How Do I Become a Soccer Fan?

Nice post.

Here are some things I have always enjoyed about the game and the way it works.

Rules & Tactics
The game has unique qualities that many other sports do not offer, which make it one of the simplest games to learn – but difficult to master.

Much like baseball stadiums, each the “pitch” (or field) each club plays on is unique to them. Variations in dimension, etc. allow a club to truly have a home-field advantage. The variations are not quite as dramatic as in baseball parks, but still do impact the style of play and personnel selected.

Much like American Football, formations change throughout the course of the game – usually depending on the game scenario or the arrival of a substituted player(s).

Unlike most other sports, there are no timeouts and a finite amount of substitution of players (3) within a match. This makes a managers’ decisions of who to start, where to play them and who to sub in/out even more vital. While managers are usually directing in some fashion from the sidelines during the game, there is no “timeout” to discuss a play to run, etc. with their players.

The foul system in the game is unique as well. Perhaps only in rare occurrences in baseball or basketball will a player be ejected. However, in soccer – that player cannot be replaced with another – forcing the team to continue the game less a player, usually guaranteeing that the opposition will score. Fouls also carry over between games (i.e. Red Card = ban from next game, X yellow cards over X matches = ban from next game), potentially dramatically impacting not only the game at hand, but also future matches.

Schedule
The fact that every league in the world (less the MLS in the US) abides by a corresponding schedule is incredible. Frankly, it’s a logistics triumph.

Club teams balancing league games, Cup leagues, and international duty leaves (when a player is unavailable for selection because they are playing in matches for their respective national team) makes the sport a grueling marathon for clubs and players alike. The better your team is – the more difficult the schedule becomes (as you face more games and player availability issues).

The Transfer Window(s)
Essentially the “Free Agency” of soccer – although there is rarely anything free about it. The full window occurs over the summer (offseason) and opens again for a month in the winter (midseason). Always saturated with rumors, speculation and fodder, the transfer windows are the allowed timeframes to move players between teams. Unlike most American sports, pure “trades” rarely occur (player for player). Instead, players are a commodity – and sold to other clubs for fees, beyond the contract requirements of the player. Some clubs survive by raising young talent then selling them for a fortune. Others survive by buying the best talent for a premium. The important thing to note is that unlike American sports, the originating club usually benefits tremendously from this. For instance, Tottenham Hotspur “raised” Gareth Bale and he became a superstar for them. While difficult to lose a talent like his, the club was paid $123 million from Real Madrid as a fee to transfer him (world record fee btw) – which has nothing to do with the contract Real Madrid then pays Bale. Sadly, Spurs went on to use those funds poorly with rash purchases and have yet to really replace his impact, resulting in the unwanted term “pulling a Spurs” [slang – spending newfound wealth quickly without yielding expected value].

Regardless, transfers (and the fees associated with them) can make or break clubs, players, etc. Deadline Day (last day of each window) is usually a constant flurry of activity and rumor spreading across the world. Remember – it is like negotiating two deals: one with the club & one with the player at the same time. Both need to be accepted for a transfer to occur.

Again, the interest here is aided by the fact that basically every league in the world runs on the same schedule – so teams from all over the globe are fighting for the same players.

Promotion / Relegation
Perhaps my favorite part of the game, and one I wish some US sports would adopt (mainly baseball).

Basically, there are hundreds of teams in each country – all in different leagues. Each country has a top league, a bottom league and a few in between. If you are in the top 2, 3 or 4 (depending on league) – you get rewarded and promoted to the next level league. However, if you finish in the bottom 2, 3 or 4 (depending on league), you get relegated – or sent down to the next lowest league. This increases the level of competition and makes even the less talented teams interesting and motivated. For instance, imagine if the Sixers were not rewarded with a high-probability draft pick for being so bad this season, but instead were sent down to a lower-level basketball league. The tactics of the ownership, etc. may be very different.

Currently, there are 21 professional teams playing in London alone – all at different levels. http://www.soccermaps.info/london-football-team-map.htm

This facet of the game is amazing because it brings an incredibly colloquial component to the table. You root for where you are from – not necessarily the city as a whole, but the neighborhood. Teams regularly rise and fall in and out of the top league, simply becoming a part of their club history.

Check out the podcast “Total Soccer Show”. You may have to look back a bit, but they did about 4-6 episodes after the World Cup as primers for all of the facets of the game, “dumb” questions, etc. Worth a listen.

The easiest way to become a soccer fan is find a team you enjoy, and watch them play as often as you can. As with anything, the more you know the histories, stories, tactics, etc. the more enjoyable and accessible it becomes.

#COYS

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