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[defel]

Its interesting that people say that many american footballers would likely play in other sports professionally or Olympic sports if it were not for the fact that they play American Football. How much of that is actually true and how much of that is just people playing up the quality of American Footballers? I know in the case of Soccer players what makes them good at soccer is often not their athletic ability but more of a natural talent at that particular sport. No doubt they would be great at a variety of other sports but they wouldn't be able to compete at a competitive level. In the same way, Rafa Nadal is incredibly athletic and I bet as a kid he was great at all sports but his talent lay in tennis and that is what allows him to be so successful at a particular sport.

If the rest of the world invested the time and money into American Football there is no doubt that the US would face serious challenges by other teams and the reverse is true with Soccer. If the US invested more money and time in Soccer there is no doubt it would also give the rest of the world a real challenge. Who knows how many Maradona's, Zidane's and Messi's the US may have produced otherwise.

 

[Kozak]

They're quite old for HIGHSCHOOL kids don't you think?

But not old for college/university.

Not to mention that these guys aren't exactly top players in the US...

 

[Jay Sosa]

But not old for college/university.

Not to mention that these guys aren't exactly top players in the US...

He said:

You could probably run a high school football team out there to represent the USA and they would steam roll their way to a gold

And that's what I rofld at.

No doubt Bama would destroy any competition

 

[WrikaWrek]

America wouldn't dominate no. No country dominates a sport, when those terms are applied.

 

[Glass Rebel]

I wonder about the type of people who play gridiron in those countries. Are they some sort of fringe dwelling non-conformists? Eccentrics? Americaphiles? While their friends are enjoying soccer, rugby, Australian Rules, they are putting their blood sweat and tears into a game that will bring no reward or glory, that no-one gives a shit about.

I knew a center who plays for Zürich (Switzerland). He was such a fatass, there was no other sport for him to play.

 

[Brofist]

see my edit.


And where was that suggested exactly?

Back starting on the first page I saw comments stating that rugby players are better conditioned because of less stoppage in the sport. I didn't see anyone specifically use the term fat ass, but I know that is a common misconception since people see guys like this and associate them with all of football players

If you look at my post I was trying to go out of my way to NOT compare football players to those of other sports, merely saying that they are world class athletes in their own right. I'm not going to go back and quote people, there are clearly many posts that suggest that this isn't the case though.

 

[RELAYER]

Wrong. American football started out with minimal padding and helmets. They gradually increased the protection of the players because of how rough things got.

EDIT: sorry for double post.

Yup, this is why they wear pads.
Back in the day good college boys were getting killed on the field every season.
Teddy Roosevelt told the Universities to make the sport safer or he was going to ban it.

 

[Drek]

The obvious arguments come from America's failures in some Olympics for basketball and the World Baseball Classic. However, nobody else plays football.

The U.S. Olympic basketball team hasn't actually been composed of the best U.S. basketball players for quite a while. Its generally three to five of the top tier players and then a grab bag of good but not elite talent to fill out the roster. They then try to learn a fast flowing team game in months while other league teams spend years working together. Not exactly the same system.

The World Baseball Classic is a consumerist scam in which most of the "World" teams have some American born players with ancestry from that country, and where the U.S. intentionally gimps its team to make the games compelling. Wasn't too long ago that Adam Stern started multiple games for the U.S. WBC team. He totaled all of 45 ABs in his MLB career.


The U.S. has the most disposable income, one of the largest populations, and more than enough land mass to allow for large training facilities in every suburban to urban area, and most rural areas. It is also home to the most advanced medical science currently available, especially sports medicine. If the rest of the world actually cared about American football the massive talent gap would still exist.

Check out the NFL combine some time. Its a plethora of mostly non-track athletes doing track tests like broad jumps, shuttles, and dashes where their numbers would qualify them for the Olympics in almost any country in the world. Broad jumps within inches of the world record, laser timed 40 yard dashes that are comparable to what the world's fastest track athletes do for their first 40 in a race, max bench numbers that hold their own with professional power lifters. Most of these guys are in their early 20s and train for these events for a month or two at most prior to setting these numbers.

