Soccer is a great game! However, very often the games end in a tied score. That is really only a problem in elimination tournaments, where there must be a winner. The most important sports tournament in the world, the World Cup, is just such a tournament. The result of having a game end on penalty kicks is just tragic.
It is surprising though how many times there are hits either in the posts or the cross bar. I propose that any game that is tied on goals, is decided on number of hits in the goal frame, i.e., the posts or crossbar. If those number of hits are tied, you decide on the number of hits that bounce off the frame back into the playing field as opposed to bounce out of bounds.
Thus, if there is a winning score, no change in the rules. But on a tied game, instead of going to the penalty shoot-out, decide on the goal frame shots.-- Goesta Berling, Jan 18 2005 Why is a game ended with a penalty kick a tragedy?-- bristolz, Jan 18 2005 Nice idea. [bris] I think it's generally considered a tragedy because these tend to be very important games and a penalty shoot-out is so arbitrary, hardly better than deciding the result with a coin toss.-- hippo, Jan 18 2005 Excellent idea. It would encourage teams to shoot, instead of passing the ball around all day.-- phundug, Jan 18 2005 In a tie game, the (ahem) net success of both teams' offensive efforts is already accounted for. Tiebreaker points might be awarded for defense: one point goes to the team for each save made by their goalie?
(Just a thought that occured to me. I'm not much of a sports fan, so don't read too much meaning in to my musings. I don't know what I'm talking about, so I'll remain neutral in the voting department.)-- half, Jan 18 2005 [half], I have always wanted a slightly more aggressive game. Great though footie is, ninety minutes of watching two defensive teams reach a nil-all draw can be rather boring. [Goesta]'s idea would both eliminate that heartbreaking penalty shoot-out fiasco and marginally encourage a more aggressive game. It has my vote.-- wagster, Jan 18 2005 ...and mine! Soccer is an amazing game. In my opinion, it's only flaw was the penalty kicks' resolution of tie games. This idea gets rid of it.-- Pericles, Jan 18 2005 Great idea. Booooo on the penalty kicks!-- Machiavelli, Jan 18 2005 could we count broken bones, cuts, abrasions, egg-sized bumps to the head, haemorrhages, pints of blood lost...?-- po, Jan 18 2005 I am not really soccer literate. In American Football the first person to score in overtime wins. Would this play until a tie breaking score cause too many injuries due to fatigue if implemented in soccer?-- Zimmy, Jan 19 2005 [Bristolz] let me tell you a story. World Cup month 1994 was pretty near the funnest month I can recall. I attended US v. Brazil in Stanford stadium on July 4, 2004. Then Sweden v. Romania in the quarter final a few days later. And watched just about every other match at various large-screen TV venues. Then after a month of excellent games, edge-of-the seat moments, etc., it was time for the final. 120 minutes of 0-0 soccer between Brazil and Italy, that Brazil eventually won on penalty kicks. That is ridiculous. I was so disappointed that the world cup winner couldn't even score a goal, that I felt that the whole tournament was a waste of time. Truly a tragedy.
Admittedly, my idea does not directly address the low-scoring nature of the game. However, as some have observed here, if you can get some bonus from hitting the goal frame, it may open up the game a bit. For one, once one team has hit the goal frame, the game is not quite tied anymore and the other team must start playing more aggressively. More aggressive play leads to more goals both for and against.
And besides which, I think a team that takes a bunch of shots and hits the frame a few times deserves a win more than a team that successfully plays for a 0-0 score.-- Goesta Berling, Jan 19 2005 [Zimmy] in NHL playoffs they keep playing until there is a goal. That can result in extraordinarily long games. To me, 90 minutes (or 120 with the customary 30 min extension), is plenty long to watch or play a soccer game. And two teams that have succeeded at playing 0-0 that long may be able to keep playing 0-0 for a very very very long time. yawn.-- Goesta Berling, Jan 19 2005 The USA 94 final went to penalty kicks largely because of the decision by both managers to play upsettingly negative and stifling 5-3-2 formations.
What if each side hits the woodwork the same number of ties?-- calum, Jan 19 2005 I don't like this idea. Still prefer the shoot-out. The purpose of soccer is to score, not to hit the posts and the cross bar.-- NeoPiter, Feb 28 2005 random, halfbakery