Handball

[ggeezz]

I'm not much of a soccer buff, but I find the reaction to Suarez's handball interesting.

Generally, in American sports it's considered "OK" to break the rules and accept the penalty if that works out in your favor. If you try to hide your infraction, that would be immoral. Perhaps there are some exceptions I'm not aware of?

Is there a different mentality in soccer? Is it a US vs. EU thing? (The ethics in the Tour de France seem weird to me.)

[AGS]

No, it is more than an infraction that caused him a red card. It was a professional foul - he blocked a certain goal and caused Ghana to lose directly because of that.

[ggeezz]

No, it is more than an infraction that caused him a red card. It was a professional foul - he blocked a certain goal and caused Ghana to lose directly because of that.

Each side was trying to cause the other to lose throughout the whole game.

In American basketball, if someone was heading toward the basket unimpeded for the winning shot, you'd foul them. No one (or hardly anyone I should say) would find anything wrong with that. In football, a defensive back will illegally interfere a wide receiver that is about to score.

But I'm not familiar with soccer. If someone gets the ball past everyone else and the only way to stop them is to foul them, do you foul them or is it verboten? Is a handball a special kind of foul that you should never do.

In American sports it's considered unethical to intentionally hurt a player even if that's the best way to win a game. And I just thought of boxing, you shouldn't hit below the belt, even if that's the best way to win.

[nathan]

In American basketball, if someone was heading toward the basket unimpeded for the winning shot, you'd foul them. No one (or hardly anyone I should say) would find anything wrong with that.

For that to work with soccer, goals would have to be something which happened more than once per game.

[ggeezz]

In American basketball, if someone was heading toward the basket unimpeded for the winning shot, you'd foul them. No one (or hardly anyone I should say) would find anything wrong with that.

For that to work with soccer, goals would have to be something which happened more than once per game.

Or maybe that's why they only score once per game

[Grog]

I agree that American sports ethics follow the "do what you need to do, accept the consequences" philosophy. From that standpoint, it made sense for Suarez to swat it. With that said, it's hard to compare baseball or football, which have many times more scoring opportunities, with a soccer match that hangs on a few shots.

[ggeezz]

I agree that American sports ethics follow the "do what you need to do, accept the consequences" philosophy. From that standpoint, it made sense for Suarez to swat it. With that said, it's hard to compare baseball or football, which have many times more scoring opportunities, with a soccer match that hangs on a few shots.

So that's really the issue . . . that it was the deciding factor?

[AGS]

Yes.

[ggeezz]

Yes.

If that's it, I don't understand the uproar. It's part of the game.

Scoring is a big deal because it's hard and that's one more way someone can stop you if they're willing to pay the (high) price.

[nathan]

Yes.

If that's it, I don't understand the uproar. It's part of the game.

Scoring is a big deal because it's hard and that's one more way someone can stop you if they're willing to pay the (high) price.

Maybe they should change the penalty system for handballs in the goal box. Free kick from midfield?