The game is nothing more than the sum of it's written rules.
I've noticed in this argument and the podcasts that there is a distinct absolutism and lack of emotion in many (if not all) of Rym or Scott's arguments. Hmmm.
But I still love you both. Where's my new podcast? I've been waiting a week now!
I've noticed in this argument and the podcasts that there is a distinct absolutism and lack of emotion in many (if not all) of Rym or Scott's arguments. Hmmm.
There's a lot of emotion going on in watching sport, especially when you hate or love one of the teams involved. Here are the emotions.
My team wins - hooray! My team loses - aw shucks. My team wins by cheating or bad rules enforcement - I'll take it, but I don't feel good about it. My teams loses because of cheating or bad rules enforcement - BULLSHIT! KILL EVERY MOTHER FUCKER IN THIS STADIUM! THE REF DIES FIRST!
When there's too much bullshit, the emotions are bad and we lose confidence in the sport. Why should I root for my team if the game has no integrity? There's no point to it if winning isn't a pure and fair test of skill. Again, it's like rooting for a pro-wrestler.
If you haven't noticed, this sort of sentiment exists in all US sports. The fans are pushing very hard for a college football playoff system, because the BCS system isn't a fair test of skill. The sports writers, and many fans, are basically pretending the steroid era of baseball didn't exist. Drugged players are not entering the hall of fame, and people aren't respecting their records. Pete Rose isn't even in the Hall of Fame. The NFL, the sport that uses replay more than any other to always get the right call, is the most popular sport int he country by orders of magnitude with record ratings.
If only we could get the same attitude towards video and board gaming, we would be set.
Oh I don't know about that, this guy (and everybody else in Leeds) seemed to love this
I know I fuckin' did, and I don't even like Soccer that much.
Other things I loved - Watching the Sea Eagles Thrash the fuck out of the Rhinos, and seeing the Rhinos thrash the bejeezus out of the Melbourne storm, because Fuck the storm.
I love that the game rarely ever stops and is a true physical test.
The fact that the same level of technology goes into the World Cup final as the lowest rent third world scrimmage is amazing.
I love that there is a human fallibility built into the rule set that makes the game a living thing full of errors and bullshit for people to yell and scream about.
As a spectator sport however, I MUCH prefer rugby. It includes most of what I like about football except you are SUPPOSED to hit people and it is played by psychopathic cavemen like this guy.
The fact that the same level of technology goes into the World Cup final as the lowest rent third world scrimmage is amazing.
All you soccer fans keep saying this is amazing, but none of you have been able to give even one reason why this is amazing.
I love that there is a human fallibility built into the rule set that makes the game a living thing full of errors and bullshit for people to yell and scream about.
The other thing no soccer fan has been able to answer is how does winning or losing have any meaning without objectivity?
Oh I don't know about that, this guy (and everybody else in Leeds) seemed to love this
I know I fuckin' did, and I don't even like Soccer that much.
Other things I loved - Watching the Sea Eagles Thrash the fuck out of the Rhinos, and seeing the Rhinos thrash the bejeezus out of the Melbourne storm, because Fuck the storm.
Fuck Storm the cheating cunts. Yeah Sea Eagles destroyed us, dam Aussies and their rugby skills
All you soccer fans keep saying this is amazing, but none of you have been able to give even one reason why this is amazing.
The other thing no soccer fan has been able to answer is how does winning or losing have any meaning without objectivity?
Please answer these two questions.
Football is a subjective sport. That's why it is called the "beautiful game" and not the "highly logical collection of observable facts that are resulting in a score" (aka baseball BAZING). Adding the kind of precision you get with microchips and camera and robots is missing the point. Its like LIFE
Also I would almost argue that the winning and losing is only partial to the appeal. Barca and Real Madrid have played each other over 200 times and the win / lose ratio is almost 1:1. There were probably hundreds of bad calls and dirty plays all manner of BS but the sum of the rivalry is more than any one play or game or even series. It is just a happening in the ongoing saga.
Note that none of this makes football a good GAME that can be enjoyed on a pure level of mechanics and not having any great connection to any one firm or league definitely hampers the enjoyment.
The only reason I got any kind of into it was that I worked on a popular football video game with some RABID footy fans from all over the world, including guys who'd played on national teams right when the world cup was starting up. It was hard NOT to get excited.
The only reason I got any kind of into it was that I worked on a popular football video game with some RABID footy fans from all over the world, including guys who'd played on national teams right when the world cup was starting up. It was hard NOT to get excited.
When it was World Cup time the international center at my uni was showing all the games and providing snacks. It was nice to watch the games with people who cared about teams other than the U.S.A. and hard not to get caught up in their excitement. Also, fuck Paul the Octopus! Making Germany lose, the bastard!
If the game is subjective and such, that means the team that wins any given game is not necessarily the team with more skills, or who happened to play better in that particular game. If that's the case, then winning the world cup does not make you the best team in the world, it just makes you the luckiest team that particular year. If the team that wins isn't the best team, then the result of any given game has no meaning. I can't root for a team if their winning or losing is completely meaningless and unrelated to their skill and effort. The whole sport is bullshit. Might as well just watch My Little Pony instead, and I think I shall.
