That is a statement included in every conversation I've had with non-Americans when discussing the subject/meaning of soccer versus football (American) versus football (the rest of the world). They do have a point. I have never bothered to investigate why it is that we call it "football," I doubt that my or any argument out there would sound valid, anyway. I'm guessing we won't be changing the name of "our" sport any time soon, so we'll just leave it at that.
The point of this post is in regard to soccer (what the rest of the world refers to as "football"), and my rash opinion that it is better than football, the American kind. I'm going to clarify here further, by saying that I mean soccer that is played by a non-North American team. I mean absolutely no disrespect to our beautiful country, but, the fact is, we still kind of suck at the sport. I'm also going to clarify that I happen to like watching American football, very much. But, it pales in comparison to watching soccer, particularly international soccer.
I have heard avid US football fans dissing soccer for various reasons. I'll list them here:
- it's a mamby pamby sport with no physical contact
- there's too much hugging and physical affection between the players; not manly
- the scores are too low
- no cheerleaders
- I'm not wasting an hour and a half to watch a game end up at 0-0. Not exciting.
- it's boring, too much time waiting for stuff to happen
- it's too dramatic (faked injuries)
Okay. Phew. That's a lot to break down. So instead, I'll offer a counter-list:
- there is a ton of physical contact, and if you've ever watched someone get kicked in the head while jumping for a ball and then crashing to the ground in slow motion, all with no padding, you'd see it
- the international crowds are spectacular, with huge team/country pride, and sometimes they even trample each other, so, there's some physical contact for you bloodthirsty folk out there
- there are NO COMMERCIALS
- the amount of stamina and will required to run and cover a field larger than a football field, for 45 minutes straight, with no commercial breaks or long timeouts (and a short half time, then another 45 minutes) must be astounding. These are very fit Men
- the action is continual and constantly changing and challenging; you will always be on the edge of your seat
- Ronaldo, Sneijder, Casillas, De Rossi and pretty much all of the others. Eye candy, ladies, and lots of it. And it's not covered under 98 pounds of plastic pads. Even the non-gorgeous players are hot.
I will concede to the point about the faked injuries and drama, to an extent. Some of the fakes are absolutely ridiculous, and it gets to the point where you know when it is going to happen. The other bad point is that the refs can be horrible (and human), there is no instant replay (though I thought I heard they will be using it for World Cup 2014?), and the bad calls can cause devastating results. Ref sees a player down, crying and clutching his ankle, the crowd is hysterical, free kick is assigned, team scores. Instant replay shows no physical contact whatsoever. Its supremely frustrating, but at least the announcers always agree on the bad calls, and you can use it as an excuse if your team loses.
Something else that is missing to me, on a separate level, is that there is no international level of play in American football. None. Sure, we get to see basketball and hockey once every four years, but I feel it's a detriment that our most popular sports are mainly contained within our borders. It feels a little conceited to me, which is what Europeans are always complaining about, with Americans. We even call our big finale in baseball a "World" Series. I'd like to have the opportunity to show some U.S. Pride on more occasions. No one cares if you're the best country on the block when you're the only country competing.
I know, I know, we have a different personal history, we're not Europe, and we just like other sports better. I guess that's "okay", but I'll take real football over our football, any time. Soccer is 90 minutes of nail-biting thrills, skills, and yes, a bit of drama. And it is manly, I don't care what you say.
(okay, so it's not a manly pose, but this guy is.... wow)
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