Dear american football...

[ImperialOrange]

NFL has TDs 38% of possessions

4.5 TD's per NFL game, total 24.7 possessions = TD on 18% of possessions. That 38% figure, I would assume would be number of possessions that a team scores on including those pesky field goals.

 

[ImperialOrange]

No, they ignored it in the World Cup... they don't pull players out if they suspect a concussion because they only get 3 subs for the entire game. In one of the games the player got kneed in the head and blacked out... after a couple minutes he got up and kept playing... he talked about having concussion symptoms after the game, but stayed in anyway.

The rules about substitution make things interesting and strategic, but apparently they don't have the same rules and/or concern about players suffering head injuries as american football has started addressing in the recent years.

I think the term concussion is too broad in terms of severity being discussed. I watch a fair amount of soccer and don't see many KO blows like Shamarko v Pitt the other year.

 

[Faegan]

Can't this thread be moved to the soccer board?

 

[Millhouse]

4.5 TD's per NFL game, total 24.7 possessions = TD on 18% of possessions. That 38% figure, I would assume would be number of possessions that a team scores on including those pesky field goals.

sorry about that. i must've divided possessions but not TDs. you're right. that sounds more right too.

 

[Millhouse]

I think the term concussion is too broad in terms of severity being discussed. I watch a fair amount of soccer and don't see many KO blows like Shamarko v Pitt the other year.

it may make a difference to viewers who don't want to see KOs but it might not make a difference to player health

i'm not buying the heading the ball causes brain damage stuff. having someone run into your head or kick you in the face, that I get.

 

[OrangePA]

it may make a difference to viewers who don't want to see KOs but it might not make a difference to player health

i'm not buying the heading the ball causes brain damage stuff. having someone run into your head or kick you in the face, that I get.

I agree.

Using the head to attack the ball - if done correctly - does not cause pain or trauma in my opinion.

At least I never saw or experienced that kind of thing.

 

[OrangePA]

I think the term concussion is too broad in terms of severity being discussed. I watch a fair amount of soccer and don't see many KO blows like Shamarko v Pitt the other year.

In the World Cup Final I saw more violent head contacts than I have ever seen before.

It was truly remarkable.

 

[Millhouse]

I agree.

Using the head to attack the ball - if done correctly - does not cause pain or trauma in my opinion.

At least I never saw or experienced that kind of thing.

that's because you're incredibly hardheaded

if heading a soft soccer ball causes brain damage, most american boys would already be brain dead by the time they even think about soccer. my son is the thomas edison of inventing new ways to fall on ones head

 

[ImperialOrange]

sorry about that. i must've divided possessions but not TDs. you're right. that sounds more right too.

All good. We're on the same team as being numbers guys. I like using them to prove, or disprove preconcieved notions I might have. If nothing more, it's allowed me to substantiate how I can be a diehard NCAA football fan and yet have fleeting interest in the NFL.

 

[Millhouse]

All good. We're on the same team as being numbers guys. I like using them to prove, or disprove preconcieved notions I might have. If nothing more, it's allowed me to substantiate how I can be a diehard NCAA football fan and yet have fleeting interest in the NFL.

no easy way to get the total number of possessions in college football. cfbstats doesn't have it as far as i can tell. i suppose you can add up turnovers and kick returns to figure it out but i don't have time for that

i think there's something to this. basketball is really high scoring but it's just because there are a million possessions. each teams turn on offense isn't that successful, it's just repeated a lot. i think people might like for offensive players to beat the defense some percentage of the time

hockey and soccer might be less popular because offensive possessions fail so much more often.

i'm thinking of a horrible dump and chase hockey game where teams just trade worthless possessions or a soccer game with a million harmless midfield passes.

 

[ImperialOrange]

no easy way to get the total number of possessions in college football. cfbstats doesn't have it as far as i can tell. i suppose you can add up turnovers and kick returns to figure it out but i don't have time for that

i think there's something to this. basketball is really high scoring but it's just because there are a million possessions. each teams turn on offense isn't that successful, it's just repeated a lot. i think people might like for offensive players to beat the defense some percentage of the time

hockey and soccer might be less popular because offensive possessions fail so much more often.

i'm thinking of a horrible dump and chase hockey game where teams just trade worthless possessions or a soccer game with a million harmless midfield passes.

Hockey is essentially faster, more condensed soccer. My buddy is a huge hockey fan and I told him to watch soccer through the same lens and now he see's it. Hockey in person can't be matched but on TV soccer>>>hockey because the camera can follow the ball as well as multiple players much better.

I'm not trying to sell anyone on a 0-0 fulham v hull game as a reason to watch soccer. I'd watch but I understand why some are bored to tears with that. However, over the 38 game domestic season liverpool scored 101 goals and conceeded 50. 151 total goals = 3.97 goals per game average last season so ever if a game was 1-0 one week you're just as likely to see 6+ the following. Man City scored 102 and conceded 37 139/38 = 3.65 goals per game. Chances for seeing a 0-0 game involving either team is slim.

