That is an untelevisibly boring sport...and there are insufficient pauses for commercials...also whatever constitutes offsides is incomprehensible. And otherwise it is just watching a ball go back and forth: left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; left to right; right to left; ....and that ^ is the just first five out of 90? minutes. ~~~~~~ (Not that I watched the SuperBowl, the two teams that I despise the most went head-to-head...I wanted them both to lose.)
That's what I was going to say But honestly: I think Football and American Football just have different target audiences. I am not saying Football is per se boring or tactically trivial, but for me the "turn-based", more structured nature of American Football allows for much more interesting tactical variants. I prefer that. The interesting thing about good old Football is that it runs all the time, a constant flow back and forth, with individual skills and endurance being very important. (also rules that are simpler and thus more easy to understand for everyone, more accessible).
Being the most popular sport in the world, the majority of the world would tend to disagree with you. They routinely sell out 80K+ venues, it is highly televised, there is HUGE money in it and people from all over the world love it. If you want proof, wait until the World Cup rolls around in a few months time. It captures the world's attention like no other sport can.
Of course, if you want a sport for "real men" you go for Rugby. A sport that makes even American Footballers look pathetic
Rugby is a cool sport actually, and I admire the pure physicality of those guys! It just....never clicked for me. It is even more niche here in Germany than American Football, so even getting into contact with someone who knows someone that ever played Rugby, or watching a game on TV, is a rare opportunity.
It's definitely not a sport I'd choose to play myself, although here in the U.K. it's part of the Physical Education curriculum at school, so most people have had to (and the non physical ones like me have very bad memories of)
Unfortunately with what medical science knows about concussions and brain trauma, I can' really justify any of these contact sports. That is not to say I would't watch them (I'm a fan of the UFC), but I personally wouldn't want myself or anyone I care about involved in them. NFL linebackers are dropping dead in their 40's. Football/Soccer > Other sports (and the worldwide numbers prove it!)
That is something I have thought about, I don't personally head the ball for that very reason. That said, it is not nearly as bad as contact sports. Aging ex-soccer players are not, as far as I'm aware, suffering from brain related injuries at anywhere near the levels of former American Footballer players, or boxers, etc. You are correct though, it is definitely not healthy.
No. Just no. Just because something is more popular it doesn't mean it is "better" than anything else in all regards. The majority of people can be wrong. That being said: I don't dislike Football/Soccer, I just like a lot of sports a lot more. Snooker, Curling, American Football and Archery for example, for completely different reasons. Oh and yeah, I wouldn't want to play any contact sports myself either. I like to watch them though.
And I think that is one of the main resons why it is so popular! EDIT: Btw that offside graphic posted by @Ritual is wrong. EDIT2: Or let's say: Not complete.
There was some stuff about it last year: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38971750 Wouldn't stop me doing it, but let's be honest the few times I have headed a football in the past 10 years have mostly been by accident
I look at it something analogous to chess. A simple set of rules that is extremely difficult to master. Soccer has many things going for it. It doesn't require much equipment... all you really need is a ball. You can play it effectively with a wide ranging number of players; 2+. It provides a phenomenal workout.
It is definitely something worth keeping an eye on. I think at the professional level it very well could be a significant problem. As the article points out, in a recreational setting it isn't really much of an issue. I am curious to see if or how sports will change as further evidence is uncovered.