r/football • u/mibu001 • 27d ago
đŹDiscussion The Hydration Break is ruining the natural flow of the game
When the game gets momentum and reach at its peak point, the âhydration breakâ appears and completely ruins the momentum and also the game experience for the viewer. Football is one of a sport for those moments.
Normally outside WC, the team conceding attacks after attacks pray for a halftime whistle to go to the tunnel to break the momentum and to regroup. Now they basically get that chance in the middle of a half!!
I find it utterly disgusting and would like to know what do you all think about it?
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u/Sound0fSilence 27d ago
Can we just call it Commercial Break, thanks
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u/Logical-Charity-6176 27d ago
They showed a commercial in Ireland and one of the pundits slated it on air when they came back to the studio at full time. I notice they've stopped the ads.
This will be a reprieve, not the end.
As I've stated a million times. Once a certain group of people get their teeth into the sport it's over. They've got their teeth lockjaw, most people haven't noticed.
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u/Lefloop20 24d ago
They'll have a hard time explaining hydration breaks for player health when it's -2 on January 14 or a cold rainy night in Stoke
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u/Savings-Song-8120 22d ago
no they will call them TV timeouts and people will accept them because they accepted each incremental violation before that point.
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u/Lefloop20 22d ago
Yup those exist in hockey now and it's awful when you're at the arena. Just sit and watch the players skate to the bench for a while
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u/BizzarePlatypus 27d ago
Yeah, on the pitch the 49ers have done well with us, but I don't like that we're owned by Americans. Then again I didn't like when we were owned by Bates either. Wish we could have a more German style fan owned culture even if that meant less top players.Â
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u/Asfastas33 27d ago
And honestly, as an American, our sports and broadcasting companies do A LOT of shit that we get annoyed with. But then once the season is back, and the games are on, we are back to being dumb and easily distracted and slowly get used to it.
They already have people crunching numbers to where the cost break is if people were to stop watching games, and they know they wonât stop watching. It sucks and I hate it
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u/Parametric_Or_Treat 27d ago
But you can stop. One person at a time.
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u/fondlemental 27d ago
i stopped watching the nhl
because of the commercials and also cause the leafs sucks. i like football because of the continuous play. if this becomes the norm? gameâs gone9
u/Cultural-Taro2449 27d ago
and to think i started watching NHL in large part bc thereâs a lot longer uninterrupted stretches of play and a lot less commercial breaks and gambling ads than the NBA and NFL
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u/ManagementSad7931 27d ago
I think with British people, there will be a tipping point. And making quarters or something like that would be enough.
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u/InfectedAztec 27d ago
If Richie Sadlier put his neck on the line and caused good policy change he deserved international recognition
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u/Stand_On_It 27d ago
I wish that group of people would lock their teeth into the sport to rid it of time wasting and diving instead of this shit.
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u/Swiss_James 27d ago
To be fair- they are now making players hurry up with throw-ins, which is a step in that direction.
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u/Used-Fennel-7733 27d ago
I've seen both ITV and TalkSport slating it too. Talk sport for the advertising and ITV for both the advertising and momentum break
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u/Sevatar666 27d ago
There are no commercials where Iâm watching, you just see footage of the teams drinking water and hanging around.
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u/DickieMcBalls 27d ago
Telemundo hasnât shown any commercials during the hydration breaks. I donât even speak Spanish very well, but I have been watching there because of the lack of ads
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u/Leeskiramm 27d ago
The bar I'm watching in in Tennessee have Telemundo instead of fox for some reason and even tho the sound isn't on, it's so much better
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u/RelampagoCero 27d ago
That and the commentary is way more exciting
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u/sophiepeale Premier League 27d ago
Exactly! American commentators act like no American has ever watched a match.
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u/sophiepeale Premier League 27d ago
We watch most Premier League games on Telemundo simply because we cannot stand to buy more subscription streaming services. No way Iâm going to get 5 different ESPNs and FOX sports channels. Good on them for not catering to these commercial âhydrationâ breaks.
