Sport in crisis

[seafoid]

Dunphy is a spoofer ok but there seems to be a discernible trend in 3 of the most popular team sports based around defence and taking away from the pleasure of watching talent breaking through and creating space.


http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/tony-ward-im-not-sure-i-would-play-rugby-if-i-was-starting-out-now-31009900.html

"There will still be the occasional high-profile match that breaks the modern-day mould but they are becoming rarer and rarer.
The appeal now is the occasion and being there, with the entertainment value contained by and large in the result.
That's what really gets to me. Here we are, having just beaten the French and extended our winning run to nine matches, yet far from the pyrotechnic feel it should have, it seems such a damp squib.
And I really don't see myself as a killjoy. I know what it takes to win consistently at this level, and I appreciate that Joe Schmidt is doing some job.
But I am seriously worried about the future of the game I love."

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/international/matt-williams-balance-needs-to-be-restored-to-reward-creative-positive-rugby-1.2111636

"Big, fit, determined, yet lowly skilled players can mount a world-class defence. Those same players may not be able to create even a mediocre attack because defence is very easy to coach and attack very hard. In a contest of muscle that aims to negate skill, physical size is paramount."

http://balls.ie/gaa/benny-coulter-still-doesnt-like-modern-gaelic-football/

There are games you got to at club level where two teams are playing defensive systems and it is ridiculous at times," Coulter said.
"I was even reading stuff the other day, colleges games where they were playing two sweepers."When we were playing for St Mark's (Warrenpoint) in '96 or '97 you just went out and played football, and the better man won, but, now, even at minor level it's down to tactics and crap like that.
"There is too much time spent in the gym and crap like that, or in front of tvs watching stuff."Maybe the likes of 'Skinner' (Eoin) Bradley he'd be a player I'd pay in to watch because he is that unpredictable."He is the type of fella that just plays off the cuff and does his own thing."With a lot of county footballers it's more to do with how fit you are, stuff like that – it sickens me too at times.


http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/english/2015/0223/682351-eamon-dunphy-id-rather-watch-the-rugby/

"But what all the other sports have demonstrated is, that you can have this technology, it can deliver justice instantaneously and the longer cheating becomes embedded in the culture of soccer and it is embedded now, then the worse it will get."

[Asal Mor]

It's certainly true for Rugby. You only have to watch a youtube video of some great tries from the 80s. The ould flair ya used to see is nearly extinct.

Not sure if soccer or football were ever any better. I think with soccer, there's just too much of it on telly now and most of it's crap. I remember how glamorous and exotic it all seemed watching Mexico 86, seeing all these famous names for the first time. Now you see them every day of the week. Also soccer is imo an extremely dull game to watch anyway, even if it's great to play.

As many have said before on here, All-Ireland gold rubbished the myth that football used to be better, though obviously there is much more emphasis on defence and it's very difficult to create space. It can still be fascinating though and the 3 All-Ireland semis last year, were as good or better as anything there's ever been.

[Canalman]

Biggest problem imo across the board is the fact that pitch sizes have remained the same while players get way way quicker and faster. Less space and more whambanging .

Rugby has a very big problem ahead of it.

[JoG2]

Rugby is the biggy for me too. Loved playing it back in the day and still watch away but its getting to a point were you're pretty much watching the same match, only the days and teams involved change.
My son has started both soccer and football nursery classes. Would I encourage him to take up rugby? In the past , absolutely, but I'm not so sure now. Its visual appeal aside, it's a scary sport now were the brut force of these guys and serious injury can only go hand in hand. Are they juicing to build their colossal body frames? Thats another major factor

[Asal Mor]

Biggest problem imo across the board is the fact that pitch sizes have remained the same while players get way way quicker and faster. Less space and more whambanging .

Rugby has a very big problem ahead of it.

This is true. I've seen a few rugby experts in the papers touting a change to 13 a side(removing the 2 flankers i think). Could they not try going to 14 a side first?*

*This may be a very stupid question due to my poor understanding and knowledge of the sport.

