DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: World Cup hydration breaks cut into soccer’s appeal

In an earlier column this year, I spoke about how I wasn’t really feeling world cup fever, and I can definitely say I’m not exactly sick with excitement.

I have still enjoyed the tournament though, but that is more about Canada picking up a couple good results, and the joy of having a major sporting event happening at noon Manitoba-time.

What has completely done in my enjoyment of the tournament is the mandatory hydration breaks. It’s clear they’re only in place for advertising, as they even happen during indoor games, games where there’s a massive injury break right during a match or games where there’s a massive downpouring of rain.

There’s no doubt oftentimes a break is needed for players to grab a drink of water, but making it mandatory for every game, regardless of what the circumstances are is just silly.

Those mandatory hydration breaks need to be thrown in the garbage bin as soon as this touranement is over. The alternative is to move soccer to a similar timing system as other sports have.

The greatest thing about soccer is that timing system. You can tune into a match and be confident there won’t be any commercial breaks during the action. You can be engrossed in a game without the spectre of distraction hovering over it.

Mandatory hydration breaks to sell ads break the best part of watching a soccer game. It even hurts soccer’s timing system, as the added time for injuries and breaks don’t work the same way with the mandatory hydration break.

If soccer is going to be fully commercialized in this way, just do away with the running clock. Have 40 minute halves, with time stopping when the ball is out of play.

It would be bad, but it would be better than these silly hydration breaks.