Tie Domi Esquire
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- Oct 18, 2010
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I hope the NHL continues to change the game in order to appeal to people that hate the sport.
Pretty sure it means that a shitload of kids play the sport in the US but it's not taken seriously, more as a means to get the kids out of the house for a few hours to kill some calories before they drive the (non-coach) parents insane. And to an extent, outside of the elite talents once you get to say the U-12 level and up, that's a fair critique.I don’t know what this means tbh.
I don’t disagree with your overall point, but soccer is the 3rd most popular team sport in the USA after baseball and basketball, for both youth and adults — well ahead of American football except for the specific 4-year timeframe when American boys are systematically funneled into high school football programs by the million.
But taking the full developmental system into account, the USA arguably has a much larger actual talent pool in soccer than in football. The difference in global results is due to higher competition in soccer, where there are billions of other competitors worldwide, whereas international competition in football is effectively zero. But if you look at high level outcomes in women’s soccer, where the global talent pool is less competitive, the Americans are a dominant world power because their soccer talent pool really is at a football-like level.
I’d also say that of all sports (other than sumo wrestling and basketball Cs), American football promotes players more on filling a specific physical profile rather than for overall athleticism. Some of them are Julius Peppers types who could succeed at a high level in other sports, but a lot of them are where they are because they have the quickest feet among men 6’2”-6’6”, which is quite different than competing with 90% of the population on overall athleticism and conditioning — which is the case in soccer. Release them to compete in other sports and the success stories will be the exception rather than the rule.
Messi not being able to cut it in the NFL doesn't mean football doesn't provide top competition. I think the exclusion suggests there's even more athletic difficulty in football than in soccer.
Maybe in high school teams get away with trotting out any scrub who is 6'4" or taller to be a lineman or something but at the college level or NFL...not a chance. These guys have unique body types but they're hardly guaranteed a spot just because of their size. The level of physicality and athleticism a college or pro football player has to have is off the charts and they're competing against a wide enough talent pool, yes even exclusive to the States, justifies their placement and representation on these lists. It's the same for the NBA.
know this is pompous but the best athletes in the world live in the United States of America.
How can you make the point that it’s more competitive because it’s more popular without considering the number of teams and leagues? There are probably at least five times more club teams than there are NFL teams. You’d have to look at ratios of teams compared to talent pool to make the point you are trying to make in saying it’s more competitive.
Probably because no one cares about handegg...It was established that the 5 largest populations in the world don’t care that much about soccer/football and you still persist with this “no one cares about American football”. It’s comical.
ESPN and the Americans it represents care. We value the athletic abilities of football, basketball, and baseball players more than what soccer brings to the table. Take it or leave it.Probably because no one cares about handegg...
Eh? In China soccer is number one or two more or less tied with basketball. In India number two, albeit far behind cricket. In Pakistan similar, although also field hockey is probably ahead. In Indonesia clear number one.It was established that the 5 largest populations in the world don’t care that much about soccer/football
70% of players in the MLB are from the USA
95% of players in the NBA are from the USA
28% of players in the NHL are from the USA, that's more representation from: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Germany, and Sweden combined.
These are relatively international sports and America's representation is undeniable. Giannis, Jokic, and Embid winning the last 5 years doesn't eliminate the 70 years of US dominance in that sport. The same for baseball.
Leaving it, thanks.70% of players in the MLB are from the USA
95% of players in the NBA are from the USA
28% of players in the NHL are from the USA, that's more representation from: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Germany, and Sweden combined.
These are relatively international sports and America's representation is undeniable. Giannis, Jokic, and Embid winning the last 5 years doesn't eliminate the 70 years of US dominance in that sport. The same for baseball.
ESPN and the Americans it represents care. We value the athletic abilities of football, basketball, and baseball players more than what soccer brings to the table. Take it or leave it.
