ESPN: Tony Romo playing soccer isn't a big deal

[RCowboyFan]

Outside of trivia you are free to ask me anything about the game to gauge my knowledge of it. I understand the game. I have played. I was even an all star as a kid though I consider that to be a heinous award and one of the reasons why I hate the game. To assume I know nothing about it is patently false. I just don't care for it at all and I really have little tolerance for its most rabid fans who want to force the game on me and tell me if I just knew it better.

Oh, Ok. Well, now it makes sense. I thought you were just trying to rub it on people who like Soccer or who play it. Btw, I do hate the Soccer fanatics who think its the greatest game in the world, so I get what you are saying now.

 

[RCowboyFan]

I just want to come back to this comment for one minute. This is exactly why one of the reasons why I hate soccer has to do with its fans.

I love baseball. I know a lot of people who do. None of them are as obnoxious as soccer fans when you don't like their sport. I have never heard a baseball fan call someone who doesn't like the game clueless. They probably have, but soccer fans do this every single time. They assure you if you only knew the game....

In other words, soccer fans are very snobbish and they simply put me off because I do not like the game.

I love baseball, but I'm not going to defend the game to you and waste your time and mine. I'm not going to call you clueless about it because you don't love it like I do. Therein lies the huge difference I see in passion about any sport, the attitude people have for it.

.

But I am clueless, and you can call me clueless I am not kidding, I barely know ABCs of baseball. And never tried to. Because its such a boring game ( I tried to get into it couple of times, felt I rather watch paint dry). I just assumed you were like me about Baseball :

The only people I have seen the attitude you talk about are the European types, who are crazy about soccer and think, Football is just barbaric sport etc. I never met anyone personally that derided Football or any other sport because of their love for Soccer. But on Message boards, I have seen plenty "Soccer" fans or idiots, trying to rile up football fans.

Lastly, I am not a great fan of Soccer watching. Only soccer games I watch are world cup games. I only like to play and then watch my kids play now. I can't play football and never had a chance to, other than touch footbal variety. Thats one unfufilled wish, that I will never be able to go back to.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Outside of trivia you are free to ask me anything about the game to gauge my knowledge of it. I understand the game. I have played. I was even an all star as a kid though I consider that to be a heinous award and one of the reasons why I hate the game. To assume I know nothing about it is patently false. I just don't care for it at all and I really have little tolerance for its most rabid fans who want to force the game on me and tell me if I just knew it better.

dont like the evangelists, be they soccerites, tweeters or Mac cult members.
All be welcomed to their proclivities and stuff but I agree, dont force the game or any other things on people and dont be smug because you think your sport or technology or practices are superior.
To each their own and lets all be good comrades and midfielders.

 

[Beast_from_East]

At my high school, the only guys that played soccer were the ones not good enough to play football.


And as far as the girls being into the soccer guys more than the football guys......well, not in Texas. Girls wanted nothing to do with you if you didnt play on the football team, at least that is the way it was at my school.


High school football in Texas is not a sport, it is a religion.

 

[daschoo]

Outside of trivia you are free to ask me anything about the game to gauge my knowledge of it. I understand the game. I have played. I was even an all star as a kid though I consider that to be a heinous award and one of the reasons why I hate the game. To assume I know nothing about it is patently false. I just don't care for it at all and I really have little tolerance for its most rabid fans who want to force the game on me and tell me if I just knew it better.

you do realise that whenever the sport is mentioned the most extreme reaction always comes from yourself? personally whether you like it or not has no impact whatsoever on me but if whenever its brought up you react as fervently as you do on this site then thats probably why people who love the sport as much as myself get defensive over it.
greatest sport in the world in my opinion, you disagree and would rather watch baseball. knock yourself out, i'll stick to the dissapointment that has been this season for my team.

regarding the british empire comment someone made. far be it from me to defend the colonisation by the brits, proud scot and as far as i'm concerned we are one of the first countries colonised by the english, but that doesn't explain arguably the biggest hotbed of support for the sport ie south america. also europe wasn't colonised by the brits and the sport is taking off massively in japan, korea and china which again to the best of my knowledge where never colonised - certainly not while there was such a thing as association football.

