Major sports annoyances

[Bruce]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

[texaskdog]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

Yes but in football the teams actually score

[Bruce]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

Yes but in football the teams actually score

So do soccer teams. We just use normal counting.

(Another major annoyance: the ignorance of soccer, the one true world's game, displayed by the American public)

[hotdogPi]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

Yes but in football the teams actually score

So do soccer teams. We just use normal counting.

(Another major annoyance: the ignorance of soccer, the one true world's game, displayed by the American public)

American football scores more. American football has far fewer 0-0 (before overtime) games than association football does.

[Scott5114]

Congratulations, this clownish post means that your opinion on sports will not be of value to me.

Sports are not of value to me, so your opinion on them isn't of value to me either. 🤷‍♂️

[ran4sh]

The fact that sports and schools are so inextricably linked in the US.

This is the Hayes Rule.  "Most people who never attended college assume the quality of a college is proportional to its sports teams."

It is true.  Ask any average Joe to name "the best schools" in the country, and, after maybe a couple of Ivies, you will get a list of Division I football schools.  Works even better within a state.  Ask "what is the best college in our state" and 90+% will tell you the named for the state football school.  This is, BTW, false in more of the 41 states with a Division I football program than it is true, even if you limit the discussion to public schools. 

Why do they do it?  To make average people feel connected to some college they really have no connection to, and thus to not question what money pits many of them are.

In some alternative universe without college sports, there are states where more people know what town the state prison is in than the state university.

That would kinda be a trick question for some states though. For example, Georgia's best university is Emory, but it doesn't have a football team. Its best university *with* a football team is also the best football team, UGA.

basketball: i like the option for the team being fouled to keep the ball instead of shooting 2. because my major annoyance is the last 2 minutes of the game.
baseball: the &^%!*@$#(*! runner on 2nd rule. i have no idea why COVID justifies it. even worse than the 7 inning doubleheader.
hockey: nothing. love this sport.
football: the patriots and goodell

Two Hockey rules that I would love to see in Basketball: Delayed Fouls and Live Ball Substitution.
For those of you not familiar with Hockey, when a member of the offense is fouled, the official signals the foul, but play continues until the defense controls the ball (They call it a "puck" in hockey, but it's the same thing). Once the defense has CONTROLLED the ball, play stops and the penalty is assessed. It seems right to award one foul shot, if the play ends in a score and maybe repossession (or two or three shots later in the game to discourage rampant fouling) if no score results.
In Hockey, players may enter or exit the floor in a specified area, but may do so at any time that it suits them provided that the exiting player leaves before the substitute enters. In fact, it is common in Hockey for the team on offense to hold the ball or throw the ball into an unoccupied area of the floor in order to allow for their side to substitute.

Basketball players should be able to shoot free throws. The ones that can, don't need that rule change regarding when a penalty from a foul takes effect.

[I-55]

basketball: i like the option for the team being fouled to keep the ball instead of shooting 2. because my major annoyance is the last 2 minutes of the game.
baseball: the &^%!*@$#(*! runner on 2nd rule. i have no idea why COVID justifies it. even worse than the 7 inning doubleheader.
hockey: nothing. love this sport.
football: the patriots and goodell

Two Hockey rules that I would love to see in Basketball: Delayed Fouls and Live Ball Substitution.
For those of you not familiar with Hockey, when a member of the offense is fouled, the official signals the foul, but play continues until the defense controls the ball (They call it a "puck" in hockey, but it's the same thing). Once the defense has CONTROLLED the ball, play stops and the penalty is assessed. It seems right to award one foul shot, if the play ends in a score and maybe repossession (or two or three shots later in the game to discourage rampant fouling) if no score results.
In Hockey, players may enter or exit the floor in a specified area, but may do so at any time that it suits them provided that the exiting player leaves before the substitute enters. In fact, it is common in Hockey for the team on offense to hold the ball or throw the ball into an unoccupied area of the floor in order to allow for their side to substitute.

Basketball players should be able to shoot free throws. The ones that can, don't need that rule change regarding when a penalty from a foul takes effect.

I'm all in for on the fly substitutions. That'll take serious dead time out of the game to perform the sub and you don't have to wait 3-4 minutes sometimes for a dead ball to be able to sub.

Think NBA basketball is too much of a 1 on 1 game? Insert POWER PLAYS. See how much more ball movement we get with less defense.

[Bruce]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

Yes but in football the teams actually score

So do soccer teams. We just use normal counting.

(Another major annoyance: the ignorance of soccer, the one true world's game, displayed by the American public)

American football scores more. American football has far fewer 0-0 (before overtime) games than association football does.

Quality over quantity.

A goal is something that has to be earned, while a touchdown is just the expected end of a play.

A good scoreless draw is far more entertaining than a six-goal match. If you gave the sport an actual shot, you'd understand.

[texaskdog]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

Yes but in football the teams actually score

So do soccer teams. We just use normal counting.

(Another major annoyance: the ignorance of soccer, the one true world's game, displayed by the American public)

Another annoyance people who think American's are unintelligent because most of us hate soccer.

