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I'm just saying
Being small gives me a disadvantage...so what?
I'm just saying
Greatest to ever take the field of play.
He's an earlier pic.
First, there is no doubt in my mind that "futbol" players are some of the best athletes in the world. No question. No objection. Myself, I wouldnt last on that field for 5 mins before puking then passing out. The field is HUGE, the game is fast and the compe ion is fierce.
But, here is my problem with soccer. MY PROBLEM, not America's problem, my problem....too many players on the field. If a midfielder makes a mistake in a pass (very common), there isnt a transition game to speak of unless the two teams playing are of different calibre (basically, any team in the world vs the USA). The midfielder has a turnover and the defenders just back him right up and neutralize the potential threat.
Now, obviously that isnt always the case, I could imagine. But the majority of the play on the field is between the goalie boxes. Im sure there are any number of reasons why that is the way it is, but I dont really care. Admittedly, I would be geeked if the US won a big tournament, but only for a day. Whereas the world, when their country wins, its a party for a week.
Thats my problem with it. I dont speak for my fellow Americans. I think there are too many players on the field and all the "action" is in the midfield when two good teams play one another.
I joke around about futbol in other threads just to get some of you people riled up (easy to do when Americans talk about futbol), but to be honest, I respect the "Beautiful Game" as much as I can. It just doesnt appeal to me for the reasons I stated. I still watch it if theres nothing else on because I hate regular telelvision (if it isnt sports, movies or educational, it isnt being watched). I admit I dont understand all the strategy behind the game, and I am quite sure I would if I watched more often and listened to more broadcasts, but I just dont want to.
Someone mentioned athletes in American sports being "somebody you yourself, could never be". I see some truth in that. Soccer players dont look different than any normal person. They arent especially strong and are not especially big. They arent larger than life. Granted, they are exceptionally fast, coordinated and in peak top physical condition. But it doesnt look like somebody I could never be. Example:
1. Football: I would be killed. Literally. Absolutely murdered. Theyre huge, theyre fast and its an intentionally violent sport. I had no delusions of grandeur even when I played in school that I was NFL material.
2. Baseball: This took me longer to appreciate. I hated baseball until about 2001-2002. The Tigers sucked but I started to appreciate and understand what it took to be in the Bigs. Ever stood in the batter's box and looked at a 90mph fastball? Ever seen a curveball? Try hitting it. Go ahead. Try. Now, do it everyday. Every single day. The season is long and arduous and it progressively gets harder and harder and harder. I have respect for the players and their abilities, no question, but of the major sports (NASCAR is not a sport) baseball players have the potential to be the least athletic (but that doesnt mean to me because everyone of them could outrun me).
3. Basketball: No explanation needed. Immaculate amalgamation of total physical strength and coordination. You can have the best shot in the world, but if you dont have good footwork, youre not going to make it (defense is still played). Does this really need an explanation? I never stood a chance.
4. Hockey: IMO, the greatest athletes play hockey. Lo and behold, every single European player in hockey played ALOT of soccer. And it shows in their absolutely amazing abilities to take passes from behind them, thru the legs, out of the air, so on. Speed, strength, creativity, vision and absolute toughness. I wouldnt last a shift on the ice.
Last edited by DarkReign; 07-26-2007 at 08:43 AM.
Good analysis DR... Your opinion is clearly presented instead of taking the high ground and insulting soccer outright, without any valid reasons.
To me xenophobic reasons are not valid - they never will be. And unfortunately that's what 90% percent of the American sports public spews out with regards to fútbol.
I wasn't saying soccer players are not good athletes (which it probably came across as). What I was saying is, I could be a soccer player if I wanted to be. If I worked hard enough I could be a soccer player. All I would have to do is be somewhat decent at it and I could play in the MLS. I couldn't do that in any other sport in the U.S. I could work my whole life to be a football player, and since I'm only 6' 175 pounds, I probably would only be a kicker. My size puts limitations on basketball. Baseball even has size issues with it. I could be a soccer player though. I played baseball in college, and it was still way above my level to make it to Rookie League, let alone minors. MLS just seems to take anyone out of college who is willing to work for 40k for a couple years till the next batch comes out. The good ones go to Europe, and the cycle of average players continues in MLS. Thats what I'm saying. I could play in the MLS for a couple years assuming I played soccer in college. It's not that hard when you consider how hard it is to get into the other 3 sports in our country. I think Americans are turned off by that.
