were just not conditioned for the quick start/stop of basketball. But my brother knew he couldn’t run with them at their style/pace.
Tennis players and wrestlers are 2 other athletes that I can appreciate, but they have very different fitness requirements.
The world Cup is so exciting, I can barely contain my ennui....
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