The top tier NFL player is the crowning achievement of contemporary sports science's push to make the biggest, fastest, and strongest player imaginable. The popularity of the NFL is actually the biggest drain on the U.S.'s Olympic teams, basketball teams, baseball teams, hockey, etc.. With each passing year more and more of the premium athletic talent is being funneled into the college and pro american football. Everyone else fights for the scraps left behind.

If the NFL didn't exist the U.S. would probably already have a dominant soccer/football league and would be far more imposing at most other Olympic events.

 

[Drek]

Its interesting that people say that many american footballers would likely play in other sports professionally or Olympic sports if it were not for the fact that they play American Football. How much of that is actually true and how much of that is just people playing up the quality of American Footballers? I know in the case of Soccer players what makes them good at soccer is often not their athletic ability but more of a natural talent at that particular sport. No doubt they would be great at a variety of other sports but they wouldn't be able to compete at a competitive level. In the same way, Rafa Nadal is incredibly athletic and I bet as a kid he was great at all sports but his talent lay in tennis and that is what allows him to be so successful at a particular sport.

Many American football players could have played other sports at a high level. Hell, many of them actually play multiple sports for D1A college teams in the U.S. before focusing specifically on football.

That is the fallout of America's love of football. It drains talent out of all the other sports. Baseball asks for unique talents more than just athleticism yet it loses draftable prospects to top colleges every year. It was a big story when Joe Mauer turned down a scholarship to play QB at Florida State and instead signed with the Twins who drafted him first overall. People seriously were wondering if he'd turn down an eight digit MLB contract to play COLLEGE football.

 

[kswiston]

The "US would dominate soccer if they wanted to" statements are sort of funny. They make it seem like no other country is willing to spend money training its top athletes. 300M is a huge population pool, but there are also a lot more viable sports choices for athletes in the United States who want to make big money.

Also, while many Canadians enjoy American Football, it is not nearly as popular here as it is in the US. Our high school football players are not local celebrities, and our college teams get less attendance/viewership than some of the American high school teams. Sports in general have less importance put on them in Canada. Hence no athletic scholarships in university.

 

[elrechazado]

The "US would dominate soccer if they wanted to" statements are sort of funny. They make it seem like no other country is willing to spend money training its top athletes. 300M is a huge population pool, but there are also a lot more viable sports choices for athletes in the United States who want to make big money.

Also, while many Canadians enjoy American Football, it is not nearly as popular here as it is in the US. Our high school football players are not local celebrities, and our college teams get less attendance/viewership than some of the American high school teams. Sports in general have less importance put on them in Canada. Hence no athletic scholarships in university.

Do you disagree that if soccer was in the same position in the US, as the NFL is now, that the US would have a highly competitive, world class soccer league?

 

[sprsk]

So, actually, there's a little known world championship for Football that happens every few years. http://www.americanfootball2011.com/en/

Until America started competing, Japan pretty much dominated it.

The team America sends is literally made up of ex college players that didn't make it into the NFL. Meanwhile Japan uses players from its pro league.

So to answer your question, it would be like watching adults beat up kids in a wrestling match.

Edit: seems someone already brought this up, oh well!

 

[Seguin]

The World Baseball Classic is a consumerist scam in which most of the "World" teams have some American born players with ancestry from that country, and where the U.S. intentionally gimps its team to make the games compelling. Wasn't too long ago that Adam Stern started multiple games for the U.S. WBC team. He totaled all of 45 ABs in his MLB career.

I'm pretty sure Adam Stern is a Canadian, so he wouldn't play for the US

 

[leadbelly]

Actually, I do think a lot of countries have an American Football league, it's just that it is not entirely professional. It simply isn't that popular and doesn't get the funding like other more popular sports would get.

The UK certainly has a league anyway.
http://www.bafa.org.uk/

And yes, if an American Football team lost to a British American Football team, (lol) it would be pretty embarrassing I'm sure.

