A few suggestions on how soccer can be improved.

[anon1751035439]

These are mine but others might could add to the list.

1. Allow them to touch the ball with their hands.

2. Allow at least one player on each team to throw the ball to other players (you might want to limit the number of those who are eligible to catch it).

3. Allow for players who are on the team that does not have control of the ball to bring to the ground the person on the opposing team who has possession of the ball.

4. Allow each player to wear personal protection equipment to prevent injuries from the additional contact.

All sports are evolving to one degree or another and I think these simple suggestions would improve substantially the game of soccer.

 

[anon1751035439]

These are mine but others might could add to the list.

1. Allow them to touch the ball with their hands.

2. Allow at least one player on each team to throw the ball to other players (you might want to limit the number of those who are eligible to catch it).

3. Allow for players who are on the team that does not have control of the ball to bring to the ground the person on the opposing team who has possession of the ball.

4. Allow each player to wear personal protection equipment to prevent injuries from the additional contact.

All sports are evolving to one degree or another and I think these simple suggestions would improve substantially the game of soccer.

 

[anon1751035439]

These are mine but others might could add to the list.

1. Allow them to touch the ball with their hands.

2. Allow at least one player on each team to throw the ball to other players (you might want to limit the number of those who are eligible to catch it).

3. Allow for players who are on the team that does not have control of the ball to bring to the ground the person on the opposing team who has possession of the ball.

4. Allow each player to wear personal protection equipment to prevent injuries from the additional contact.

All sports are evolving to one degree or another and I think these simple suggestions would improve substantially the game of soccer.

 

[uhhct1]

nt

 

[urethrafranklin]

there are two possibilities, i will give you alternatives and you pick the one that best fits you:

1. you are an intelligent person (you know, at least eighth grade reading level), you go eat a sandwich and think about what you just said, i can guarantee you will regret it. delete the whole thing, and watch the film the wrestler, or milk, or spiderman two, whatever,</p>

2. you are not a member of the above mentioned group, a dunce if you will. you likely posted this between reading "obama is a muslim" e-mails you received from your mother. you continue to watch ole miss highlight videos on youtube.</p>

i must admit that i thank you for this.</p>

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

Adjust the offsides rule, from two defenders in front of you to one. That would force the goalie to be more mobile, would allow for more breakaways, and more points would be scored. Plus, it wouldn't change the whole feel of the game, like hands-touching or tackling players would.

 

[anon1751035439]

Do the changes I suggested remind you of another very popular sport? Hmmm. Does it? I really didn't think I was being that subtle.

Okay, here is my point. I don't like soccer. I do like football. Soccer would be more entertaining for me if it were more like football. And no, I don't think any of these changes will be implemented. That wasn't my point.

 

[patdog]

Soccer would be more entertaining for me if it were more like football.

You mean instead of being a 90-minute non-stop action game make it a game where there's 5 seconds of action followed by 40 seconds of standing around doing nothing?

 

[99jc]

soccersucksKU

 

[Agentdog]

5 seconds of action followed by 40 seconds of standing around

In 98, I took a German guy to one of our games. He had never been to an American Football game. I told him he would love it. Afterwards, I asked him what he thought of the game. He said exactly what you just wrote. It never really occurred to me but that is generally what happens in American Football.

 

[Agentdog]

Exactly on the offsides. Get rid of it. It would cause the defenders to cover more area and open up more passing lanes and more shots on goal. The none stop action of soccer is good and all. However, it gets old watching the ball go back and forth and never really coming close to scoring or even getting a clean shoot off.

 

[JohnDawg]

Then all a team would do is snowbird 1 or 2 players down inside the other team's 6 yd box and just play kick ball. There would hardly be any skill involved.

 

[clintstone]

I don't understand why Rugby has not caught on in the US more.

 

[RebelBruiser]

Then all a team would do is snowbird 1 or 2 players down inside the other team's 6 yd box and just play kick ball. There would hardly be any skill involved.

No, then it would be more like basketball. You can snowbird in basketball all day if you want, but you're going to be playing 4 on 5 on the other end if you do snowbird, which is why you don't see NBA teams leaving a guy behind. I definitely think the offsides rule is one of the worst rules for soccer.

I don't know the answer, but I think it's a weak rule that limits scoring opportunities. Yes, it's non-stop action, but at the same time, to the untrained eye, soccer looks like a bunch of guys kicking a ball back and forth for 90 minutes. Eventually you want to see some scoring.