 

[Millhouse]

Hockey is essentially faster, more condensed soccer. My buddy is a huge hockey fan and I told him to watch soccer through the same lens and now he see's it. Hockey in person can't be matched but on TV soccer>>>hockey because the camera can follow the ball as well as multiple players much better.

I'm not trying to sell anyone on a 0-0 fulham v hull game as a reason to watch soccer. I'd watch but I understand why some are bored to tears with that. However, over the 38 game domestic season liverpool scored 101 goals and conceeded 50. 151 total goals = 3.97 goals per game average last season so ever if a game was 1-0 one week you're just as likely to see 6+ the following. Man City scored 102 and conceded 37 139/38 = 3.65 goals per game. Chances for seeing a 0-0 game involving either team is slim.

part of that is because the league is so uncompetitive. that's what kills me about euro soccer. good players are spread out in 5 different good leagues and they spend most of their time rolling scrubs.

champions league is cool but there are ages between games and they're never on when i want to watch.

the nhl has scoring with all the great players playing each other.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I agree.

Using the head to attack the ball - if done correctly - does not cause pain or trauma in my opinion.

At least I never saw or experienced that kind of thing.

the action of heading the ball, particularly Iin girls because of weaker neck muscles, can cause concussions.

 

[SU2NASA]

You are just a dumb American and don't realize how exciting that is.

 

[Scooch]

For what it's worth, last night's MLB Home Run Derby averaged more viewers than the World Cup averaged. And it was not one of the more highly viewed HR Derby's. Plus, we're taking about people watching glorified batting practice. The event defines "meaningless".

Obviously specific matches during the World Cup performed better, but before everyone rushes to claim that soccer will be America's 1st or 2nd most-popular sport by the end of this decade... and I've stated repeatedly that I'm bullish on soccer's future in America... it's worth pondering some facts.

 

[ImperialOrange]

part of that is because the league is so uncompetitive. that's what kills me about euro soccer. good players are spread out in 5 different good leagues and they spend most of their time rolling scrubs.

champions league is cool but there are ages between games and they're never on when i want to watch.

the nhl has scoring with all the great players playing each other.

The thing that sets the EPL apart is the level of competition each week.

Liverpool finished 2nd and lost 6 games last year City, Chelsea 2x, Arsenal, Southampton, and Hull. 4 of those are understandable but the other 2 less so. Add to that draws with Swansea, Newcastle, Everton, Villa, West Brom and Crystal Palace and there is never really a gimme game. We (Suarez) owned Norwich but they got relegated and Suarez is gone.

Aston Villa finished 15th and were in a relegation battle down the stretch and yet they beat Arsenal, City, and Chelsea and also drew vs Liverpool while pretty much playing us off the pitch in both matches. Remarkable season in which they went toe to toe with the top 4 and yet could barely stay up since they couldn't figure it out vs "smaller" clubs.

 

[Pyle]

Hockey is essentially faster, more condensed soccer. My buddy is a huge hockey fan and I told him to watch soccer through the same lens and now he see's it. Hockey in person can't be matched but on TV soccer>>>hockey because the camera can follow the ball as well as multiple players much better.

With pads and hitting and pucks going 100mph. I think hockey rules bring more drama to the game as well. On the fly substitutions, penalty box, goalies losing sticks, etc. Nothing will get your heart pumping faster than when your team needs to fight off a 5 on 3 for 1:45. Soccer to me is an elegant sport up there with Tennis. Hockey and football are gladiator sports with finess players mixed in. That's what I like, gladiators.

 

[djcon57]

With pads and hitting and pucks going 100mph. I think hockey rules bring more drama to the game as well. On the fly substitutions, penalty box, goalies losing sticks, etc. Nothing will get your heart pumping faster than when your team needs to fight off a 5 on 3 for 1:45. Soccer to me is an elegant sport up there with Tennis. Hockey and football are gladiator sports with finess players mixed in. That's what I like, gladiators.

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

 

[Scooch]

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

Joey: I think you're the greatest, but my dad says you don't work hard enough on defense. And he says that lots of times, you don't even run down court. And that you don't really try... except during the playoffs.

Murdock: The hell I don't! Listen, kid. I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. I'm out there busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.

 

[ImperialOrange]

With pads and hitting and pucks going 100mph. I think hockey rules bring more drama to the game as well. On the fly substitutions, penalty box, goalies losing sticks, etc. Nothing will get your heart pumping faster than when your team needs to fight off a 5 on 3 for 1:45. Soccer to me is an elegant sport up there with Tennis. Hockey and football are gladiator sports with finess players mixed in. That's what I like, gladiators.

"Most soccer shots are in the 40-60 mph range, with occasional shots going into the 70s and 80s. Anything faster than 85 mph is extremely rare. The all-time record shot (of those clocked) was by Eder, in the 1982 World Cup match between Brazil and the USSR, at 110 mph. The hardest in the last decade or so is a 96 mph shot by Sunday Oliseh, with Roberto Carlos a close second at 94 mph."

