The most common complaint I hear from fellow-Americans about the [tag]game of soccer[/tag]:
- There isn’t enough scoring.
Americans are so completely engulfed in the idea that more is better. The more decimal places in the score the better. As fans, we require instant gratification and something to cheer about frequently to assure ourselves our team is doing well. Soccer’s more transparent than that.
My Response to someone who says, “there isn’t enough scoring”:
By watching basketball or American football, you’ve taught yourself not to worry about the build-up to that score, and focused your attention too heavily on how many scores you get. You’re completely bypassing the appreciation for the basic fundamentals, which are the core aspect in any sport.
That “build-up” is what makes the goal even that much more special. The pass, the juke, or a promising run. In soccer, your chances to score are very limited. With that being said, the skill level required in soccer to compete consistently at the highest level is much greater in relation to let’s say, basketball, where you’re chances to score are much more numerous.
As Steven A. Warshawsky perfectly puts it,
In my opinion, a lack of scoring is not merely an incidental aspect of the game of soccer —— it is its essence. That is, the ultimate purpose of soccer is to engage in lots of furious activity to accomplish . . . absolutely nothing. Not surprisingly, when that elusive goal is scored (if it is scored), ear—shattering howls of euphoria erupt from players, announcers, and spectators alike, as if their very souls were being released from the depths of hell.
Note
I’m not saying basketball players aren’t worthy or athletic enough to play a sport such as soccer. I’m sure Kobe Bryant would have made a pretty incredible striker. 6′6”, uncanny footwork, the ability to jump out of the gym, and he was born in Italy? Give me a break. For now, he must live up to the American expectation standards and score 40-plus, or be criticized. Hey [tag]Kobe[/tag], forget the NBA Finals, come try out for the Galaxy.
Thoughts?
9 Responses
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the thing I always tell American football heads is to tell me what they think an ‘average’ score minus field goals is (since if we are going to count points every time a ball flies over a crossbar soccer will win hands down. :) ) .
Virtually without fail they tell me 14-7.
Then I tell them to make every goal in soccer worth 7 pts and ask them what the average score would be. (about 14-7)
Then I tell them that the average soccer match is an hour and fifty minutes total whereas NFL is at least 3 hours long.
The look of astonishment on their face when they realize NFL has less scoring per minute is a bit shocking. I’m not hating on the game, because I enjoy that as well, but to say soccer is boring and American football is ‘all action’ is just false.
I like that quote from Washarsky because it reminds me of why my love of baseball has waned over the years. It used to be all games ended 2-0, 2-1, 3-0 (and it wasn’t all that long ago) Now there is very little special about a home run or a run period.
P.S. I added you to my blog roll per your link trade request. ;)
This is a genius article! I hope you don’t mind if I make a post that is simply a link to this article…every defender of the soccer trade should read this.
Additionally I want to comment papa bear for his mental math on the American football vs Football scoring…well done.
I second that on the Papa Bear math. I’m going to use that from now on, it completely makes sense.
I’d like to link to this and post excerpts on my blog from this post as well. This is brilliant. Very succinct, and kudos to Papa Bear. And thanks to Jeremiah at Endlines. I found this site through yours.
Erik-
Not a problem.
-Erik
P.S. Way to go on spelling it with a K. Great to see…
Although Americans like scoring, I think what Americans like are scoring chances and scoring pressure.
In football, even if there aren’t that many touchdowns, each down has meaning and a specific goal (get x yards and keep things going). In baseball, although most players don’t get hits, any player has the capacity to hit a home run, or at the very least do something meaningful (get on base).
Even in hockey, another low scoring game, there are plenty of scoring chances, as well as episodes when one team is constantly maintaining pressure in the other end while the other team is desperately trying to clear.
I’m not a soccer fan, so maybe I miss out on the intricacies, but to me, it seems like it’s virtually impossible to maintain persistent offensive pressure- one team holds on to the ball for a little bit, the ball gets turned over very frequently, most of the few shots that are actually made are way wide of the goal.
So contrary to the original post, I would maintain that Americans actually do appreciate buildup. In soccer, the problem is there is too little buildup, too much back and forth.
Finally to papa bear– it’s silly not to count field goals in football, because they actually do contribute to the score and football fans care about them. Also, 2 touchdowns to 1 would be considered a low-scoring game by most fans.
AJ-
I respect what you have to say, you bring up some good points. I still disagree, however.
The fact that you are not a soccer fan is without a doubt the reason you don’t pick up on the intricacies.
Because there is less scoring in soccer, a single goal means much more than a pitty touchdown. For example. A soccer team is down 2-0 with 4 minutes left in the game. If team B scores, it’s 2-1. If it were American football, team A would now have posession, and easily run out the clock with strategic time management. In soccer, the possession shifts too rapidly to count out ANY team until the absolute final whistle. Much more exciting in my opinion.
It is also not impossible for a soccer team to consistently keep offensive pressure on their opponent. Take today’s Euro 2008 final for example. The balance between pressuring shifted as the game’s scenario changed. The more desperately a team needs a goal, the more pressure they’ll put on their opponent. However, that also leaves their defense open for a counter attack. It’s not only possible, it’s extremely common for a team to constantly apply offensive pressure and for the receiving team to try and frantically clear the ball. Not unlike hockey.
Before you go and say soccer cannot offer offensive pressure or any sort of consistency, I suggest you actually watch a soccer game. You seem to be a huge American football, basketball, and baseball guy…which is cool.
Good points though, very thoughtful comment.
Continuing the Discussion