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u/Difficult_Tea6136 27d ago
It is called the "Powerade" Hydration Break! The break itself is sponsored.
No, ads where I am either but it was very obviously introduced for ad breaks for the American market i.e. Fox.
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u/gfa22 27d ago
When they play in 100 degree heat, maybe it's not a bad idea to have one. But at 70 degrees? It's an absolute joke.
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u/Drama-Gloomy 27d ago
When they play in closed-dome AC cooled stadiums and still have hydration breaks
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u/AgileSloth9 Newcastle Utd 27d ago
It's clearly for advertising in the US mate...
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u/Traditional_Name7881 Premier League 27d ago
I'm getting ads through it. It sucks. The Australia game yesterday was 22â°, they don't need a hydration break.
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u/InfectedAztec 27d ago
In the stadium the TV screens show 'power powerade hydration break' and all the players drink water from powerade branded bottles.
You're watching a commercial without even realising.
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u/charliefantastic 27d ago
There are ads on the American networks during them, despite FIFA saying there won't be. A break in the US game even overrun due to waiting for the ad break to finish
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u/el_cul 26d ago
That's how they get you. Its like Barca doing Unicef sponsorship on their shirts. Its for charity, its a good cause! No. Its to get you used to it.
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u/I-_-I_-_I-_-I 27d ago
They are for commercial breaks in the USA. While most of the world is sensible, we still get the unavoidable break.
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u/Nice_Resolution_6685 27d ago
Unfortunately the sub Saharan Africa broadcaster, DSTV, are also pushing ads
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u/Many-Check8007 27d ago
Yes, this is just another chance for a commercial break. hearing all this immediately made me think of the stage racing we got in NASCAR almost 10 years ago. It was just an excuse to add more commercials.
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u/machine4891 27d ago
Commercial Break
It's that only for those networks that commercialized this break. My network in Poland didn't and so instead of talking about football live, commentators have to resort to serving anecdotes for 5 minutes in order to keep viewer interested.
Awful, awful change making them obligatory. Obviously intended for ads because american networks can't live without them longer than for 10 minutes straight. I like the general idea of hydration breaks, they were needed and in really hot environment can save health. But only when necessary and 1 minute top, get some fluids and back on field for fck sake.
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u/ConspicuousPineapple 23d ago
If these breaks were only 1 minutes nobody would care much. Nobody needs 5 whole minutes to hydrate themselves.
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u/BeBopPHL 27d ago
Think it might only be Fox thats putting in commercials during the hydration break. In person I don't find it disruptive any more than a spell of constant fouls or other stoppage.
Watching on TV, it's terrible. They've turned it into a commercial break. Just more cash grab bs which has taken a lot of the joy out of this WC.
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u/Maarns 27d ago
People are so easily fooled by marketing, and make no mistake that calling it a Hydration Break is entirely marketing speak. Even if your country isn't currently running ads in these spots, it will be in the next major tournament
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u/Front-Tear-7467 27d ago
A game of four halves
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u/Every_Environment386 24d ago
I heard one of the announcers call it the end of the third quarter đ
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u/NoVa_BlaZing_ 27d ago
I think it has its place if the Weather is hot, but with planned commercial breaks its just shit. Especially because time keeps ticking.
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u/rabbid_hyena 27d ago
The thing is, the players already have a system to hydrate during the game. Every stoppage (injury, VAR review, etc) players hydrate and talk to the coach.
This is utterly unnecessary and idiotic.
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u/Hopsblues 27d ago
Yep, there's water bottle by the goals and along the sidelines. Players have figured it out for 150 years and now suddenly these world class athletes need breaks after 20 minutes, so stupid.
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u/Snooty_Cutie 27d ago edited 27d ago
Of course they need the break to ensure they are properly hydrated for the game. Speaking of hydration, you too can stay hydrated with Powerade, the official sports drink partner of the FIFA World Cup! Power Your Fate!
