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Author Topic:   How to Americanize Soccer?
Taq
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Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 1 of 53 (566250)
06-23-2010 5:32 PM


Since we (Yanks) are accused of modifying other sports and calling them our own (e.g. american football, baseball) I say that we do the same with soccer. Here are three rule changes that would make the sport more palletable to the average Yank:
1. Change offsides to an offside line like it is in ice hockey. No offensive player can enter the offensive zone until the ball has crossed the line. After that, offensive players can be anywhere within the offensive zone regardless of where the ball or defensive players are.
2. Stealing from hockey once again, if someone is actively playing the ball you can hit them with your body. No elbows or blows with the feet, but a good body check is legal.
3. No throw in. Free kicks from the side line.
Anyone else?

Replies to this message:
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 Message 22 by Blue Jay, posted 06-30-2010 11:50 AM Taq has replied

  
bluegenes
Member (Idle past 2477 days)
Posts: 3119
From: U.K.
Joined: 01-24-2007


Message 2 of 53 (566259)
06-23-2010 6:48 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Taq
06-23-2010 5:32 PM


Divide the game into quarters instead of halves, shorten the actual playing time by about half, and permit the coaches (no longer called "managers") to call a few 5 minute timeouts.
That means T.V. companies have plenty of space for commercial breaks, so you can be sold lots of consumer goods, and the actual soccer has been properly fitted around the much more American pastime of rampant consumerism.
Bring in cheerleaders doing cartwheels too, so the men in the live audiences have something to watch during the commercials.

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Percy
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Posts: 22392
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.3


(1)
Message 3 of 53 (566264)
06-23-2010 9:11 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Taq
06-23-2010 5:32 PM


How to Americanize soccer:
  1. Change the shape of ball to something more oblong.
  2. All plays must be set plays.
  3. At the beginning of set plays, require that all players be on their goal's side of the ball.
  4. Make advancing the ball with your feet illegal, except under special circumstance.
  5. Make kicking the ball over the goal worth 3 points instead of 0 points.
  6. Make advancing the ball into the goal area worth 7 points instead of 1 point.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
--Percy

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Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 4 of 53 (566267)
06-23-2010 10:52 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Taq
06-23-2010 5:32 PM


. Change offsides to an offside line like it is in ice hockey. No offensive player can enter the offensive zone until the ball has crossed the line. After that, offensive players can be anywhere within the offensive zone regardless of where the ball or defensive players are.
That might be worth trying. But I'm going to guess that it wouldn't work.
2. Stealing from hockey once again, if someone is actively playing the ball you can hit them with your body. No elbows or blows with the feet, but a good body check is legal.
No. It would deprive the game of much of the individual skill that makes it so enjoyable to watch. If you did that then how could someone be a genius with the ball at his feet? He could just be body-checked, and that would be the end of it.
3. No throw in. Free kicks from the side line.
Why? I mean, I can't see an argument against that, but how would it improve the game?

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 Message 9 by Taq, posted 06-24-2010 11:09 AM Dr Adequate has not replied

  
nwr
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Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 5 of 53 (566288)
06-24-2010 1:43 AM


Soccer explained
quote:
In more important matters, some Australians who are famed for kicking inflated bladders made from leather beat some Serbians who are famed for kicking bladders made from leather, in a game that consists of kicking bladders made from leather, in different directions. This, apparently, vindicates national identity.
  —John Wilkins
Australian business – Evolving Thoughts

  
Dr Jack
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Posts: 3514
From: Immigrant in the land of Deutsch
Joined: 07-14-2003
Member Rating: 8.7


Message 6 of 53 (566307)
06-24-2010 6:39 AM
Reply to: Message 4 by Dr Adequate
06-23-2010 10:52 PM


I think you've misunderstood; we're trying to Americanize the game, not make it better...
* Have teams of about 33 with the ability to swap people on and off at will, and time outs to do so. Entirely swap the team over between attach and defence.
* Replace yellow/red cards with some kind of sin bin arrangement.
* Get rid of the goalie; he just stop points being score anyway.

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Jumped Up Chimpanzee
Member (Idle past 4942 days)
Posts: 572
From: UK
Joined: 10-22-2009


Message 7 of 53 (566309)
06-24-2010 6:55 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Taq
06-23-2010 5:32 PM


2. Stealing from hockey once again, if someone is actively playing the ball you can hit them with your body. No elbows or blows with the feet, but a good body check is legal.
This is already allowed to some extent in the laws of the game in the form of a shoulder charge. If 2 players are chasing the ball side-by-side, they do have some leeway in using their shoulders against each other to get to the ball. Under the laws of the game, a charge is not allowed if it is careless, reckless or uses excessive force. However, it's all a question of the referee's interpretation. In the British leagues you can still get away with a more robust challenge than is permitted in most other countries and international competitions, including the World Cup.
In the old days you could get away with a full on body charge, even against the goalkeeper. There is a famous film of a cup final in England from the 1920's or 30's where the goalkeeper caught the ball on the line and the forward charged straight into him and bundled him into the back of the net. Nobody questioned that it was a perfectly fair goal. In another final the goalkeeper broke his neck, but carried on playing til the end of the match. Those were the days!

