Champions league

A red card in Rugby is only justified for severe injuries caused on the opponent (broken leg/knee/pelvis or completely paralyzed).

 

Personally I dont thin so.

A 350 lbs line man will make a single hit with a lot of power.

Does he have the strength and fitness to be on the pitch 80 minutes and be there at every single break down? probably not.

NFL players are trained for short bursts of raw power. A rugby player has to keep up with play and fight for possession maybe 60 times a game with only half time as a break.

Thats how I defined the difference between raw power and fitness and strength.
--- merged: May 23, 2012 at 6:27 PM ---

Sorry, that isn't true. Simply wrong.

A straight red will be given for a spear tackle (ie driving a players head towards the floor), a blatant high tackle (arm around head or neck) and in most cases for a clean punch landed with no provocation. Whether the other player is injured isnt a factor.

 

You confuse my brain. I don't appreciate that.

You know, I understand to some degree when TFP females don't get my sarcasm and throw a fuss. But there has simply got to be a point where what I say is obviously not serious.

 

Chelsea did what they had to, and I was incredibly happy for Drogba. Genuine respect to that guy. I've always like him, Lampard, Cech, (former Chelsea man) Joe Cole...I really dislike John Terry, but there you go. He is a great back.

As for soccer/football in the states : I'm biased from having played my entire life, but I'd rather play or watch soccer than any other sport out there. Nothing against the others, but soccer is just more my style. I find that people who get bored watching it don't understand the small victories and defeats associated with putting together a series of passes, retaining possession, proper defensive technique. I think people who are bored by other sports feel the same way: if you don't get the little victories and defeats and understand the fundamental underlying strategies, it's going to be boring.

 

The tactical aspect isn't the problem. I've seen some great tactics employed in football matches.

What really puts me off soccer is the huge amount of whiny, faking players without any testicles. They're either complete pussies or the biggest, and most worthless arrogant assholes out there.

Watched a game featuring Christiano Ronaldo a few months ago. Holy fuck.

 

A rugger will fuck you up and don't take dives like soccer players. Pansies.

 

Somewhere, someone is pushing soccer on the US. Elementary (mostly) and high school sports programs have seen an increase in student participation over the last decade.

But yeah, it doesn't add up to an increase in interest overall. The World Cup this year was probably watched by more fans in the US than all other years combined but as soon as it ended, the fans went back to their American favorites.

By the way, basketball definitely originated in the US though it was conjured up by a Canadian Basketball History: Origin of the Sport .
An exciting game to watch if....you have a favorite team or a bet on the game and more so if you are in the arena where it's being played rather than watching it on TV. For me, the constant squeak of Nikes on the floor make it an unbearable experience no matter where I am. I used to be a fan of baseball but now find it mostly slow torture unless I'm actually at a stadium on a beautiful summer evening with a good beer buzz.

American football is my favorite sport to watch, especially now that I understand the game better.

I have a strong feeling I'm going to have to gain an appreciation for "proper" football (soccer) in the near future, though.

 

I liked playing soccer when I was younger, never did outside of school though. Basketball was much more fun for me, especially when I actually had a respectable vertical and could run for two straight hours. However, both of my knees would ache for hours after every game even when I was 17/18 and they have become less forgiving as I have aged. Now the prospect of actually playing on some kind of team in a game is painful just to think to about most days. I am grateful for days when both the weather and my joints cooperate with me and let me walk "normally" all or most of the day.

 

Heavens to Murgatroyd!



I always hear about the soccer players faking injury, and I always have such a different take on it. In my experience, part of the beauty of the match is, to be blunt, creative cheating. I know this is anathema to "real men and women" who play "real sports," but it's a strategic decision. If I can get a free kick, or better yet a PK, which gives my team strategic advantage in the match, I'm doing it. If I can start building up a track record against a player on the other team as committing fouls against me so I can get him booked, I'm doing it. If I can convince the linesman that a player was caught off-sides, I'm doing it. I'm claiming every out of bounds and corner/goal kick decision regardless of whom I actually think it went out on.

Taken out of context is a quote from my sister "It's not a lie if the person you're talking to knows that you're lying..." and this is how I see soccer. It has a completely different level being played simultaneously with the actual action on the field. The referee knows what's going on, and so it comes down to how you build your credibility and in which cases you complain, and in which cases you sack up and push through an obvious foul. Only make the claim when it can strategically give advantage to your side.

I guess the flip side to the sentiment above is "Soccer players like to be able to go home with their teeth and testicles intact. Somewhere, there's an after party going on and we'd like to be able to enjoy it without the bullshit alpha male/female I'm so tough I don't care if I'm shitting blood. Alcohol makes it go away, amiright?"