MovieChat Forums > Bend It Like Beckham (2003) Discussion > American Football is WAY more exciting t...

American Football is WAY more exciting than Soccer

posted 10 years ago by EricaRene-Price
16 replies | jump to latest

I like soccer but I will never understand the rest of the world's complete obsession with this sport. It is a beautiful game but there is no sport more thrilling and Beautiful Than gridiron football. You have NFL in America and Canadien Football (which a friend of mine recently got me interested in) which are both amazing and intricate games. I truly believe American Football is the worlds greatest sport and if the rest of the world were introduced to it, over tine they would grow to love it as well.

[–] Jag85 9 years ago

Britain and Commonwealth countries already have Rugby, which is the original sport that American football is based on. Rugby is without armour, more "hardcore" than American football, and arguably the better sport.

As for football (or "soccer" to Americans), most of the world finds it more exciting for a number of reasons. As a visual spectacle, it's just a lot more exciting to watch players skillfully control, pass and kick a ball with just their feet and head. In comparison, it's just not as exciting to watch men in armour running around and throwing balls with their hands.

There's also the patriotic competition angle, with each team representing their nation in the World Cup, something you just don't get with American football.

[–] EricaRene-Price 9 years ago

Soccer is fun to watch until players start diving left and right. I hate that aspect of the game. Unlike most Americans I like a good 1-0 or 2-1 match because the anticipation a goal late in the match is great. Where I disagree with your point is when you say Rugby is better than our football. Our players wear pads and helmets because the hits are 10x more vicious than anything you will see in rugby. American football players are much faster, bigger and tougher than Europeans seem to think. The equipment is necessary to avoid brain damage.

Taylor Swift for president in 2026 ^-^

[–] gsfsu 9 years ago

There's also the patriotic competition angle, with each team representing their nation in the World Cup, something you just don't get with American football.

The USA is a big country and rife with geographic competition which more than makes up for the inter-country rivalries for the rest of the world. There it is countries. Here it is cities.

As for skill.....I've played both games and can tell you there is a ton more to learn in American football than in soccer. The only edge soccer has is the players are generally not substituted during the game but then they are generally much smaller people and not carrying all that "armor" around nor are they being hit and tackled near as often.

Plus, American football has both an offensive and defensive game within a game. Soccer is predominately a defensive game with very little lasting offense.

[–] xxxLillianxxx 9 years ago

"There it is countries. Here it is cities."
"There" it's both. International competition and also between cities/regions within the country, Hamburg and Munich in Germany for example.

[–] nephihaha 9 years ago

And rugby is WAY more exciting than American football, which stops every five minutes for a commercial break.

--
It's not "Sci-Fi", it's SF!

"Calvinism is a very liberal religious ethos." - Truekiwijoker

[–] MisterNick 9 years ago

American Football isn't what it used to be. The players are way too big now so injuries are pervasive and watching it on T.V. is just one long beer commercial. It's a total dinosaur.

[–] gsfsu 9 years ago

You are confusing the way the game is televised with the game itself. Give college football a try. Far fewer commercials.

[–] Hippo9 9 years ago

American football is watered down. Pretty soon they will be playing in ballet tutus and outlaw all tackling. Of the big sports it's most in jeopardy of being extinct in 20 years.

It's also really not that high scoring as you just basically multiply 6,7,8 to each score. In reality there are only a couple scores a game just like soccer.
Soccer could just multiply each goal by 100 and then magically it would be a high scoring game for those American football fanboi simpletons.

[–] nephihaha 9 years ago

It's never really taken off outside the USA either. There are teams in Europe, but considering the time, energy and money put into promoting it here, it's still a tiny sport.

I blame this partly on the large amount of kit you have to buy. Rugby's also responsible.

--
It's not "Sci-Fi", it's SF!

"Calvinism is a very liberal religious ethos." - Truekiwijoker

[–] gsfsu 9 years ago

I blame this partly on the large amount of kit you have to buy.

Agreed. This is primarily why soccer is so popular around the world and particularly the "poor" world - all you need is a ball. (Also why basketball is most popular with the poorer neighborhoods in the USA.)

[–] longbond 9 years ago

I agree that American football isn't the game it used to be. Also, the NFL's recent foray into politics and activist causes is going to be a long-term problem for their brand's fan loyalty long after they've scored their short-term Eddie Haskell suck-up points.

On the matter of scoring, the extremely low-scoring in soccer is not good because outcomes lack statistical significance, mathematically. The American motto goes, "may the best man/team win", but you can make scoring so ridiculously infrequent that a team of klutzes like me would tie a team of seasoned pros. With higher-scoring, there's a reduced likelihood of a fluky outcome.

[–] jamotide 8 years ago

On the matter of scoring, the extremely low-scoring in soccer is not good because outcomes lack statistical significance, mathematically. The American motto goes, "may the best man/team win", but you can make scoring so ridiculously infrequent that a team of klutzes like me would tie a team of seasoned pros. With higher-scoring, there's a reduced likelihood of a fluky outcome.

That is what makes it exciting. Anyway, this only works in the top leagues, there is no way a team of klutzes like us could tie seasoned pros, not even seasoned amateurs. But I do not blame you, even die hard football fans cannot appreciate just how good these pros are until they have tried to play properly on a real pitch themselves. Even basic stuff like just passing the ball around is really difficult. Biggest problem in our klutz league actually.
Also there is mostly no low scoring in the klutz leagues, most games have 5 to 10 goals or more. Goalkeeping is also unbelievably much harder than it looks.

[–] afsana_bahar 9 years ago

Nope, I highly disagree with this.

[–] MarblesLove 9 years ago

I know I'm in the minority as an American but personally, I think American Football is really boring.

This is my signature.

[–] gsfsu 9 years ago

I am a long-time viewer of televised (American) football and have played the game since junior high school. I too agree that the pro game is too slow and predictable. That is why I gave it up a decade ago and watch only the college game now. Much more exciting on the field and in the stands as well.

[–] joelgibbo7 8 years ago

Football is a global sport, all children need is something to kick and you can play. Even in the poorest corner of the planet, children can play barefoot, and become global superstars. The beautiful game, beautiful in its purity and simplicity.

Nfl is boring, stop and start, stop and start. More talk about what the half time entertainment will be at the Super Bowl.

If you think football players are soft, Google the crazy gang.

the only thing I will concede is that NFL transfers well to the big screen. But it will with a slow sport that stops and starts.