issue 20// vol 47

Why I dont resonate with soccer

> It’s the main sport in every other continent

Mo Hussain
Sports Reporter

 

Aw of weeks ago we covered why
occer is the most popular sport in

the world. While many people around the
world consider it the number one sport,
that doesn’t seem to necessarily be the case
for North Americans and myself.

One of the main reasons I personally
don't resonate with soccer as much as other
sports is the fact that that matchups can
possibly end in draws. That means that
there is a possibility of the game ending
without any scoring on either team. How
can someone possibly invest over go
minutes of their time into watching a sport
that runs the risk of not having a decisive
ending? Imagine being in a marquee
European city, paying tons of money for
tickets to watch their professional soccer
team, only to see both teams draw. To the
people that don’t mind it, I salute you. But
to people that are used to sports that have

decisive endings, this can be a somewhat
problematic.

An obvious counter to this is that
it’s obviously not always the case that
matchups can end in a draw. Tournaments
like the FIFA World Cup and in the UEFA
Champions league don’t end in draws, and
I quite enjoy watching those when I get the
chance. However, that is not the case for
most major leagues in the regular season.

Another argument one could make is
that that due to the game being played on
such a large field, players can get tired, and
it could take a long time to finish a game,
which leads me to my next point.

Since soccer is played on such a large
field, this could also contribute to why
there is not enough scoring relative to other
sports. If we compare soccer to a sport like
basketball for instance (my favourite sport
for full disclosure), one study found the
most common score in a soccer game is 1 to
o compared to NBA teams averaging about
40 field goals a game.

This, in addition to the fact that the
sport isn’t as physical as some popular
sports like hockey and American football
(which is probably a good thing for the

The difference between
baseball and cricket

» These sports may seem like twins but have essential differences

Mo Hussain
Sports Reporter

 

Agr of weeks back, we brought

up how cricket was one of the most
popular sports in the world. What came to
my attention when drafting the story up
was the shocking resemblance cricket has
with baseball, and what the heck could be
so different between each sport.

One of the primary differences
between baseball and cricket is obviously
who watches the sport. I think it’s safe
to say that baseball is popular within
North and South America in countries
such as the United States, the Dominican
Republic, and Canada. On the other hand,

 

cricket is popular on the eastern side
of the globe in countries such as India,
Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Another difference is that the sports
play in very contrasted field types. In
baseball, the field is in a diamond shape; in
cricket, the field is shaped almost like an
oval. One would assume the main reason
for this is because the shapes of those fields
play a big role in how a team can score.

Although both sports essentially
require someone with a bat to hit the
ball in a strategic way, the two sports also
have different systems for scoring. After
the person with the bat in baseball (the
batter) hits the ball as best as they can,
their objective is to run around the three
“bases” on the field and make it back

to the original spot where they hit the
ball before the other team catches it and
brings it back themselves.

In cricket, the batsman (person who
bats the ball in cricket) essentially has to
hit the ball in a way that either passes the
boundary line (similar to a home run) or hits
it in a way where they would have enough

sports // no. 7

player’s well being), puts it at somewhat
of a disadvantage when it comes to
entertainment value.

time to cross a line in front of them.

There are obviously more differences,
but it is interesting to see some of the key
differences the two sports have, because
someone who isn’t familiar with either
sport could potentially mix the two up.

 

  

Photo by Arnaldo Fragozo