Soccer really sucks, doesn't it?

[Drake Tungsten]

Is 'passing and movement' in soccer different from passing in basketball?

Yes. You can't pass with your hands in soccer, while you can't pass with your feet in basketball.

[Al B. Sure!]

Drake, your point is bad because the football played in 1869 was nothing like modern football:

On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University faced Princeton University in a game that was played with a round ball under "Football Association" rules (i.e. soccer) but is often regarded as the first game of intercollegiate football.[2][3][5][8] The game was played at a Rutgers field under Rutgers rules. Two teams of 25 players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal. Throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed. The first team to reach six goals was declared the winner.

[Drake Tungsten]

My point was that Americans were playing "football" at the same time the English were. I even put "football" in quotes to head off irrelevant criticism like yours.

[Al B. Sure!]

It wasn't until 1906 that the 'forward pass' was legal and even then you could only pass to certain areas of the field (until 1918). Even then, two incomplete passes would result in a loss of 5 yards and an incomplete pass in the end zone would result in a loss of possession (probably at the time to prevent 'quarterbacks' from just chucking it into the endzone).

[Drake Tungsten]

Why does this matter? I can read Wikipedia for myself, thank you very much.

[Al B. Sure!]

It's not irrelevant because it's not football anymore than rugby is. It's not the same game as now even though it was an ancestor.

[Drake Tungsten]

That is completely irrelevant.

[Al B. Sure!]

How? It's not the same game anymore than rugby is the same as football. Explain to me how teams of 25 people KICKING a round ball into a goal without touching it sounds like football to you? Sounds more like soccer. Rugby has more in common with modern football than that game played in 1869.

[Al B. Sure!]

The gameplay of that first 'football' game:

As the first of the 10 games began, two players from each of the teams positioned themselves near the opponent's goal. This was presumably because the participants were hoping to easily score when the ball reached their territory on the field of play. On each team, there were eleven so-called "fielders" who were assigned to defend their own territorial area. There were 12 participants on each team that they named "bulldogs" who were the ones playing in the other team's territory.[10]
Rutgers was the first to score a goal, as participants named S.G. Gano and G.R. Dixon successfully kicked the ball across the Princeton goal, allowing the Scarlet Knights to take the early lead in the contest. At some point early in the contest, the flying "wedge" play was first used as the team with the ball formed what is considered a wall-like formation, allowing them to charge at the defenders. This flying wedge tactic was successful early on for Rutgers because of their perceived size disadvantage over Princeton. However, Princeton countered the tactic with a participant named J.E. Michael, but apparently better known by his nickname of "Big Mike". Big Mike had broken up the Rutgers flying wedge play during the fourth "game", and Princeton took advantage at that moment as they were able to tie the overall score at 2-2.[11]
A Rutgers player named Madison Ball used his quickness and the way in which he kicked the ball (with the heel of his foot), to again take the lead in the contest. When the ball would enter Rutgers territory, Madison would get in front of it and use a heel kick to prevent Princeton from scoring. Ball was able to successfully use that play to set up Dixon to score another goal which gave Rutgers a 4-2 "games" lead. Rutgers then allowed Princeton to score a goal as one of their players, whose identity is not known, had kicked a ball towards their own goal. It was blocked by a Rutgers player, but Princeton soon was able to take advantage to cut the lead down to 4-3. Princeton scored on their next possession when they used a flying wedge play of their own led by Big Mike as they were able to march down the field to score to tie the game at 4-4.
Rutgers captain John W. Leggett (who was the one who had suggested rules be adopted from the London Football Association which was agreed upon by Princeton team captain William Gunmere) had a strategy for his team at this point. He suggested that the Rutgers team keep the ball low on the ground to counter the much taller players on Princeton's team. This strategy appeared to work as Rutgers easily scored the final two goals of the contest to win the first intercollegiate football game ever played by the score of 6-4.
Princeton had more size which would normally be an advantage on a field with 50 total players, but the Tigers had trouble kicking the ball as a team which is something Rutgers did very well. After the game, an eye witness named John W. Herbert said that he thought Rutgers was the smaller team, but that they had more speed than Princeton.

How is that not a version of soccer? They even used rules adopted from the London Football Association.

[Drake Tungsten]

Jesus Christ. My point was that Americans were "shooting at the goal" at the same time that their counterparts in England were doing the same; both countries have a long history with "football" in its variety of different forms. The fact that you just learned who Walter Camp is and want to share your knowledge with us is completely irrelevant.

[Al B. Sure!]

Soccer!

[Al B. Sure!]

Drake, his comment about shooting goals and shooting Indians was a smart ass comment. Why would you take it so seriously? But don't presume that the 1869 game means football is almost as old as soccer.

[Drake Tungsten]

Way to beat that strawman, AS.

That's several minutes of my life that I'll never get back.

[Asher]

Ice Hockey is older than American Football

[Al B. Sure!]

Drake:

it's not a strawman when your point was a response to something not worthy of a response. Really, out of that whole several paragraphs he posted, you latched onto that sentence?

Cort Haus' argument on the worth of soccer relative to other sports was due to the inherent 'beauty' of the game with the passing and movement. That is why I noted that the same thing is in basketball and American football, it's just those guys are better athletes as well as using 'beautiful' strategy.