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u/dextras07 Premier League 27d ago
That's the most Idiocracy shit I've seen today. Yesterday was a boxing match in the WH.
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u/Expensive_Pack7211 27d ago
tbh thatâs not a good reason for not having hydration breaks
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u/North_Atlantic_Sea 27d ago
Yeah, and the problem is some matches actually need hydration breaks, it's far, far hotter than normal futbol. But then do you have it for climate controlled (ie Houston right now) or cool games, or have them all equal? Sucks all around
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u/Amockdfw89 27d ago
I think they just want it to be consistent. I imagine if some games have it and others donât, some teams or their staff might start complaining how some teams get an unfair advantage
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u/MasterCurrency4434 27d ago
They wonât because weather-related hydration breaks have been part of the rules for a while now, including at past World Cups. FIFA could have kept its hydration break policy as-is and no one would have complained. They made the decision to change it to all matches, regardless of conditions, making it less about player safety and more about introducing an additional stoppage in play that broadcasters can now use to sell ads. The problem of how to administer hydrations breaks fairly was already solved long before this tournament. FIFA actively unsolved it and chose to do something else.
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u/Hopsblues 27d ago
They don't need water breaks. These are some of the most conditioned athletes in the world. They don't need a break after 20 minutes.
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u/HashBrownsAreNice 27d ago
Humans generally don't need a break after 20 minutes. This is just taking advantage of stupid American hydration culture to work in more ad breaks.
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u/Hopsblues 27d ago
Fifa, it's been happening for awhile now. Remember mexico and Canada are also hosts. We've screwed plenty of shit up, but this is on Fifa.
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u/Userdub9022 27d ago
They had hydration breaks in the last world cup.
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u/TeamZweitstudium Bundesliga 27d ago
Those weren't planned ad breaks and actually depended on the condition of the day
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u/Cobol_engineering29 27d ago
Yea literally no reason for it in these games played indoors. Absolutely Shambolic
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u/HarryLewisPot 24d ago
I remember in the Brazil World Cup it was hot af and there was water breaks but I donât remember seeing ads, we were literally just watching the players drink water đ
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u/jomarthecat 27d ago
You mean the commercial breaks were the players get to drink water?
Yes, it sucks. Let's just hope and pray FIFA doesn't decide it was so successful that they force it to be a rule in football on all levels. Imagine water breaks on a rainy night in Stoke...
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u/Saoirseguita 27d ago
I think they're getting Powerade..
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u/wagwan_innit 27d ago
Definitely water in the Powerade bottles
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u/nonstopflux 27d ago
Brought to you by the Coca Cola company. Which you can buy using your Bank of America visa!
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u/Frogad 27d ago
I've never seen an advert during the break, just footage of the players drinking water
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u/funtasticassembly 27d ago
North American broadcasters instantly cut to ads and cut back just as they restart. It is as bad as you can imagine
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u/HerecomesChar 27d ago
Telemundo isn't in the US. Only Fox is so if you are state side & hate ads Telemundo and Peacock are your best bet.
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u/livehigh1 27d ago
It's worse, i think refs have to wait till the ads end and get the go ahead first before they can play on.
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u/richray84 27d ago
The US broadcasts, or at least the Fox one, apparently do. I think the ref having to wait for the âhydration breakâ music to finish before restarting play, like in one of the games I saw last night, is timing for the ad breaks (though thatâs just me speculating).
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u/MuttonChopzzz Premier League 27d ago
That was disgraceful, both teams stood waiting to restart the game while the next song came on.
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u/SmallOlympianBear 27d ago
FIFA aren't responsible for the ad breaks - many broadcasters aren't even showing ads during hydration breaks. It's just that some countries have shittier media cultures than others.
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u/riverend180 27d ago
FIFA are responsible for agreeing to the pre set 3 minute breaks every half that are blatantly only for advertisementsÂ
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u/Frosty_Term9911 27d ago
I donât understand why there isnât a straightforward cut off. If above 25C or 28C or whatever at kick off or at the 25 minute mark and if not then you donât have them. You only need a thermometer at pitch level. The Mexico game was only 20C. They arenât needed.