 

[daschoo]

At my high school, the only guys that played soccer were the ones not good enough to play football.


And as far as the girls being into the soccer guys more than the football guys......well, not in Texas. Girls wanted nothing to do with you if you didnt play on the football team, at least that is the way it was at my school.


High school football in Texas is not a sport, it is a religion.

that has nothing to do with the merits of each sport though.
over here there are a few american football teams for school age kids but guys who are good at soccer on the whole don't show any interest in them. people liking the sport over here are treated with total indiferance, or at least that was the case when i was at school.

thats not a knock on american football, if those same people were brought up in texas they would live and breath american football whereas if some of the guys who hate soccer so much grew up in glasgow they would be as obsessed with the sport as everyone else is here. obviously there will be some exceptions to that but as a general rule i'd say its pretty accurate.

 

[ZeroClub]

But I am clueless, and you can call me clueless I am not kidding, I barely know ABCs of baseball. And never tried to. Because its such a boring game ( I tried to get into it couple of times, felt I rather watch paint dry). I just assumed you were like me about Baseball :

The only people I have seen the attitude you talk about are the European types, who are crazy about soccer and think, Football is just barbaric sport etc. I never met anyone personally that derided Football or any other sport because of their love for Soccer. But on Message boards, I have seen plenty "Soccer" fans or idiots, trying to rile up football fans.

Lastly, I am not a great fan of Soccer watching. Only soccer games I watch are world cup games. I only like to play and then watch my kids play now. I can't play football and never had a chance to, other than touch footbal variety. Thats one unfufilled wish, that I will never be able to go back to.

In my experience, those sports-minded Europeans who don't like American Football dislike two things about the game:

1. The frequent and often long stoppages - especially the commercial breaks, replay reviews, time outs, etc.

2. The lack of "fitness" of American Football players. Soccer involves much running per game and over many games (e.g., The Premier League season runs from August to May, with each team playing about 40 regular season games). European fans value ball skills, quickness, and also have a lot of respect for physical endurance. When they see a guy like Leonard Davis, they incorrectly conclude that Davis isn't much of an athlete because he isnt "fit" (e.g., wouldn't gracefully finish a half-marathon with a good time). So many soccer fans in the EU either don't understand or don't enjoy the strength/power component of American Football.


But having said all that, there are a lot of people in Europe who take an interest in American Football. The Super Bowl is typically telecast here in the EU. The NBA seems to be more popular than the NFL, though.

 

[WarC]

I like that Romo plays bball and soccer during the offseason. They're big stamina sports, very aerobic.

I look at it this way...Romo will never barf on the field in exhaustion during a playoff game.

 

[Cowboys22]

Soccer sucks, always has and always will! End of story! Case closed!

 

[WarC]

I think a soccer fan watches football and finds it harder to get lost in the suspense of the moment or the anticipation of the chess game that unfolds play by play infront of them.

Similarly I think a football fan watches soccer and finds it harder to get lost in the different aspects of that game, the bigger emphasis on sustained momentum and the constant flow of the ball exchange.

The way the teams come out of the huddle, the guessing game of pre-snap formations...The clash of the lines, the positioning of players, the effort and finesse and force of the offensive players attacking the defense. All within the context of a complex system of rules and downs. It's what makes you sit quiet and lean forward during pre-snap movement and then brace yourself as the play unfolds; then its the agony, the elation, or the settling for the outcome. Those are the peaks for a football fan.

In soccer its the mounting crescendo of the team's efforts to push the ball out of its side and deeper toward the opposition's goal. In ten or twelve or twenty second increments of buildup. Followed rarely by that post-goal outburst equivelant to the most spectacular touchdown.

