23 May 04
the genius of football: make it so hard to score that the game is almost always winnable, or drawable, even by a crap team.
the better team often doesn't get to win, but this is good: the audience remains excited right to the end.
compare to aussie rules footy: the better team normally gets convincingly ahead rapidly, and almost always wins. so fans only stay excited watching those few games that stay even throughout.
p.s.
----------------------------
offside - what the hell?
----------------------------
23 May 04
Originally posted by flexmoreOh dear.
the genius of football: make it so hard to score that the game is almost always winnable, or drawable, even by a crap team.
the better team often doesn't get to win, but this is good: the audience remains excited right to the end.
compare to aussie rules footy: the better team normally gets convincingly ahead rapidly, and almost always wins. so fans ...[text shortened]... .
p.s.
----------------------------
offside - what the hell?
----------------------------
Just when you think bestiality, politics, religion and wars are the most controversial subjects that can be brought up...you have to bring up sports....shame on you.
But, I will rise to the bait! 😀
One cloudless evening in Northern Israel, near the town of Kiryat Shmona, a Canadian friend and I sat on top of a bunker drinking cheap vodka and discussing sports.
Now, Kiryat Shmona (which can be spelled in various ways, because it's a pronounciational translation from the Hebrew) is situated in the Lebanese hills. The Lebanese hills basically round upwards towards Syria where they are replaced by the Golan heights. If you drew a straight line from Kiryat Shmona, through Kfar Blum (the kibbuts I was residing on) to the Golan heights, Kfar Blum would be roughly 5 km's from Kiryat and 5 km's from the Golan heights.
So when looking upon Kiryat on a cloudless evening, all you see are masses of lights spreading out over the hillside. A very pretty and tranqual sight to behold.
Well, it would have been, but Hezbollah were assaulting Northern Israel at the time of my stay and for two or three weeks it was a warzone. Three or four times a day the sirenes would go and the loudspeakers would say, in near perfect English, with the slightest of accents: "Volunteers please to go the bunkers."
Anyway, my Canadian friend was mumbling, much as you just were, on about how crap soccer is as a spectator's sport. He thought basketball and US football were much more interesting.
My points on the argument were that football doesn't need cheerleaders, American football should be called American rugby and that any sport which needs lots of points scored to keep the attention, can't really be all that interesting. The scoring is more interesting than the game then.
I'll continue in a next post.
23 May 04
Originally posted by shavixmirAnyway, my Canadian friend obviously disagreed and complained and whined about the off-side rule as well.
Oh dear.
Just when you think bestiality, politics, religion and wars are the most controversial subjects that can be brought up...you have to bring up sports....shame on you.
But, I will rise to the bait! 😀
One cloudless evening in Northern Israel, near the town of Kiryat Shmona, a Canadian friend and I sat on top of a bunker drinking cheap vodka ...[text shortened]... eresting. The scoring is more interesting than the game then.
I'll continue in a next post.
So, I explained to him that it basically means that a ball is passed to an attacker when there are no defenders between the attacker and the defenders goal keeper. The merits are obviously up for debate.
As the vodka flowed (as it generally does when it only cost 6 sheckels a bottle, which is roughly 2$) the argument became more and more heated.
He said football was completely boring and I argued that it's the most watched sport in the world.
He said it wasn't in the US and I argued that Americans just have shorter attention spans.
He said American football is a much more tactical game and I argued that it's the dullest, most boring past-time to ever be called a sport. All they do is stand around.
Then the sirens went and we were called to the bomb shelters. We didn't go. Mainly for two reasons:
1. The bomb shelters didn't have showers and a bunch of American girls (purely coincidental, I'm sure) were holed up in the bunker for over 2 weeks, they didn't want to come out. It smelled like a zoo, for sure!
2. There's something fasinating about a bombing. You hear the thudding of the Katusha rockets being fired. You hear them hitting the hillside, not too far away (and every so often you hear them whistle over head...which is slightly more worrying), you see little fires on the hillside where something's caught flame. You hear sirens, you see spotlights shining everywhere, lighting everything in an eerie glow, then you hear the jetplanes blast past and helicopters and then the return fire of the artillery.
So we were sat on top of the bunker, a war being waged all around, drinking vodka and shouting at each other about sports.
A little surreal? Yes. But such is the way of the world.
My Canadian friend ended up admitting that 'soccer' was probably the best sport to play and I wouldn't budge an inch. I still say football is the greatest sport of all.
I have to admit though. I don't watch sports. Not even football. I really and truthfully couldn't care less.
23 May 04
Soccer: Fun to play, dead boring to watch. I played the game for 8 years so the subtleties aren't completely lost on me. The pathetic Days of our lives acting every time contact is made drives me up the wall too.
AFL (Aussie Rules): Scrappy game played by girls in tight shorts (not nearly as exciting as it sounds).
Rugby Union: Not too bad. A decent game, but could use a fine tuning.
Rugby League: Union with the fine tuning. A marvellous sport of skill and excitement with just the right mix of the old rough and tumble.
23 May 04
Originally posted by dylNFL (US National Football League)
Soccer: Fun to play, dead boring to watch. I played the game for 8 years so the subtleties aren't completely lost on me. The pathetic Days of our lives acting every time contact is made drives me up the wall too.
AFL (Aussie Rules): Scrappy game played by girls in tight shorts (not nearly as exciting as it sounds).
Rugby Union: Not too bad. A decen ...[text shortened]... marvellous sport of skill and excitement with just the right mix of the old rough and tumble.
Boring for you guys over seas... but very cool if you know how it works... How can you beat a game where scores might be 21-12 in a close game???
I know, you might not get it... but believe me... it is good!
P-
23 May 04
Originally posted by PhlabibitSome of the reasons nobody gives Gridiron a second glance are the enormous padding, the stop and start play, and the fact each team has seperate squads for attack and defence. That and the ridiculous celebrations by the players after they score. At least, that's what turns me off. 😀
NFL (US National Football League)
Boring for you guys over seas... but very cool if you know how it works... How can you beat a game where scores might be 21-12 in a close game???
I know, you might not get it... but believe me... it is good!
P-
What's the significance of 21-12, by the way? I have no idea how the scoring works in Gridiron.
23 May 04
Originally posted by dylOk, rather than a game ending 2-0 or 1-0 or tie...
Some of the reasons nobody gives Gridiron a second glance are the enormous padding, the stop and start play, and the fact each team has seperate squads for attack and defence. That and the ridiculous celebrations by the players after they score. At least, that's what turns me off. 😀
What's the significance of 21-12, by the way? I have no idea how the scoring works in Gridiron.
You get 6 points to take ball to the endzone in a 100 yard field.
If you do that, you need to kick the ball though a field goal for one extra point....
If you can't get into the endzone marching 100 yards you might just kick the ball through the field goals for an extra 3 points...
If you are really crazy... you might get your 6 points for the touchdown after marching the 100 yards... and try to get back in for an extra 2 points....
With all the different ways to score points you get close games that might be 14 - 10 or 7 - 3
Oh, the pads are needed... the way the sport works, you might be running at top speed and try to catch a ball.... here comes a guy at full speed and smokes you in the air. You flip, and with luck come down holding the ball. Everyone piles on... and you start over where you were or where you are depending if you catch that ball.
Yes, Rugby is cool, and you get HURT! People get hurt with the full pads on also, don't worry about that!
Fun game, hope you understand it a wee more.
P-
You get 4 tries to go 10 yards with the ball to get another first down.