PK Problems?

Association Football (Soccer)

I knew today the top story across sports reporting would be the Women's World Cup Final and the USA's loss. As I said yesterday, I can't hate the Japan won, but a question was raised today based on if we didn't respond to the loss as we should. The idea was that perhaps we don't respond to women's sports as we do men's. I do suppose that if this had been the men's World Cup Final and the men lost in the same way the women did yesterday there would be more backlash, but let's be honest. The USMNT lost to Ghana in the Round of 16 of last year's World Cup and coach Bob Bradley kept his job. The national team of Argentina fired international legend Diego Maradona after they were blanked 4-0 in the quarterfinals by Germany. The United States interest in soccer is growing, but it's not where it should be yet.  This has little to do with it being the women's side, but has much more to do with the fact that the average person who perhaps watched their first international football match yesterday still believes the US doesn't belong in a place like the World Cup finals and is thus satisfied with the result.

Diego Maradona was fired
as Argentina's coach after
a 0-4 beating by Germany

What was surprising about today's conversations on was that from the early morning all throughout the day much of it had to do with the topic of how yesterday's game was settled. 

Penalty kicks. 

Seems many people don't like penalty kicks as a way to end a match. Skip Bayless tweeted, "Penalty Kicks worst way to decide championship. Like shooting free throws. Just let 'em play sudden-death OT. First goal wins. Golden Goal" then added, "Penalty Kicks are exciting for all the wrong reasons." 

I have to say I was a little put off by the rush to critique a sport that they usually is little more than a joke by the mainstream media, but okay, is there a better way than penalty kicks?  Let me start by saying Skip is vastly uninformed here. "It's like shooting free throws", really? Nobody is standing between you and the basket when shooting free throws. I love penalty kicks. It's incredibly exciting, and yes, in all the right ways. However, I don't hate the golden goal (first one to score) idea. It adds to the drama as well, but it doesn't eliminate the need for penalty kicks, because what happens if no one scores? I don't feel like there are many better ideas to solve a tied match other than penalty kicks. 

Japan seals the World Cup
on penalties

The only idea I heard proposed all day that was even intriguing was replacing penalty kicks with corner kicks. The more I let that idea marinade, the more I liked it. With corners the entire teams is involved and it gives an opportunity for some exciting plays, plus the header is now in play and you even have skilled people like David Beckham who can bend a corner in for a goal. The only hitch is, what do you do if the initial kick is knocked away, do you get to play off the rebound? When does the play stop? But it is an intriguing idea. 


As entertaining as it would be, don't look for FIFA to change anytime soon, this is a group that is more stubborn than Major League Baseball, and that's saying something. So until then, don't listen to people who don't know better, enjoy those penalty kicks. 


More to come,

XoXo
-Joshua

David Beckham scores from corner

Links:

Skip Bayless on Twitter

USA vs Japan Highlight

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