The list sucks regardless but it's funny seeing all the non-Americans whining about lack of representation
MVP's aren't the only metric. My point stands, by and large the athletes in the US are among the best in the world. I personally think the athletic requirements in the NFL and NBA are tougher than what you get in soccer. Agree to disagree if you want but if our athletes were focused on soccer we would be the dominant nation in the sport.So what you’re saying is the USA with 350 million people is practically the only place where basketball is taken seriously at a high level for the past 70 years
… and to this day the USA still produces 95% of the basketball talent pool
…. and within one generation of basketball opening up to being a global sport we are now on 6 consecutive years where the MVP has been won by that other 5% of the pool
… and this tells you that the USA automatically produces the best athletes?
Post your corrections then because i checked a few sourcesLeaving it, thanks.
Also some of your numbers above are completely out of whack...
MVP's aren't the only metric.
My point stands, by and large the athletes in the US are among the best in the world.
I personally think the athletic requirements in the NFL and NBA are tougher than what you get in soccer. Agree to disagree if you want but if our athletes were focused on soccer we would be the dominant nation in the sport.
Grow the sport of basketballI said grow the actual sport, not the audience necessarily at that time.
so if there were no American players in the EPL, does that mean soccer isn’t popular in the US?I googled NFL nationality and I'm reading that "in 2017 roughly 3% of active players were born outside of the United States", and there are around 1,700 players in it. Does that paint a picture of a globally popular sport?
Yeah the great athletes of a league that averaged 12 fans a game and couldn’t sell out their stadiums or even turn a profit really laid out the ground workDo you think people just woke up one day and started watching Caitlin Clark?
She broke barriers but players before her put the eyeballs on her to begin with.
You’re talking pro football, I’m talking entire talent pool.
The only age range where more people play football than soccer is the specific 4-year period in high school where you have 100 kids playing football and maybe 40 playing soccer. Outside of that very specific window, soccer’s amateur system is multiples larger than football’s. Inevitably, an exponentially larger system is going to uncover more talent than an exponentially smaller system.
BUT, in the case of soccer, whatever talent is discovered will be held up against a global pool of competition. To date, that has meant mediocre results in the larger scheme of things. Whereas the talent discovered in football will only be held up against other talent in the same pool. So if you find the best soccer goalie in the USA, he will quickly discover what it’s like to be the 50th best goalie in the world; whereas if you find the best RB in the USA, you have just found the best RB in the world by default.
I started at the NBA, mostly because 95% American seemed aburd.MVP's aren't the only metric. My point stands, by and large the athletes in the US are among the best in the world. I personally think the athletic requirements in the NFL and NBA are tougher than what you get in soccer. Agree to disagree if you want but if our athletes were focused on soccer we would be the dominant nation in the sport.
Post your corrections then because i checked a few sources
I’m talking about both.
Every game of the WNBA Finals was sold out last year. Almost 60,000 seats. This is just an ignorant take.Yeah the great athletes of a league that averaged 12 fans a game and couldn’t sell out their stadiums or even turn a profit really laid out the ground work
Growing the game wasn't a criteria!!Grow the sport of basketball
Yet 99% of Americans and Canadians don’t even know who the f they are lol. Rhonda Roussey should have been listed before all those WNBA bozos who didn’t grow shit.
Kobe grew the game. Lebron grew the game. KD grew the game.
Those WNBA players are still unrecognizable to this day
Then see my last paragraph. The best football players in the world are identical to the best players in the NFL are identical to the best players in college are identical to the best players produced by American high schools. Same exact pool of people.
Imagine the NBA with ONLY players who graduated from American high schools. It would be a much lower caliber league. Never mind how bad that would look in soccer.
That’s the difference it makes to have a global talent pool. The NFL looks great because it has no competition.
You mentioned competition. Theres one league and only 32 teams for American football. Whereas, there are several leagues and many more teams for soccer/football players. Yes, soccer/football teams have smaller rosters so factor that in as well.
If you identify all the major soccer/football leagues and determine the scarcity of roster positions isnt as great as the NFL, your comment about it being more competitive falls apart.