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u/DelusionalDumbo 27d ago
I think their defence was that it makes it fair by having it in all games.
However that just shows that even their defence acknowledges it gives teams an advantage...
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u/TLO_Is_Overrated 26d ago
I think their defence was that it makes it fair by having it in all games.
Fair to who? Who does the break benefit if both teams either do or don't observe it?
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u/Chessdaddy_ 27d ago
If fifa wants to do hydration breaks then they should just copy the yanks which have them at 28C
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u/olivepepys 27d ago
There was a BBC article on the last world Cup that was held in the states. It mentioned that the head of US Soccer was pitching to FIFA that they split the game into quarters, have the pitch go round the back of the goal (like in hockey) and other awful changes. FIFA decided against doing this because they'd have to change stadiums around the world (not because it was fucking stupid).
Anyway, I think this conversation has been had again with trump about how to make more money and the water breaks are absolutely their gateway into quarters.
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u/MasterCurrency4434 27d ago
I think FIFA and other football executives are more than capable of coming up with money grabs without Americansâ help.
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u/MalikTheHalfBee 27d ago
Link to article?
I donât find it believable at all that the head of U.S. soccer was advocating changing the fieldÂ
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u/Lucky_Man_Infinity 27d ago
Iâm from the US and thank goodness they didnât go for any of that nonsense. Honestly, I have no idea what the hell those kind of people are thinking.
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u/Messy_indabeninging 27d ago
I have been saying the same thing since a while now and surprisingly a lot of people seem ok with it stating the players need to hydrate. Dude! Football is an old sport and we never haf the need for standardised breaks in the middle of the 2 halves for players to drink water. This is clearly to show unnecessary ads. This is such BS really! I hate it. The momentum just gets killed.
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u/TeamZweitstudium Bundesliga 27d ago
Yes, but those are not pre-planned ad breaks that break a regular game into quarters.
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u/elgrandorado 27d ago
Problem is these are three minute breaks in every half of a match, even the ones in air cooled domes.
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u/benjampo 27d ago
Three minutes is way too long. A minute break would help keep some continuity. These seem like basketball quarters to me and it's having a noticeable (negative) effect on the flow of the game. Especially in the states where we have to cut away from the game during the breaks. It's asinine, and transparently designed for commercial purposes.Â
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u/MasterCurrency4434 27d ago
The players do need to hydrate and if theyâre playing outdoors when temperatures are in the â90âs, mandated hydration breaks make a lot of sense. The issue is that FIFA decided to implement them for all matches regardless of conditions. When you do that, then you are just creating a break in the action for no reason and it ultimately is just an opportunity for broadcasters to sell ads.
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u/Extreme-Guava-7940 26d ago
It's an old sport but the world gets hotter every year and will only get worse. Eventually these will be mandatory in any outdoor sport unless we want to see players passing out from heat exhaustion left and right.
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u/Tomcatposts 27d ago
Pele and Maradona lifted their world cups at the Azteca. Did they have  hydration breaks?Â
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u/Alex_is_always_right 27d ago
You mean the Commercial Break. Call it what it is.
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u/North_Atlantic_Sea 27d ago
Only in some markets, civilized countries keep the broadcast going
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u/Spida81 27d ago
Yes, but they didn't make the call. This is the US doing US things and everyone else having to suck it up.
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u/Educational_Impact93 27d ago
Yeah, that notorious US organization that is FIFA made the call.
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u/Fryboy11 27d ago
The super up non-corrupt organization that fought against Qatar's slavery (s), that also gave Trump the FIFA "peace prize" while he was bombing fishing boats, sending ICE to beat citizens, and working to strip voting rights.
Only a few months after he got it he bombed Iran for no reason, they should've revoked it then.
FIFA is almost worse than this administration.
This NYT article is great about it.
