seven, felt that way for many years. after going to a english national team game in london, and then even the SKC environment it really changed my mind. comparing it to football event wise is pretty unfair, but, one of the great things i love with soccer compared to football is the "lull" periods. yeah, you can say that a 0-0 match is filled with these moments. but for two 45 min halves, you are pretty much glued to the action. football, for me at least, is easy to have a roller coaster of attention - ie, maybe a 30 yd return, then 20 yd pass, then 20 yd run... stadium is PUMPED, annnd just like that it can be lost - a tv or team timeout, or a review, or a flag. and the member chants are fun (but so are the football ones like GO GO GO or bullshit, etc.)
its also nice to know that if a game starts at 1:00, it will be over in just about 2 hrs 90% of the time (not exact, but you get the idea). makes planning afternoon chores a lot easier.
and mini-ice soccer is fun to watch too.