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The Anxiety, Ecstasy, & Hatred of the Penalty Shootout
Soccer’s way of breaking a tie is much maligned as a game of chance, but are we discounting the mental challenges that it presents to both fans and players alike?
This week both the Euro Cup and Copa America concluded. In the knockout stages of these tournaments, six of the matches ended in a penalty shootout. Much like a shootout in hockey and the overtime rules in the NFL, many fans are not entirely pleased when a game is decided this way. I would contend that players don’t like it either. Notably, former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb did not know that an NFL game could end in a tie if there was no winner in overtime.
But perhaps more than any other sport, the way that soccer decides the winner of a tie game is the most polarizing. Typically, when a game ends in a tie in soccer it is called a draw in league play or group stages of a tournament. But when play shifts to a knockout round in a tournament, a winner must be decided. The current standard in the game is to have two 15-minute halves of extra time. And if it is still tied after this, then the penalty shootout takes place. Some view this as one of the most exhilarating events in sport, while others view it as a game of chance. One must wonder, is it both things, and maybe a little more?
