OT. Come on America get with it!

[Aluminny69]

And talk about confusing rules. How many people outside of baseball plying counties can explain the infield fly rule? For that matter how many people in baseball playing countries can explain the infield fly rule?

Simple: with men on base, you can't intentionally drop a pop up just to get a double play. I'm guessing this initially happened before they made the rule, but that was before my time.

As a fielder in baseball, you have know what you are going to do with the ball IF it is hit You have to think about all the possbilities BEFORE the ball is hit. And there are many factors affecting this decision.

 

[meyers7]

So, my son informs me FIFA is still tweaking the rules. One of the latest: instant replay review of Offside Calls. Result: Linesmen are very reluctant to call Offside, since they may be overruled. So, some clear offsides are allowed to "play on" and then reviewed, causing goals to b called back. And since we are talking about all out sprints to the goal, there have been injuries related to this rule change. Any soccer lovers care to weigh in?

At least at higher levels, haven't seen any injuries because the AR's are waiting. But there is always the possiblility. And they aren't waiting because they might be overruled. They have been told to wait. The idea is better to let the play...play out and if needed, call back the goals. Than to pop the flag for offside messing up the goal scoring opportunity and have them been wrong....and the player was actually onside.

The problem is the VAR review for offside is getting down to inches/millimeters (toes, armpits, etc) as to whether the player was onside or offside. The idea behind VAR initially was to prevent blatant errors....like a player being a yard or two offside or actually onside when they scored. But now, it's just getting to minute.

 

[hoophuskee]

I’ve read on the yard a few people talking down about “the beautiful game”. Come on people, get with it. The world can’t have it wrong. Soccer/football played at the highest levels of club, college and professionally is absolutely exciting and beautiful! It’s on my television often. My daughter played club and college.


Football/Soccer
While it may not be apparent in the United States, association football—also known as soccer—is the most popular sport in the world by a vast margin. Soccer is king in virtually all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia.

I don't like it. I find it boring. I'm not saying it is - just that when I watch it I am incredibly bored.

Because others like it, I'm supposed to?

 

[MooseJaw]

I don't like it. I find it boring. I'm not saying it is - just that when I watch it I am incredibly bored.

Because others like it, I'm supposed to?

Nope, if you don't like it that's fine with me. Walk on by and watch what you like, that's why there are more channels and more sports to watch. I don't care how many people watch {like the NBA} I am not one of them. Since Jordan and crew dominated the game with speed and precision the game has become one on one, selfish play and boring to me. I appreciate team play, something the woman's game in most sports offers much more than the men do.

 

[AgStatesman]

When the World Cup was in Russia I remember going to a bar in Florida that was packed with fans. I knew nothing about soccer but decided right then I needed to get more involved. A friend of mine spent a year in college in Munich and suggested I follow this team in the Bundesliga named Bayern Munchen. I had no idea that they were a top 5 team in the world every single year but I've been lucky to see them win many titles over the years.

My main point, is that my focus on one team in one pro league allowed me to end up knowing many of the players on the international teams which gave me a lot more knowledge then I ever had when the World Cup came back around and made following the international game much better. Several of our current US team members started playing professionally in the Bundesliga.

I was a typical American (I also coach American football so maybe worse) in that I irrationally held the game in contempt, but I have come to really enjoy waking up on Saturday or Sunday mornings to catch a 9:30 am my time match.

P.S. - even though serendipity led me to the Bundesliga, it is the highest scoring most wide open soccer being played in the world currently. All their games are now on ESPN+ so easy to watch. Pick a team in the top 5 or 6 in the table and off you go. Borrusia Dortmund is a great choice. Usually second to Bayern and Gio Reyna plays there.

 

[Skeets]

Simple: with men on base, you can't intentionally drop a pop up just to get a double play. I'm guessing this initially happened before they made the rule, but that was before my time.

As a fielder in baseball, you have know what you are going to do with the ball IF it is hit You have to think about all the possbilities BEFORE the ball is hit. And there are many factors affecting this decision.

Just a little more complicated than that, but it sums it up nicely. Runners have to be on 1st and 2nd or 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The runners can advance at the own risk provided they were in the "tag up" position when the ball was dropped. Of course, it has to be less than 2 outs. I've seen infield fly called on very short fly balls to the outfield.

