Fixing Soccer

[jay santos]

Not that it really needs to be fixed. It's a great sport, but it could be so much better.

World Cup season has been the first time I regret being kicked off Cougarboard. There's been some good discussion on soccer over there and I'm totally pumped about soccer right now.

Three problems with remedies

Problem. Officiating. Ref's have too much of an impact in the sport. And the practice of kicking players out and yellow cards accumulating to red can kill a game. Too much flopping--flopping is important because drawing a penalty kick or a card can win a game. Soccer announcers talk about the skill of a flop or the experience of a player who can draw a foul with a nice flop.

1. Two ref's on the field
2. Instant replay available--ref's automatically replay all close calls in the box. Teams have one challenge per half. Unlike football, ref upstairs can overturn judgement calls.
3. Change yellow/red card system. Yellow cards do not accumulate, are called less frequently, and a penalty box, like hockey, is set up where players go for certain time period if a yellow card foul is committed. Red card can result in ejection but should only be done on rare occasion, such as in the NBA. FIFA officials can give out one game or more suspensions in rare cases.
4. More fouls given for flopping.
5. Penalty kicks should be changed to make them less of a sure thing. Maybe take them out a little and maybe allow teams to set up their wall.

Problem. Game needs more scoring opportunities. I'm not of the opinion that high scoring = high excitement. The 1-1 USA-Italy matchup was very exciting. I love a good pitcher's duel in baseball. But because goals are so hard to come by and because a 1-0 lead is a HUGE advantage and a 2-0 lead is basically a guaranteed win, popular tactics are dominated by boring defensive-minded play that lack creativity and skill. A good strategy is to clog things up defensively and then hope the other team makes a mistake or play for set plays. I don't want to see soccer scores of 7-6, but I wouldn't mind seeing the average score go from 1-1 to 3-2.

1. Make goals bigger
2. Eliminate or tweak off sides rule--maybe use hockey's blue line rule. I don't like goalies kicking the ball down to cherry picking forwards but I hate the offsides trap on a set play.
3. Take off a player or two and make it 10:10 or 9:9. Play is too clogged up right now. Games that have players carded off are always more exciting with more open space creating more attacking opportunities.

Problem. American soccer sucks

1. Sell international soccer. I don't know how basketball became famous in China, but I'm guessing Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, etc. had more of an impact on it than whoever the Chinese basketball stars were in the 80's and 90's. Guys like Ronaldhino, Rooney, Robben, Nedved, etc. are amazing athletes and some could become household names in America if they were marketed right. Donovan and Beasly just aren't that compelling because everyone knows they suck compared to the greatest.
2. Sell soccer as a complimentary sport for little jocks. Right now soccer is a big participation sport but it dies off at age 10-12. The good athletes are focused on the big three sports at that age for the most part. Soccer should be sold to the little jock crowd as a complimentary sport to football and basketball. Baseball is useless as a complimentary sport. Soccer develops skills in footwork, creativity, man to man defense, breaking down a defense, passing--utilizing teammates, and fitness. All these help in football and especially basketball. Sell soccer as a complimentary sport to the little football and basketball jocks and some of them stick with it.

[Robin]

As one who enjoys watching sport, but lacks the basic understanding of the fundamentals of most sports to appreciate them in a more sophisticated way, I will add my two cents --

I like the soccer of photographs. Close up and frozen in time. In the soccer of photographs you can see the amazing contortions of the body that these athletes perform to hit the ball. You can see the focus and the concentration. You can see the intensity.

In the soccer of watching from the stadium, all of this is happening so fast, and at such a distance that it is impossible to appreciate these details. The soccer of watching from the stadium is more about strategy and the movement taking place at the scale of the field (vs. the movement of the individual, as it is suggested in the soccer of photography). It is harder for an ignorant person like myself to 'get it'

The television soccer bridges some of this gap.

Maybe the best way to watch a soccer match would be to have a series of simultaneous camera angles running on different televisions, all hooked up to a giant Tivo. One camera would broadcast the entire game from a bird's eye view. Another would show the entire field from the POV of the stadium. And a handful of other cameras would show a range of three levels of closeup all tracking the ball and the individual players. All of this would have to be in high def, of course.

Then you could watch the game, pause the game, view the entire field, and see every glorious play in slo-mo, if you wanted to.

A cable company should offer this sort of package as pay-per-view. I'm sure a bunch of footies would set up enough equipment to make it pay for the effort.

[fuegote]

I truely believe that if any changes are made to appeal to american fans, that the great majority still won't like the sport.

[TyronneBiggums]

I think that no matter what they do, soccer will still suck. They can't fix it.

[fuegote]

I wish somebody would fix baseball. I mean, make them run and do something every now and then.

Ultimately, sports and the beauty of them are in the sight of the beholder.

[All-American]

Quick fixes for soccer:

1. Let the players pick the ball up and run with it.
2. Let the players who pick up the ball and run with it be smeared into a thick paste.
3. Make the ball less round, so that bounces are irregular and the ball is easier to handle.
4. Begin calling the sport "Rugby."

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by fuegote

Ultimately, sports and the beauty of them are in the sight of the beholder.

Very true.

I enjoy soccer and am beginning to understand the game a bit more. My guess would be that those who criticize it the most are those who couldn't do with their feet what soccer players can do.

And, FWIW, baseball is a sport that, when it doesn't look like much is going on, there is actually a lot going on.

[Robin]

Originally Posted by fuegote

I wish somebody would fix baseball. I mean, make them run and do something every now and then.

Ultimately, sports and the beauty of them are in the sight of the beholder.

Interesting. Baseball is one of the sports that I really enjoy watching. Tons of strategy.