Leave it to the fools at espn.com

[SubPop77]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hruby/050725

The Dumbest Rules in Sports
By Patrick Hruby
Page 2

Overturned British tea taxes. The end of unequal suffrage. Prohibition replaced by the beer helmet. The great thing about America is that you can always change the rules. And all it takes is political will, money, popular support and money.

Did we mention money?


If you think there's no way to get this guy out then we think the AAA club would love to have you.
The athletic world is no different. When stall tactics and stagnant scores threatened pro basketball's very existence, the NBA adopted the shot clock; when viewers became blasé at the prospect of bikini-clad competitors, Olympic beach volleyball added bikini-clad cheerleaders. Brilliant. Time and again, sports have adapted to contemporary challenges, tweaking and tinkering to produce a better product.
Which is where Page 2 comes in.

Every sport has silly rules, official commandments and unwritten customs that are annoying, unnecessary and just plain dumb. To wit: Why can't the ground cause a fumble? Why is the college 3-point line so darn close? What follows are some of Page 2's athletic pet peeves, along with suggestions to make things better.

Is this the last word on lame sports rules? Of course not. There's always room to revise. After all, that's the beauty of America. Sports, too.

Besides, we had to save a few items for the next slow news day, so here's a handful of them

....

Offsides in Soccer
Soccer has never caught on in the United States. Why is that? Could it be the almost complete lack of, um … scoring? Forget offsides; everything short of pantsing the defender should be allowed on the way to the net.

In fact, pantsing should be allowed, too.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

hehe, there are far more rules that are worse...like uh, not calling goals (looking at you Roy Carroll :D )

[footyfan1]

hehe, there are far more rules that are worse...like uh, not calling goals (looking at you Roy Carroll :D )


I'm a Man U. fan and even I thought that was horrible.......

[SirManchester]

I'm not going to comment on the article for the sheer reason that it isn't worth my time.....


All I'll say is that maybe saaaaaawker not catching on might also be because of idiotic and ignorant journalism regarding the sport.

[footyfan1]

I'm not going to comment on the article for the sheer reason that it isn't worth my time.....


All I'll say is that maybe saaaaaawker not catching on might also be because of idiotic and ignorant journalism regarding the sport.

I'd say it's the arrogance of our sports fans as a whole. My fellow Americans will never embrace a game we either did not invent or are not the best in the world at.

Why do you think it took the NHL so long to go big time and a "sport" (Give me a break!) featuring a bunch of 'necks making a bunch of left turns are more popular here than the world's beautiful game??

Hell, I think Americans could really get into Rugby too if the sport was given some play here after the college level.

We are just too arrogant to care about anything other sports than our own.

That's my opinion.

Before anyone blasts me as being anti-American, I'm a f#cking war veteran (Desert Shield/Storm) who still goes to work every day for Uncle Sam's Army. Have been involved with our military my entire adult life.

Despite what many of our Euro friends think of American soldiers/former soldiers, I damned sure think for myself. It's the most basic right I fight for........

And I say as sports fans, we are a nation of arrogant MFers.......

[SubPop77]

I'd say it's the arrogance of our sports fans as a whole. My fellow Americans will never embrace a game we either did not invent or are not the best in the world at.

Why do you think it took the NHL so long to go big time and a "sport" (Give me a break!) featuring a bunch of 'necks making a bunch of left turns are more popular here than the world's beautiful game??

Hell, I think Americans could really get into Rugby too if the sport was given some play here after the college level.

We are just too arrogant to care about anything other sports than our own.

That's my opinion.

Before anyone blasts me as being anti-American, I'm a f#cking war veteran (Desert Shield/Storm) who still goes to work every day for Uncle Sam's Army. Have been involved with our military my entire adult life.

Despite what many of our Euro friends think of American soldiers/former soldiers, I damned sure think for myself. It's the most basic right I fight for........

And I say as sports fans, we are a nation of arrogant MFers.......
Beautiful post! This is is exactly the sort of conversation I wanted to spark up with this thread. It blows my mind how Americans are so closed minded toward football and every time I think its getting better I see things like this. Granted the whole article was pretty stupid, but this is the sort of stuff that the wide public reads and sort of buys into. Its like, they hear that football is that boring sport and never give it the time of day, because they already know it sucks or something.

I dont know how much it has to do with the fact that we didnt invent it, I think that plays a role. I think the fact that its hard to advertise from an American sports perspective (ie no time outs, natural stops in the game) also plays a big role. Just do what they do here in Europe, run adverts through the duration of halftime!

Its just obvious from an article like that that America really has no clue, I mean, get rid of the offsides rule, are they ********ing idiots?! Oh, and dont take me to be a soccer snob who looks down on all sports either, I happen to be a big Seattle Mariners fan as well.

Footy- You work for Uncle Sams Army?! No wonder you are a soccer fan! :)

[96Squig]

One questioon on the article first: Wtf is pantsing?

Having asked that, I love soccer-loving Americans ;-)

And somehow I think it is wrong to say that understanding American football is essential to understand Western culture... that would mean that the US is the only civilized country in the western world :-)

(was said in Stargate - Atlantis)

[nach0king]

I'd say it's the arrogance of our sports fans as a whole. My fellow Americans will never embrace a game we either did not invent or are not the best in the world at.

Why do you think it took the NHL so long to go big time and a "sport" (Give me a break!) featuring a bunch of 'necks making a bunch of left turns are more popular here than the world's beautiful game??

