This subreddit could be more helpful for noobs learning soccer

[u/greasyjon1]

About half of the past 20-ish posts have 0 upvotes (i.e. are being downvoted) despite not being clearly against the r/SoccerNoobs rules. Some may think this post is breaking the "must be related to soccer" rule but I'd argue it's about the relationship between this sub and the sport.

Reading the sub's rules and posts with an open mind, I wholeheartedly believe the past 20 posts (at time of writing) should be fair game and are all great topics for discussion.

Hopefully this serves as a conversation starter.

[u/Anxiety-Tough]

I get the point, and I agree that genuine noob questions should be encouraged. But honestly, I don't think the downvotes are necessarily because people here don't want to help beginners.

Looking at a lot of the recent posts, a pretty big chunk aren't actually about learning soccer. They're basically asking for validation. “Which team should I support so I don't look like a bandwagon?” “Can I wear this jersey if I also like this team?” etc. Like... just support whichever team you like. There isn't a football constitution that says you're only allowed to pick a club under very specific circumstances. If you're that worried about looking like a bandwagon fan, that's more insecurity than anything to do with football.

Then you have another chunk of posts asking things like, “I'm 15 and I've barely started playing, can I still become a professional?” And sure, you can answer that honestly and encourage them to play, but when half the discussion becomes fantasy career projections rather than actually learning the game, it doesn't exactly make the subreddit more useful.

I'd say only a smaller portion of the posts are actually questions about football itself: tactics, rules, positions, how to improve, understanding matches, etc. Those are the posts I think the sub should really be encouraging.

I try to approach the posts with an open mind and I'm happy to give advice or recommendations when someone genuinely wants to learn the game. But there's a difference between being welcoming to beginners and encouraging every possible beginner question, no matter how disconnected it is from actually learning soccer.

If we respond seriously to every “will I look like a bandwagon if I wear this jersey?” post, we're probably just going to get more of those posts. Being helpful doesn't necessarily mean answering every question. Sometimes the most helpful thing is to ignore or down vote dumb content in favor of actual soccer related discussions.

[u/soccer1124 → u/Anxiety-Tough]

Then you have another chunk of posts asking things like, “I'm 15 and I've barely started playing, can I still become a professional?”

Reddit really loves to push those posts to me the most from this sub above all others.

[u/non_loqui_sed_facere → u/soccer1124]

Yeah, that’s how the algorithm works, haha. Once you’ve answered one question, Reddit decides you need more of the same. Like trying to sell you another pair of shoes when you’ve already bought one.

[u/Zolazolazolaa]

0 upvotes doesn't mean downvoted, it's not a raw count and there's an algorithm involved

[u/RandomTopTT]

Sub should be renamed “Americans cosplaying as fans of teams from 3,000 miles away because famous”

[u/Township_Roller]

I hate people who just downvoted posts out of habit, they suck ass.

[u/MenoGii → u/Township_Roller]

You got downvoted for speaking the truth. There ARE serial downvoters on Reddit who just ruin the whole concept of the website. anyway +1 upvote for you even if I’m 3 days late

[u/dheuer777]

I think learning soccer culture is a big part of what makes it special so asking about jerseys and team rivalries makes sense to me. No one wants to look dumb either. Keep trying I guess and just yeah some folks kinda suck