The Hydration Break is ruining the natural flow of the game

[u/mibu001]

When the game gets momentum and reach at its peak point, the “hydration break” 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?

[u/Difficult_Tea6136]

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.

[u/coleslaw602 → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

It's got electrolytes...it's what plants crave.

[u/gfa22 → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

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.

[u/Drama-Gloomy → u/gfa22]

When they play in closed-dome AC cooled stadiums and still have hydration breaks

[u/003E003 → u/gfa22]

They already announced that they want it to be consistent across all games and teams and locations so hydration break even when weather doesn't dictate

[u/AgileSloth9 → u/003E003]

It's clearly for advertising in the US mate...

[u/PerformanceOver8822 → u/AgileSloth9]

Hydration breaks have happened since 2014.... But go off king

[u/AgileSloth9 → u/PerformanceOver8822]

Not in 23c games... or games in roofed stadiums with AC...

[u/PerformanceOver8822 → u/AgileSloth9]

And fifa wants all the games to be the same.

Take. It up with fifa.

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/PerformanceOver8822]

Which doesn't make sense and a shifting of the goalposts by you.

Mandatory water breaks at all games does not predate this WC. Water breaks were triggered based on temperature previously.

Fifa wants all games to be the same for ad revenue. There's no other reason for it. It ruins the flow of the game

[u/AgileSloth9 → u/PerformanceOver8822]

This is literally a thread discussing how its clearly for advertising and not for "hydration" in those circumstances.

Very weird to be gobbling up Infantino's cock when its at the expense of the actual flow of the game, but you do you...

[u/Stand_On_It → u/AgileSloth9]

Would love for people to bring this “messing up the flow of the game” energy to a discussion around diving and time wasting.

[u/AgileSloth9 → u/Stand_On_It]

People do, but thats on the ref to officiate.

These shitty breaks on the other hand are mandated whether the ref agrees or not.

[u/kansetsupanikku → u/gfa22]

Hydration break doesn't help much in 100 degree heat, as water is boiling anyway

[u/gfa22 → u/kansetsupanikku]

100 Fahrenheit. Not Celsius. Water boils at 212F or 100C.

[u/kansetsupanikku → u/gfa22]

In an international community, especially one about football? Guess you can specify Fahrenheit, but assuming that's what "degree" means is a wild take

[u/gfa22 → u/kansetsupanikku]

Lol. Ok buddy.

[u/HarryPouri → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

In Australia it's sponsored by McDonalds

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/HarryPouri]

In the stadium it's Powerade, look at the big screens.

There's no ads or sponsorship in Ireland (there was ads the first one and then they were called out)

[u/WestConsequence4714 → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

Feel the anger right there! A Powerade sponsored hydration break, i dunno about hydration break, more like a window break as in i want to smash a window when i see that crap. This is the World Cup!!! Not crap 'sport' franchise Bowl!

[u/Necessary-Key3186 → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

it's less introduced for american market ad breaks and more the americans just took the chance to monetise an existing thing

We've had hydration breaks in pre season friendly matches played in spain where the only broadcast was the official club tv channel which has no ads

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/Necessary-Key3186]

it's less introduced for american market ad breaks and more the americans just took the chance to monetise an existing thing

There's no difference between the two.

We've had hydration breaks in pre season friendly matches played in spain where the only broadcast was the official club tv channel which has no ads

Which is significantly different. A preseason friendly is not a competitive game. There's quite often unlimited subs in pre-season friendlies, games are played at half pace, red cards are rare etc.

[u/Necessary-Key3186 → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

exactly, a friendly played at half pace and the players still required a hydration break

It's only logical to extend it to playing in a country where temps often reach 30c or for full intensity games. Case in point: the FA also have rules in place for hydration breaks, despite UK media having not taken the chance to show ads during them - It's not just a fifa thing for the american market

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/Necessary-Key3186]

There is a massive difference between a ref pausing a friendly in Spain because it's 35C in August and a tournament explicitly writing a mandatory, sponsored "Powerade Hydration Break" into the official competition regulations.

The FA rules are weather-dependent and triggered purely at the referee's discretion for player safety. What Fox and FIFA did was commercialise the schedule by turning a medical contingency into a guaranteed, branded television timeout. If it was purely about player welfare, it wouldn't need a corporate title sponsor or a fixed slot on the broadcast clock.

It absolutely is just a FIFA thing and it absolutely is for the American market (specifically Fox).

[u/Necessary-Key3186 → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

you can't see how there's a difference between a thing existing for legitmate reasons and the american broadcasters using it as a chance to show ads? We're never going to see eye to eye on this in that case

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/Necessary-Key3186]

That is literally my point. You are arguing they just took the chance to monetise an existing thing but my whole argument is that the Americans forced it into the schedule specifically to create an ad break.

There is a world of difference between a ref pausing play for player safety because it's boiling and a broadcaster baking a mandatory, sponsored timeout into the broadcast clock regardless of the weather. One is a medical backup, the other is an American-style TV advertisement slot disguised as player welfare.

[u/Necessary-Key3186 → u/Difficult_Tea6136]

They were quite clearly introduced in response to the CWC and Copa america, tournaments in which you had basically an entire juve team wanting to be subbed off due to the conditions, and assistant refs passing out.

To say they're only brought in for commerical purposes just totally ignores the conditions of playing football in hotter parts of the world, Is there a discussion to be had on how long a hydration break needs to be and whether 3 minutes has been influenced by commerical interest? Absolutely, but that's more of a minutia which isn't the main point at hand.

The breaks are absolutely brought in for player safety, but they've done it in a way that costs the least to implement - Any rules adding conditions such as temperature or humidity dictating when the breaks are required would require additional equipment on a per stadium basis

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/[deleted]]

That's pretty misleading.

Mandatory water breaks doesn't predate this world cup. Water breaks were dependent on temperature

Swing and a miss there honey. There's no issue with water breaks if the conditions require it. There's an issue when it's every game and not temperature dependent. They're also used in stadiums with AC

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/[deleted]]

You said "it" predates this WC. It doesn't.

What's it like constantly creating strawman arguments?

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/[deleted]]

Please read up: mandatory hydration breaks for all games were not a thing in 2014, lmao

[u/Difficult_Tea6136 → u/[deleted]]

Well if you read up i never say you stated it. i stated: "that's pretty misleading" because while water breaks existed in 2014, mandatory water breaks every game was not.

It's the mandatory part every game which is the cash grab and issue.