While most people with blood in their veins couldn't help but be enthralled by the United States' win in the Women's World Cup quarterfinals, John Feinstein was happily watching the New York Yankees play a midseason game. His reasoning? Soccer isn't a sport. Why? Well, by his logic any sport that "isn't decided by playing the sport" is not a real sport. Here, just watch for yourself:
John Feinstein (Remember Him?) Doesn’t Think Soccer Is A Sport
OK, has your head stopped spinning? Well, let’s walk through this wonderful logic. Apparently, what destroys soccer’s “sport” credentials is the inclusion of a penalty shootout to decide tournament and playoff games. He also mentions that he’d rather see sudden-death overtime replace the current overtime practice of playing 30 full minutes. Let’s ignore the ridiculousness of sudden-death somehow being part of the sport, while playing until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed isn’t and focus on this shootout idea.
By Feinstein’s tortured logic, then, Olympic hockey is not a sport, either. Or NHL regular-season hockey, for that matter. But does regular-season soccer count as a sport? There are no shootouts, after all, in the vast majority of soccer leagues’ regular seasons. I’m guessing he doesn’t consider an athletic event that allows for ties a sport, either.
In any case, it’s ridiculous logic and the co-hosts of this particular show call him on it. Hopefully, people like Feinstein who seem to revel in their ignorance are becoming things of the past.
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