 

[Hostile]

you do realise that whenever the sport is mentioned the most extreme reaction always comes from yourself? personally whether you like it or not has no impact whatsoever on me but if whenever its brought up you react as fervently as you do on this site then thats probably why people who love the sport as much as myself get defensive over it.
greatest sport in the world in my opinion, you disagree and would rather watch baseball. knock yourself out, i'll stick to the dissapointment that has been this season for my team.

regarding the british empire comment someone made. far be it from me to defend the colonisation by the brits, proud scot and as far as i'm concerned we are one of the first countries colonised by the english, but that doesn't explain arguably the biggest hotbed of support for the sport ie south america. also europe wasn't colonised by the brits and the sport is taking off massively in japan, korea and china which again to the best of my knowledge where never colonised - certainly not while there was such a thing as association football.

I realize what? You lost me. Very sorry if I am being obtuse.

 

[Hostile]

But I am clueless, and you can call me clueless I am not kidding, I barely know ABCs of baseball. And never tried to. Because its such a boring game ( I tried to get into it couple of times, felt I rather watch paint dry). I just assumed you were like me about Baseball :

The only people I have seen the attitude you talk about are the European types, who are crazy about soccer and think, Football is just barbaric sport etc. I never met anyone personally that derided Football or any other sport because of their love for Soccer. But on Message boards, I have seen plenty "Soccer" fans or idiots, trying to rile up football fans.

Lastly, I am not a great fan of Soccer watching. Only soccer games I watch are world cup games. I only like to play and then watch my kids play now. I can't play football and never had a chance to, other than touch footbal variety. Thats one unfufilled wish, that I will never be able to go back to.

I just won't do it. Thanks for understanding.

 

[daschoo]

I realize what? You lost me. Very sorry if I am being obtuse.

you say that one of the reasons you hate the sport is because of fans of it trying to force it down your throat and telling you you don't understand it. i was just saying that whenever its mentioned you, on here certainly, have a very forceful attitude about voicing your thoughts on it which may very well contribute to people arguing you about the merits of the sport.

 

[Hostile]

you say that one of the reasons you hate the sport is because of fans of it trying to force it down your throat and telling you you don't understand it. i was just saying that whenever its mentioned you, on here certainly, have a very forceful attitude about voicing your thoughts on it which may very well contribute to people arguing you about the merits of the sport.

I do when it is brought up in football threads. Not when it is brought up in its own thread on the Sports Zone. Perhaps you have not noticed that.

 

[daschoo]

I do when it is brought up in football threads. Not when it is brought up in its own thread on the Sports Zone. Perhaps you have not noticed that.

as i said i don't care whether you watch the sport or not, its no skin off my nose. also where you feel the need to tell people you hate soccer isn't really relevant to my point which was maybe if you weren't so aggressive and vocal in your dislike of the sport maybe others wouldn't be so determined to tell you you're wrong.

i also don't think that romo is doing anything other than kicking a ball about with friends from that video. certainly didn't look anywhere close to competitive so while unlikely to get an injury he's also not going to get any fitness from it. total non issue i'd say

 

[Hostile]

as i said i don't care whether you watch the sport or not, its no skin off my nose. also where you feel the need to tell people you hate soccer isn't really relevant to my point which was maybe if you weren't so aggressive and vocal in your dislike of the sport maybe others wouldn't be so determined to tell you you're wrong.

i also don't think that romo is doing anything other than kicking a ball about with friends from that video. certainly didn't look anywhere close to competitive so while unlikely to get an injury he's also not going to get any fitness from it. total non issue i'd say

If people need to take offense they will. How forcefully I say it has no bearing. Again, I comment if the threads appear here. I rarely say squat if the thread is in the Sports Zone. Same for NBA basketball which I don't care for either any more.

 

[RCowboyFan]

i also don't think that romo is doing anything other than kicking a ball about with friends from that video. certainly didn't look anywhere close to competitive so while unlikely to get an injury he's also not going to get any fitness from it. total non issue i'd say

Not sure I assuming it right or not, but I am guessing you might not have played Indoor soccer? And I am not sure if Indoor soccer here in USA is different than where you are ( assuming you are in Scotland or live somewhere there based on what you posted in this thread).