Hell, I think Americans could really get into Rugby too if the sport was given some play here after the college level.

We are just too arrogant to care about anything other sports than our own.

That's my opinion.

Before anyone blasts me as being anti-American, I'm a f#cking war veteran (Desert Shield/Storm) who still goes to work every day for Uncle Sam's Army. Have been involved with our military my entire adult life.

Despite what many of our Euro friends think of American soldiers/former soldiers, I damned sure think for myself. It's the most basic right I fight for........

And I say as sports fans, we are a nation of arrogant MFers.......

Brilliant post... slightly overshadowed by the fact that you're a Man Utd fan, but I'll let that slide :D

[SubPop77]

One questioon on the article first: Wtf is pantsing?

Having asked that, I love soccer-loving Americans ;-)

And somehow I think it is wrong to say that understanding American football is essential to understand Western culture... that would mean that the US is the only civilized country in the western world :-)

(was said in Stargate - Atlantis)
haha, Pantsing----when you pull down someones pants---

[The Old Lady Hertha]

LOL these posts some of them are pretty brilliant

There are a lot of fans of football here in US. I'm surprised espn doesn't really give a crap about it. I thought that they would do more after I saw Liverpool v. AC Milan highlights at the BEGINNING of SportsCenter, but not quite yet.

I think espn should have it's own soccer highlight show on the weekend. Would be quite brilliant actually, stick it in at the midnight hour, I'd stay up to watch up (I stay up anyways).

[Dead Fingers]

I think people give ESPN a hard time sometimes. A lot of people complain why there isn't any soccer when they are showing college basketweaving. Most people don'te realize that ESPN has a contract w/ the NCAA to show all their events...regardless of popularity.

Granted...pantsing???? What the hell is that?? and is it legal in Alabama?

[The Old Lady Hertha]

I think people give ESPN a hard time sometimes. A lot of people complain why there isn't any soccer when they are showing college basketweaving. Most people don'te realize that ESPN has a contract w/ the NCAA to show all their events...regardless of popularity.

Granted...pantsing???? What the hell is that?? and is it legal in Alabama?

I think everything is in Alabama...cocaine, hookers, racial slurs, the whole shabangabang. :D

[footyfan1]

I think people give ESPN a hard time sometimes. A lot of people complain why there isn't any soccer when they are showing college basketweaving. Most people don'te realize that ESPN has a contract w/ the NCAA to show all their events...regardless of popularity.

Granted...pantsing???? What the hell is that?? and is it legal in Alabama?


I think those complaints are founded. ESPN created an entirely new channel for most of that NCAA programming. It's called "ESPN U".

I think if ESPN had the rights to show more European football, they would.

ESPN just can't throw down the millions for the USA rights that Setanta, Fox and others have.

And if you are lucky enough to have ESPN Deportes, you still get a butload of CL Football they get from ESPN International.

If ESPN could have, I'm certain they would have been happy to replace their lost NHL programming with European Football.

[CanuckFan]

haha, Pantsing----when you pull down someones pants---

Prelude to "the penguin".

[blkbrnrvr]

I think everything is in Alabama...cocaine, hookers, racial slurs, the whole shabangabang. :D
I only do the cocaine and hookers though. :D

[Hexenmeister]

The worst thing ESPN does it when they pre-empt a soccer match for something like women's golf.

It's like their attitude is, "Yeah, we realize there are some people who like soccer, so we'll broadcast a few games in the middle of the afternoon, but we really don't care for it ourselves."

[SirManchester]

They are certainly not part of spreading the game or actually trying to make it more popular in the states.

Rather, just pleasing the actual football fans in the country with some CL games here and there....and to them, that seems enough.

[footyfan1]

They are certainly not part of spreading the game or actually trying to make it more popular in the states.

Rather, just pleasing the actual football fans in the country with some CL games here and there....and to them, that seems enough.


ESPN is a business. They aren't going to take losses to "spread the game".

Whether we like it or not, soccer just doesn't sell here. Instead of blaming ESPN, we need to get together and support those who do spread the game like FSC.

[nach0king]

I think people give ESPN a hard time sometimes. A lot of people complain why there isn't any soccer when they are showing college basketweaving. Most people don'te realize that ESPN has a contract w/ the NCAA to show all their events...regardless of popularity.

Granted...pantsing???? What the hell is that?? and is it legal in Alabama?

So, because they've agreed a contract to show a bunch of worthless sports, people are to stop giving them a hard time for showing worthless sports?

Maybe they could renegotiate their rubbish contracts instead?

[DanielHSV]

I'd say it's the arrogance of our sports fans as a whole. My fellow Americans will never embrace a game we either did not invent or are not the best in the world at.

Why do you think it took the NHL so long to go big time and a "sport" (Give me a break!) featuring a bunch of 'necks making a bunch of left turns are more popular here than the world's beautiful game??

Hell, I think Americans could really get into Rugby too if the sport was given some play here after the college level.

We are just too arrogant to care about anything other sports than our own.

That's my opinion.

Before anyone blasts me as being anti-American, I'm a f#cking war veteran (Desert Shield/Storm) who still goes to work every day for Uncle Sam's Army. Have been involved with our military my entire adult life.

Despite what many of our Euro friends think of American soldiers/former soldiers, I damned sure think for myself. It's the most basic right I fight for........

And I say as sports fans, we are a nation of arrogant MFers.......

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to footyfan1 again.