I think a short passage in this Reuters Photographers blog may have nailed one of the reasons why my interest in sports is limited to football (real football, that is — most of you know this as ‘soccer’):
…there appear to be few sporting images more emotional or exuberant than those “jubo” moments of soccer players celebrating after scoring a goal. The expressions of American football and icehockey players are all too frequently obscured by facemasks. Basketball players seem to err on the side of mean and moody and baseball players appear to be almost permanently underwhelmed. It might be a cultural thing or perhaps just a result of the way those sports are broadcast or sponsored. There certainly isn’t a lack of passion because tempers do fray and fights and arguments are frequent, but there doesn’t seem to be any of the theatricality we see from soccer players, at least not during the game.
But if you go to the underlying reasons for such jubilation, it’s because it’s so tough to score a goal in soccer. Baseball and (American) football players score fairly frequently, and basketball players score very frequently. (I just realized what that last sentence would look like if it were taken out of context.) But it’s much tougher to get a goal in soccer, since you have to get over to the goal, then you have to penetrate the defenders, then you have to penetrate the goalie – all without going offside. Some people deplore the lack of scoring in soccer, but I actually appreciate it – well, provided that SOMEONE scores during the game; 0-0 games are not all that good.
Yup — more reasons why I prefer soccer. One ball + one goal equals one point, and you have to work at it.
See, that “theatricality” is also part of what turns me off the most about soccer. The diving. See also: why I often get annoyed by hockey.
In regards to OE’s comments: You can’t just ‘knock one out of the park’ so to speak in soccer. I can appreciate the beauty of a grand slam or even just a plain old home run, but what with Mitchell’s report of late, it looks a little tarnished in the stadiums of America.
As for my preferences and parts of reasoning: First, scoring a goal is hard as ****. You have to get the ball at just the right moment – you usually can’t just take and run, then score a goal, it’s usually being on point when there’s an opening in the defense. You have to keep it. You have to fight to keep it, more accurately. You need to keep in mind that someone wants it more than you and you have to be willing to pass it off to someone more capable of holding it than you at any given point.
Gridiron football is more about tactics than strategy – each play forces the team to adapt a new set of techniques. It’s highly situational. Football is more about strategy and short term tactics. Keep the ball rolling, literally, and few people come back around to challenge you a second time. So you pick your encounters, figure out the player you’re up against and do what it takes – but then you have to keep going. You have to keep thinking, keep fighting to keep it and keep yourself on your toes. There’re times when something like that happens in gridiron football, but the play-by-play nature keeps it from being fluid for any significant period of time.