[TheWOAT]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

I made an edit to my earlier post I guess just after you first responded, saying that, under my own criteria, there are certainly professional baseball players who are not athletes, but it to some degree depends on the position that they play.

Professional chess is pretty competitive and stressful too.

Chess Boxing is a sport.

Just saw that diving video, what can pro soccer leagues do to get rid of the fakery? Suspend players after the match? Or have the arbitro do it in game?

[davesimondotcom]

Where's the choice for "it's boring" ??

[Shaddim]

Golf not a sport? Try chipping a ball 150 feet, out of the sand, and land it within inches of the hole. That takes control and strength.

Part of the reason Tiger's #1 is because he's in better condition than anyone else in the sport.

[Railroader]

I can't really tell you why I don't like soccer.

Possible reasons for me:
1. Boring
2. bad acting - almost "pro"-wrestlingishly bad
3. low scoring
4. long boring stretches where they are just bopping the ball around
5. I didn't grow up with it
6. You don't read about it a lot in newspapers - it doesn't seem like there's a lot to write about really

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Golf not a sport? Try chipping a ball 150 feet, out of the sand, and land it within inches of the hole. That takes control and strength.

Much more mental/technique than physical.

Edit to clarify: again, there are athletes who play golf. Tiger Woods is no doubt one of them. But you don't need to be athletic to play pro golf.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Much more mental/technique than physical.

Edit to clarify: again, there are athletes who play golf. Tiger Woods is no doubt one of them. But you don't need to be athletic to play pro golf.

You do if you actually want to win with any regularity.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

You do if you actually want to win with any regularity.

No, you don't. Phil Mickelson won 3 major PGA Championships and he has certified man-boobs:

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

No, you don't. Phil Mickelson won 3 major PGA Championships and he has certified man-boobs:

but he sucks compared to Tiger.

Fitness improves your game, dramatically. Fact.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

but he sucks compared to Tiger.

Fitness improves your game, dramatically. Fact.

I would imagine so. But despite that, Mickelson still beat Tiger at the Masters in 2006 -- and, whatever his ranking compared to Tiger, he still competes at a professional level without being particularly athletic, which is all I was trying to say. Therefore, I don't think you can call golf an athletic contest. To my mind, that means it's not a sport.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by TheWOAT 

Just saw that diving video, what can pro soccer leagues do to get rid of the fakery? Suspend players after the match? Or have the arbitro do it in game?

I would institute fines, like the NFL does for egregious behavior that isn't technically a penalty.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

I would imagine so. But despite that, Mickelson still beat Tiger at the Masters in 2006 -- and, whatever his ranking compared to Tiger, he still competes at a professional level without being particularly athletic, which is all I was trying to say. Therefore, I don't think you can call golf an athletic contest. To my mind, that means it's not a sport.

Even a blind squirrel can find a nut, on occasion.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

That's ridiculous. Do you know anything about golf? Mickelson is an amazing golfer; to call him a "blind squirrel" is just dumb. It's Phil's mental game that most people point to as suffering when compared to Tiger's awe-inspiring focus.

greg

[macroy]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Even a blind squirrel can find a nut, on occasion.

Wow. Do you have any clue?
He's only the 2nd best golfer right now based on world rankings
Not to mention that he's won over 45 million dollar thus far AND over 30 tournaments ... making him one of just a handful of active players that have life time exemption on the tour.

And while all of his stats are pretty much 2nd to Mr Woods, when you consider Tiger Woods is probably one of the greatest athletes to play their sport (on par with Michael, Magic, Gretsky, Rice..etc), I'd say Phil is a bit more than just a blind squirrel.

[Rev-O]

Run run run run run run run run run run run run kick.
Run run run run run run run kick.
Run run run run run run run run fall down and writhe on the field in agony.
Run run run run run run kick.
Run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run kick.
Run run run grab face fall down. Roll around some for effect. If no card is produced, roll around some more.
Run run run run kick.
Game ends.

I find soccer painfully boring. Yep, just my opinion. Dull dull dull. Yep, soccer is played by a boat load of kids, but it is perceived as a 'filler' activity by most. Play soccer until you can play Football, Hockey (inline or ice), Baseball, Basketball, Lacrosse, etc. Soccer historically in the US is a sport you 'grow out of.' Lots of participation, but not a lot of people staying with it and playing for a long time.

Does soccer take a ton of skill to play? Sure it does. The players are big time athletes. Not many honest people would argue with that. But just because some requires skill and ability doesn't mean it is going to be popular. Reasons for lack of success in the US: too much competition from other televised sports. Not TV friendly. Not Betting friendly. No catchy uniforms for merchandising. Low scoring. Perceived as a kids game. Home grown stars few and far between. Not perceived as an American sport. No professional tradition. It's not the NFL. Pick 2 from the list and that's enough of a reason for most Americans.