 

[Sol..]

The World Baseball Classic is a consumerist scam in which most of the "World" teams have some American born players with ancestry from that country, and where the U.S. intentionally gimps its team to make the games compelling. Wasn't too long ago that Adam Stern started multiple games for the U.S. WBC team. He totaled all of 45 ABs in his MLB career.

It's pretty funny. They do it to get baseball out there to more countries but it's starting to backfire tremendously. You can't patronize more people into the game. You have to show them what the game looks like when the best of the best are at it. That's why of all the American-born sports Basketball has the largest presence worldwide. When we do basketball at a world stage we send THE BEST and they get to see the greatest the sport has to offer.

 

[twobear]

I wonder why the USA seems to have a comparatively large number of idiosyncratic sport interests. Lots of the most popular games worldwide--football, cricket, rugby--seem to have little traction in the USA, and lots of the most popular games in the USA--American football, baseball, basketball--likewise have comparatively little traction in the rest of the world. I wonder what the reason for that is.

The former, at least, is the influence of European colonialism.

 

[sohois]

I wonder why the USA seems to have a comparatively large number of idiosyncratic sport interests. Lots of the most popular games worldwide--football, cricket, rugby--seem to have little traction in the USA, and lots of the most popular games in the USA--American football, baseball, basketball--likewise have comparatively little traction in the rest of the world. I wonder what the reason for that is.

The former, at least, is the influence of European colonialism.

Basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world I believe, a better example would be NASCAR. In fact Basketball is the one American Sport which does have traction with the rest of the world.

 

[Always-honest]

there is no other country that practices this american sport in a serious way.
Not as serious as the U.S. anyway... They try, but it's not even close.

 

[ZiZ]

I didn't know that any other countries played it.

 

[RELAYER]

Basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world I believe, a better example would be NASCAR. In fact Basketball is the one American Sport which does have traction with the rest of the world.

Isn't baseball really huge in Japan?

 

[bggrthnjsus]

Basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world I believe, a better example would be NASCAR. In fact Basketball is the one American Sport which does have traction with the rest of the world.

baseball is also pretty damn popular in japan and a lot of the caribbean / latin america, just not anywhere else

 

[elrechazado]

Isn't baseball really huge in Japan?

And in el caribe and countries like mexico and venezuela and korea as well.

 

[Kenshin001]

Basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world I believe, a better example would be NASCAR. In fact Basketball is the one American Sport which does have traction with the rest of the world.

Popular by which metric? I think tennis, golf and baseball would all dwarf basketball. Even cricket if you take the subcontinent into consideration.

 

[elrechazado]

Popular by which metric? I think tennis, golf and baseball would all dwarf basketball. Even cricket if you take the subcontinent into consideration.

Basketball is enormous in China, all of europe, especially eastern and southern europe, russia, the baltic states, hell...everywhere.

 

[Kozak]

Do you disagree that if soccer was in the same position in the US, as the NFL is now, that the US would have a highly competitive, world class soccer league?

This is actually a tougher question than you believe it is. I believe if football was in the same position in the US, as the NFL is now that the US would have a highly competitive, world class football league but not because of the American players but moreso because of the riches it will offer to the best players in the world. Lets take a look at what is arguably the best football league atm, the English Premiere League. The league isn't strong because it contains English footballers.

I guess thats the strange thing with football, a leagues strength is not determined by a nations strength but moreso by the power it has to attract the best footballers. Brazil is one of the best footballing nations in the world but their league isn't one of the best in the world. English Premiere League is the best league in the world, but their national team isn't as strong.

 

[Sol..]

Isn't baseball really huge in Japan?

baseball is so big in Japan that one team (the giants) had/has the 15th largest revenue stream in the world.

 

[elrechazado]

I believe if football was in the same position in the US, as the NFL is now that the US would have a highly competitive, world class football league but not because of the American players but moreso because of the riches it will offer to the best players in the world. Lets take a look at what is arguably the best football league atm, the English Premiere League. The league isn't strong because it contains English footballers.