Average soccer pitch is 330 feet x 224 (average because not all are the same size) vs regulation NHL ice 200 feet x 85 feet. Shrink the soccer field to the size of an nhl rink and play 7 v 7 instead of 11 v 11 and it would look remarkably similar.

All the things you pointed out are what make hockey amazing in person but also hinders it on tv. Live changes look simple on tv and decidely are not.

Penalty box is cool but imagine someone getting a game misconduct and his team hiving to play a man down the rest of the game. That's what a red card does and a team playing a man down looks a bit like a hockey team trying to kill off a penalty.

Football is king because it's a gladiator sport played by giants and/or freak athletes similar to basketball but with heavy contact. Hockey and soccer both are played by normal looking people doing extraordinary things which hurts the wow factor. Unless someone has tried to mimic what players of hockey or soccer do, they have no real idea the skill/difficulty it entails.

 

[billsin01]

Also Seattle v Portland last night out drew some NHL Playoff games this year...but whatever...no reason to get worked up about it. We'll see where it goes from here.

I think it's important to point out here that Seattle dwarfs the rest of its own league in attendance. I"m not knocking it -- obviously the powers that be have done a great job of developing interest and passion in that fan base. But it's a bit disingenuous to point at one team which plays in an NFL stadium and dwarfs the rest of the league in attendance and then suggest they 'out-drew' nhl playoff games, which don't have the capacity to hold that many fans. It's not wrong, per se, but not statistically meaningful, IMO.

 

[billsin01]

Unless you have kids involved, I don't think people understand how huge youth soccer is, for both boys and girls. The explosion for soccer viewing will be when the next generation (my kids) have kids who are also playing soccer. They will watch that together, over football, which a very boring tv sport.

I think you're dreaming. And I'm a guy who finds football pretty slow a lot of the time and has marginal interest in the NFL. I also don't 'hate' soccer in any way, shape or form.. But catching the NFL is light years away.

 

[SU2NASA]

I think it's important to point out here that Seattle dwarfs the rest of its own league in attendance. I"m not knocking it -- obviously the powers that be have done a great job of developing interest and passion in that fan base. But it's a bit disingenuous to point at one team which plays in an NFL stadium and dwarfs the rest of the league in attendance and then suggest they 'out-drew' nhl playoff games, which don't have the capacity to hold that many fans. It's not wrong, per se, but not statistically meaningful, IMO.

And they also have neither an NHL team nor an NBA team.

 

[djcon57]

I think it's important to point out here that Seattle dwarfs the rest of its own league in attendance. I"m not knocking it -- obviously the powers that be have done a great job of developing interest and passion in that fan base. But it's a bit disingenuous to point at one team which plays in an NFL stadium and dwarfs the rest of the league in attendance and then suggest they 'out-drew' nhl playoff games, which don't have the capacity to hold that many fans. It's not wrong, per se, but not statistically meaningful, IMO.

Well...your post was very nice...but it also has nothing to do with what I posted...
I was talking about TV ratings, not live attendance. The MLS game drew a .35 on ESPN 2 which was higher than some NHL Playoffs games on NBCSports

 

[billsin01]

I think it's closer to baseball than people realize, but you're right, it's not coming close to football or basketball anytime soon. And the reason I mention that about baseball is based on some conversations on Mike and Mike this morning. They were talking to Tony Clark, who, as the head of the MLBPA, called baseball a "regional sport" and that stance floored Greenberg. They also talked at length about how, back in the day, the most famous athletes in America were all baseball players. Now, it's football and basketball, and baseball players who become true household names and superstars are becoming more and more rare.

Look at some recent national polls...ESPN recently conducted one about the most popular athletes in America, and while I can't find a direct link to the poll I found this: http://nesn.com/2014/06/espn-poll-tom-brady-nations-5th-favorite-athlete-peyton-manning-2nd-photo/ ...which shows that the only baseball player more popular than Lionel Messi in America is Derek Jeter. The same poll shows that international soccer (not MLS) is more popular in the US than college hoops, NASCAR, and the NHL. That one surprises me a bit.

This also shows that MLS is as popular with 12-17 year olds as MLB, the first time that's ever been the case: http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-...hes-mlb-in-popularity-with-kidssays-espn-poll

IT is in no way, shape or form 'closer to MLB than people think.' I have no idea where people are coming up with this. Yes, soccer is growing but it is largely because sports in america are booming and there are cable outlets and online viewing opportunities for literally anything you can think of. America's Next Top Baker is an f-ing show for God's sake.

On the very same show yesterday, the unlistenable Mike and Mike, Selig said back in the 90s he used to dream of a day when baseball revenue would top $2B. Last year it topped $9B. The sport has warts but it is still a HUGE part of the sports culture of this country.

The point is, soccer is growing but not only does it have a long, long way to go to displace baseball, but it doesn't have to displace any league. There is a huge pile of disposable cash for all of these leagues to raid. The NFL utterly dominates the US sports scene and yet the NBA and MLB are completely flush with cash and the NHL is fine while soccer is growing.