Close your eyes and imagine your dream car. Go ahead. I'll wait.
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Ready?
Now think about why this particular vehicle is your dream car. Is it expensive? Are there very few of them in the world? Is it not legal to own it in the United States because it's too fast?
Now ponder on what it would take for you to own your dream car. Money, or lack thereof, is the obvious and most likely deterrent.
Why is this vehicle your dream car? Seriously. Why?
I contend the answer is because it is hard to get, for any number of reasons. I also contend that very few people, if any, have a common vehicle as their dream car. Nobody longs to own a Chevrolet Cobalt or a Ford Focus because you can go to any car dealership and find one. They are not rare.
In essence, a car's true value is found in how dear to the heart it is held by a potential owner. Things that are easy to obtain do not hold such meaning. It's human nature.
This is where I make the transition to sports (this is a sports blog, after all). In the world of soccer, or football (futbol) as it's called by the rest of the world, scoring a goal is like finally owning the car of your dreams based on the worth those pursuing both entities have placed on them. It's meaning is found in its rarity.
Goals in soccer are rare, particularly at the highest level of the sport. That's why when one is finally scored, the player who netted it celebrates as if he's discovered a cure for diabetes, and oftentimes gets mobbed by his teammates and coaches
Scoring a goal is like getting that first kiss as a teenager. You've wanted it for so long -- and worked so hard to make it happen.
Compare it to basketball. A single point -- while still valuable -- is not as meaningful or important as a goal in soccer. Obviously the endgame in any sport is to outscore the opponent, but think about it logically: Where is more worth in a point or goal held, in a 2-1 soccer match or a 98-95 basketball game?
Don't misunderstand me. It's obvious that a single point can make a difference in basketball in the same way that a single goal can be the difference in soccer. My argument is based on the fact that there are more points scored and numerous more opportunities to score on the hardcourt than on the pitch. Therefore, the game of basketball provides many more opportunities for a game not to be decided by a single point.
Goals = gold.
For the record, I love basketball just as much as soccer. I am in no way trying to diminish the game invented by James Naismith. I am, however, attempting to respond to soccer detractors.
We've all heard it; "Soccer is boring. If I wanted to watch someone struggle to score I'd take my friend to a bar." Yes, but when your friend finally does score, his or her celebration will be like Carli Lloyd netting a goal from half field against Japan. Those moments are priceless, a value placed by the people seeking them.
And if a soccer game does end 0-0, blame the bad offensive game plan and execution, or credit the defenses, but don't blame the game itself. There's a reason it's called The Beautiful Game.
Think about it: How difficult is it to control a soccer ball? There are no fingers to grasp it like a basketball. In a way, all your hand-eye coordination is in your feet. Just check out what Argentinian Lionel Messi or (in his hayday) Brazilian Ronaldinho can do. Those two, along with many other world-class footballers, work magic with their feet.
The difficulty of the ball control, combined with the everyone-must-be-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time aspect of all 11 people on a soccer team, show how valuable a goal is, and how difficult it is to score one. It's an 11-part, high-precision machine.
Sit down and watch a soccer game sometime and appreciate the skill and effort it takes to control and move the ball up the field. When a goal is scored, value it as much as the players on the pitch instead of hating it for not being enough.
Goals = gold.