Wait, so you're implying that there is something inherently physically "un football" about americans? Because the comparison to England is totally not relevant in terms of population, size, diversity, etc.

 

[MrHicks]

this whole college sports thing in the US is pretty weird
i don't think europe has that (atleast belgium not)

school sports in europe = nobody cares
in us = serious bussiness

 

[twobear]

Basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world I believe, a better example would be NASCAR. In fact Basketball is the one American Sport which does have traction with the rest of the world.

Fair point. NASCAR probably is a better example.

 

[Emwitus]

It almost unheard of that a player would start playing soccer(football) in college or highschool and go pro......UNLIKE american football.

 

[Kozak]

Wait, so you're implying that there is something inherently physically "un football" about americans? Because the comparison to England is totally not relevant in terms of population, size, diversity, etc.

And what of Spain? Are they just a magical country who manage to pump out world class footballers as well as a world class football league?

Football in America would still receive a lot of competition from other codes even if it received the resources that gets pumped into the NFL.

 

[Sanjay]

This thread wasn't mean to be inflammatory. I was just wondering if it was a worldwide sport, how that would change the makeup of the sport.

America have always had problems with team-sports in my mind, individually they would be the best but they be to arrogant for team-play if they ever faced competition on their level but that will never happen due to the sport not being a world sport and I don't see it changing.

You're comparing Chess (American Football) to Checkers (Rugby)

American football is more like Battleships then Chess.

 

[Korey]

Next.

The only sports the USA doesn't win at are sports we don't care about. Like soccer, which to most Americans is a kids sport that stops being relevant at the age of 10 or so.

It's also interesting that the rest of the world plays sports with each other while Americans are only concerned with competing with ourselves (professional and college), because we're so out of everyone else's league. Our players don't even want to participate in the olympics because they might get injured for the regular season.

 

[leadbelly]

Next.

The only sports the USA doesn't win at are sports we don't care about. Like soccer, which to most Americans is a kids sport that stops being relevant at the age of 10 or so.

It's also interesting that the rest of the world plays sports with each other while Americans are only concerned with competing with ourselves (professional and college), because we're so out of everyone else's league. Our players don't even want to participate in the olympics because they might get injured for the regular season.

Yeah. Of course population (300 million in US case), quality of training facilities, climate, etc, etc, has absolutely nothing to do with it.

It is just down to America's awesomeness.

 

[JCX]

american football lacks the country VS country awsomeness that other worldwide sports have

the atmosphere during a soccer world cup is simply in a league of its own
national championships sound so underwhelming by comparison

but i guess if nobody else plays your sport you really can't have a american football world cup even it you wanted too

I don't know how much more tribal you can get than college football. The hate in some rivalries (Michigan-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma) is absurdly intense.

 

[Lonely1]

Nate Ebner
World Class Rugby player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P94LZzurYM

Taken in the 6th round of the NFL draft (197th overall).

A guy with marginal talent and decent speed is considered a great Rugby player. If the best American athletes played Rugby instead of football there would be no competition.

How about a superbowl winner who was a Mexican futbol reject?

 

[DBT85]

My sport is better than your sport.

Your sport is also better than my sport.

My dad is coincidentally bigger than your dad.

Next.

Am I reading that wrong or is the USSR the winner on that chart? 66.88 medals per games attended compared to the USAs 55.41.

 

[IceCold]

I don't know how much more tribal you can get than college football. The hate in some rivalries (Michigan-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma) is absurdly intense.

Club rivalries in football/soccer are a lot more intense. Many of them go beyond the sport itself (see Barcelona & Real Madrid).

 

[Lonely1]

My sport is better than your sport.

Your sport is also better than my sport.

My dad is coincidentally bigger than your dad.




Am I reading that wrong or is the USSR the winner on that chart? 66.88 medals per games attended compared to the USAs 55.41.

And didn't China won the last games?

 

[elrechazado]

Club rivalries in football/soccer are a lot more intense. Many of them go beyond the sport itself (see Barcelona & Real Madrid).