Soccer likely won't change its rules anytime soon because it's so popular internationally the way it is. However, the lack of scoring (which the average sports fan in the US equates to action) is what will continue to keep it as a 5th or 6th tier sport in the US.

 

[MSUCostanza]

Rugby players and Aussie Rules players make NFL players look like ballerinas. I'm pretty sure rugby players don't wear 75 pounds of armor, and the hitting can be just as fierce.

 

[jakldawg]

 

[urethrafranklin]

Do the changes I suggested remind you of another very popular sport? Hmmm. Does it? I really didn't think I was being that subtle.

Okay, here is my point. I don't like soccer. I do like football. Soccer would be more entertaining for me if it were more like football. And no, I don't think any of these changes will be implemented. That wasn't my point.

we all got your joke. it wasn't funny. at the very least i made fun of how dumb the sentiment was. i just hate things like this, i don't like baseball, i don't watch baseball. enough said</p>

 

[Uncle Leo]

Then all a team would do is snowbird 1 or 2 players down inside the other team's 6 yd box and just play kick ball. There would hardly be any skill involved.

No, then it would be more like basketball. You can snowbird in basketball all day if you want, but you're going to be playing 4 on 5 on the other end if you do snowbird, which is why you don't see NBA teams leaving a guy behind. I definitely think the offsides rule is one of the worst rules for soccer.

I don't know the answer, but I think it's a weak rule that limits scoring opportunities.

I don't think that's a valid comparison because basketball and soccer are fundamentally different and it's difficult to compare the roles of players.

Under typical game circumstances, forwards don't play a lot of defense deep in their own end. It's not their job. Of course, if their team is protecting a late lead, they'll drop back and defend. But they generally hang around midfield and just wait for their teammates to get the ball and start an attack. And they only drop that far back because the opposing defenders push up and the offsides rule prevents the forwards from being behind them. Of course, they still must be in proper position and make the proper runs. Eliminate the offsides rule and you'll get two forwards hanging around the opposing 18-yard box. That will force at least two defenders to hang back with them. You'll force play to the extreme ends of the field, leading to little-to-no attacking build-up in the midfield. It will be little more than both teams booming the ball forward from their defense. That would suck.

If you don't appreciate what's going on when soccer players are "just kicking the ball around", that's fine. But soccer is just fine the way it is.

 

[SanfordRJones]

Then make the offsides rule similar to hockey, where the ball has to enter a scoring zone before any offensive players.

 

[seshomoru]

Seems to me that soccer has had the same rules for quite a long time and the international popularity has not only remained insanely high, but it also keeps rising. Why exactly should they change the rules because some fans in America don't find it that exciting? The sport isn't exactly going to fold and go under without American money or American fans.

 

[Sutterkane]

This is mine but others could add to the list.

1. don't post.

 

[excrementoccurs]

They don't need to change anything. They have 3-4 billion fans. Why would they want to make changes?

 

[seshomoru]

They don't need to change anything. They have 3-4 billion fans. Why would they want to make changes?

Nearly all of those fans are not Americans. That's why.

Why do you hate America?

 

[SanfordRJones]

I've watched a grand total of maybe an hour of soccer in my life and don't plan to watch much more. I couldn't care less what rules they change.

 

[PosterFormerlyKnownAsRFAA]

Make a goal worth a 100 points! Then, create a 35 yard box and make a goal from outside of it worth 500 points! We could also create a scenario where, if your offense isn't good enough to make it all the way down the field, you can stop play and take a free shot on goal from 50 yards out for a 50 point goal!

....these threads are nearly enough to make me ask that soccer threads be banned! Hell, lets finally open up that political board that was never created and I'll moderate it as a soccer board!

 

[excrementoccurs]

The average game has about 120 plays. If they average 5 seconds per play, that's 600 seconds (10 minutes). We go and sit for 3 and a half hours to watch 10-12 minutes of actual action. When I think about it like that, I can't believe I actually do that.

 

[PosterFormerlyKnownAsRFAA]

.

 

[patdog]

The average NFL game takes close to 3-1/2 hours to play and has 4.9 touchdowns scored. The average EPL soccer game takes less than 2 hours to play and has 2.5 goals scored. In terms of scores per minute, that's not much difference. </p>

 

[PosterFormerlyKnownAsRFAA]

under the right circumstances.