 

[Littlemin]

I think virtually all sports fans, even in the US, know how popular soccer is around the world. It does not change the fact that many of us, myself included, find it incredibly boring. Certainly part of that is not having grown up with the sport I have very little knowledge of strategies, formations, etc.
My son played 4 years of high school to stay in shape for hoops so I was more than exposed to it on that level. But I could not waste my time watching pro soccer where a legitimate strategy is to writhe on the ground as if smacked with a Billy club hoping to coerce officials into making a game altering call. Quickly followed by an immediate miraculous recovery to instantly playing at full speed. I don’t knock anyone who enjoys that or any other sport I don’t (see NBA basketball), but I also don’t understand and could never bring myself to admonish people for not liking something I do.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I played in HS and was very good, planning on playing in college until I blew out a knee that took forever to rehab, but I never was the same. I tell you that because there was a day when soccer (football) was my game. However, as the game has gotten "better" to me it has gotten dreary and dirtier. Europeans and South Americans have been addicted to the game for generations, but now it seems the addiction is more being addicted to huge amounts of booze to ease the pain of the game itself.

 

[npignatjr]

Are you saying that Football players picked up flopping from BB players? I beg to differ. There’s a reason why LeBron owns a soccer team. He’s the best flopper in the game.

Bingo

 

[npignatjr]

Flopping in both sports are mutually exclusive of each other in my opinion. I don't see any correlation. I remember people complaining about flopping when I started paying attention to NBA and International basketball in the 90s. Heck, it's in NFL and NHL games too.

No different than any sport, players find ways to get the edge and push limits. I know there are rules to discourage it in basketball, but it seems like enforcement is non-existent.

Floppers in the US are ridiculed, there are penalties for that in the NHL. Also in which of those sports do the players roll around like they had a leg amputated then jump up like they have been reborn?

 

[meyers7]

Floppers in the US are ridiculed, there are penalties for that in the NHL. Also in which of those sports do the players roll around like they had a leg amputated then jump up like they have been reborn?

There are actually penalties in soccer for "simulation" , that being a Yellow Card (Caution). Granted the refs need to enforce that more often.

And it's not nearly as bad as people complain about it to be. Most of what people complain about is pretty much the same in Basketball and Gridiron Football. Players just trying to get the ref to notice a foul. BB players will stumble back 4-5 steps when given an arm bar. Receivers complain about being held on routes.

On the other hand, when you're running down the field and get your leg whacked, it does hurt. And it'll leave a bruise. And unlike BB or GF, you can't just get subbed out for a few minutes. You gotta walk it off and get back to as soon as possible because your team plays down a man while you're off.

Yea, simulation is annoying, but there are plenty of annoying things in other sports too (Dan Hurley, timeouts, no advantage in BB) but it doesn't keep me from watching the sport.

I don't care if people watch soccer or not. It is kinda annoying though, when people come up with hypocritical reasons for not watching it.

 

[Beemer]

After the Heidi Bowl no network will cut away from live action except golf and the networks now split the screen to keep live golf on.

Soccer is played all over the world and in many places an electric scoreboard is an impossible luxury.

The Heidi Bowl turned out to be a watershed moment in the history of American televised sports. NBC had no idea what they were setting in motion when they switched from the Raiders-Jets game with AFL playoff implications to a movie about a little Swiss girl in pigtails...

 

[Beemer]

Floppers in the US are ridiculed, there are penalties for that in the NHL. Also in which of those sports do the players roll around like they had a leg amputated then jump up like they have been reborn?

This x 1,000,000. The NHL had to go to a penalty for flopping it had become such an epidemic. There's still too much of it but at least players know they can be called for embellishment & that curbs some of it.

 

[cancontent]

Floppers in the US are ridiculed, there are penalties for that in the NHL. Also in which of those sports do the players roll around like they had a leg amputated then jump up like they have been reborn?

This x 1,000,000. The NHL had to go to a penalty for flopping it had become such an epidemic. There's still too much of it but at least players know they can be called for embellishment & that curbs some of it.

These points are both true. The point in my reply to the other poster was that flopping exists in all sports and that soccer didn't influence it. The extent or dramatics vary, but it's still there.

The NCAA has tried to implement a flopping rule for the men's game. Results are mixed from what I've seen. I don't believe the rule has been implemented for the women's side yet.

 

[npignatjr]

Top 10 Most Played Sports In The World

We count a number of players: people who play this game, not just watch on TV or elsewhere. Global scope: 300M in China, 40M players in the Philippines, 26M in the USA.

www.linkedin.com

 

[brownale]

Floppers in the US are ridiculed, there are penalties for that in the NHL. Also in which of those sports do the players roll around like they had a leg amputated then jump up like they have been reborn?

