Soccer is a hell of a sport, it's the most popular sport for a reason, it's one of the best work outs you can have, a soccer game is equivalent to running a marathon. It's such a mental work out, fatigue is a constant factor which affects you mentally. There aren't the frequent stops that you find in other sports. Your constantly moving getting in position, to either, attack or defend, it involves CONSTANT communication if you want to be successful. It's a game of chess and involves strategic game plan just like most other games, but your doing it with your body operating near exhaustion.
When your born, the first thing your learn to do, is use your hands, its a natural thing, every sport involves using your hands. Soccer is the only sport that involves controlling the game with your feet. If your trying to tell me its harder to catch a ball with a 300+ lb guy coming straight at you, then your crazy. Either way your going to get hit, so you either catch it and take a lick, or you drop and take a lick. There are a lot of hands being used during soccer games, you just don't see it. players are always jostling for the ball trying to fight for the best angle, they used their hands to hold off defenders or to feel where a defender is at when they are out of sight. It's legal to use YOUR SHOULDER (NFL) and make shoulder to shoulder contact with any players fighting for position, even if you knock them on their ass.
I understand the game can be boring and sometimes the refs are inconsistent. Reminds me of the NFL, NBA and MLB.
To be able to drive a ball (fastball) or bend a ball (slider) 40 - 50 yards and put it on someone's chest/foot is a talent, your not born with the ability to be able to bend a ball and control a ball being hit at you out of mid-air.
I understand everyone has their own opinion and most of your parents probably brought you up watching football and their parents watched football, but if you go anywhere outside the u.s albeit CANADA, soccer is more than likely their most popular sport.