# Soccer ... \*YAWN\* **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 21, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505 "2018-06-21T13:38:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/1 "2018-06-21T13:38:03Z")
Does anyone besides me find soccer to be boring as hell? Yesterday’s World Cup results: Portugal 1, Morocco 0 Uraguay 1, Saudi Arabia 0 Spain 1, Iran 0 Up the field and down the field and up the field and down the field and up the field and … ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/2 "2018-06-21T13:42:28Z")
Two out of the three games saw an ostensibly “better” team being outplayed for large portions of the match and the weaker one attacking a stronger one. The answer is Oh hell No. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/3 "2018-06-21T13:50:36Z")
Ah, thank you,\*\* Jasmine\*\*! The every-four-years thread was late this time. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2018, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/4 "2018-06-21T13:52:35Z")
It’s not basketball. Just because there isn’t a lot of scoring doesn’t mean it’s “boring” or that nothing is happening. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/5 "2018-06-21T13:56:01Z")
I’ve abandoned my soccer snark. While not for me, I accept it’s interesting to a huge number of fans. I can watch a 1-0 baseball game, and find it fascinating, so who am I to judge? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/6 "2018-06-21T14:01:10Z")
I think soccer is one of those sports that you have to get into much like baseball, and where it’s tough, at least in the US, to be a casual fan. If you’re into it, you “get” and see all the drama from the non-scoring play, but if you’re a casual fan, you don’t necessarily know what you’re looking at. It’s similar to baseball, where there are a lot of interesting plays to be made in certain situations, but if you’re not well versed in those situations, you may not know the implications of hit-and-run, or what a switch hitter gives a team. You’re just watching some guys throw a ball, hit a ball and catch a ball, and keeping track of balls, strikes and runs. Football and basketball have the advantage of being pretty dynamic, even for the casual watcher. You can watch a basketball game and enjoy it without having any notion of zone defenses, pick and roll plays, etc… and you can watch football and only understand the rudiments like four downs to get ten yards, etc… without needing to be aware of the intricacies of why coaches call certain plays at certain down/distance/time combinations, or why certain plays worked or didn’t. Soccer (and baseball) aren’t quite like that- a lot of the enjoyment is a little bit deeper. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/7 "2018-06-21T14:04:19Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Does anyone besides me find soccer to be boring as hell? > > Yesterday’s World Cup results: > > Portugal 1, Morocco 0 > > Uraguay 1, Saudi Arabia 0 > > Spain 1, Iran 0 > > Up the field and down the field and up the field and down the field and up the field and … ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Footie is like sex: Its about the buildup rather than the finish. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/8 "2018-06-21T14:09:04Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think soccer is one of those sports that you have to get into much like baseball, and where it’s tough, at least in the US, to be a casual fan. If you’re into it, you “get” and see all the drama from the non-scoring play, but if you’re a casual fan, you don’t necessarily know what you’re looking at. It’s similar to baseball, where there are a lot of interesting plays to be made in certain situations, but if you’re not well versed in those situations, you may not know the implications of hit-and-run, or what a switch hitter gives a team. You’re just watching some guys throw a ball, hit a ball and catch a ball, and keeping track of balls, strikes and runs. > > Football and basketball have the advantage of being pretty dynamic, even for the casual watcher. You can watch a basketball game and enjoy it without having any notion of zone defenses, pick and roll plays, etc… and you can watch football and only understand the rudiments like four downs to get ten yards, etc… without needing to be aware of the intricacies of why coaches call certain plays at certain down/distance/time combinations, or why certain plays worked or didn’t. > > Soccer (and baseball) aren’t quite like that- a lot of the enjoyment is a little bit deeper. the issue with the US is that we’d already “settled” on our national sports. the people who are trying to “force” soccer into the American mindset are going to have to wait a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/9 "2018-06-21T14:11:25Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Footie is like sex: Its about the buildup rather than the finish. No, no; **foot** ball is the game you play mostly with your hands, and soccer is the game you play mostly with your feet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/10 "2018-06-21T14:13:32Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > the issue with the US is that we’d already “settled” on our national sports. the people who are trying to “force” soccer into the American mindset are going to have to wait a long time. The expansion and attendance figures of MLS would disagree with your point. