Soccer vs. Football

Is it just me or are you overwhelmed with the coverage and commentary regarding the World Cup Soccer Championship games in Brazil?  I have not done a tally but it appears to me that this coverage far exceeds even Super Bowl hype.  Well, maybe not since the World Cup is like the sum of all our football playoff games in one fell swoop.  Regardless, I am overwhelmed by the coverage.  Is the media trying to tell us something?

First, nomenclature:  Bottom line is terms, football and soccer came to us from England and the history is very interesting.  Needless to say, the world identifies “soccer” as football because hands are not allowed.  We call football football because of the spin-off of Rugby from the original soccer teams wherein hands are allowed, and eventually the forward pass.  Rugby became the American football game and what the world calls “football” became soccer in the US.  I think both terms are misleading.  Soccer could be called “head ball” and football could be called “arm ball” more accurately reflecting the body part usage in each sport.  Or, soccer could be called “kick ball” and football could be called “tackle ball” based on the most frequent events in each game.  Regardless, when the Brits got together in a pub in 1863 to codify the rules of both soccer and rugby and football the terms evolved and have stuck.  When football gained steam in the US we shifted to the term soccer.  We are virtually alone in this, save Australia where the term soccer also persists because Australians have their own football, a descendant of rugby.

Position terminology is equally confusing in both sports, but football is worse.  Calling a soccer player a defender, a midfielder or a forward connotes an intuitive sense of what these player positions include.  Sweeper and striker not so much.  There are no players with brooms or boxing gloves on the soccer field.  And “wing man” projects divine intervention in the game.  In football, however, a quarter back has a full back, as does a half back, otherwise their deformity would probably prohibit playing.  A receiver does not have a receptacle.  A nose guard does not guard a nose.  Guard, tackle and punter make sense, but safety and running back do not.  Picture a “running back” crab-like, scurrying down the field face-up, or the “safety” position whose job it is to keep everyone safe.

Few soccer teams have cheerleaders.  There are no marching bands, no dance teams, but there are half-time shows so perhaps the same groups could perform.  We would have to change the final game names from “cup” to “bowl” because bowls are bigger than cups and we would not want the name of the event to be confused with a vital piece of equipment.  Nothing much would change for fans as everyone at either game is clearly an athletic supporter.  I would prefer that soccer refs throw a yellow flag and blow a whistle rather than holding up a card.

So, why would an educator even care about all this?  Kid health and money.  Soccer ranks 6^th in the list of injuries in the sport and football ranks 3^rd.  (Boxing is the worst, obviously, as the event is not over until someone is too hurt to go on.)  More kids get hurt playing football than soccer.  The injuries in football tend to be more severe despite all the equipment.  Most 40 year old men I know still complain about their high school football injuries.  Technically, soccer is a non-contact sport though there is plenty of contact.  If we are interested in student safety then promoting soccer over football makes sense.  Both sports require high levels of physical exertion, teamwork, camaraderie, and can benefit players’ health, as long as they do not get hurt, etc.

Cost is a huge consideration as well.  There are 11 players on the field for both a soccer match and a football game.  But the US National Soccer Team has only 3 coaches.  The Seattle Seahawks, winners of the 2014 Super Bowl, have 23 coaches.  Most high schools will have one or two soccer coaches but even small schools will have 12 to 15 football coaches.  Further, there appears to be some sort of improved or implied status in football when a group of men in the same shirt stand on the sideline during a game.  They may have nothing to do, but they sure look pretty.  The cost of coaches on the payroll is enormous both financially and instructionally.

The equipment is cheaper for soccer.  Shoes, shorts, shirt.  No helmets, no shoulder pads, no hip and knee pads, etc.  Stadium cost would be about the same.  The cost of balls needed for play would be about the same.

The ideal player is different in each sport.  In soccer being quick, lithe, coordinated with great eye-foot coordination is a distinct advantage.  It is good to use one’s head in a soccer game.  In football, we look for big, strong and fast.  Using one’s head results in a penalty.  And what about the kids who are the large, strong lineman in football?  They would not do well in soccer.  Schools may consider beginning a wrestling team as well.  Injuries in wrestling are less than either football or soccer.

And, women can play soccer every bit as well as men opening up a huge sport to accommodate female athletes.  Not so much in football.

It appears to me that for a variety of reasons public school students and budgets would be best served by shifting from football to soccer.  The issue in making such a shift will be cultural. 

Few in our country have grown up in the soccer culture.  Most have a rich background in football and have a sense of play and players in football.  Shifting to soccer would be hard on all of us, especially those adults who played high school football.  High school football somehow has become a rite of passage for young men in our culture.  Abandoning that for a game that discourages contact and rewards different talents and abilities is probably impossible.  So yes, the media may be trying to tell us something:  learn soccer.  But until every dad and mom encourages their kids to play soccer rather than football it isn’t going to happen for 25 years or so.

If an effort were made, however, to replace football with soccer those in public school would be safer, wealthier and we would all get a real kick out of it.  If even considering such change triggers anger on your part, I will drop back 10 and punt.