Around 700 million people watched the World Cup final and soccer still reigns as the top sport in almost every country but the U.S. But since it still doesn’t resonate among American sports media, critics attack some of the basic premises of the sport. Here’s our rebuttal:
5. Get rid of offsides » Just because a rule is intact to help the defense doesn’t mean it must change. To promote more scoring: baseball lowered the mound, football handcuffed defensive backs and the NBA implemented defensive three seconds. But changing the offsides rule in soccer would be like allowing multiple forward passes in football: The entire sport’s shape and strategies would change.
4. Why is there stoppage time? » Watching Red Sox and Yankees players spit and scratch themselves through a five-hour marathon is fine, but soccer can’t add two extra minutes?
3. Diving makes soccer unwatchable » NBA players flop more often than their rap CDs. Diving is a little annoying, but players in every sport go above and beyond to sell calls.
2. U.S. should beat any nation the size of Houston » Tying Slovenia was tough for some to grasp, but soccer is the only sport many of these smaller nations care about. With this mentality, shouldn’t China be the 2014 favorite?
1. Banning artificial noise makers » I would take hearing the buzz of vuvuzelas any day over the sounds of Billy Packer, Joe Morgan or Troy Aikman.