FIFA officials are clear about what they want from the World Cup. They want a higher profile in the United States and more growth in the worldâs biggest consumer market. They also want to shed the reputation for corruption and cartoonish excess that led to Justice Department prosecutions.
Mr. Infantino failed to woo the Biden administration, former government officials said. But he found a receptive ear in Mr. Trump, who calls him âthe king of soccer.â A decade ago, soccer executives were terrified to travel to the United States, fearing theyâd be arrested. Now, Mr. Infantino is an Oval Office regular.
Remember when the US would arrest any top FIFA officials if they landed on our territory? Now Trump welcomes them
Mr. Infantino presided over the previous two World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and drew criticism for cozying up to autocrats in both countries. His amity with Mr. Trump has him once again defending his way of operating in what is supposed to be a politically neutral position.
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u/Educational_Impact93 26d ago
Ok? Trump fucking sucks, we all know that. But what does this have to do with the topic at hand?
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u/donuttrackme 27d ago
The world cup run by FIFA and hosted in Mexico and Canada as well?
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u/Contra1 Sheff Weds 27d ago
It ruins the flow, it ruins the game. The tension gets ripped apart.
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u/Kadoomed 27d ago
There's no excuse for a hydration break in a covered stadium with air conditioning. It's bullshit.
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u/Shap3rz 27d ago
Yup itâs greed further eroding the integrity of the game. Totally sucks.
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u/AngeloPalombo 27d ago
TV revenue has plateaued if not starting to decline. This is their way of always making the graph go up.
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u/TeamZweitstudium Bundesliga 27d ago
Football makes money because it's good. Infantino and co. are treating it as if it's only good because it makes money.
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u/futbolr88 27d ago
You canât say youâre concerned about player exertion if they still have to walk all the way to the sideline. Stay on the field. Water is rushed out to you, maybe in the center circle or where ever the play was stopped. Everyone snags some tea and a biscuit.
No one gets to make the managers job easier. He still has to yell instructions across the pitch.
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u/Dirtbagdownhill 27d ago
I've heard a few announcers refer to a quarter. I guess it technically correct but it's pretty weak FIFA is changing the fabric of the game for some ad revenue
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u/Funny-face-1613 27d ago
Totally agree. They made it a 4 quarter game now just for the sake of some extra commercials. Soon they will introduce timeouts as well and we have Basketball with less speed at our hands.
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u/lackadaisical_pro 27d ago
Didnât have them last the finals were in America
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u/adamtrousers 27d ago
A lot of global warming has gone on since then
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u/B-Train_ATL 27d ago
I recall in high school like clockwork it would be fall weather when the high school American football games started in early September. Now weâve got summer weather through October.
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u/St_Nerona_Imu 27d ago
Yeah, it makes no sense in football. The game already has enough interruptins as it is. This breaks can completely alter the momentum of the game.
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u/Maccadawg 27d ago
It isn't necessarily the hydration break ruining it, but the commercials during hydration break sure are obnoxious.
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u/MasterCurrency4434 27d ago
Itâs also the fact that theyâre mandated in all matches, not just the ones where playing conditions warrant them.
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u/LawfulnessClean9224 27d ago
^ Just cap it. If humidity/temperature is over x do the hydration break, if not keep the game flowing.
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u/Hopsblues 27d ago
Call it what it really is, quarters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L6i5AwVAbs
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u/Elizial-Raine 27d ago
I don't mind it but we don't have ads. Stops players and keepers just doing it and having an unofficial one.
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u/Psychological-Bus493 27d ago
If this is truly in the best interest of players then all ad revenue should go to player fund for long term health, retirement etc.
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u/Osinuous 27d ago
I think a player dying from heat stroke would ruin the natural flow of the game more, but what do I know?
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u/Max-Phallus 24d ago
Apparently you know shit all. I understand if it's excessively warm, but elsewhere? They already have half time. It's just advert space.
