14th October 2003, 7:50 PM
You guys are all being supidly stubborn. But I don't know why I even point that out, since this is Tendo City.
Fittisize, don't go on about how hockey is much more difficult to play than football. You sound like one of those dummies that thinks football is all about fat people hitting each other, and you know the game better than that. It is not that hard to learn to skate, just as it is not that hard to learn to walk. Anyone can do it if they practice. Sure, it adds,an extra element of difficulty to the game, but it's not some unbelievably difficult thing.
Yes, hockey is played constantly, and we both know that excluding the goalie the players are on the ice for about 30 seconds per shift. And even then they are not going full speed the whole time. The only time I see players skating as fast as they can is when there is an odd-man rush. The rest of the time they tend to loaf it up the ice and dump.
And while I certainly agree that hockey is a physical game and I blasted someone once for saying the soccer is more physical than hockey, it is not even close to football. That's the simple truth. Here's proof: Hockey teams will sometimes play 3 or 4 games a week. Football is still only one per week, only 16 games per year. And if you think that proves that football players are wimps, you aren't thinking clearly. Think how much more money the NFL would make if they doubled the season to 32 games and had teams play even twice a week. It would be astronomical. Do you really think they would let that slip by just to create the illusion that football is a tough sport? Not a chance. Collisions in hockey are brutal, but they are also very rare. How many hits, even little ones, do you see in a NHL game? You know the game much better than I do, but I would guess around 30. There are 30 hits on every single play in the NFL. And most of them are just as brutal as anything in hockey.
Also, football players have to run plays. There is a lot of strategy in game plans and adjusting to the other team. I know there is that in hockey as well, but not to the extent of football. There is no sport that is so playbook dependant as football. And not only must they know what to do on every single play, most of the players have to be able to adjust during the play based on what happens. If a defense is playing a soft zone the receiver might have to cut his route short, but at the same time the quarterback must see the same thing and know the reciever is changing the route. And it all happens in seconds.
Now I'm not trying to say that hockey is an inferior game at all. I think it's amazing that these guys can play 82 games in the regular seasona nd then go through a 2 month long playoff playing every other day. That takes incredible strength and endurance. And I think a good playoff hockey game is much more entertaining than most football playoffs games. There is nothing in sports like a triple overtime 0-0 game 7. You know that every single shot or mistake could win the series, and it is amazing. Football can be very exciting, but it often only comes in spurts. It's awesome to see somebody catch a huge pass or see a running back break a bunch of tackles as he goes for a long TD. It doesn't happen often, but what is cool about football is that it could happen anytime. People often think that hockey is boring because they dump the puck so often, but that's the equivalent of a draw play or a screen pass in football. It is neccesary and even a good strategy, but you don't understand it until you learn the game. Hockey doesn't have a lot of scoring, but the goals are so huge when they do come. Baseball is the same. People who think baseball is boring just don't understand the strategy in every single play. It's a huge chess game.
So there is the unbiased truth. Both games are great, so nobody should be blasting the other sport in ignorance. I do like football more, as I was raised on the game. I've played it my whole life and was very obsessed when I was younger. I've only followed hockey for about 8 years, and I know I ams still new and very ignorant of the game. But I think I know enough to make this comparison fairly.
Fittisize, don't go on about how hockey is much more difficult to play than football. You sound like one of those dummies that thinks football is all about fat people hitting each other, and you know the game better than that. It is not that hard to learn to skate, just as it is not that hard to learn to walk. Anyone can do it if they practice. Sure, it adds,an extra element of difficulty to the game, but it's not some unbelievably difficult thing.
Yes, hockey is played constantly, and we both know that excluding the goalie the players are on the ice for about 30 seconds per shift. And even then they are not going full speed the whole time. The only time I see players skating as fast as they can is when there is an odd-man rush. The rest of the time they tend to loaf it up the ice and dump.
And while I certainly agree that hockey is a physical game and I blasted someone once for saying the soccer is more physical than hockey, it is not even close to football. That's the simple truth. Here's proof: Hockey teams will sometimes play 3 or 4 games a week. Football is still only one per week, only 16 games per year. And if you think that proves that football players are wimps, you aren't thinking clearly. Think how much more money the NFL would make if they doubled the season to 32 games and had teams play even twice a week. It would be astronomical. Do you really think they would let that slip by just to create the illusion that football is a tough sport? Not a chance. Collisions in hockey are brutal, but they are also very rare. How many hits, even little ones, do you see in a NHL game? You know the game much better than I do, but I would guess around 30. There are 30 hits on every single play in the NFL. And most of them are just as brutal as anything in hockey.
Also, football players have to run plays. There is a lot of strategy in game plans and adjusting to the other team. I know there is that in hockey as well, but not to the extent of football. There is no sport that is so playbook dependant as football. And not only must they know what to do on every single play, most of the players have to be able to adjust during the play based on what happens. If a defense is playing a soft zone the receiver might have to cut his route short, but at the same time the quarterback must see the same thing and know the reciever is changing the route. And it all happens in seconds.
Now I'm not trying to say that hockey is an inferior game at all. I think it's amazing that these guys can play 82 games in the regular seasona nd then go through a 2 month long playoff playing every other day. That takes incredible strength and endurance. And I think a good playoff hockey game is much more entertaining than most football playoffs games. There is nothing in sports like a triple overtime 0-0 game 7. You know that every single shot or mistake could win the series, and it is amazing. Football can be very exciting, but it often only comes in spurts. It's awesome to see somebody catch a huge pass or see a running back break a bunch of tackles as he goes for a long TD. It doesn't happen often, but what is cool about football is that it could happen anytime. People often think that hockey is boring because they dump the puck so often, but that's the equivalent of a draw play or a screen pass in football. It is neccesary and even a good strategy, but you don't understand it until you learn the game. Hockey doesn't have a lot of scoring, but the goals are so huge when they do come. Baseball is the same. People who think baseball is boring just don't understand the strategy in every single play. It's a huge chess game.
So there is the unbiased truth. Both games are great, so nobody should be blasting the other sport in ignorance. I do like football more, as I was raised on the game. I've played it my whole life and was very obsessed when I was younger. I've only followed hockey for about 8 years, and I know I ams still new and very ignorant of the game. But I think I know enough to make this comparison fairly.