You people really think you could play professional soccer?
I assume the PGA, NASCAR, ATP and PBA are well within your reach as well.
Too funny.
The PBA is the only pro sport where you could actually beat any one of those guys on any given day. I've bowled a game in the 250s before, and average in the 215 area, so yeah I could probably give them a game.
Of all those, the PBA is indeed the easiest one in which you could beat a professional on any given day. Of course, playing anything for fun or in a beer league is completely different than competing professionally.
thats brian mcbride after our lose against ghana in 2006 world cup please dont bring that up anymore
nuff said. Soccer is a femme sport. Guys don't want any part in it.
We will never be good at soccer because. WE DON'T CARE ABOUT SOCCER!
Dont say "we". You dont speak for anyone but yourself. Nor do I.
Let’s be honest here. All this talk about the world’s greatest athletes and sport and blah blah blah.
Allen Iverson, Chad Johnson, Tatum Bell, Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, Michael Johnson, TJ Ford, Torry Holt, D'Angelo Hall, Reggie Bush, Carl Crawford, Donte Stallworth, Juan Pierre, Michael Phelps (only white guy I could think of), Justin Gatlin, Jeremy Wariner, Reggie Wayne.
Have all these kids grow up soccer players and put them on the same field together and there isn’t a team in the world that could touch them. ‘The World’s’ teams are better because all their kids grow up and wanna be soccer players, so all their athletes play soccer. In America, you have many choices other than soccer or cricket. It just so happens our best athletes grow up and wanna play something else, as most schools don’t even have soccer programs in America. And as a whole, America has the best athletes.
The past 3 Olympics, the US has had the most medals, was 2nd in 1992 and has never been worse than 3rd (except Moscow) and have by far the most medals in history by any country. Even in the winter Olympics, which the US is never really very solid in, we are #2 all time in medals behind Norway, having finished 2nd the past 2 winter games.
Wariner is white too.Allen Iverson, Chad Johnson, Tatum Bell, Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, Michael Johnson, TJ Ford, Torry Holt, D'Angelo Hall, Reggie Bush, Carl Crawford, Donte Stallworth, Juan Pierre, Michael Phelps (only white guy I could think of), Justin Gatlin, Jeremy Wariner, Reggie Wayne.
Those are some of the fastest american atheletes in each of their sports. Although their speed is an advantage in their sports, in professional soccer it would be a minimum physical requirement to play the game. This isn't the NBA where a guy like Yao Ming can be one of the best players while barely being capable of beating my grandmother in a foot race. Everybody in professional soccer is fast so the advantage isn't there.
What would even be more interesting would be some of America's best atheletes like Shaq, Warren Sapp, Dale Earndhart Jr, and Roger Clemens on the same soccer team. They probably couldn't make it up and down the field more than once. They could probably be defeated by a skilled group of 10 year olds.
Question: how does the U.S. measure up to other countries when normalized against GDP? You would expect, all other things being equal, that the wealthiest and most populous nations would produce the most elite athletes, because there are more people to choose from, and they have greater resources to develop their abilities.
So true.
EDITED: Side note, nor could I.
I was about to respond by saying something to this effect, but you beat me to it....
Not to mention that U.S. athletes are also the most likely to abuse steriods... given the fact that they are generally in a better position to afford them.
Don't you remember those East German female swimmers that started growing beards?
Also don't discount the Brazillians or the athletes being produced by African nations...
Didn't Ghana completely out-run, out-hussle and out-last the Americans in the last World Cup? Some of these athletes (like Samuel Eto) aren't complete push overs.... despite the fact that they grew up without the aid of weight rooms, gatorade, or multi-vitamin supplements....
Another 1st world nation on the same boat with the U.S. (economically speaking of course)
Clemens is in better shape than about 75% of baseball.
pathetic
So you are trying to on baseball?
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