American vs. European Football

DogDoc · Post by **DogDoc** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 6:37 pm

I was reading through another thread and came across this comment:

Seriously, though, I don't know what you lot see in 'American football'

It struck me as funny because I (and presumably many other Americans) feel the same way about European football (or "soccer" to us).

So my question for everyone is, "Which style of football do you prefer AND why?"

Obviously, I prefer American football. I enjoy the depth of strategy present. To me, a well-played football game has the layers of strategy found in a chess match, strategy that I find lacking in soccer (or else I simply do not understand it).

I'm not sure why soccer has not caught on in the U.S., given its world-wide appeal. It's not like we haven't tried. There have been a couple of professional soccer leagues in the U.S. and we hosted the World Cup a few years back. I tried my best to "get into it" this past summer by watching this year's World Cup, but it just didn't hold my interest. (Although I now have a new respect for the force behind well-placed head butt).

I welcome any and all comments on this subject!

gavin_sidhu · Post by **gavin_sidhu** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 7:01 pm

european football, like the stratergy and you dont have to be mentally insane to play it (why else would u risk ur life in american football)

AndyDufresne · Post by **AndyDufresne** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 7:23 pm

Europe has claimed football as its own? I thought it was the world's sport...as it has been around for years and has sprouted up throughout the world in various origins.

--Andy

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 7:33 pm

European, has to be americans cant play it so they make up a whole new game and put "american" in front of it so they win at it all the time

European football is exciting and for many people is there life.

AndyDufresne · Post by **AndyDufresne** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 8:04 pm

I'm not talking about american football, I'm talking about 'football', in general. When did Europe claim it as its own? All of the other continents (save Antarctica of course) play it, and its origins date back to many different regions around the world...many not in europe.

--Andy

OnlyAmbrose · Post by **OnlyAmbrose** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 8:06 pm

American football, maybe just because of nationalistic pride, and maybe because I find it a lot more fun to play

and because of the reason already stated:

DogDoc wrote:Obviously, I prefer American football. I enjoy the depth of strategy present. To me, a well-played football game has the layers of strategy found in a chess match, strategy that I find lacking in soccer (or else I simply do not understand it).

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 8:08 pm

Yeah spose your right, but dident the romans invent it ?. I see it as Brazillian anyway not european, i think we have adopted it and made it more world popular in many ways and making money out of it aswell. I just see also the americans arnt any good so they make there own version of it

Cheesemore · Post by **Cheesemore** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 8:55 pm

I personally like American football because it has much more contact and higher scores (plus I'm in charge of a football clan here), I can see why people like European football though. It's just that I , like a clock that goes down and the game is over when it hits 0 (where I've seen soccer go for another 5 minutes on a second clock), and a sport with lots of contact, plus high scores

AndyDufresne · Post by **AndyDufresne** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 8:57 pm

It is correct that there are probably less american star football athletes...but I think this is due to the fact of the diversity of sports there is in America. Kids growing up in some places, know of only football or only have a love of one sport. While in America, children are more inclined to go into a variety of sports and become athletes...basketball, American Football, baseball, along with other sports such as hockey, golf, tennis...the list goes on.

--Andy

happysadfun · Post by **happysadfun** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:05 pm

Soccer is... eh... oh wait, i'm in America, but the European-liberal-society requires: politically correct=European football. I'm sorry, I just had to say that. I don't pass up any opportunity to make fun of liberals and atheists and liberal atheists. I'm the activist Christian Conservative!

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:07 pm

We at my school have lots of sports, i mean i could sit here and name maybe 20 or so off my head, Countries like france, germany, italy have even better choices, i just belive that americans are more into them selfs, i mean take baseball for an example.

we in europe play cricket, softball, rounders. I mean america only plays games they can win, i bet if america became more world like in there variety of sports, ie letting football(soccer) oe even cricket into their cultures your county would benifit as you would be more apart of the world, and not living in your own little sporting world....

