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A Soccer Question

Dude...stretchers. stretchers.

And then hes back in the game five minutes later running full speed.
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I mean, I'm not arguing that it's not ridiculous. I agreed it's an issue but I think it is overblown. Also I think it's important to discern between the two types of "dives".

The stretcher tactic is nothing more than a time-waster. Watch the US-Ghana world cup game and you will see the time-wasting start as soon as Ghana took the lead in added time. While I understand the desire to waste time, I find the tactic to go against the spirit of the game, and I would also argue that it's no different than using intentional fouls as a clock-stopping tactic in basketball. In these instances, where a player is rolling around on the ground, unable to get up on their own, the onus is on the ref to get the injured player off the field more quickly, and to then add the appropriate amount of extra time on to the end of the half.

The second type of dive is the one that tends to get more airplay in gifs and youtube reels - and those are dives looking for a call to create a set play (PK or free kick). I absolutely despise these and find them to be a complete embarrassment to the sport and an individual. The Italians are notorious for diving but the thing is, just like with time-wasting they see it as a tactic. For teams that thrive on set plays, diving is just a means to a end. Ultimately it's up to the refs and the league to 1) discern between a dive and a legit foul, and 2) retroactively punish players for diving.

Regardless, I get the hate for diving as I hate it myself. But I don't know why or at what point people started to define soccer by diving. The fact is it's one aspect of the sport. There's a lot of aspects of football that I can't stand, but those don't define the sport for me.
 
You win. There's no faking in any other sport, and there are no tough guys in soccer.

But hey, if you don't like soccer you don't like soccer so we can just leave it at that even though it always disappoints me to hear such an opinion from anyone.
 
You win. There's no faking in any other sport, and there are no tough guys in soccer.

But hey, if you don't like soccer you don't like soccer so we can just leave it at that even though it always disappoints me to hear such an opinion from anyone.

I'm with you, ren - flopping is not a good reason to dislike a sport. Flopping happens in every professional sport. The NBA has TONS of flopping, including by its best player, as does the NHL. Even the NFL has flopping to an extent; remember the Giants lineman going down like he was hit with sniper fire a few years ago to conserve time?

The main problem with soccer is its lack of scoring. [Aside: Hockey suffers from this as well, but does better because 1) there is hitting and lots of contact, 2) fighting, and 3) sometimes the games ARE high scoring. The NHL is still at the bottom of rankings in the US though.] I'm not sure if its because American's don't understand the flow of the game, or if its another reason. But I'm pretty sure that is the main reason. Although, the fact that its not an "American" sport could have something to do with it - Rugby is not popular here either, and its the very best of football & soccer combined. Rugby's problem may be the rule book (its ridiculously thick).
 
I think hockey's biggest issue is exposure. It's just not a sport most kids are exposed to at an early age, and like soccer, the flow of the game is different than that of basketball, football, and baseball which all come from the same perspective of you are always on offense or defense, there's no in between - the game is more fluid. With hockey there is less in between than in soccer, but it's still not as straightforward/easy to understand as the big three.

And Mike - yea I'm always disappointed when someone says they don't like a sport I love. Only natural I think :) The frustrating part is when people cite reasons like diving, because honestly nobody who loves soccer enjoys watching people dive. So I hate that it's become a defining factor for some people because WE HATE DIVING TOO!!!

In the end, though, I honestly don't think those nit-picky reasons that some people don't like soccer are the same reasons why the sport isn't a top 3 or 4 pro sport in the US. Because honestly plenty of Americans who love and watch soccer are also bothered by those nit-picky things.
 
By nit-picky I mean that is the reason individuals don't like soccer. I don't think that's why soccer is not a top 3-4 pro sport in the US.

Diving is in the weeds. It's a crutch excuse that people give for hating the sport. That's not to say it isn't a legitimate reason for not liking the sport, but it's not a reason that the game isn't widely popular.

Diving has become a pervasive issue in the NBA recently, yet people still watch. PEDs are a huge issue in baseball, yet people still watch. Why do they watch? Because they know what to watch (NBA and MLB) and they are told what they're watching.

