The Soccer Flop

Watching the World Cup soccer games, I have noticed that many of the players try to fool the official, falling down after minimal or no contact with the other player, and rolling around on the ground as if they were mortally wounded. In fact, almost every time a player falls down after contact, it appears that he is so injured that he won't be able to continue in the game, and then he jumps right up and keeps on playing. The flop is fairly common in the NBA; several basketball players have a reputation for flopping a lot trying to draw fouls. The acting involved is sometimes almost funny to watch. It is easy to see a flop on instant replay. Sometimes the acting is so good that you think the player should receive not a penalty but an Academy Award. This year the NBA came up with a new rule to stop the flopping, so if an official thinks a player has flopped, the player can receive a technical foul. It seems that there is even more flopping in soccer than in basketball. In a game I watched earlier this week, a player from Brazil grabbed his head and fell down, twisting and turning on the ground while he held his leg in pain. He had not even been touched by the player from the other team, but he thought he might fool the official and draw a yellow card for the opposing player. The official wasn't fooled and neither were the people watching instant replay. It wasn't even very good acting. Maybe soccer and basketball players need to go to acting school to really perfect the flop and sell it to officials and spectators. Or maybe acting shouldn't be a part of sports. What do you think?

Playing to Win or Playing Not to Lose?

It seems that soccer is one of the few sports where a game can end in a tie. I wonder if that is a good thing. I think when you play a sport you should always try to win. That is the main mission. In the World Cup, teams get a point for a tied game, which can help them pass on to the second round of play. I see the teams sometimes playing conservatively for a tied game, instead of playing more aggressively to win the game, and maybe risk losing the game. Maybe it would be a good idea to change the system and not give points for a tie, only for a win. Another idea would be that every game tied at the end of regulation time would have to go to penalty kicks to decide the winner, as they do in the championship game where one of the teams has to win. What do you think?

World Soccer Parity?

There have been several major upsets in the World Cup, which makes it more interesting to watch the games. Team USA ties England. Mexico beats France. Spain loses to Switzerland. Paraguay ties Italy. And this is only after a week of play. In past World Cups, it seems a hand-full of powerhouse teams (Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Argentina) could always be counted on to win. Maybe this means that the level of soccer has become stronger around the world, giving more countries a chance to win. And that would be a good thing.

The Vuvuzela

I have always wondered what that droning sound like a giant hive of bees at international soccer games was. I've been hearing it again at the World Cup games. So I decided to ask my international students what caused the sound. They explained that the sound comes from a three-foot long plastic horn called a vuvuzela that many of the fans use to cheer on their teams. Apparently the horn came from South Africa originally and then spread to Mexico and then around the world. I imagine the word comes from an African language. It is also called a lepatata. Apparently, some people don't like the sound of the horn and want to ban its use. I think that would be a shame. That crazy, constant noise has become a part of soccer.

USA Ties England at the World Cup: A Moral Victory?

Yesterday, the USA surprised everyone (except maybe the USA team players) by tying England 1-1 in the World Cup. The USA team was definitely the underdog. England scored in the first few minutes, a very nice goal. It didn't look good for the the American boys. In the second half, team USA got lucky and scored a goal that should have easily been stopped by the England goal keeper. So the game was tied. I think that goal gave the US team a little more confidence, and they had several good shots on goal in the rest of the game. With only a few minutes remaining, they had a break away play and a shot on goal which the England goalkeeper deflected and it hit the post and bounced out. If the ball had hit the post about an inch more to the right, it would have gone into the net and the USA team might have come away with a 2-1 victory. But it didn't, and game end tied. To me, it was a promising start to the World Cup for team USA, and a disappointing start for England.

The World Cup: USA vs. England

This might be the most important day in USA soccer history. Can the USA beat England? I don't think the USA team has ever beaten England. England is favored, as they should be, but the USA team is getting better, so they have a chance to knock off England. I understand that most knowledgeable soccer fans don't give the USA much of a chance, and certainly in England everyone assumes England will win. I wouldn't bet on the USA, but I do hope they win. Soccer in the USA is improving. In past World Cups, many of the players on the USA team were from other countries. Now I notice that all the players on the team seem to be from the USA. They say that Donovan is very good. So that is an indication that soccer in the US is getting better. We'll see if the USA team can make history today.

Soccer

I was watching Mexico play South Africa this morning in the first game of the World Cup. I realized what a great game soccer is. It's a simple and elegant sport. There are no complicated rules like in American football or baseball, only one way to score, and the players are great athletes in excellent condition. I doubt most baseball or football players could run up and down the field without resting between plays for two 45-minute halves. I hope that soccer continues to become more popular in the US, so the US teams will play at the same level as the best teams in the world. That will take a few years, but it will be worth the wait. Maybe the US will be able to win the World Cup someday.

Is Soccer Cool?

Soccer is a very cool game, in my opinion. Not just in my opinion, but in the opinion of people around the world; it is the most popular game in the world, everywhere except the USA that is. With the World Cup coming up next month, everyone around the world will be watching the games and rooting for their countries to win, including Americans who will be cheering on the US team.

But what happens after June? Americans will be back to the NBA, baseball, and getting ready for the NFL season, and soccer will be largely forgotten until the next World Cup in four years. I was listening to the host on an ESPN radio talk show about this very thing this morning. His theory is that in the USA soccer isn't perceived as "cool" and to be a successful sport in the US, a sport needs to be seen as "cool," like professional baseball, basketball, and football. We love "cool" players like Lebron, Payton Manning, and Alex Rodriguez. Quick: Name a "cool" professional U.S. soccer player. The host made the comment that in the US, when you mention soccer, most people think of "soccer moms" driving their daughters to games in mini-vans, eating orange slices, and everyone gets a trophy after the game. I have three daughters who played soccer, when they were young, so I know about this first hand. So, the host says, maybe soccer has an image problem in the US. It just isn't perceived as "cool." Until it is thought of as "cool" with "cool" soccer hero players, it really won't be considered a popular sport here at the professional level. This will take a while.

NBA and the World Cup

This is a great time to be an NBA fan. You get to see some really great games in the playoffs. It looks like the two strongest teams this year are the Lakers and the Cavaliers. I don't like the Lakers. They seem arrogant and cocky. If the championship game ends up being Lakers and Cavaliers, I hope LeBron and the Cavaliers win. But I wouldn't bet against the Lakers, either.

And just around the corner, in June, is the beginning of the soccer World Cup. I'm glad that soccer is becoming more popular in the U.S. and more people are following the games. I'd like for the U.S. to do well this year in the World Cup, but I wouldn't bet on it when they have to play teams like Italy and Brazil. They are not at that level yet.