- Mar 10, 2010
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I've had this convo with a very knowledgeable soccer guy (makes a living coaching)
A lot of it comes down to where soccer stands in terms of athletics heirchy. Look at the states for example. Their best male athletes tend to gravitate towards football and basketball. From there, maybe baseball, wrestling, hockey and soccer.
Imagine if the best players in the NFL had grown up with a soccer ball on their foot instead of playing football. The Americans would dominate.
In canada, our best male athletes *generally* end up playing hockey. The ones who buck that trend are usually first or second generation Canadians from countries where soccer attracts the elite athletes (like every country in the world that isn't canada/USA lol)
Rugby in New Zealand is another example. How can they be so elite with such a tiny population.