Soccer Is Slow For A Reason

If I continue this blog for 20 years, this will be one of maybe four sports-related posts you will ever see. If, of course, you're reading this blog already. Which I'm guessing you aren't.

I've recently developed a sizable soft spot for soccer, and I've followed the World Cup with moderate loyalty. Unfortunately, living in America, this was not the norm. For every vuvuzela-tooting soccer fanatic I spoke to, I was also encountered with someone saying, "I don't like soccer. Soccer is boring."

This person just doesn't understand.

My dad was this person several weeks ago, as he mentioned his distaste for soccer as we waited for the NBA finals game to start. "Oh, yeah, you can see games that end in such exciting scores as 1 to 1." (Ironically, this was followed by one of the lowest-scoring NBA games I've ever seen.)

True, there is a lot of time between goals. But by no means is there nothing happening in that time. Soccer is able to pride itself in a game that never has a dull moment. The ball ends up in the goalie's box every few minutes or so, and every time that happens, it somehow doesn't matter that you know the ball probably won't go in. You're on the edge of your seat, knowing exactly what it means if that ball were to go in.

American football can have the same triumphant plays at times, and has the same space between them. But the game stops constantly, deciding new plays, getting in position, even merely for the sake of playing more commercials. Soccer doesn't do that, and the game as a whole benefits from it.

I missed the two semifinals games due to work, and thus had to simply watch recaps on FIFA's website. I found both to be completely unenjoyable, because all marvel of the game was lost when condensed into 3 minute highlight reels. I was delighted to see the two final games in full, where they're presented in a way that works.

So, finishing this at midnight, that's my first real post. It's probably a bit lower quality than the rest will be, with the hour and what not, but stick around, there are more posts on the way.