Reply to Yahoo story: Why the world's game is a white game in the U.S.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The best athletes in this country most certainly do not play soccer. Go to most any high school and ask who are the best athletes and see how many of them play soccer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's not just about speed and strength in soccer. There are tactics and game IQ. yada, yada. The same could be said about any other sport. But with enough of a player pool, they all have good game IQ and speed and strength. Basketball and football just have a larger player pool. Not at the younger ages but in high school and older.

At the highest levels, national teams and professional ranks, where all have the dedication and time to learn the tactics and skills, the differences of just a few freakishly superior athletes can make a difference. In Europe the very best freakishly good athletes are playing soccer at the professional level. Consider the top athletes in the US. People like Lebron James or Saquon Barkley or Lamar Jackson. These are athletes with 1 in  10 million physical traits. Not saying they would automatically be good at soccer, but imagine if kids with these physical gifts were playing soccer in greater numbers from a young age.[/quote]

Assuming that you're not being intentionally obtuse, this is worth a listen:
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_are_athletes_really_getting_faster_better_stronger?language=en

Your argument is badly flawed. Lebron James is good at basketball not only because of his athleticism, but also because of his physical characteristics--which I doubt would translate well to soccer. Why not go with, "If only Michael Phelps had played soccer?" Simone Biles? Justin Gatlin?

Our player pool is big enough--much bigger than Belgium's or Croatia's. So what, then, really is the problem? Some thoughts...

1) Maybe there really is no problem--we go to the World Cup most of the time and we've been to the round of 16 several times. Maybe it's just not as easy to win an actual world championship in a sport that lots of other countries do as it is to win a "World Championship" in a sport that we've created (like basketball and baseball).

2) Our structures are not effective at finding and creating world-class players. I could go on for a while about the differences between US youth soccer structure and Europe, but the bottom line is that the discrimination that exists in US youth soccer isn't just about ability to pay--it's more about ability level. In the US, a U9 who is big, fast, and aggressive will be identified as a top-tier player and have much greater access to quality coaching and facilities. In Europe, they also like big, fast, and aggressive U9s. But the kids who aren't there yet WILL STILL have professional coaches, high-level training, sports psychologists, camps, uniforms, and access to progress in the form of pro-rel league structures. Simply not the case in the US.

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[b]Why are you using LeBron James as your example?[/b]  Instead, you should have used Tyreek Hill or other extremely fast/athletic NFL players. Remember that NFL players also wear padding and other gears that can slow them down due to its weight and bulk.

You using an NBA player as your example made me think you don’t understand sports and completely ruined the rest of your argument.

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I used Lebron James because the PP used Lebron James. Or were you addressing your comment to the PP?

The TED talk that I linked to makes (and supports) the argument that athletes self-select into sports and are best suited for their body types. You think that there aren't 6'3" sprinters anywhere but the US?

The real-world counterpoint to your Tyreek Hill example is Usain Bolt, who had a background in soccer, was literally the fastest man on the planet--with all that entails, such as reflexes, balance, etc--and he could not make it as a pro soccer player.

Like up the best 10 players in the world right now. Will there be a common body type? Best 5 of all time include a Black brazilian, two short Argentinians (who even between them don't have the same body type), a tall Portuguese, and...well, actually, who would that be? Now look at WR in american football. A few exceptions, but mostly the same body types. Linemen. Tight ends. Safeties. Pretty much all with similar body types. Basketball players: not much diversity in body types.

[b]The point remains: the US has enough of a player pool.  [/b]
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Yes. Yes. Yes.  How do we get through to everyone.  We have a big enough player pool.  The problem with US soccer is NOT that we don't have enough elite athletes playing it.  It is not that it's not the #1 or #2 most popular sport in america.  We CURRENTLY have plenty of elite athletes playing it.  We need to get past that.  They are not the problems.  Is the problem coaching? Identification? Not playing enough? One reason I feel strongly about is the pure competitiveness of training.  My kids have played on various teams and clubs and practices are good but they rarely go 100%...I mean go 100% with full intensity.  That's how you get better. Not jogging through drills.  When I was younger and played football, we wanted to kill each other even though we were best friends off the field. Maybe kids don't feel it because why should they kill each other when the best they could do is a $80K/year MLS gig. Kids from other countries see soccer as a way out of their current socio-economic statuses...I mean not all of course.[/quote]

This is back to my earlier point on urban and rural kids.  Not enough of them play.  Its mostly suburban and they just aren't hungry enough because they already have a comfy life.  It is cultural and economic.  Yes, yes - we also don't have the coaches the top, top, top soccer countries have, but not many do (only France, Spain, Germany, Brazil, and Italy have won the world cup since 1990).  We need 4 Pulisics, 4 Weahs, a couple Renyas, a Friedl or Keller and one super, super star to get to the semis or to win. Those guys only come from very poor upbringing.[/quote]

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