"Soccer" actually is the world's game of football. It is perfectly fair to argue that it should not be, as you have here, but for your piece to be worth reading you need to consider why it is so popular and why your preferred code bviously isn't.

All the other codes have drawbacks even more significant than the level of skill required to score.

American football, as they say, is a perfect mirror of American society - endless discussions interrupted by brief spells of intense violence. Like Australian Rules, it is over-manned for historical reasons.

Rugby Union has two regulated events of male-on-male physical contact - the scrum and the line-out - which contend to be the two dumbest things to do with multiple bodies ever invented. I remember being a teenage second-rower: see those arses up ahead, lad, just put your head between them.

Did I forget rugby league? I wonder why.

Played rep. seven aside ruby union, a game played as part of the Olympics. Quick and good as a spectator sport.

Played and umpired cricket and played a season of and coached soccer.

Think that seven a side rugby union would get my nod. If that was the most important thing to focus on?

Millions of other more important issues first!
Alan B.

I played hooker in Rugby Union and Rugby League. Both games are now bs since the scrum is no longer a contest. Even play the ball used to be a fair contest. Dunno what the rules are now, or whether they're not enforced. Also, offside rule is only invoked when least popular team scores off an infringement. In League, that's if a Queensland team scores. I am not, and have never been, a banana bender. So-called decoy runners consistently interfere with defence without any penalties. Video refs consistently make wrong decisions and usually don't review lead up play where there are attackers in front of kicker or obvious forward passes. The 'voice of rugby league' Ray Warren is an incompetent bore who rabbits on without watching the play or explaining referees' decisions because he can't.
Union has always been boring to watch cos too much kicking instead of running. League is much easier to play cos of a brief rest for forwards at each tackle, even without so much interchange. The bench used to be occupied by reserves. Two great games have been ruined.

Those that play the game do so with purpose...those that watch have little choice but to dream of what might have been.