OnlyAmbrose · Post by **OnlyAmbrose** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:23 pm

Ronaldinho wrote:We at my school have lots of sports, i mean i could sit here and name maybe 20 or so off my head, Countries like france, germany, italy have even better choices, i just belive that americans are more into them selfs, i mean take baseball for an example.

we in europe play cricket, softball, rounders. I mean america only plays games they can win, i bet if america became more world like in there variety of sports, ie letting football(soccer) oe even cricket into their cultures your county would benifit as you would be more apart of the world, and not living in your own little sporting world....

I hate baseball, as do probably 50% of Americans. Most boring sport I've ever seen.

And soccer IS a major part of our culture, most particularly in high school. Though it's definately not a premier professional sport, soccer is one of the most popular youth sports in the country at the moment.

Cricket... is just like baseball in my opinon. Boring.

Softball is just as much an American sport as a European one, but again, like baseball, I find it ridiculously boring.

Americans are into all kinds of sports. We're hardly centralized. Hockey, soccer, American football, tennis, basketball, baseball, golf (if you want to call it a sport, but that's for another thread), and increasingly lacrosse are probably the most popular ones here.

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:37 pm

softball is a good p.e sport in our school

not boring actually very very competative amoung friends.

i just think Americans dont want to play pro football coz their scared of loosing, im sorry for the narrow mind'd veiw i just allways seen it like that and im expressing it...

Cheesemore · Post by **Cheesemore** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:40 pm

Only Ambrose is right (about the sports, not baseball, I like baseball) But I can see where Ronaldinho is coming from, there are a lot of Americans who don't go into some sport because they think they'll lose. However there are still just as many who go in to have fun (like me). But because of the fact we are overpaying people (like A-Rod's 252 million dollar deal) most countries think we hate to lose, and we are spoiled

OnlyAmbrose · Post by **OnlyAmbrose** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:43 pm

Ronaldinho wrote:softball is a good p.e sport in our school not boring actually very very competative amoung friends.

i just think Americans dont want to play pro football coz their scared of loosing, im sorry for the narrow mind'd veiw i just allways seen it like that and im expressing it...

Sorry to disappoint you, but we participate in the World Cup despite the fact that our team isn't as good as most European ones. Plus, there is a professional soccer league, it's just not a popular pro sport. I don't see what that has to do with winning and losing, lol.

DogDoc · Post by **DogDoc** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:14 pm

AndyDufresne wrote:Europe has claimed football as its own? I thought it was the world's sport...as it has been around for years and has sprouted up throughout the world in various origins.

--Andy

Sorry. Poor choice of wording on my part. I guess I should have said European-style simply to distinguish it from our brand of football.

DogDoc · Post by **DogDoc** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:20 pm

Ronaldinho wrote:European, has to be americans cant play it so they make up a whole new game and put "american" in front of it so they win at it all the time

European football is exciting and for many people is there life.

Okay, apart from the reason that our football sucks. What is it for you guys that you find so exciting about soccer? The games go on for 90 minutes with sometimes no scoring at all. Run up the field. Run down the field. Trip a player and hope you don't get caught. Kick ball. Ball gets blocked. Start all over. Run up the field. Run down the field . . .

Please tell me what I'm missing. I want to like the game, I really do. But I find it as exciting as watching . . . golf.

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:22 pm

The passion the skill, when im on the edge of my seat becuz my team is about to score a penalty, i mean im in love with game and my feelings for it are beond anything else in my life.

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:24 pm

And when your team is against a rivil team i mean my heart starts racing and my my whole body shakes, 30 million people watching on tv, for the one thing we all have in common, the love and desire for that 1 goal!!!!!!

DogDoc · Post by **DogDoc** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:38 pm

Ronaldinho wrote:And when your team is against a rivil team i mean my heart starts racing and my my whole body shakes, 30 million people watching on tv, for the one thing we all have in common, the love and desire for that 1 goal!!!!!!

All right, well let me ask the question from a little different angle. What is it that we Americans are missing? Why don't you think football as you know it to be has not caught on over here? Why don't we "get it"?

zim · Post by **zim** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:42 pm

I appreciate that World Cup, Premiership, etc. level football players are (arguably) the most talented athletes in the world given the universe of amateur players they are selected from. The game itself while sometimes beautiful seems to lack strategic depth to me though. There are some fundamental strategic calls you need to make in terms of formation, etc. And some set play decisions for corners, penalties, etc. but largely it's seems to me (and I'm talking out of my ass here as I only pay attention to soccer peripherally except during the World Cup) that the interesting bits are a function of the manager/owner assembling the right players and then letting them get on with it. Which just to prove I'm not biased is exactly how our Canadian national obsession ice hockey works, a general manager {hires/fires the players} is much, much more important than the coach who runs the fairly limited/generic on ice strategy and decides which combination of players is on the ice when.