[blewuporstuffed]

Biggest problem imo across the board is the fact that pitch sizes have remained the same while players get way way quicker and faster. Less space and more whambanging .

Rugby has a very big problem ahead of it.

This is true. I've seen a few rugby experts in the papers touting a change to 13 a side(removing the 2 flankers i think). Could they not try going to 14 a side first?*

*This may be a very stupid question due to my poor understanding and knowledge of the sport.

An increase in pitch size would be an interesting one too.
I would imagine an increase in width would make a huge difference in the gaps that would appear in defensive lines and would encourge teams to be more expansive

[johnneycool]

Biggest problem imo across the board is the fact that pitch sizes have remained the same while players get way way quicker and faster. Less space and more whambanging .

Rugby has a very big problem ahead of it.

This is true. I've seen a few rugby experts in the papers touting a change to 13 a side(removing the 2 flankers i think). Could they not try going to 14 a side first?*

*This may be a very stupid question due to my poor understanding and knowledge of the sport.

An increase in pitch size would be an interesting one too.
I would imagine an increase in width would make a huge difference in the gaps that would appear in defensive lines and would encourge teams to be more expansive

Most modern stadia wouldn't be geared up for a wider pitch except Croker and the Aussie Cricket stadia!

A very expensive change to be considering.

[Jeepers Creepers]

Its the win at all costs mentality that is destroying these sports mentioned.

[johnneycool]

Its the win at all costs mentality that is destroying these sports mentioned.

That's professionalism for you! FFS don't make a mistake no matter what you do.

You hear of rugby players being handed stats sheets in the changing room after a game and looking to see how they performed, surely the previous 80 minutes would have told you that, not a few A4 sheets.

[deiseach]

Its the win at all costs mentality that is destroying these sports mentioned.

That's professionalism for you! FFS don't make a mistake no matter what you do.

You hear of rugby players being handed stats sheets in the changing room after a game and looking to see how they performed, surely the previous 80 minutes would have told you that, not a few A4 sheets.

That's one of the things that made Malcolm Butler's game-winning interception in the recent Super Bowl so impressive. If he had missed Seattle would have won the game and he would have gotten the blame. Took some balls to put aside the risk-aversion that is drilled into all players from the moment they start getting coached rather than just letting the inevitable happen and blame it all on, well, inevitability, even though he proved there was nothing inevitable about it.

[Zulu]

Well it's that level of analysis that is making it so hard to score in modern team sports. There is such an in-depth level of analysis that players and teams find it nigh on impossible to surprise their opponents by doing anything they weren't prepared for.

I don't think changing pitch size is a realistic option and we certainly don't need to do it in the GAA. Rugby probably has the biggest challenge as it could very easily become a one dimensional grunt-fest though football has issues too as teams realise getting 15 behind the ball is a quick and easy solution to making yourself competitive. Soccer was always a much better game to play than to watch butI can't watch a full game anymore.

[AZOffaly]

Zulu I'm disappointed. I thought you were going to propose changing the structure of the season

[Zulu]

  I've no comeback from that AZ!!

[blewuporstuffed]

Biggest problem imo across the board is the fact that pitch sizes have remained the same while players get way way quicker and faster. Less space and more whambanging .

Rugby has a very big problem ahead of it.

This is true. I've seen a few rugby experts in the papers touting a change to 13 a side(removing the 2 flankers i think). Could they not try going to 14 a side first?*

*This may be a very stupid question due to my poor understanding and knowledge of the sport.

An increase in pitch size would be an interesting one too.
I would imagine an increase in width would make a huge difference in the gaps that would appear in defensive lines and would encourge teams to be more expansive

Most modern stadia wouldn't be geared up for a wider pitch except Croker and the Aussie Cricket stadia!

A very expensive change to be considering.

possibly would not be feasible, but even a couple of extra metres in width  each side would help i would say, even without massively changing the overall shape of the pitch.