Soccer

[Raiderhater]

Gheyest sport in the world. That pretty much sums it up.

[boogblaster]

soccer is lame ... but soccer moms rule .....

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by frazod

Don't you mean "Perish in a conflagration"?

See what I mean about the fans being elitist? Good grief, just because I share the love of a sport they do they get all puffed up and even malicious.

[blaise]

I don't hate soccer but I can never get fully invested in a sport where flopping and feigning injury seem to be, at the least, accepted if not celebrated. I can't imagine waiting four years to see your team have a chance at the World Cup only to lose a game where the opponent flops all over the field and rolls around as if dying in order to solicit yellow and red cards against opponents and penalty shots for themselves.
It's bad enough in the NBA, but there at least you play seven game series for titles.
I honestly just can't get beyond the flopping and fake injuries and I doubt I ever will. I'll enjoy the World Cup, but I could never be a passionate fan.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by blaise

I don't hate soccer but I can never get fully invested in a sport where flopping and feigning injury seem to be, at the least, accepted if not celebrated. I can't imagine waiting four years to see your team have a chance at the World Cup only to lose a game where the opponent flops all over the field and rolls around as if dying in order to solicit yellow and red cards against opponents and penalty shots for themselves.
It's bad enough in the NBA, but there at least you play seven game series for titles.
I honestly just can't get beyond the flopping and fake injuries and I doubt I ever will. I'll enjoy the World Cup, but I could never be a passionate fan.

Ed "Oscar" McCaffrey played the wrong sport.

[blaise]

Originally Posted by Raiderhader

Ed "Oscar" McCaffrey played the wrong sport.

Vlade Divac and Kark Malone should have been on the pitch, too. Karl Malone was one of the strongest men in the NBA but somehow he could be sent flying by 6' 1" point guards who weighed 195.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by blaise

I don't hate soccer but I can never get fully invested in a sport where flopping and feigning injury seem to be, at the least, accepted if not celebrated. I can't imagine waiting four years to see your team have a chance at the World Cup only to lose a game where the opponent flops all over the field and rolls around as if dying in order to solicit yellow and red cards against opponents and penalty shots for themselves.
It's bad enough in the NBA, but there at least you play seven game series for titles.
I honestly just can't get beyond the flopping and fake injuries and I doubt I ever will. I'll enjoy the World Cup, but I could never be a passionate fan.

Who celebrates flopping? Actually, it's a cardable offense, just hard to catch by a ref.
MoF, there was a card handed out in the group phase for flopping.

[Donger]

Let me guess...

It's gay because:

1) They don't score enough.

2) They don't hit each other enough.

3) Ties suck.

Have I nailed the pertinent complaints?

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Donger

Let me guess...

It's gay because:

1) They don't score enough.

2) They don't hit each other enough.

3) Ties suck.

Have I nailed the pertinent complaints?

[blaise]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Who celebrates flopping? Actually, it's a cardable offense, just hard to catch by a ref.
MoF, there was a card handed out in the group phase for flopping.

I know it's a cardable offfense, but it seems to me that some of the players relish in their ability to draw penalties for flopping. And I've heard quite a few soccer analysts over the the last few weeks address it as, "Well it's just part of the game, some teams are do it more than others." As an observer, my opinion is that some countries and players make a concerted effort to gain advantages by flopping.
Look, I'm trying to be fair. I'm not a soccer basher, but if you look at these World Cup games with any degree of reason you have to admit that the flopping and faking of injury is a problem. Guys roll around as if shot, a stretcher comes out, and then 15 seconds later they're perfectly fine. One card handed out for flopping compared to all the flops I've seen doesn't seem like much. I've watched at least a dozen of the games here on my computer on ESPN3 and Univision, it's not like I haven't tried to give it a chance, but the flopping, to me, is a really big obstacle to overcome.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by blaise

I know it's a cardable offfense, but it seems to me that some of the players relish in their ability to draw penalties for flopping. And I've heard quite a few soccer analysts over the the last few weeks address it as, "Well it's just part of the game, some teams are do it more than others." As an observer, my opinion is that some countries and players make a concerted effort to gain advantages by flopping.
Look, I'm trying to be fair. I'm not a soccer basher, but if you look at these World Cup games with any degree of reason you have to admit that the flopping and faking of injury is a problem. Guys roll around as if shot, a stretcher comes out, and then 15 seconds later they're perfectly fine. One card handed out for flopping compared to all the flops I've seen doesn't seem like much. I've watched at least a dozen of the games here on my computer on ESPN3 and Univision, it's not like I haven't tried to give it a chance, but the flopping, to me, is a really big obstacle to overcome.

Diving is one of the most annoying traits of soccer, no doubt about it.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by blaise

I know it's a cardable offfense, but it seems to me that some of the players relish in their ability to draw penalties for flopping. And I've heard quite a few soccer analysts over the the last few weeks address it as, "Well it's just part of the game, some teams are do it more than others." As an observer, my opinion is that some countries and players make a concerted effort to gain advantages by flopping.

A few things;

First off, players 'using it to seek advantage' is far different from anyone celebrating it. Seeking an advantage, fair or unfair, is integral to sports. Don't know that flopping is worse than steroids or stickum. If only Herm Edwards had something witty to say about why you play the game.

Second, and this goes to falling, not flopping, but there's a lightness on your feet that you develop a sense for that protects you from injury by having a plant foot struck, but also makes you more susceptible to falling from slight touches. Basically you trade off falling over easily to avoid serious bone/ligament injury.

That said, I'm someone who's been knocked down innumerable times on the pitch and never flopped. I've complained, but only after getting back to my feet. Now, I've never been seriously hurt, so I don't have that in the back of my mind, but as someone who's had many hard fouls not called, I'm as anti-flopping as they come. I support cracking down, but you have to have solid evidence from the referee's eyes. I don't support video review unless it's just for egregious cases AFTER the match. But even then you're injecting subjectivity [is it obviousness, the amount of mugging, the stakes of the situation, the history of the player, why did that guy get away with it and I didn't, seriously it was just a quick bout of cramping, etc., etc.].

[Silock]

Originally Posted by tooge

And that will happen every 4 years. Otherwise, very little soccer interest here. Go watch monday night football down there in September when the chiefs are on. It'll be the same.

You're confusing having a major event televised with interest, which isn't the same thing at all.

There's a lot of interest here, but all we have to watch at a reasonable hour is the Wizards, who suck.

Plenty of people get up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to watch the EPL and La Liga.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Silock

You're confusing having a major event televised with interest, which isn't the same thing at all.

There's a lot of interest here, but all we have to watch at a reasonable hour is the Wizards, who suck.

Plenty of people get up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to watch the EPL and La Liga.

No I'm not. If the wizards were in first place, and they had it on Friday night at the P&L on the bigscreen, you still wouldn't get half the fan fare you would get for a routine chiefs or royals game aired at the same time.

[Silock]

Yes, you would.

[tooge]

the wizards were good and nobody watched them. I've been to a few wizards games over the years and there is what, 3500 there on a good night? I'm not a soccer fan (went with free tix to the Wizards), but I'm not a basher either. I just couldn't disagree more that there would be even close to the fanfare for a good wizards team as there would for a good chiefs or royals team. In fact, I think the truth has been bourn out over and over on that one.