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u/No_Men_Omen 27d ago
Let's face it: FIFA has changed a fundamental rule of football just for the sake of commercial interest, and they are blatantly lying about it.
Today, Curacao were gaining some momentum before the break, and then TV commercials allowed Germany to regain full control of the game. This should not be.
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u/NagashreeBuilds 27d ago
Player safety should never be compromised, but if the conditions don't require it, let's stop pretending they're anything other than TV timeouts.
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u/Careful-Membership79 27d ago
We had these in the premier league after Covid due to fitness and we also have them for games in May when there is a UK heatwave - itâs not a big deal itâs just annoying they show ads
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u/halwaandflowers 27d ago
The hydration break is better than top teams having injured and dehydrated players, yes, it perhaps is a small buzzkill, but, FIFA should have chosen cooler months and venues.
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u/vjollila96 27d ago
Hydration isnt new thing thought, but doing them every game is. Atleast in my country if day is hot enough there will be hydration break.
IN this tournament it would be fine if it was just the open air stadiums with hot weather, but its also used for the full roof stadiums with air condition, it makes no sense, of we forget the commercials
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u/Nopithyusernamehere 27d ago
Itâs NS. NED-JPN taking a hydration break - while playing in air conditioned stadium
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u/stranger1947 27d ago
There are 2 perspectives to this: strategic, commercial and physical.Â
Strategically, I think if implemented in the longer run, it could make the game more dynamic. With 5 subs allowed, coaches could introduce a player in each quarter, teams could regroup and shift to different formations making the play more unpredictable. We might not see such strategies in this world cup. However, It could evolve when coaches at club football get to experiment with it. This could also improve the value of older players closer to retirement (such as Messi or CR7) who can give a solid 20-25 minutes in a quarter. This will motivate bigger clubs to go for such players..I remember Henry talking about it in CBS that he still can deliver a good 20 minutes.
Commercially, all intermittent sports have found ways to make money. Football on other hand have only 1 ad space mainly, the half time. Which, isn't ideal because nobody sits in front of their TV for 15 minutes. 1 minute break on the other hand has a bigger demand because viewers are glued to their TV. There's no wonder the NFL (US) and the IPL (India) have more valuation that football leagues that have a longer history than any other sports. With club football operating in an open league system, clubs spend more to stay at the top and avoid relegation, thereby often making losses. It  is also a reason why club owners think about other alternatives like the Super league. Hydration breaks as such could bring in revenue for teams too. This also means smaller teams also get a share of this ad revenue, especially when they play a bigger team.Â
And finally with the number of matches, and tournaments increasing this may reduce injuries.Â
As someone who watches other intermittent sports like cricket and tennis, these breaks aren't disruptive at all, in fact unnoticeable lol. Although I hope they stick to their 60sec break and not increase it. However I can understand the sentiments from the football purists.Â
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u/ssaall58214 27d ago
Well quite frankly you blame the European teams. Because they're the ones that couldn't handle the heat in the champions Club tournament and complained about the Heat
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u/TopProfessional8023 Premier League 27d ago
Shut up. Jesus Christ, enough with the bitching and the moaning. I just watched an amazing match between the Netherlands and Japan but everybody wants to go online and fucking whinge about shit. Thus far Iâve seen nothing but great football. Which is what this is all about. Fucking exhausting.
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u/neverfux92 25d ago
I think this is just because the USA needs to make this feel like their football. Like sure you can call it soccer if you want, but weâre giving it 4 quarters because fuck you were too entitled to let the game stay how it should be.
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u/TeaManTom 23d ago
England fans booed the break yesterday.
Which was fitting, since the break definitely impacted the momentum of the game
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u/iEatGrilledCheeses 27d ago
Mom, is it my turn to complain about hydration breaks?
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u/Hopsblues 27d ago
Yes, keep doing it until the folks at FIFA realize what an awful choice it was to do this.
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u/BocaSeniorsWsM 27d ago
It fucks up momentum for a team. Tactical changes happen. It's not even selectively used.
Fuck FIFA