If you win the Stanley Cup, that means something. If you win an Olympic gold medal, that means something. It's not the trophy itself that matters, it's the idea that the trophy represents. The Stanley Cup, rightly, represents the idea that you are the best hockey team in the NHL. A fist full of Super Bowl Rings means something. World Cups don't mean shit. They might as well be dick-protecting cups.
Hell, a lot of my European friends/family also don't like the BS officiating and hate Sepp Blatter with a passion. They do want to see soccer matches decided by who played the best, not who got the luckiest breaks with the officials.
Hell, a lot of my European friends/family also don't like the BS officiating and hate Sepp Blatter with a passion. They do want to see soccer matches decided by who played the best, not who got the luckiest breaks with the officials.
Those kinds of people clearly are not on the Internets.
Hell, a lot of my European friends/family also don't like the BS officiating and hate Sepp Blatter with a passion. They do want to see soccer matches decided by who played the best, not who got the luckiest breaks with the officials.
Those kinds of people clearly are not on the Internets.
A few of them are, but true, most of them aren't. Or at least aren't in any capacity other than checking their email and forwarding the Portuguese translation of the latest virus hoax.
Fuck Storm the cheating cunts. Yeah Sea Eagles destroyed us, dam Aussies and their rugby skills
OOH-RAH. Goddamn right. However, You've every right to be proud of the Rhinos for the Sea Eagles game I'm speaking of, They fought hard and played well, even though they lost. Horribly.
And yeah, fuck the Storm, you're not kidding - they really are a pack of cheating cunts. I am out of my seat and roaring for the Leeds Rinos every time they play each other.
but statistically the women flop around less than the men.
That depends on what sort of flopping were talking about! Also Ladies football does have the occasional fisty-cuffs that makes the men look like flouncing wusses. Which they are but still. I hear Japans team is pretty tight so it could be a good game.
Comments
But I still love you both. Where's my new podcast? I've been waiting a week now!
My team wins - hooray!
My team loses - aw shucks.
My team wins by cheating or bad rules enforcement - I'll take it, but I don't feel good about it.
My teams loses because of cheating or bad rules enforcement - BULLSHIT! KILL EVERY MOTHER FUCKER IN THIS STADIUM! THE REF DIES FIRST!
When there's too much bullshit, the emotions are bad and we lose confidence in the sport. Why should I root for my team if the game has no integrity? There's no point to it if winning isn't a pure and fair test of skill. Again, it's like rooting for a pro-wrestler.
If you haven't noticed, this sort of sentiment exists in all US sports. The fans are pushing very hard for a college football playoff system, because the BCS system isn't a fair test of skill. The sports writers, and many fans, are basically pretending the steroid era of baseball didn't exist. Drugged players are not entering the hall of fame, and people aren't respecting their records. Pete Rose isn't even in the Hall of Fame. The NFL, the sport that uses replay more than any other to always get the right call, is the most popular sport int he country by orders of magnitude with record ratings.
If only we could get the same attitude towards video and board gaming, we would be set.
Plus I can watch this all day and still feel almost as awesome as I did when it happened
It is mostly for its physics and awesome tricks
I like the new Dalek Paradigm, they are like the Power Rangers of Evil :O
Other things I loved - Watching the Sea Eagles Thrash the fuck out of the Rhinos, and seeing the Rhinos thrash the bejeezus out of the Melbourne storm, because Fuck the storm.
I love that the game rarely ever stops and is a true physical test.
The fact that the same level of technology goes into the World Cup final as the lowest rent third world scrimmage is amazing.
I love that there is a human fallibility built into the rule set that makes the game a living thing full of errors and bullshit for people to yell and scream about.
As a spectator sport however, I MUCH prefer rugby. It includes most of what I like about football except you are SUPPOSED to hit people and it is played by psychopathic cavemen like this guy.
Please answer these two questions.
Also I would almost argue that the winning and losing is only partial to the appeal. Barca and Real Madrid have played each other over 200 times and the win / lose ratio is almost 1:1. There were probably hundreds of bad calls and dirty plays all manner of BS but the sum of the rivalry is more than any one play or game or even series. It is just a happening in the ongoing saga.
Note that none of this makes football a good GAME that can be enjoyed on a pure level of mechanics and not having any great connection to any one firm or league definitely hampers the enjoyment.
The only reason I got any kind of into it was that I worked on a popular football video game with some RABID footy fans from all over the world, including guys who'd played on national teams right when the world cup was starting up. It was hard NOT to get excited.
If you win the Stanley Cup, that means something. If you win an Olympic gold medal, that means something. It's not the trophy itself that matters, it's the idea that the trophy represents. The Stanley Cup, rightly, represents the idea that you are the best hockey team in the NHL. A fist full of Super Bowl Rings means something. World Cups don't mean shit. They might as well be dick-protecting cups.
And yeah, fuck the Storm, you're not kidding - they really are a pack of cheating cunts. I am out of my seat and roaring for the Leeds Rinos every time they play each other.