# Soccer vs. Football: Which one will comet dominate as the biggest spectator sport? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 5, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803 "2011-05-05T03:36:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/41 "2011-05-05T16:40:26Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > One big reason I can think of for why football would never pass soccer’s global popularity is the equipment involved. For soccer you need a ball and something to serve as a goal. For football, for real football anyway, the helmets and pads required would rack up a high cost even to get a youth league started. Also the simple fact that American Football is a prohibitively complex and utterly perplexing game for those who did not grow up with it. American Football is a near-religion in much of the US; for most of the rest of the world outside of North America their primary exposure to the game is probably the Superbowl, likely watched merely for the spectacle (and the commercials, as is also true of a large portion of even the US audience). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/42 "2011-05-05T16:41:04Z")
big men, pounding each other hard… being given hummers… I had no idea just how _gay_ American football was! :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/43 "2011-05-05T16:44:35Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > big men, pounding each other hard… being given hummers… I had no idea just how _gay_ American football was! :eek: > > 😉 Well, your first clue should have been that almost all plays appear to start with one man giving another man a reach-under… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/44 "2011-05-05T16:59:53Z")
As they damned well should, if they’re being hit on from behind! :righteous indignation: ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/45 "2011-05-05T16:59:57Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Also the simple fact that American Football is a prohibitively complex and utterly perplexing game for those who did not grow up with it. American Football is a near-religion in much of the US; for most of the rest of the world outside of North America their primary exposure to the game is probably the Superbowl, likely watched merely for the spectacle (and the commercials, as is also true of a large portion of even the US audience). The primary exposure would be movies where there is an American football game in progress. I doubt many people outside of the States ever watched a Superbowl game. ---
**Author:** ![Wash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@Wash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wash)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/46 "2011-05-05T17:04:17Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > I can agree with you, as a participation sport soccer will be more “popular” because other countries can’t afford footabll. But the NFL will likely come to beat soccer in terms of spectator (especially TV viewership) as it offers a superior, more entertaining product with high production values, great humorous commercials and the visceral excitement of large men pounding each other hard and the violence of helmet-to-helmet hits. Soccer just doesn’t have any big plays or flashy excitement, its really a relic of the 19th century spread by the British empire and only popular due to its low cost. > > Soccer is a small fuel efficient Prius, practical but not exciting, Football is a Hummer, big expensive and exciting. I am truly amazed at your ability to completely ignore the multitude of posts that refute your preconceived ignorance. Tell me, do you also still believe that Obama was born in Kenya? ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/47 "2011-05-05T17:15:20Z")
As much as I love football, I think there’s a number of uphill battles that will more or less prevent it from being a global sport in the way that soccer is. 1. Football is far more complex than soccer. That is, pretty much anyone can watch a soccer game with little or no knowledge and more or less figure out what’s going on. In football, you can probably figure out the gist, but there’s so much going on with downs, penalties, formations, various scoring methods, runs/passes, special teams… It’s not something that can be taken up easily. 2. Football is uniquely American. Not only does it fit the american psyche a well and not so much others, but I also think there’s a general world resistance to things that are uniquely American. In order to make it a global sport, it needs to be allowed to grow on it’s own. 3. In a similar vein to the above, there’s this odd notion that one is either a football or soccer fan, but cannot be both and I don’t see this with many other major sports like basketball. The hostility between the fans of these sports puts football at a huge disadvantage simply because of the numbers involved. 4. I do think cost is also a major factor, where all soccer needs is a ball, two goals, and a stopwatch with seating for a venue, and cleats and possibly shin guards as specialized equipment for players. Football needs a rigidly measured field, multiple clocks, a specialized score board, chains, many more refs and, obviously, each player needs significantly more specialized equipment. And while this isn’t a big deal at the professional level, it is a big deal at the youth level which is where much of the interest in other countries will be developed. 5. Injuries are probably both more frequent and more serious in football than in soccer. Beyond that, even without getting injured, the wear and tear from playing football is significantly higher. This means fewer games in total, and also makes it harder on casual pick up games or youth football. 6. General perception of the sports is widely different as well. Sure, a lot of Americans see soccer as a kids game, but I think most of the rest of the world view football as barbaric and complex. Until that perception is changed, and it’s seen in the rest of the world the same way it is in the US, as highly cerebral with a high degree of specialized atheleticism, it simply won’t pick up. That all said, as the NFL continues to gain some footing in Europe, I think it’s popularity will grow, and now that they’re finally seriously looking at brain injuries, it might help with that and the barbarism. Hopefully, as the world economy recovers and picks up in some of the less developed world, that sort of barrier will also drop. Still, I doubt it will overtake soccer any time in the foreseeable future, in fact, as much as it pains me to say this, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if soccer eventually becomes the top sport in the US too. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/48 "2011-05-05T17:44:52Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Another Brit agreeing. I know no one who watches American Football, and the only time I hear it even mentioned is when they transfer a game once a year to Wembley. It is a very minor sport in the UK, not helped by the fact that it is similar to the homegrown game of rugby, which is very popular participation sport. On a side note, how popular is ice hockey in the UK? I’ve seen some clips on YouTube (almost all involving brawls) and was a bit surprised that the sport seems to have enough of a following in Britain for there to be a league with televised games. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/49 "2011-05-05T18:43:00Z")