Now the reason I love American football particularly at the NFL level is that the league has been structured so that everyone has essentially the same budget and the draft system tends to equalize the quality of players. That leaves the smartest coach to win; it's a game where the strongest and fastest athletes (at least in North America) are sometimes graceful sometimes brutal chess pieces (like a live version of BattleChess if anyone remembers it) and since we're all playing Conquer Club we probably have more than our share of chess fans no?

Cheers,

Zim

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:43 pm

You have the MFL or major football league? (it was on Fifa so im not sure)

you have some good teams like Dc united.

Freddy Adu the yougest ever pro player at only 15.

yes i do follow american soccer but it hasent got the passion, and the history that the english game has, or for that fact european football.

I just belive if the americans were to be part of it, it wouldent be the passion there after it would just be another game and money oh and just about winning. I think what makes our game soo good is i have grown up with my team and my passion and love for the team is un real, i want to watch every second of every game they place, i want to be there when they win games and i want to be there to get though the times we loose. I just think the amount of LOVE our game seperates it from most....?

spring1 · Post by **spring1** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:44 pm

Ronaldinho,

Do you realize that (at least in this thread) the more you post, the more insecure you sound? Instead of simply stating your opinion, you hysterically go off on wild tangents proclaiming that Americans can't stand to lose so they form their own sports in order to win? Do you realize how ridiculous and idiotic you sound? Did it ever occur to you that perhaps those in America aren't as easily seduced by conformity as you seem to be? Be it sports, religion, politics, science, whatever--I find people who have the strength to stand against the majority and shatter the mold to be the physical embodiments of leadership--regardless of the nationality of the man or woman behind the origination. Your lack of appreciation and respect for others that might differ from you is both unfortunate and noted.

Ronaldinho · Post by **Ronaldinho** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:50 pm

spring1 wrote:Ronaldinho,

Do you realize that (at least in this thread) the more you post, the more insecure you sound? Instead of simply stating your opinion, you hysterically go off on wild tangents proclaiming that Americans can't stand to lose so they form their own sports in order to win? Do you realize how ridiculous and idiotic you sound? Did it ever occur to you that perhaps those in America aren't as easily seduced by conformity as you seem to be? Be it sports, religion, politics, science, whatever--I find people who have the strength to stand against the majority and shatter the mold to be the physical embodiments of leadership--regardless of the nationality of the man or woman behind the origination. Your lack of appreciation and respect for others that might differ from you is both unfortunate and noted.

This is what i mean, in europe we have a balanced love for particular sports be it football etc, americans just think f*ck that and loose what love they have as a country and become singles. You then loose your sence of comunity ?, i ema fair enough in the town i live in there are fights etc but we come together to play football becuz we love, no matter who we are.

im sorry bro i just think we a closer nation and im proud of that

DogDoc · Post by **DogDoc** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:57 pm

Ronaldinho wrote:I just belive if the americans were to be part of it, it wouldent be the passion there after it would just be another game and money oh and just about winning. I think what makes our game soo good is i have grown up with my team and my passion and love for the team is un real, i want to watch every second of every game they place, i want to be there when they win games and i want to be there to get though the times we loose. I just think the amount of LOVE our game seperates it from most....?

You're losing me here. What are you saying? That we shouldn't want to win? That YOU as a fan don't want to win? And if you do want to win it's somehow bad? Then why keep score at all?

And you can't tell me that there are no corporate sponsors or other people making money off European-style football. Oh, but I'm beginning to understand . . . if an American company somehow figures out a way to make money from soccer it will somehow cheapen the game. But it's okay for European companines to do so.

As far as the passion bit goes, let me take you to an American college football game, that of my alma mater, Louisiana State University, on a Saturday night at Tiger Stadium and see if you find any passion there.