When it comes to soccer in the US I think lack of focus on one league and lack of analysis are the forest.
 
I think hockey's biggest issue is exposure. It's just not a sport most kids are exposed to at an early age, and like soccer, the flow of the game is different than that of basketball, football, and baseball which all come from the same perspective of you are always on offense or defense, there's no in between - the game is more fluid. With hockey there is less in between than in soccer, but it's still not as straightforward/easy to understand as the big three.

Yep, exposure is a big issue as well. Its a "big-money" sport, as in kids can make a lot of money if they make it, but its also an expensive sport (lots of equipment). And unless you live somewhere that has a frozen lake out back, its not easy to just go out and play a game of hockey.
 
Hey Ren, this Orlando City club is becoming a great story in US soccer.

They are 2-0 against MLS teams this year, and play Chicago on Wednesday.

Depending on that outcome, and DC United's match against New England, you may see them very soon.

Tonight, they host Brazil's top team--unheard of for a non-MLS team.

It appears they will become the next team in MLS, and Kaka is rumored to be signing here in 2015.
 
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Kaka is rumored to be signing about 20 places between now and 2015. :)

Although I do have admit that Orlando City is a great story, not sure they will be "next". MLS already has NYCFC on tap and Becks is looking to exercise his option for a club and I think they will want him sooner rather than later.

Now if MLS had a relegation and promotion model....

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So Orlando went down last night, by a score of 4-3. That snapped their home winning streak at 26 games. Still, a pretty good effort against one of the better teams.

Neo, I hear you on the Kaka rumors. I'm sure most of the clubs will at least try to chase him.

The main things that may make Orlando stand apart from the rest are the proximity to Brazil, the number of Brazilians in central Florida, and his ties to the Orlando club. And no state income tax might be attractive too.

He's attended a few practices for Orlando recently. But, maybe he's attended practices for many of the US teams......I have no idea.
 
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As for the lack of huge acceptance by the US for the sport, I never see this one sensitive subject mentioned, but I think it's the elephant in the room.

US fans like more "manly" or "masculine" sports. They simply aren't going to support sports that aren't clearly "manly" or are "feminine" in nature. It's why men's figure skating is a joke. It's why the WNBA will never bring ratings. It's why tennis will never be popular. And it's why men's gymnastics will never be taken seriously.

The diving.....the long hair that many players have....even the crowds in attendance often go directly against this theme.
 
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While I see your point and even somewhat agree with it, I defy any ignorant American guy to watch a full match and not find it more "manly" than just about any other sport.

3 subs total over 90 minutes, no timeouts - tv, injury or otherwise, and every free kick a chance for someone to take it in the nuts.

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And doing everything with their feet. ;-)
 
Mike, as a Goalie of many years, I can tell you that no contact is BS... I was kicked in the face numerous times, broke ribs, hand, wrist and just about every finger on both hands. If you came into my box and were going to challenge me for the ball when I am permitted to go at the ball fist first and you have you head to use? Well...let's just say I got the chance to take a couple guys out in my time.
 
Not saying football is less violent than soccer by any stretch of the imagination, your assertion was that soccer is not a tough sport...I disagree.

No go make me a ham sammich! I CAN PISS FARTHER THAN YOU!
 
How would you know? You better not be standing when you pee in my house!
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Just cause you sit to pee...


Neo, apologies...let's get this thread back on track.

World Cup next year..Brazil. It might be time to visit that country once and for all next year.
 
That's my goal El. I've always wanted to visit Africa for a safari, and I've always wanted to go to Brazil for other wildlife.

I'm putting it on the calendar, and I'm going this time.
 
That's my goal El. I've always wanted to visit Africa for a safari, and I've always wanted to go to Brazil for other wildlife.

I'm putting it on the calendar, and I'm going this time.


I have never really been interested in Brazil since my party days are over, but that would be one helluva World Cup to attend.

And safari in Tanzania is my ultimate trip...the Ngorogoro Crater!
 

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