Guys that couldn't make it on the football team sometimes went and played soccer. It was pretty much a girls' game when I was in highschool. When we heard that there were actually professional soccer players we could hardly believe it! Soccer??? And they called it football! No helmet, no pads, no face guard, no tackling, blocking, what the hell kinda game was that? After we came to know the game a little better it seemed like the real action was in the spectators' section. Now there was a nice bit of sports violence. The soccer fans were in need of helmets, pads, face masks, etc., not to mention fire extinguishers and defibrulators. Hey, maybe there was something to this game after all.

Ok. Now that you Europeans and other worldly persons are all in a lather, I have to tell you this. Several times I have sat with a stopwatch and timed the actual playtime in an American football game and it always comes out to about fifteen minutes whistle to whistle. If the defensive and offensive teams split the time that means each player who is in the game for most every play had about 7 and 1/2 minutes of real play time. When you consider that there are special teams that come on in certain circunstances it's even less time. In soccer or what you all call football the action is pretty much nonstop and I know that the degree of athleticism required puts American footballers to shame. Beckham may be what this country needs to turn some attention to this worthy sport!