Theme Week, Part 3

Jeremy's Sametime Status Proudly Presents:  Soccer Improvements Week!  #3 - Add an “Over and Back” rule similar to basketball

Jeremy's coverage of the Euro 2012 tournament continues today with the third part in a week-long series dedicated to making the game of soccer more enjoyable to a wider audience.  Today's rule change explores the world of ball control and territorial gain.

 One thing that everybody (read: Jeremy) finds entertaining about most sports is the drive and determination to achieve the ultimate goal, be it winning a point, scoring a goal, putting the ball in the target area...what have you.  In the case of most sports, the majority of a team's effort is spent moving towards that goal.  Football players rush toward the end zone, basketball players drive to the net, hockey players speed through the neutral zone toward the goal, bowlers roll the ball toward the pins, archers shoot at the target, golfers drive the ball down the fairway, divers fall, baseball players run towards first base when they hit the ball, and so on.  On the other hand, soccer players stand around with the ball and kick it back and forth amongst themselves, spending as much time and effort kicking the ball backwards as they do forwards.  This is nonsense.

Soccer would be so much more entertaining if instead of trying to "maintain control" and methodically keep possession of the ball, the players actually tried to consistently move forward and attempt to score.  Basketball has a fairly similar type of issue, when teams merely try to kill time off the clock, but that sport has several methods in place to deal with the situation.  They not only employ a shot clock and an 8-second backcourt violation (once a team puts a ball in play, they have 8 seconds to cross the court's center line, or they lose possession.), but they have a rule called "Ball In Backcourt," more commonly referred to as "Over and Back."  (Rule 10, Section X)  The idea is that once you have advanced the ball past the center line of the court, you can't go backwards, recrossing the center line, in order to waste time.  You are essentially forced into the front half of the court to face your opposition and try to score.   

Such a rule needs to exist in soccer.  An average of 83 times per game, a player will advance the ball past mid-pitch, see that there is an opposing defender within 20 yards of them, and decide to kick the ball back across the center line to a teammate out of danger.  This results in team possessions of the ball lasting minutes on end without any real attempt being made at scoring a goal.  So, I say nuts to this.  If the teams aren't going to take it upon themselves to score, force their hand...or their feet, I guess would be more appropriate here.  Once they cross the center line, they're not allowed to go back.  Press on and take a shot on the goal!  The thing is 192 square feet for cryin' out loud.  If you make more of an attempt to actually get goals, maybe we'll make more of an attempt to watch your sport.