Football: Fun or Fatigue? | The Loyola Phoenix

Football: Fun

Football is lengthy. It’s brutal. And above all, it’s entertaining. 

Whether it’s watching decades-long school soccer rivalries or one-of-a-kind skilled athletes play to their fullest potential, you possibly can by no means go mistaken popping a soccer recreation on the TV. 

Growing up, I hated soccer. I cheered for my youthful brother’s leisure crew, and, frankly, I didn’t like my household placing all their consideration on him as a substitute of me. I discovered the sport to be lengthy and boring, particularly when the crew was shedding. I held that grudge for eight years till I slowly discovered how the sport labored. 

Through a whole lot of questions pointed at my mother and pop, I lastly discovered how first downs labored and every place’s job. When you are taking the time to grasp the sport, it’s a lot enjoyable. 

During my sophomore 12 months of highschool, our soccer crew remained undefeated and was the most effective within the state of Pennsylvania. I attended the video games each Friday. Instead of sitting within the pupil part, I used to be up within the stands with my household, taking in each ounce of vitality surrounding the wins. 

I traveled to Hershey, Pa. for the state championships, and even within the freezing climate and pouring rain of a Saturday in early December, I used to be excited for the three hour recreation forward of me as a result of I knew it will be an thrilling watch, regardless of the result. 

Watching soccer isn’t simply concerning the recreation, however the tradition across the sport. Tailgates and barbeques earlier than video games create a cushty ambiance and get followers prepared for the day forward of them. 

Admittedly, soccer video games are lengthy. But if you find yourself round individuals who love the game as a lot as you do, the day goes by in a blur. The elation of watching your crew rating a landing or snag a fumble is amplified while you’re surrounded by followers feeling the identical feelings. 

In America, soccer has been the preferred sport since 1972, in keeping with a Gallup survey taken in 2024. 41% of Americans selected it as their favourite sport, in keeping with the identical survey. The Super Bowl stays the most-watched sporting occasion of the 12 months — Super Bowl LVIII averaged 123.4 million viewers, in keeping with Operations.NFL.com — and the faculty nationwide championship recreation averages 22.1 million viewers, in keeping with collegefootballplayoff.com. 

Football is a real American sport constructed round fan tradition, and it’s not going to cease being entertaining any time quickly. With a rise in viewership, colleges and leagues can afford to pay their gamers extra, which supplies an incentive for higher play. 

At the top of the day, soccer reigns supreme. 

Claire Bovino is a workers author the The Loyola Phoenix

Football: Fatigue

I went to my first-ever soccer recreation on Oct. 11. My sister attends the University of Notre Dame, the place soccer is a distinguished a part of pupil life. 

My key takeaway from the expertise was that the sport was unimpressive. It made me notice how soccer, in reality, is extremely boring. 

We began the time off tailgating and exploring the campus. I met all of my sister’s pals and fogeys. We had good meals and talked amongst each other, with a common feeling of “hurrah” within the air. 

I needed to remain there the entire day. But when it was time, 1000’s of individuals piled into the stadium in anticipation of an exhilarating, participating and brief recreation — really not. 

We needed to depart the enjoyable space with pals, household and meals to go attend an extended and boring soccer recreation. It made no sense to me.

Without an understanding of the principles — a factor many individuals don’t have — soccer is an extended recreation made longer. The guidelines are nearly incomprehensible except somebody grew up studying about them. 

I perceive the overall sense of every crew operating to at least one facet and trying to attain, however that’s about it. There are numerous moments of stopping and beginning and standing within the stadium for three-and-a-half hours finally wears you down. There are so many guidelines to the sport that it will get so complicated to even try and be taught slightly bit. 

I perceive it’s likelihood to construct neighborhood with household and pals. Football is tied to custom. However, what’s extra helpful on this occasion is the relationships and connections themselves. 

The conversations with each other are often higher than the soccer recreation taking part in within the background. 

Plus, the sport isn’t even an opportunity to attach with the gamers on the sector as a result of they’re thus far — I needed to squint to even catch a slight glimpse of the ball. 

The Super Bowl can be an necessary matter to say. It’s an American phenomenon, a yearly occasion which the nation waits in anticipation of. 

However, the halftime present is the one half price watching to be sincere. 

In 2025, Kendrick Lamar amazed the U.S. with a political exclamation of crimson, white and information. This was ironic, contemplating how a plethora of soccer gamers within the NFL assist the Republican trigger. Out of 1,663 gamers, 97.7% donated to Republicans and a couple of.3% donated to Democrats, in keeping with Medium.com. 

The halftime present often receives extra views than the sport itself, in keeping with Push Promotions. This proves the music and artwork is way extra thrilling than the sport. 

More so, soccer is so commercialized, it’s simply an opportunity to point out advertisements and make the most of capitalism. Even making an attempt to stay within the recreation is a misplaced trigger — it’s far too simple to disengage with stops taking place each different second. 

Essentially, it’s clear soccer doesn’t deserve the entire assist it appears to get. It’s time for the United States to start out appreciating different sports activities, as a substitute of simply the identical lengthy and boring recreation. 

Rania Woodward is a workers author for The Loyola Phoenix