Thursday, 24 June 2010
Why Soccer Will Continue To Fail In The US Even With The Success Of The World Cup
There is no doubt that soccer can be an exciting sport. If you watch the sport long enough you begin to learn the intricacies of the game. Once you begin to understand the flow of the game, it is apparent why the sport is so popular around the world. It provides the level of drama that can match any other sport. Yet it continues to be a second tier sport in the U.S.. They question is why? Contrary to idiots on the left, it is not because Americans are racists. Personally, I think soccer fails to resonate with Americans for three reasons.
- Lack of Scoring: The first comment you here is their isn't enough scoring. I don't think low scores by themselves is enough to discourage Americans from the game. I believe the side effects of low scoring affairs offend American sensibilities more than the result. Goals come at to large of a premium. That means one side can dominate a match only to lose because they can't manage to get a goal while the weaker side can luck into a goal and win (see Switzerland vs Spain). I think Americans are put off with the fact that the weaker side wins too many games. The better team on game day should usually win. In every American sport the best side on any given day rarely loses the game. Yes I know upsets happen. But it is usually because the better skilled team plays poorly while the weaker side steps up and plays above themselves. Unfortunately, in soccer this isn't the case. Luck plays too large a part in success.
Another problem with low scoring is that it puts a premium on good officiating. A bad call (USA vs Slovenia) can be devastating to one team. Having a goal erased based upon a bad call can easily eliminate up to 100% of a teams possible scores. That puts an immense amount of pressure on the officials to get the call correct.
On top of that, the difficulty of scoring makes the penalty kick a tremendously harsh call that can be handed out for a foul. Especially since the success rate for penalty kicks is around 85%. Not only does it have a ridiculously high conversion rate, but the advantage gained is massive. It is the football equivalent of being given a field goal attempt that if successful gains you 14 points.
If that isn't enough the lack of scoring makes it even more likely for a soccer game to end in a tie. Americans hate ties. Ties have been all but scrubbed out of baseball, basketball, and football. Americans don't want to watch a sporting event and it not have a decisive ending. Ties frustrate Americans. Especially the casual sports fans.
Solution: The problem is the average game might have 3 goals. That is the equivalent of a 14-7 football game. Few would consider that an exciting game. On the other hand, a 28-21 score would be a very good game. That would be the equivalent of a 7 goals soccer game. That means the scoring would need to double. The best suggestion I have heard to increase scoring would be to make the goals slightly bigger. Currently the goal is 8x24 feet. If they increased the goal size to 9x26, more goals would occur. Think about it. Almost every game has 1 or 2 shots that smack off the post. Those would go in with the new dimensions. I don't know if it would double the scoring, but it would be a step in the right direction. Regardless, something needs to be done to bring better balance to the game. - Poor Officiating: As noted previously, poor officiating can have a major effect on the outcome of the game. The biggest problem is soccer only allows 1 official on the pitch during the match. 22 players and 1 referee is a recipe for a disaster. (yes I know they have sideline officials, but they have few responsibilities outside of calling offsides and out of play.) It is virtually impossible for a single official to see everything. This leads to players acting in order to catch the officials attention. Many of the bad calls are just the referee being in a poor position to see what actually happens on any given play. In a game that puts such a premium on goal scoring, the problems with poor calls are just exacerbated.
Solution: Soccer needs to put more officials on the pitch. They need multiple officials with each given a specific responsibility depending on the game situation. In football they have nine referees and each one has a specific assignment. Heck even basketball has three officials and they only manage ten players within a very small court. Personally, I think they should add two more officials. Such a move would eliminate much of the chicanery that goes on during a game. It would be much harder for players to get away with play acting and cut down on all of the fouls that occur on set plays. Having multiple eyes on the box can only help get more calls right. That should be a major goal for the soccer federation who controls the game. Heck they should even use instant replay for all potential goal / penalty kick situations just to make sure they are clean. - Pansy Aspect Of Soccer: Watch any soccer game and within minutes you will see a player fall to the ground writing in pain. Most Americans first thought is generally, I hope that player is OK. Then magically he hops up and starts playing again.This is known in the soccer world as "diving". The player acts like he is hurt in order to draw a call from the official. The whole spectacle is ridiculous. Can you imagine a football player rolling on the ground in agony after a play and then a few seconds later get up and continues playing? Bottom line, diving offends American sensibilities.
Solution: Two things. First, they need more officials on the pitch. It would lessen the need for players to act in order to draw attention of the referee and it would increase the chances that the officials would see the dive and issue a yellow card. Secondly, all fouls should be reviewed post game. Any player that dives without being touched should be banned for two games. Such harsh penalties would help eliminate diving.
Posted by at 9:12 PM in Sports Topics