[Big-C]

Originally Posted by Rev-O 

Run run run run run run run run run run run run kick.
Run run run run run run run kick.
Run run run run run run run run fall down and writhe on the field in agony.
Run run run run run run kick.
Run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run kick.
Run run run grab face fall down. Roll around some for effect. If no card is produced, roll around some more.
Run run run run kick.
Game ends.

My god, I just laughed so hard I thought I'd die.

Totally accurate too! I wasn't sure how to articulate how I felt about soccer, but this sums it up nicely.

[TheWOAT]

Why dont Americans like Crickett? Why dont Americans like rugby? Midget tossing? Curling? Bobsledding? WE ARE MISSING OUT ON SO MUCH!!!

[brassplayersrock²]

Midget tossing? paging besson3c

[Jawbone54]

Underwater BB-stacking.

[TheWOAT]

A Rapid Fire Paperboy skills challenge.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by macroy 

Wow. Do you have any clue?
He's only the 2nd best golfer right now based on world rankings
Not to mention that he's won over 45 million dollar thus far AND over 30 tournaments ... making him one of just a handful of active players that have life time exemption on the tour.

And while all of his stats are pretty much 2nd to Mr Woods, when you consider Tiger Woods is probably one of the greatest athletes to play their sport (on par with Michael, Magic, Gretsky, Rice..etc), I'd say Phil is a bit more than just a blind squirrel.

Ok, hmmm, how about stupid, fat, blind squirrel? What moron throws a hissy and pulls out of a tournament because he couldn't get his way? That cost him a slim chance at the Cup and an extra $10M. In hindsight, he never had much of a shot, but he didn't even try, and that's sad.

Tiger's proven that golf is now an athletic sport, where if you want to have a chance at winning each week you have to be in prime shape. Sure, Phil and Daly are still good ball strikers, but anyone who watched the last event for the FedEx Cup could easily see that most of the field was dragging.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Ok, hmmm, how about stupid, fat, blind squirrel? What moron throws a hissy and pulls out of a tournament because he couldn't get his way? That cost him a slim chance at the Cup and an extra $10M. In hindsight, he never had much of a shot, but he didn't even try, and that's sad.

Tiger's proven that golf is now an athletic sport, where if you want to have a chance at winning each week you have to be in prime shape. Sure, Phil and Daly are still good ball strikers, but anyone who watched the last event for the FedEx Cup could easily see that most of the field was dragging.

And yet you don't see the Phil Mickelsons of golf running over to the gym so they can compete with Tiger. This means either:

1) They don't perceive a competitive benefit in doing so;
2) There is no competitive benefit in doing so; or
3) They already win so much money if they come in 2nd, 3rd, etc. that they don't care about beating Tiger.

If the top players don't think that it's an athletic competition, then it's not a sport.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

And yet you don't see the Phil Mickelsons of golf running over to the gym so they can compete with Tiger. This means either:

1) They don't perceive a competitive benefit in doing so;
2) There is no competitive benefit in doing so; or
3) They already win so much money if they come in 2nd, 3rd, etc. that they don't care about beating Tiger.

If the top players don't think that it's an athletic competition, then it's not a sport.

4) They're lazy wankers who don't want to put forth any effort to better themselves or their game.

If they actually worked out they'd give Tiger a run for his money.

Considering how much huffing and puffing was going on in the tour championship, it was plenty athletic, they just weren't up for the challenge.

[TheWOAT]

If Sergio could learn how to put, he could challenge Tiger... maybe. If Phil was smarter and more consistent, and gave a damn, then maybe he could challenge Tiger... But like they say, if 'if's were fifths, we'd all be drunk.

[Rev-O]

At this point we have proved that soccer so bores Americans that a thread about soccer cannot sustain itself. Even mentioning soccer in a thread will make the thread take on a tangental topic that is more relevant. This has now become a thread about golf.
So, soccerman, bitch about how under appreciated soccer is in the US and how elegant the sport is. Your thread is now about golf. And if it wasn't golf, it would be bowling or colostomies. Anything is better than soccer.

[theDreamer]

Not true at all.
Soccer is equal among other sports, even though it is not recognized at a similar does not demote it by any means.

People here are complaining about soccer being over exaggerated on penalties, which is true and even when I played I did it a few times, but all sports have equal "actors" who have abused the system. Some sports it might be noticed as something different, but deep down it is the same principle.

[matty-uk]

Originally Posted by Cipher13 

Union isn't nearly as rough as League.

I completely agree and I think this video will show people just how rough Rugby League can be. I tried to watch various NFL games on sky sports but for me it was extremely boring, too many interruptions.

I'll happily admit that football can be rather boring at times if a team is on the defensive but the game does have it's excitement. If you want proper excitement then I suggest you catch some Rubgy League if it's shown anywhere. Currently the UK season has come to a close but should be starting up again soon.

[Buckaroo]

LiveLeak.com - the way football should be played


Now this is football the way it should be played.

[Shaddim]

"That wasn't a snap, it was a Taco Bell commercial."