Why did you list the same sport twice in the OP? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/50 "2011-05-05T18:45:25Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > On a side note, how popular is ice hockey in the UK? I’ve seen some clips on YouTube (almost all involving brawls) and was a bit surprised that the sport seems to have enough of a following in Britain for there to be a league with televised games. Really? First I’ve heard. If there’s a following it will be pretty niche. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/51 "2011-05-05T18:50:25Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > Soccer is a small fuel efficient Prius, practical but not exciting, Football is a Hummer, big expensive and exciting. The Prius, of course, being remarkably successful and the Hummer being completely out of production for almost a year now. Seriously, man, I say this as an American football fan, put some thoughts into your analogies. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/52 "2011-05-05T18:55:51Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > great humorous commercials and the visceral excitement of large men pounding each other hard and the violence of helmet-to-helmet hits hahahhaha well done \*\*Rondembo \*\* 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/53 "2011-05-05T19:00:20Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > On a side note, how popular is ice hockey in the UK? I’ve seen some clips on YouTube (almost all involving brawls) and was a bit surprised that the sport seems to have enough of a following in Britain for there to be a league with televised games. There is a national league, but it was way more popular 10-20 years ago. A lot of sides like Ayr Bruins and Murrayfield Racers no longer exist. For fellow Brits, it’s about as popular as motorcycle Speedway ie very niche ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/54 "2011-05-05T20:39:07Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Well, your first clue should have been that almost all plays appear to start with one man giving another man a reach-under… 😃 your second was the reference to “helmet-to-helmet” hits. My camp-o-meter is currently reading 450 mega-Eltons, it’s gonna blow! (;)) ---
**Author:** ![carm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@carm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/55 "2011-05-05T22:39:38Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > I can agree with you, as a participation sport soccer will be more “popular” because other countries can’t afford footabll. But the NFL will likely come to beat soccer in terms of spectator (especially TV viewership) as it offers a superior, more entertaining product with high production values, great humorous commercials and the visceral excitement of large men pounding each other hard and the violence of helmet-to-helmet hits. Soccer just doesn’t have any big plays or flashy excitement, its really a relic of the 19th century spread by the British empire and only popular due to its low cost. > > Soccer is a small fuel efficient Prius, practical but not exciting, Football is a Hummer, big expensive and exciting. Soccer has no big plays? Great set pieces (when the game is stopped): [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DIaswrSWWf0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGEQgZSglMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBWYLhtKYtjzmNM1l1aTmU00-dgJA "Trick Free Kicks") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIaswrSWWf0) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/t0GESlaVNdE/maxresdefault.jpg "David Beckham's free kick against Greece") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0GESlaVNdE) Great team moves (we don’t say plays) from open play (that’s why): [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/byMOXiF2j40/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGFcgZSg4MA8=&rs=AOn4CLB45quSEVspbaaxVMu2Jyh4wb5C7w "Arsenal FC beautiful teamwork's") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byMOXiF2j40) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/y5i8edQTbv0/hqdefault.jpg "FC Barcelona Great Team Goals") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5i8edQTbv0) Watch these with an open mind. In fact the second half of the first link has some “plays” that are very similar, in terms of running and movement, to a good American football play. And if you want to know why it’s called “The Beautiful Game”, watch this: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5KiO5kdjvpM/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGMgZSgbMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDqnr9M5bEPOPGDb0pHcrpExQwdjA "Art of the Ball Control") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KiO5kdjvpM) ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/56 "2011-05-05T22:52:26Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > On a side note, how popular is ice hockey in the UK? I’ve seen some clips on YouTube (almost all involving brawls) and was a bit surprised that the sport seems to have enough of a following in Britain for there to be a league with televised games. There was a good SI piece a few months ago about an Irish team that’s doing poorly financially but staying afloat and helping to bring both sides of the sectarian divide together. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/57 "2011-05-05T23:13:30Z")
> [@carm](#): > > Soccer has no big plays? After 15 years in the US, I’ve come to the conclusion there is no point whatever in getting involved in trying to convince people that soccer isn’t boring, or isn’t as good as American football. They are both great sports to watch, IMHO, but are so fundamentally different they are almost impossible to compare. The game most similar to soccer in the US is (obviously apart from soccer) ice hockey - many more similarities in tactics and game play. Some people don’t like soccer. I don’t understand that, but it’s true. Just like every time my English friends say American football is boring, I don’t understand that either. In short, you aren’t going to win. The OP has made his mind up about soccer, and nothing will ever change his mind. It’s his loss, missing out on the second greatest sport on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/58 "2011-05-06T00:27:43Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > But the NFL will likely come to beat soccer in terms of spectator (especially TV viewership) as it offers a superior, more entertaining product with high production values, great humorous commercials and the visceral excitement of large men pounding each other hard and the violence of helmet-to-helmet hits. Leaving aside the palpable homo-erotica, it must be really good that NFL telecasts have high production values and great commercials, if you need to pad out two hours of broadcast based around 11 minutes of action. Man, you don’t want to watch sport, what you want is endless repeats of Independence Day intercut with Budweiser, Marlborough and Mustang ads. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/59 "2011-05-06T01:08:22Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > if you need to pad out two hours of broadcast based around 11 minutes of action. 3 hours of broadcast, actually. 😛 Most NFL games run at 3 hours (often a bit more) from coin flip to final whistle. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803/60 "2011-05-06T08:14:28Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Man, you don’t want to watch sport, what you want is endless repeats of Independence Day intercut with Budweiser, Marlborough and Mustang ads. Given the undercurrents we have all detected, I think “Top Gun” may be more to his taste. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-vs-football-which-one-will-comet-dominate-as-the-biggest-spectator-sport/580803.md?page=4)