I just don't understand the need to bash any of it. The first thing the soccer-haters say is, "its is being forced on us." ********.

Just leave the soccer talk to us gay, communists, pussies who enjoy watching and/or talking about it. It isn't hard. I even take the time to single out the posts that will be discussing the horrible evil sport so nobody actually opens the thread (yet, at least one person always seems to).

The NFL and NBA have tweaked the rules and scoring system several times to draw more attention to the game. Fine. I don't recall major changes to the rules in soccer but I'm sure they've made adjustments here and there. There is nothing wrong with the offsides rule (accept that more linesmen need to learn it) or any other aspect of soccer. If somebody doesn't like it, fine.

 

[bigrob24]

ha, changing offsides...laughable

 

[AdamDawgDude]

under the right circumstances.

I just don't understand the need to bash any of it. The first thing the soccer-haters say is, "its is being forced on us." ********.

Just leave the soccer talk to us gay, communists, pussies who enjoy watching and/or talking about it. It isn't hard. I even take the time to single out the posts that will be discussing the horrible evil sport so nobody actually opens the thread (yet, at least one person always seems to).

The NFL and NBA have tweaked the rules and scoring system several times to draw more attention to the game. Fine. I don't recall major changes to the rules in soccer but I'm sure they've made adjustments here and there. There is nothing wrong with the offsides rule (accept that more linesmen need to learn it) or any other aspect of soccer. If somebody doesn't like it, fine.

The biggest rule change I can remember for soccer is disallowing the keeper from picking up the ball at any point. They have to play it as any other player would from a back pass.

 

[PosterFormerlyKnownAsRFAA]

They can't handled it directly from a throw-in or directly from an intentional pass from a teammate. That is the rule. And yes, that is probably the last major rule change I recall being put into place.

 

[jakldawg]

according to some
I'm looking forward to the onslaught of "soccer is for effete farn'ers" vs. "soccer will finally be HUGE now" articles when the world cup comes around.

 

[JohnDawg]

When did that rule change? Not sure how long ago they changed it, but I know it's 2 15 minute periods regardless of the score now.

 

[patdog]

I still don't know what they were thinking. Yeah, let's give a team a chance to get an equalizing goal in overtime after their opponent has scored so we can have more games go to a shootout. That's a terrible idea.

 

[JohnDawg]

The golden goal was the best ever. I don't know why they changed it.

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

<span><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vRIfn59Gydw&rel=1" width="425" height="355" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="never" ></embed></span> PosterFormerlyKnownAsRFAA wrote: _________________________________________________ under the right circumstances.

I just don't understand the need to bash any of it. The first thing the soccer-haters say is, "its is being forced on us." ********.

Just leave the soccer talk to us gay, communists, pussies who enjoy watching and/or talking about it. It isn't hard. I even take the time to single out the posts that will be discussing the horrible evil sport so nobody actually opens the thread (yet, at least one person always seems to).

The NFL and NBA have tweaked the rules and scoring system several times to draw more attention to the game. Fine. I don't recall major changes to the rules in soccer but I'm sure they've made adjustments here and there. There is nothing wrong with the offsides rule (accept that more linesmen need to learn it) or any other aspect of soccer. If somebody doesn't like it, fine.

 

[BewareOfMSUDawg]

like myself, who used to not like soccer nor would give it a chance, once you understand some of the rules and you're able to follow it, it is a lot of fun to watch. It was figuring out how stoppage time worked and how the offsides rule worked that did it for me. I enjoyed watching the last World Cup and the Confederations Cup. Even though I hated that Brazil won, they were fun to watch.

While it's not my favorite sport and I don't go too far out of my way to watch it, the big international tournaments are great events, just to see the best play in it.

 

[VinceVega70]

Watching soccer always bores me. 90 minutes of "action"? I don't call 2 or 3 goals, running back and forth and lots of whining about getting shin-kicked "action". Soccer would be a better game if the rules were adjusted to bring about more scoring. That is action. And it also needs to be made a bit tougher. Soccer exudes "european masculinity." Which is to say it is an effeminate sport for most americans. Guys falling down like you shot them when they get kicked in the shin. Overreaction to contact. Not very tough.

 

[anon1751035439]

You, madam, are a winner.