[texaskdog]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

Yes but in football the teams actually score

So do soccer teams. We just use normal counting.

(Another major annoyance: the ignorance of soccer, the one true world's game, displayed by the American public)

American football scores more. American football has far fewer 0-0 (before overtime) games than association football does.

Quality over quantity.

A goal is something that has to be earned, while a touchdown is just the expected end of a play.

A good scoreless draw is far more entertaining than a six-goal match. If you gave the sport an actual shot, you'd understand.

I've been to 0-0 MLB games.  No thanks.  I used to go see indoor soccer they'd score a lot of goals, way more fun.  Smaller field and no out of bounds.  We have a team in Austin and they didn't even bother to name it.

[DandyDan]

One thing about Olympic sports is that they will show them on TV for the Olympics and then forget about them until the next Olympics. Has anyone ever seen curling at a time other than the Olympics on TV?

I also get annoyed about how the USA thinks volleyball should only be a girls sport. I was a decent recreational player (or at least like to think I was) and would have considered playing a more competitive game, but they didn't do that for boys when I was a kid.

[GaryV]

Has anyone ever seen curling at a time other than the Olympics on TV?

It's on CBC.

[NWI_Irish96]

One thing about Olympic sports is that they will show them on TV for the Olympics and then forget about them until the next Olympics. Has anyone ever seen curling at a time other than the Olympics on TV?

I also get annoyed about how the USA thinks volleyball should only be a girls sport. I was a decent recreational player (or at least like to think I was) and would have considered playing a more competitive game, but they didn't do that for boys when I was a kid.

There's a channel called THE OLYMPICS CHANNEL. Among other things, they annually show the World Championships from a lot of the Olympic sports--track & field, swimming, gymnastics, skiing, hockey, and yes, curling. I watched a few of the US matches from the 2021 worlds just last month.

[kphoger]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

An average-sized professional soccer pitch is 76,900 sq ft (but there are size variations allowed by FIFA), while an NFL field is about 47,700 sq ft. Not too different in the scheme of things, which allows the two sports to share stadiums when properly designed.

Yes but in football the teams actually score

So do soccer teams. We just use normal counting.

(Another major annoyance: the ignorance of soccer, the one true world's game, displayed by the American public)

American football scores more. American football has far fewer 0-0 (before overtime) games than association football does.

Quality over quantity.

A goal is something that has to be earned, while a touchdown is just the expected end of a play.

A good scoreless draw is far more entertaining than a six-goal match. If you gave the sport an actual shot, you'd understand.

I've given it a shot, but the field is too big.  That means there's too much just piddling around by the players.  Shrink the thing in half, and I bet it would be a lot more entertaining.

[SP Cook]

Another annoyance people who think American's are unintelligent because most of us hate soccer.

This.  Americans are not "ignorant" of soccer.  Most have seen it, and found it boresome, simplistic, and somewhat effeminate.   

There is also this "world's game" deal.  First, so what?  America, and certainly America and Canada, are large enough to have our own sports and are not somehow "wrong" for not liking what others like.  But, more importantly, it is simply untrue.  Yes, it is popular in more of the world than any other sport, but that popularity is FAR from universal.  Many societies feel just like we do about the sport.  And, not to be a downer, but about a third of the world's population's main goal today is finding enough to eat, not what ball game is on TV tonight.

[hotdogPi]

and somewhat effeminate.

So you have a problem with women in sports? (I'm not suggesting mixed teams; I'm thinking more Olympics and WNBA.)

[kurumi]

One thing about Olympic sports is that they will show them on TV for the Olympics...

In many cases, not even that: "We're going to break away from this hockey game we've shown about 5 minutes of to bring you the heartwarmingly tragic yet inspiring life story of figure skater Petunia Zeffirelli, whom we've decided is the face of this winter's Olympic Games... right after this convoy of 13 commercials..."

[SP Cook]

So you have a problem with women in sports? (I'm not suggesting mixed teams; I'm thinking more Olympics and WNBA.)

Effeminate and feminine are two different adjetives.

From M-W:

of or relating to a man who has or displays qualities traditionally considered more suitable for women

Thus, I am saying nothing about women in sports, but rather something about the men who play soccer.

[CoreySamson]

Soccer fields are too big.  Heck, why not just play on a 40-acre square?

I think they're the perfect size. For adults and those over 16, anything bigger than a futsal court and smaller than a regular field just results in the ball being punted from keeper to keeper constantly. Really boring soccer. Besides, I don't really see how this is a "MAJOR sports annoyance".

My major annoyance about soccer is how Americans hate on it for reasons that they don't hate other sports for. Example: Baseball can often go inning after inning without runs. No one (or at least, not many) hates baseball for this, but somehow soccer gets hated for not having a lot of goals.

[michravera]

The fact that sports and schools are so inextricably linked in the US.

This is the Hayes Rule.  "Most people who never attended college assume the quality of a college is proportional to its sports teams."

It is true.  Ask any average Joe to name "the best schools" in the country, and, after maybe a couple of Ivies, you will get a list of Division I football schools.  Works even better within a state.  Ask "what is the best college in our state" and 90+% will tell you the named for the state football school.  This is, BTW, false in more of the 41 states with a Division I football program than it is true, even if you limit the discussion to public schools. 