Wasn't there a short clip many years ago when Muggsy Bogues (about 5 '+, 130 lbs)
charged into Tree Rollins (about 7', 250 lbs) and Tree fell back about 10 feet?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

not boring to watch, mind numbingly boring.
resume: 26th man on a 25 man nationally highly ranked hs soccer team.
positon 'sweeper.' coach lied. the only sweeping i did was in the classroom after team meetings.
also, 2 year 3rd string player for uni rugby squad. they have the best parties. way more funner game to play, and watch.

usfl more popular on 'murican tv today, and it's a brand new thing.

MLS TV ratings up across all US broadcasters - SportsPro read closer.
5 Possible Reasons Major League Soccer TV Ratings Are Disappointing Early In 2022 also, read closer. few bidders for new deal.

USFL TV ratings: USFL championship draws massive crowd, 2023 return.

 

[Alydar]

The Heidi Bowl turned out to be a watershed moment in the history of American televised sports. NBC had no idea what they were setting in motion when they switched from the Raiders-Jets game with AFL playoff implications to a movie about a little Swiss girl in pigtails...

Most of that game was a total bore. It only got good after NBC left. "60 minutes will be shown in it's entirety after the finish of this game, except on the west coast" has become burned into my mind. I don't even hear it anymore.

 

[cancontent]

not boring to watch, mind numbingly boring.
resume: 26th man on a 25 man nationally highly ranked hs soccer team.
positon 'sweeper.' coach lied. the only sweeping i did was in the classroom after team meetings.
also, 2 year 3rd string player for uni rugby squad. they have the best parties. way more funner game to play, and watch.

usfl more popular on 'murican tv today, and it's a brand new thing.

MLS TV ratings up across all US broadcasters - SportsPro read closer.
5 Possible Reasons Major League Soccer TV Ratings Are Disappointing Early In 2022 also, read closer. few bidders for new deal.

USFL TV ratings: USFL championship draws massive crowd, 2023 return.

The concept of the USFL is not brand new. This is another attempt at reviving an alternative league to compete against the NFL.

Hopefully the viewership numbers helps to give them some traction. With the number of players that could be available, it be nice to see another possible landing spot for these athletes after the NFL draft.

 

[Alydar]

Wasn't there a short clip many years ago when Muggsy Bogues (about 5 '+, 130 lbs)
charged into Tree Rollins (about 7', 250 lbs) and Tree fell back about 10 feet?

Is there any mention in the rules about the level of contact necessary for a whistle? The men have a flopping technical that can be called but the women do not. So the number of actresses will continue.
Why should a 5'5 pg be able to run full speed through a screen set by a large post while a 6'2" pf will get a foul? I understand that that's "just how they call it". Totally subjective. Double standards always corrupt systems over time. Flopping is just a corruption of the rules. It's gotten to the point that if a player doesn't fall on contact, even heavy contact they often will not get a whistle.

 

[John]

Yet the stadiums are full.

They don't know any better.

 

[Mdoggie]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

 

[npignatjr]

Wasn't there a short clip many years ago when Muggsy Bogues (about 5 '+, 130 lbs)
charged into Tree Rollins (about 7', 250 lbs) and Tree fell back about 10 feet?

And Rollins ridiculed. Flopping in soccer is acceptable to them.

 

[Aluminny69]

 

[Forego]

Love soccer! Hate the vuvuzelas (I believe they are now banned in most stadiums) and find the continuously singing fans most distracting. I would recommend attending some games in person before putting the game down. Like hockey, it is a much better game in person and if you sit close enough to the action you will realize that it is not the “gentle” sport you were led to believe it is.

 

[Beemer]

Well America has never gotten with it with respect to the metric system so nobody should be surprised that we're not getting with it with respect to soccer!!

 

[Waquoit]

Soccer is the best sport. I don't even bother arguing the point anymore. If you don't like it, it's your loss. You could be living a fuller life.

 

[MooseJaw]

Like it or not more kids play recreational soccer than any other sport. Drive by most parks on Saturday mornings and you will see any number of youth games being played, male and female. I coached for over 40 years, softball, track and cross country I made a big point of pushing my kids into sports in our off seasons. Soccer was very valuable in that most American sports are hand to eye coordination heavy. Having athletes develop foot to eye coordination is very advantageous in most sports and I have found no better teacher than soccer.

 

[Plebe]

Are you saying, forget playing the game, and go straight to the shootout? That would save a lot of time.

Don't know about that, but I am saying that if actual soccer commentators said "Sweet butter crumpets!" more often, soccer could be a lot more popular.

 

[Littlemin]

Soccer is the best sport. I don't even bother arguing the point anymore. If you don't like it, it's your loss. You could be living a fuller life.

Sometimes I have a hard time discerning if a poster is serious or tongue in cheek; this is one such post. If tongue in cheek, well played. If serious, no comment.