Fans of Beautiful Game Make Their Side Known
I really don’t understand why people who have no knowledge or understanding of soccer feel compelled to actually write letters to The Times [Viewpoint, July 4].
First we have Paul Bergman with his truly remarkable comment: “On European TV, when they show game highlights, they show the goals and scoring chances.” What a strange phenomenon! I guess I can assume they show the whole baseball game on his local news.
Then we have an even more idiotic (and old) joke from Charles Selesnow.
The truth is, soccer is and always will be the most popular sport on the planet, no matter what these ignorant people say. Sure there are boring soccer games, but that is true for all sports. A good soccer match packs more excitement than any other sport. (Yes, for the whole 90 minutes!) Those who watched England-Argentina know what I mean.
FARZIN BLURFRUSHAN, Redondo Beach
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In light of the recent performances at the World Cup, where we saw more dives than a Don King-sponsored boxing tournament, I propose a rule change. In addition to the red card and the yellow card, the referee will have available a SAG card to be given to those players exhibiting more acting ability than soccer skill.
The penalty for such cards will be to take acting lessons from other sports luminaries-turned-thespians such as Shaquille O’Neal, Brian Bosworth and Howie Long.
JIM MUNDAY, Camarillo
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You can stop writing the articles about the U.S. soccer team now. You duped us all spring into believing that the U.S. could compete on a world-class level, but the dismal performance at the World Cup proved otherwise. You can go back to burying the MLS scores in the bottom right corner of Page 9, since it’s apparent now that it’s the equivalent of a baseball double-A league. We can go back to enjoying the coverage of baseball, football and basketball.
GARY HRUSKA, Bellflower
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The World Cup has been a fabulous success worldwide and certainly here in California. Traveling up and down the state in the last two weeks I’ve seen crowds in sports bars, college dorms, airports and pizza joints cheering the games in many accents and languages.
The coverage in The Times has been world class. In the special section before the tournament, Grahame L. Jones, Helene Elliott and Mike Penner made it clear they knew the intricacies of the game. And their incisive day-by-day coverage, spiced with humor, inside information and gossip, has been a delight from start to finish.
Thanks for helping America to open its eyes, and its heart, to this great event.
ROBERT POTTER, Santa Barbara
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I’m tired of watching tied World Cup matches being settled by shootouts.
Future matches should continue as long as it takes for one team to score a goal. No substitutions. Play until you drop. If it comes down to the two goalies staggering up and down the field, so be it.
GREG NELSON, Mission Viejo
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Penalty shootouts are cheapening the beautiful game.
This isn’t the way soccer games were meant to end. For those of us with long memories, World Cup finals used to go down to the final whistle. And that’s the problem. There are no “final whistles” any more.
But there’s a simple way to restore the integrity of soccer. It involves penalty shootouts.
Take them before the game.
Of course, this suggestion will induce outrage: Claims that pre-match penalties give the winning shooters a distinct advantage, that coaches will adjust their already negative strategies to profit from this heaven-sent opportunity. Fully forgetting it gives the opponent the added motivation to win the game fairly and squarely. Ignoring, too, the pre-match shootout result comes into effect only if the game is tied after 120 minutes. Ample time for any team to succeed. Legitimately.
DAVID MARSDEN, Hollywood