What we saw of Romo is barely 5 min or so video? So we really don't know when and what point of time it was taken. Personally, having played outdoor variety ( albiet probably now about 20 years ago now), and indoor variety now, I found indoor far harder to play, since there is no rest, depending on the field size. What I saw Romo playing was the smaller size, which is much more hard on stamina than the larger indoor field. So based on my experience, and being fairly good Aerobic shape, ( but I am over 40, so take it with a grain of salt on that), I think Romo was getting a good workout, if he plays enough minutes in each game.

And also injury concern should not be high since the Refs, at least the one I play in (which might be pretty close to where Romo plays though), really don't let physical play, sliding etc. ( heck I have been warned few times myself, just for bumping hard into another person, even if it wasn't on purpose).

 

[daschoo]

If people need to take offense they will. How forcefully I say it has no bearing. Again, I comment if the threads appear here. I rarely say squat if the thread is in the Sports Zone. Same for NBA basketball which I don't care for either any more.

the thread wasn't about soccer though, nobody would be telling you its a good sport if you had just left the topic as romo playing it during the off-season. if you think that the third post of the thread being you "Soccer = gag a maggot on a gut wagon" had no bearing on people taking offence then thats up to you, guess we'll just need to agree to disagree.

Not sure I assuming it right or not, but I am guessing you might not have played Indoor soccer? And I am not sure if Indoor soccer here in USA is different than where you are ( assuming you are in Scotland or live somewhere there based on what you posted in this thread).

What we saw of Romo is barely 5 min or so video? So we really don't know when and what point of time it was taken. Personally, having played outdoor variety ( albiet probably now about 20 years ago now), and indoor variety now, I found indoor far harder to play, since there is no rest, depending on the field size. What I saw Romo playing was the smaller size, which is much more hard on stamina than the larger indoor field. So based on my experience, and being fairly good Aerobic shape, ( but I am over 40, so take it with a grain of salt on that), I think Romo was getting a good workout, if he plays enough minutes in each game.

And also injury concern should not be high since the Refs, at least the one I play in (which might be pretty close to where Romo plays though), really don't let physical play, sliding etc. ( heck I have been warned few times myself, just for bumping hard into another person, even if it wasn't on purpose).

yeah i'm from scotland. i've been playing soccer since i was old enough to join a team. for what its worth i have also been an avid spectator of the sport for longer and regularly travel across the country and occasionally across europe to support my team. i played eleven a sides competitively from the age of around 9 or 10 until i was 17. for the last 11 years i have been playing either 5 or 7 a side games on at least a weekly basis either in a league or just with friends so i would like to think i have played enough and seen enough soccer to be fairly sure of my opinion. like you say 5 a side (from the look of the size of the pitch i would guess thats the numbers in what you call indoor soccer) is a very high paced game which gives an excelent workout both aerobic and anaerobic. last week for example i was back playing for the first time since a month lay-off due to an ankle injury and found it really difficult to keep up with the pace of the game. the first 10 mins or so i was blowing out my arse and close to vomiting until i got my second wind and managed to settle in to it. my legs were in agony the next day as well. however from what you could see in the video, and again as you rightly say its only a few minutes of video so its hard to judge from, it didn't look as if anybody was particularly competitive. the pace of the game looked largely pedestrian with players not really running off the ball or tracking back to help in defence. also your point about the chances of injury being low because of refs i would probably disagree with. obviously you're less likely to pick up an injury during a game of proper football (sorry, couldn't resist) than american football due to the nature of each sport. however its very easy to pick up a twist or clash with someone and end up with a fairly serious injury (see the sports injury thread i made a couple of weeks ago for some personal examples)

just to finish off again i'd like to reiterate that i couldn't care less about the merits of romo having a kick about with some friends. the guy is allowed a personal life, particularly when we haven't even had the draft yet!

 

[Doomsday101]

I think it is great, it is a way to keep in shape and to compete while doing so which makes it enjoyable and beneficial to Romo.

 

[Hook'em#11]

The only concern I would have is if he blows out a knee or something. Otherwise, have at it. Let the guy live for piss sakes.

I rather he do this then just sitting around smokin reefer and appearing in rap videos.

Hell, even that whatever. Man, does this guy get the most **** about nothing or what?