So does cf...

 

[Regulus Tera]

What the US needs is better technique training for youth players. US players tend to be physically strong and highly motivated, but their technique is usually poor.

What the US needs is to play in a different confederation. USA and Mexico are severely handicapped because their qualification processes take place against very weak teams, so when it comes time to play at the World Cup the level of play is far greater than what they are used to.

 

[Seventy_X_Seven]

I just could never see this happening. the gap between the Superbowl and when the Summer Olympics take place would be too short for the US to form a team. Not only that, but what system would you use? There are so many different offensive and defensive systems ran by the various teams in America, you can't really just grab the best players and teach them a new system and expect them to be ready in such quick time. Also how many would be willing to participate in it anyways? Not just talking about giving up an offseason and getting no rest, but running further risk of injury and losing your NFL salary and chances for a SuperBowl run.

Should all of that not matter though, I imagine the US would dominate until other football gained traction in other countries.

It's also interesting that the rest of the world plays sports with each other while Americans are only concerned with competing with ourselves (professional and college), because we're so out of everyone else's league. Our players don't even want to participate in the olympics because they might get injured for the regular season.

I don't think its so much that we only compete with ourselves because we think we're out of everyone else league, but more of a combination that we're several time zones apart from most the countries that like to compete against each other and that we have a large population and amount of major cities to use to actually compete against ourselves.

 

[Slayven]

Yes, cause Tebow could only be born in America.

 

[Yopis]

Many American football players could have played other sports at a high level. Hell, many of them actually play multiple sports for D1A college teams in the U.S. before focusing specifically on football.

That is the fallout of America's love of football. It drains talent out of all the other sports. Baseball asks for unique talents more than just athleticism yet it loses draftable prospects to top colleges every year. It was a big story when Joe Mauer turned down a scholarship to play QB at Florida State and instead signed with the Twins who drafted him first overall. People seriously were wondering if he'd turn down an eight digit MLB contract to play COLLEGE football.

Also remember in most cases the NFL is where guys who could not hack it in other sports go. Tons of guys who failed at baseball and basketball are stars or get drafted high in NFL. Honestly I have lost interest in NFL as the amount of commercials is at an all time high. Too many stoppages in play for me. Had been a big fan for most of my life until I was 20.

 

[berg ark]

Didn't know American Football was played on a proffesional level in any other country than the United States of America... maybe Canada aswell...

Why don't you compare a sport that is played world-wide, like football (soccer for the Americans)

 

[Xeke]

Didn't know American Football was played on a proffesional level in any other country than the United States of America... maybe Canada aswell...

Why don't you compare a sport that is played world-wide, like football (soccer for the Americans)

The term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford "-er" abbreviation of the word "association".[6]

Within the English-speaking world, association football is usually called football (colloquially footy) or sometimes soccer in the United Kingdom, and mainly soccer in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Other countries may use either or both terms, and may also have local names for the sport.

It's not just us and we didn't come up with it.

 

[alstein]

this whole college sports thing in the US is pretty weird
i don't think europe has that (atleast belgium not)

school sports in europe = nobody cares
in us = serious bussiness

School sports is the closest thing you get in the US to following a Soccer club in Europe.

You have the alumni, and your bandwagon Wal-Mart fans.

Canada has a pro league, but it's subsidized a bit by the NFL, it's a bit of a feeder league for the American game.

 

[Kinyou]

The only sports the USA doesn't win at are sports we don't care about. Like soccer, which to most Americans is a kids sport that stops being relevant at the age of 10 or so.

 

[sans_pants]

I swear you all think these guys are the strongest people in the world, come on, i'me pretty sure america doesnt have ALL the strong people..

does rugby have any 6'6'', 280lb guys that can run the 40 in 4.4 seconds?

 

[Kozak]

does rugby have any 6'6'', 280lb guys that can run the 40 in 4.4 seconds?

Well does NFL have any cool names like Fuifui Moimoi?