Why Soccer Is Better Than Football

The Wall Street Journal ^ | May 18, 2012 | BRUCE ORWALL

[strider44]

Whats the toughest thing about playing soccer?

- Having to tell your parents you’re gay

[copaliscrossing]

Soccer & hockey ... rather just sit and watch grass grow.

Lol....that's what I always say about NBA basketball.

[copaliscrossing]

I accidentally caught part of a Premier English soccer game one day while I was surfing channels and I have to admit that it was unlike other soccer games I've watched in the past. It was definitely more aggressive play. The Brits were always driving hard to make goals rather than constantly passing back and forth amongst themselves.

From what I understand, this is the big difference between the European style soccer and Latin American style. European is more physical and faster up and down the field, whereas, the Latin American game is more pass happy and getting pretty with the ball.

At least that's what I have been told...lol

[rod1]

At least a soccer game does end in our lifetime. Our whole hosehold is pretty irritated with the how-many-commercials-can-we possibly-get NFL games (didn’t they used to be fully within a 3 hour slot as televised?). and for baseball games, my wife will absolutely not tolerate the duration which has more spitting per inning than any other action. Golf is actually beginning to seem as exciting as baseball (and not much longer).

[dfwgator]

You say that, but everytime they’ve interviewed soccer players, they basically said that they are not comfortable playing with gays on their team, and that a gay player would have a pretty rough go of it.

[dsrtsage]

I haven’t had time to check the score...Is it still 0-0?

[rod1]

My son was a goalie. It is not that gentle when you are diving for a ball just as a player is unloading a blast or... when you are playing kiss-kiss with an upright.

[867V309]

Whats the toughest thing about playing soccer?

- Having to tell your parents you’re gay

I thought that was skateboarding. My bad :)

[kearnyirish2]

I love World Cup soccer because they play their hearts out for their countries (and soccer has no commercials). US and Mexican soccer suck by comparison.

[Revolting cat!]

(American) football as a homoerotic ritual

[dfwgator]

Would it make you feel any better if each goal in soccer was worth 7 points?

[kearnyirish2]

Live hockey is incredible; not so good on TV.

[dsrtsage]

If they were worth 100 points, the score would still be 0-0

[vladimir998]

Yes, indeed. Here’s the proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlG3qqtWNy8

[dfwgator]

Less than 5% of games end 0-0.

[InvisibleChurch]

well, if noel gallagher is going to cry about soccer then it must be the world’s greatest game . don’t writers ever read what they write before they send their items off to print?

[kearnyirish2]

US soccer will never be popular because it is too easy for Americans to watch live games where they have talent (Europe, where even the best South Americans play). Why would someone watch the Red Bulls when they can watch Real Madrid?

[dfwgator]

Even hockey now seems to have endless TV timeouts, which really screws things up when you attend the games.

[dsrtsage]

perhaps, but what percent of the games that ended 1-0 had the score occur in the last minute?

[dfwgator]

It’s like European basketball fans...are you going to watch your domestic league games, or the NBA.