World Cup open thread

I'm enjoying the World Cup, blind refs, vuvuzelas, flops and all. But my friend Matthew -- who actually plays the game -- not so much. He argues that the game needs updating. He's got a point. Sports constantly change and innovate to increase dynamism and broaden appeal. Basketball, for example, adopted the 3-point line; football, the forward pass; baseball, steroids. Why not soccer, indeed?

I’m enjoying the World Cup, blind refs, vuvuzelas, flops and all. But my friend Matthew — who actually plays the game — not so much. He argues that the game needs updating. He’s got a point. Sports constantly change and innovate to increase dynamism and broaden appeal. Basketball, for example, adopted the 3-point line; football, the forward pass; baseball, steroids. Why not soccer, indeed?

Matthew’s proposal is to widen the goal. Personally, I think that’s a bad idea: instead of increasing scoring, teams would retreat into a more defensive posture; you’d see defensive lines 6-8 strong.

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Discuss.

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