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/11 "2018-06-21T14:15:11Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I can watch a 1-0 baseball game, and find it fascinating I love a good pitcher’s duel. > [@madsircool](#): > > Footie is like sex: Its about the buildup rather than the finish. Foots & sex; so you’re saying soccer is a fetish? :o ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/12 "2018-06-21T14:16:17Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Does anyone besides me find soccer to be boring as hell? In the realm of over-the-top cultural chauvinism meant to be funny, I saw someone on Twitter comparing it to Pong: “I understand why people gathered around the TV to play Pong when there were no other options, but I wouldn’t think people would keep playing it now that there are.” ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/13 "2018-06-21T14:17:51Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Two out of the three games saw an ostensibly “better” team being outplayed for large portions of the match and the weaker one attacking a stronger one. And yet they couldn’t score. I’ve tried watching soccer at night. I’m usually asleep before ten round trips of the field. A team scores, goes into “defense mode”, and that’s pretty much it. I’ve seen that pattern over and over again. “The weaker one attacking the stronger one” usually occurs because the stronger one scores first and basically closes up shop for the day. In effect, they ALLOW the weaker team to attack because, in the large majority of cases, it does them no good. It would be more interesting if they had a “best actor of the game” award for the guy who takes the best dive and pretends to be injured. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/14 "2018-06-21T14:19:48Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I love a good pitcher’s duel. > > Foots & sex; so you’re saying soccer is a fetish? :o Its a fetish that requires therapy to give up. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/15 "2018-06-21T14:21:00Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Does anyone besides me find soccer to be boring as hell? > > Yesterday’s World Cup results: > > Portugal 1, Morocco 0 > > Uraguay 1, Saudi Arabia 0 > > Spain 1, Iran 0 > > Up the field and down the field and up the field and down the field and up the field and … ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ It’s basically an internet pastime for people to threadshit soccer threads on many US centric message boards. So no, you’re not the only one to find it boring. Not that you said it, but I find the notion that soccer is being forced on people to be odd in the same way that people think forcing gay marriage on people is a thing. No, I just want to watch, I couldn’t care less if you don’t as long as you don’t big me about it. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/16 "2018-06-21T14:31:56Z")
To me nothing is more boring and pointless than basketball. Every critical game coming down to the last minute of play of who can be ahead when the buzzer sounds. It makes the first 95% of the game a stamina drill. I’ve never seen drama or highlights in the first half of a game. It’s just both teams exchanging baskets to run up their initial 50 points. Bo-ring. And don’t get me started on how the last 60 seconds of clock time on a game can be stretched out to 30 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/17 "2018-06-21T14:44:16Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Football and basketball have the advantage of being pretty dynamic, even for the casual watcher. Ehr… what you call football is boring as hell for me. Because like **Jasmine** with soccer, when I watch an American football match I have no idea what the fuck is going on. I see some guys huddling. I see some guys lining up. I see the ball thrown. I see the game stop. I see ads. More ads. More huddling. I have no idea what people are so excited about, 99% of the time, or what is supposed to be exciting about a game which seems to be mainly an excuse to stop for ads. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/18 "2018-06-21T15:03:15Z")
I agree with the OP, it’s boring, but could be a lot worse. I rarely watch soccer games in full and go to YouTube for the condensed 45-second summary of the goals and highlights and this gets the best of both worlds. And I say this as someone who plays regularly for an amateur soccer league. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/19 "2018-06-21T15:04:39Z")
And, IMHO, the only thing more irksome than “Soccer is boring and overrated” people are those who hit back, “No it’s not boring and overrated, it’s the Beautiful Game” folks. Yes, I am the veriest of hypocrites. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505/20 "2018-06-21T15:21:33Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > No, no; **foot** ball is the game you play mostly with your hands, and soccer is the game you play mostly with your feet. 😃 No, **foot** ball is the game of 130kg fatties who need 40kg of protective gear to play rugby since they are worried they may crack a nail. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-yawn/816505.md?page=2)