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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1999)
liie Battalion Sports Page 3 • Monday, July 12, 1999 ihei no loJ •'re instep Wgh dror,' still asac "easons; Jlong the] lost its iaj said thevj botball vs. Futbol is soccer gains fans, football faces a challenge to its supremacy ome days, it just seems it’s the United States versus every- e countr ono else - Bein 8 the bi g8est, civil n baddest nation on the panic re block has its advantages, rnment. but it also has its disad- Chris HUFFINES |v vantages. conveniiM M an y times foreigners lica] for Jn criticize or just make re renreseW 1 wbat tbe y see as Yankee idiosyncrasies. nt tobe J ^ 00 t ba ll- •uscSi Fore ig ners always point to their “football” "You h V soccer — and attempt to rationalize why it alify fort Pagel me studf il concer is better, while Americans stick by the true Bnerican pastime of football. I So, which is better, soccer or football? I Part of the problem with that question is ■e two sports are so different while being so similar. Both involve teams of 11 people on large fields. Both are extremely physical games, which lead to extreme spirit among ■eir fans. s hut a J 01 course, there are differences. Football tends to emphasize raw power, while soccer is a finesse game. Football is more of a con- nev Boiled brawl moving up and down the field, •bile soccer is running with some competi- ion thrown into the mix. limes em football can be played by individualists while lation lm soccer team that is not flawlessly integrated • Mill get beaten almost every time. And of course ise the» soc cer, you only score one point at a time. ie infer orrect tl 1 100 pen ce to sir based oi ive credit sicians a. inks to I: he idea lad ctes linistrait; tn/l/misiti w at Tei lute ms 3 learcluna’i n Texas, But which is better? I Soccer is better for a variety of reasons. Soc- ■er is easier to learn but harder to excel at. Soc- gjer is more of a strategic game, with only three [substitutions allowed per game and longer Itretches on the field, making it a game for the long haul. I Soccer also breeds less hostility on the field. It probably has something to do with not trying fto kill your opponent during every play. I However, football could also be viewed as a ibetter sport than soccer. Football is actually ^afer than soccer. The pads actually do work. Football is visually more exciting. It is a tac tics-oriented game, where individual plays tend to make the difference. Also, football is not as physically demand ing as soccer. Players do run but not nearly as much or as far. Of course, soccer stinks for a lot of reasons. First among these is that it is illegal for every one but the goalies to use their hands. Another defect of soccer is that it is not a high-scoring game. There is very little chance for the great athletes to prove themselves the way many other sports allow. There are Michael Jordans in Major League Soccer and other leagues, but soccer is not a sport where players are judged by their stats. Football isn’t all that good for some of the same reasons. There are too many crack- GABRIEL RUENES/Tm: Battalion smoking, wife-beating superstars. They tend to outshine all the good works the rest of the players are doing. In addition, football has become an indus try, something that has not happened to soc cer — yet. So, which is better? Here at A&M, both NCAA teams, football and soccer, are nation ally recognized and both help bring students to the University. Which is better? It really does not matter. Everyone’s opinion will be different. The important thing is to know why the opinion is held. Oh, I like soccer better, but that’s because I play it. Chris Huffines is a senior speech communications major Soccer Club looks to raise membership BY RUTH STEPHENS The Battalion For those Texas A&M students with an interest in playing soc cer, or for those who just like to watch, the TAMU Men’s Soccer Club is gearing up for another season. Junior landscape architecture major Bryan Warne said the team is making an increased ef fort to recruit played this year. “My freshman year the turnout was "This year we’re hoping for good quality and more numbers” — Bryan Warne Men’s Soccer Club player not spectacu lar,” Warne said. “Last year we had a lot more. This year we’re hoping for good quality and more numbers.” Club athlet ics gives stu- dents an op portunity to play sports that are not offered at the varsity level. In Texas, these teams are pro moted and developed by the Texas Collegiate Sports Associa tion (TCSA). Even though A&M does not have a varsity men’s soccer team, Warne said he still thinks Texas is one of the best states in the country for soccer. The A&M club soccer team is one of 32 men’s teams in Texas sponsored by TCSA. Last year the Aggies competed in the University Division which consisted of the 32 men’s soccer teams sponsored by TCSA. After a top-eight finish in the University Division last year, A&M will compete against the other seven ranked teams in the Premier Division this year. “We haven’t played the best teams in the past,” Warne said. “This year we’re in the Premier Division with better schools.” Eastern Conference members along with A&M are Southwest Texas State University, Rice Uni versity and Sam Houston State University. The Western Conference in cludes the Univer sity of Texas, Bay lor University, Texas Tech Uni versity and Ange lo State Universi ty- Warne said their schedule in- eludes extensive travel. The team plays two games every weekend, one at home and one away. They will start this year’s season with an away game at Rice. At the club level, Warne said it is a constant challenge to find enough money for uniforms, equipment and travel funds. Warne said they receive some money from the University, in cluding gas money for travel, but the majority is raised by the players. “Our main fund raiser is our annual 12th Man Invitational Tournament in the spring for see Soccer on Page 4 a time! A Central Texas Managed Health Care Program Makes More Sense Than Traditional Health Insurance That’s why Bryan-College Station has FIRSTCARE. 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