We're talking about France again, right?

NBA charging

Nope...talking about Italy

People watch soccer ?

/Welsh GF

Basketball needs less flopping and drama queens and much more actual play.

Baseball needs less down time and to be less boring to watch and much more scoring

Golf just needs to burn in the fires of Hades

Football needs less fat guys standing around and less down time and much more scoring

/see author of TFA, that same argument pattern can be applied to ANY sport.

HelloNeuman: NBA charging

I have yet to see an NBA player writhe in agony after a charge or block but I will admit Paul Pierce comes awfully close.

/The Lakers handled the Truth

Soccer Officially Announces It Is Gay (theonion.com)

FTFA:

But at least we're not the French team, which is in turmoil. To get into the particulars would take up too much space, but suffice to say France went scoreless in its first two games, the team director quit and the players refused to practice Sunday. Divas, all of them. You'd never see players boycott practice in basketball, baseball, football or hockey here, especially in the playoffs.

And in club soccer, you don't see it either. He's making the apples-oranges mistake of comparing the World Cup to the NFL or NBA playoffs. The closest thing that we can relate to as Americans is Olympic Basketball. And if you've been paying attention for the last few Olympics, the U.S. team is always rife with clashing egos and other stupid problems that never surface in league play.

Also, Rick Morrissey, if you think that American stars always practice, I'd like to introduce you to Allen Iverson.

practice.

HelloNeuman: NBA charging

I give them a small break on that one. Since the infraction of charging generally requires that the defender is planted, there is no better way to demonstrate a charge then to stand still, and not attempt to replant your feet when you get shoved or run into to prevent the fall.

However, falls that occur when a gust of wind comes by or the exaggerated theatrical flailing that accompanies a charge are pretty dumb. If he knocks you over when your feet are planted, he charged. If he got by you (or over you), you just suck at defense. Accept it.

I actually need to agree with the whining bit. It's awful.

Italy has a football team I thought they just had a synchronized grass diving club.

More drama and diving than an Ethel Merman musical.

It's very sad that "hater" has become a word.

Ric Romero works for the Sun Times now?

Soccer : stop REWARDING divers, and diving will stop.

as far as scoring - too many men on too big of a field, and a communist "offsides" rule prevent scoring opportunities. that won't change unless the game itself undergoes a fundamental overhaul, and i don't see that happening.

anyone who says soccer is more exciting than baseball is a goddamn idiot. sorry.

Maximum Snark:

Football needs less fat guys standing around and less down time and much more scoring


This this this.

Welcome back from commercial folks, it's 4th down for the home team and they're punting.

Good punt, fair catch called for at the the 34-yard-line. The visitors will have the ball after this commercial break.

Well in their defense, it is a girls' sport...

Instant replay to catch fakers with penalty kicks against violators.

Oh joy, this is on the main page.

Trollarity ensues.

Flopping and faking an injury are 2 separate things.

Writhing around on the ground pretending to be hurt is a level of pussification that is unacceptable to American sports fans.

Especially when we're used to American Football where players collide so hard their helemts fly off, only to finish the play and get back into the huddle.

Also...games end in a tie? Fark that. Play till someone wins.

Stupid soccer face thread?

havocmike: Soccer : stop REWARDING divers, and diving will stop.

I actually had this discussion yesterday but we wanted to see more punitive action; both of us wanted to see a post-game review of fouls and if it's a clear dive, penalize the player with a card (yellow or red). Would slow down the diving.

Either that or toss in a booth referee with the cameras for making those calls on the field (particularly in that Kaka disaster), which wouldn't really be that difficult and shouldn't slow down the game.

Droog8912: I actually had this discussion yesterday but we wanted to see more punitive action; both of us wanted to see a post-game review of fouls and if it's a clear dive, penalize the player with a card (yellow or red). Would slow down the diving.

Reviews of those plays with possible match bans for diving would clean things up, I'd say.

Baseball is by and large the most boring sport I have ever had the misfortune of watching (barring golf of course, which in my book isn't even a sport.) It is nothing more than 7 guys standing around scratching themselves and spitting while the other 2 do almost ALL the work. Almost 2/3 of the total game time is spent waiting around for a play to even occur. And when it does, it lasts all but 30 seconds at most.

Say all you want about soccer, but at least the play is almost constant and barring the flopping (which happens in EVERY major sport mind you), it is rather exciting.

I much prefer a soccer match that is a 0 all draw going down to the last few minutes of play. The tension can get intense.

I don't dislike the idea of a tie. If neither team is good enough to win the game cleanly, then so be it. It means the teams are evenly matched.

I realize that right now is a big deal for soccer fans, but Americans, do you really care?

It's soccer, for chrissakes. Let the Europeans have their silly little game.

I watch the NFL, and I like having plenty of breaks to:
Take a leak
Grab a drink
Make a snack
Make a call
Take over game developments with friends
Check other scores or highlights

I'm watching World Cup games and once the game starts you can't do shiat until halftime...then after that you can't do shiat until the game is over. If you take your eyes off the game for one second, that could be the second that the one and only score takes place. So you're trapped. You can't even turn your head to your buddy and say "wow, that was a nice save" because you might miss the ONLY goal scored that day.
b

But if we get rid of the diving, then Italians will become irrelevant! Hang on, I think you're on to something there.

Do not want?

ciderczar: But if we get rid of the diving, then Italians will become irrelevant! Hang on, I think you're on to something there.

And the Brazilians will actually need to win by virtue of their skill.

And Ronaldo's career won't be what it used to.

We're DEFINITELY on to something here.

Written by some Chicago clown who spends half of every year watching baseball players scratch their balls and standing around in the outfield for 3 hours a day and then whines about the Cubs sh*tting the bed for the 100th time in a row. Whatever, Chicago guy.

Cyburbia: Do not want?

We Americans probably hate the pageantry most of all because we're raised to Walk It Off and Not To Rub It. Which probably bothers the piss out of us to see someone not doing that. Be a man! And such.

I can't speak for how other nations raise their children when it comes to getting injured.

Frankly, I don't give a shiat about it. Do I want them to get up and get back into the action, sure. Outside of that, doing what they do doesn't bother me.

This guy's the fakiest faker in Fakersville, so now Brazil won't have their marquee player because of THIS b.s.? Get some Instant REplay up in heah!
Link (new window)

Why soccer is a joke.

(And yeah, sure, it's practiced by billions elsewhere but so is poverty, Islam, illiteracy, etc. Not exactly a glowing endorsement.)

Stating soccer should be taken seriously just because most of the rest of the world does makes about as much sense as saying the fact that dysentery is "big" elsewhere we should embrace it here as well.

Link (BOOM! Headshot!)

Free Radical: I have yet to see an NBA player writhe in agony after a charge or block but I will admit Paul Pierce comes awfully close.

Pierce just crawls into his wheelchair.

FlyingJ: This guy's the fakiest faker in Fakersville, so now Brazil won't have their marquee player because of THIS b.s.? Get some Instant REplay up in heah!
Link (new window)

It happened to Brazil. It's karma.

They have the least reason to dive out of any team at the World Cup, yet they are some of the worst offenders.