Why do they do it?  To make average people feel connected to some college they really have no connection to, and thus to not question what money pits many of them are.

In some alternative universe without college sports, there are states where more people know what town the state prison is in than the state university.

That would kinda be a trick question for some states though. For example, Georgia's best university is Emory, but it doesn't have a football team. Its best university *with* a football team is also the best football team, UGA.

basketball: i like the option for the team being fouled to keep the ball instead of shooting 2. because my major annoyance is the last 2 minutes of the game.
baseball: the &^%!*@$#(*! runner on 2nd rule. i have no idea why COVID justifies it. even worse than the 7 inning doubleheader.
hockey: nothing. love this sport.
football: the patriots and goodell

Two Hockey rules that I would love to see in Basketball: Delayed Fouls and Live Ball Substitution.
For those of you not familiar with Hockey, when a member of the offense is fouled, the official signals the foul, but play continues until the defense controls the ball (They call it a "puck" in hockey, but it's the same thing). Once the defense has CONTROLLED the ball, play stops and the penalty is assessed. It seems right to award one foul shot, if the play ends in a score and maybe repossession (or two or three shots later in the game to discourage rampant fouling) if no score results.
In Hockey, players may enter or exit the floor in a specified area, but may do so at any time that it suits them provided that the exiting player leaves before the substitute enters. In fact, it is common in Hockey for the team on offense to hold the ball or throw the ball into an unoccupied area of the floor in order to allow for their side to substitute.

Basketball players should be able to shoot free throws. The ones that can, don't need that rule change regarding when a penalty from a foul takes effect.

I'm not against free throws. I'm suggesting that the offense have a chance to complete the play. I suspect that a lot fewer fouls would occur away from the ball. No one wants to give the other team a free play.

[kphoger]

My major annoyance about soccer is how Americans hate on it for reasons that they don't hate other sports for. Example: Baseball can often go inning after inning without runs. No one (or at least, not many) hates baseball for this, but somehow soccer gets hated for not having a lot of goals.

Or hockey!

Frankly, though, I find soccer and football and baseball to be boring sports.  Too much standing around.

[SectorZ]

My major annoyance is when a certain start quarterback makes it known that he no longer wants to play for his team because he feels slighted by said team over a draft pick last year that he wasn't consulted on. Look, the GM and the coach run the team, not the player. You just had the season of your life, so obviously it motivated you. Your team was a couple plays one way or the other from making the Super Bowl, so suck it up, buttercup, get back out there, and lead your team back to the promised land. You're only one member of the team. Oh, and don't even get me started on all  the drama going on in the media about it all. It wouldn't surprise me if either a reporter looking to break the next big story spilled something he shouldn't have, or if it was said player's agent trying to blow things up in hopes of a new contract. Even though the GM and coach have said they've made trips to meet with the player, so there must be a little something going on, but the player hasn't even made a public statement yet. Let's just wait to hear what he says, shall we?

You just Love to see it.

This is what happens when the quarterback's desire to play is in Jeopardy!

[ran4sh]

I'm not against free throws. I'm suggesting that the offense have a chance to complete the play. I suspect that a lot fewer fouls would occur away from the ball. No one wants to give the other team a free play.

Unless they're trying to run off the clock, I don't see why an offense would prefer their play over the opportunity to score 2 points for free. Unless the players suck at free throws.

And in situations where a team wants to run off the clock, basketball could have a rule like the offense gets free throws, but they still get the amount on the shot clock taken off the game clock.

[hotdogPi]

I'm not against free throws. I'm suggesting that the offense have a chance to complete the play. I suspect that a lot fewer fouls would occur away from the ball. No one wants to give the other team a free play.

Unless they're trying to run off the clock, I don't see why an offense would prefer their play over the opportunity to score 2 points for free. Unless the players suck at free throws.

And in situations where a team wants to run off the clock, basketball could have a rule like the offense gets free throws, but they still get the amount on the shot clock taken off the game clock.

I think he's suggesting that the free throws still happen, but after the end of the play instead of immediately.

[webny99]

My major annoyance is when a certain start quarterback makes it known that he no longer wants to play for his team because he feels slighted by said team over a draft pick last year that he wasn't consulted on. Look, the GM and the coach run the team, not the player. You just had the season of your life, so obviously it motivated you. Your team was a couple plays one way or the other from making the Super Bowl, so suck it up, buttercup, get back out there, and lead your team back to the promised land. You're only one member of the team. Oh, and don't even get me started on all  the drama going on in the media about it all. It wouldn't surprise me if either a reporter looking to break the next big story spilled something he shouldn't have, or if it was said player's agent trying to blow things up in hopes of a new contract. Even though the GM and coach have said they've made trips to meet with the player, so there must be a little something going on, but the player hasn't even made a public statement yet. Let's just wait to hear what he says, shall we?

You just Love to see it.

This is what happens when the quarterback's desire to play is in Jeopardy!

And he's jonesing for attention.