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Larni
Member (Idle past 164 days)
Posts: 4000
From: Liverpool
Joined: 09-16-2005


Message 8 of 53 (566310)
06-24-2010 7:12 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Taq
06-23-2010 5:32 PM


First thing would be to reduce the skill set to running, catching and body checking any one with the ball (and make sure players only need one of these skills).
Oh, wait. That's American football....

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Taq
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Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 9 of 53 (566351)
06-24-2010 11:09 AM
Reply to: Message 4 by Dr Adequate
06-23-2010 10:52 PM


No. [Body checks] would deprive the game of much of the individual skill that makes it so enjoyable to watch. If you did that then how could someone be a genius with the ball at his feet? He could just be body-checked, and that would be the end of it.
If I wanted to watch two prissy guys dance around with each other I would go to the ballet.
Why [have free kick instead of throw in]? I mean, I can't see an argument against that, but how would it improve the game?
A free kick puts the ball into a scoring position faster than a throw in. Wouldn't you agree that a corner kick is more entertaining than a throw in?

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Taq
Member
Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 10 of 53 (566354)
06-24-2010 11:16 AM
Reply to: Message 6 by Dr Jack
06-24-2010 6:39 AM


I think you've misunderstood; we're trying to Americanize the game, not make it better...
See? Someone understands what I am saying.
Have teams of about 33 with the ability to swap people on and off at will, and time outs to do so. Entirely swap the team over between attach and defence.
That's how recreational leagues work in my part of the world. Unlimited substitutions during a stoppage in play.
Replace yellow/red cards with some kind of sin bin arrangement.
Like that as well. Works well in rugby.
Get rid of the goalie; he just stop points being score anyway.
Actually, I would go in the opposite direction if scoring went up. Make the goal smaller. This would make for better goalie play and more spectacular saves. The perfect "American" final score would be about 3 to 4 goals a side on average.

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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


Message 11 of 53 (566364)
06-24-2010 11:52 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Taq
06-23-2010 5:32 PM


Here are three rule changes that would make the sport more palletable to the average Yank
I don't particularly think the United States needs to be accommodated. But it is a curious thing why (and I indict myself in this charge) we love soccer during the World Cup, but don't pay much, if any, attention to it any other time. There are a lot of diehard fans, particularly in Seattle (for some odd reason), but it doesn't get the attention that baseball, football, or basketball receives. I still don't know why that is.
Rugby too... Because we like rough and tumble sports. And rugby is violent as all hell. I'm genuinely mystified why rugby and soccer don't have a larger fanbase.
1. Change offsides to an offside line like it is in ice hockey.
I really can't understand why there already isn't a line of demarcation painted on the field. Why hasn't this been amended by now??? There's obviously more room for referee error without it, such as the Yanks have seen in this World Cup against the Slovenians.
2. Stealing from hockey once again, if someone is actively playing the ball you can hit them with your body. No elbows or blows with the feet, but a good body check is legal.
I don't think that's a good idea. Scoring is tough enough already (something Americans are not accustomed to. They like a lot of action). Adding shoulder checks in to the mix would severely diminish the amount goals, I would think.
Besides, America has enough blood sports (MMA, boxing, football, hockey, lacrosse)
3. No throw in. Free kicks from the side line.
I like throw in's, much easier to control the direction of the ball. However, I think it would be cool to opt to kick the ball for more range, since obviously one could kick farther than they can throw.

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from mistaken conviction." — Blaise Pascal

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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


Message 12 of 53 (566365)
06-24-2010 11:55 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by Percy
06-23-2010 9:11 PM


How to Americanize soccer 1-6
Gosh, your recommendations sound so familiar... Where have I seen this before?

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from mistaken conviction." — Blaise Pascal

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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


Message 13 of 53 (566366)
06-24-2010 11:57 AM
Reply to: Message 2 by bluegenes
06-23-2010 6:48 PM


Sounds brilliant!!!

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from mistaken conviction." — Blaise Pascal

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Coyote
Member (Idle past 2106 days)
Posts: 6117
Joined: 01-12-2008


Message 14 of 53 (566382)
06-24-2010 1:16 PM


Americanize soccer?
Helmets and shoulder pads should be a good start.
And that "no hands" nonsense has got to go!

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Taq
Member
Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 15 of 53 (566401)
06-24-2010 2:51 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by Coyote
06-24-2010 1:16 PM


Re: Americanize soccer?
Helmets and shoulder pads should be a good start.
And that "no hands" nonsense has got to go!
We already Americanized rugby. Keep the no hands policy in.

This message is a reply to:
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