Letters to the Editor
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Soccer's like jazz?
Please oh please stop saying that soccer is like jazz - the two have nothing to do with each other. If soccer had anything to do with jazz, the English wouldn't be any good at it.
Oh. Wait.
But still - there's no improvising in soccer, there's reacting to situations in a way that works towards a specific result. You don't win a song. It's a stupid metaphor that someone on the BBC decided was the best way to explain the world's game to idiot americans, not realizing that jazz is even less popular than soccer here.
It's great to see both the Stanley Cup and World Cup going on at the same time, and in the same article here. As much as I enjoy watching soccer, the NHL finals have been so much more exciting. The rules are similar in both games, but little elements seem to make hockey more prone to being thrilling to watch. There aren't going to be as many unbelievable saves by the goalie in soccer as there are in hockey because the goal's so big that a keeper has much less influence on the game. There aren't going to be as many lightning fast breakaways because the offsides trap in soccer would force that to be a 50 yard sprint. There aren't going to be as many man advantages because the only way that happens in soccer is if someone's kicked off the field. I'm finding that those differences are the reason I'm enjoying hockey more than soccer right now.