Soccer Sucks(To You)

One thing near and dear to me is my favorite sport: soccer or as the lovely Europea...well rest of the world calls it "Football". Yes it is the real "football" because, hey, you actually use your feet. Well the reason I am writing about it is because I am sick and tired of hearing ESPN and various other sports announcers (even some commercials) say how "boring" the sport is. Is that a joke?

They say one reason they don't enjoy it is because it isn't high scoring enough. Well maybe if we gave 7 points for 1 goal it would be more acceptable? I mean look at all the sports we as Americans love so much. What do we got, hmm, baseball, hockey, basketball, and the GOD OF ALL AMERICAN SPORTS football. How come nobody says a 1-0 baseball or hockey game is boring? Hell, points in basketball are practically meaningless until the 4th quarter. But you see 1 goal in soccer/football(yes I sometimes slip and call it football) is wayyyyy wayyyy wayyyyyyy more gratifying than 1 run in baseball, 1 goal in hockey, 30 points in basketball, and even 2 touchdowns in AMERICAN FOOTBALL. It takes alot more technical ability to use foot-eye coordination than hand-eye coordination. Plus moving down a whole field with constant communication and opponents bearing down on you hard is a very difficult task. Then to top it all off, THEY STICK A MAN IN THE GOAL YOU HAVE TO AIM FOR THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE RULES AND CAN USE HIS HANDS!

Another thing many soccer-bashers despise about the "beautiful game" is that they HATE ties. Umm, why is that an issue at all? Baseball and basketball games can go for days if it came down to it, you think people would love to see a 7 day baseball or basketball game? I know out in L.A. they come during the 3rd inning and leave by the 7th. American football games can end in the seldom tie as well. Why doesn't anyone ever remember that? Hockey use to be able to end in ties but then they took a bite out of the early MLS(Major League Soccer[USA's league]) and implemented the shootout and wonderful "overtime loss". Doesn't that roll of the tongue with ease? So I ask you this why does nobody recall that when bringing up that argument point?

A third thing to bring up is many bashers say soccer is for wussies afraid of contact. Umm, baseball? Basketball? Last time I checked getting elbowed in the face, headbutted in the chest, clipped at the ankles, and kneed in the groin were still counted as "contact". American football though with those roid monkeys is a real man's sport. Why? Because they wear pads and are usually susceptible to obesity when they retire? You are allowed to duck out of bounds and still retain possession of the ball? Every other sport you lose the ball!

Basically, what I am trying to bring up and make aware is that there are some of us Americans have already fallen in love with the world's game and then there are some of us that still want our "American sports" and only them. But to continually ridicule a sport that the entire globe is obsessed with is just plain ignorance. It is time for sports reporters to stop using "soccer" as the punch line to their unoriginal jokes.

There is a reason that soccer games have the best atmosphere and most passionate fans. The type of atmosphere that keeps you smiling the whole time. It is a game where one player can make magic right before your eyes but it still may not change the course of the game. It is the "Beautiful Game" because it is poetry in motion, 11 pieces acting as 1 with one "goal" in mind.