I don't see anybody bad mouthing football. It's a great sport. I do see a lot of people bad mouthing soccer. It, too, is a great sport. I played football. I have a son who plays football and a son who plays soccer. My son who plays soccer did not do it because he was afraid to play football. He plays soccer because he loves the sport. There is nothing lacking in what he has learned from this team sport.

 

You like football better. That is fine. But just because someone prefers a different sport than you does not make them inferior to you. You say you have nothing against the people who play soccer, that there are "some fine" people who do, but you also make the statement that they play soccer because they "are too scared" to play football.

 

Which is it? Do you respect people who play a sport other than football or do you look down on them as too weak for football?

 

I was meaning badmouthing football as a general statement not necessarily in this thread.

 

It's not just me saying it...there is no question football is the better sport, proof is in the popularity.

 

The life lessons and discipline kids learn from soccer IS IN NO WAY COMPARIBLE OF WHAT IS LEARNED IN FOOTBALL. To believe that it is is ridiculous.

Jim Brown was an All-American in Lacrosse at Syracuse University as well as being an All-American in football. He's also in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame to go alonside his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

Did not have quite the same success on the big screen.

Did not have quite the same success on the big screen.

 

What are you talking about? The guy was a prolific scorer on the big screen, and bagged the hottest babe of the time in Raquel Welch.

@Yellow Card

 

No, but then he would have had to have been the next Cary Grant or Clark Gable to equal his prowess in athletics.

What are you talking about? The guy was a prolific scorer on the big screen, and bagged the hottest babe of the time in Raquel Welch.

 

Hands down.... my favorite post of the day!!!

I have daughters so I don't have first hand experience with football sons. But I see more and more kids at my kids schools with soccer gear on (USA Team, Club Teams, European Leagues). Louisville just got a AAA soccer team here and attendance got to be where it was more than the baseball team on most nights. I see those bumper stickers all the time. It won't pass football in my lifetime, but it's numbers will only continue to grow IMO.

 

It is not surprising. Cheap to play, can start at a young age, and incredibly popular worldwide. It was just a matter of time until it hit here. I lived in Germany 3 years and went to some games there.......completely different atmosphere than ANYTHING I have experienced. Crowd is insane and unbelievably loyal to their teams. Ticket prices were reasonable even in the most amazing stadiums so you got the "real" fans. Soccer turns into that here and I will attend. As of now though, BORING in America.

I played soccer and not football growing up. I know what soccer brings to the table and I've seen what football (done the right way) can do for the confidence of kids who play it and there is ZERO comparison.

 

I believe the vast majority of soccer players play it because they couldn't man up enough to play football or their parents fell for the "it's safe" argument early on. I put myself in the category of "too scared to play football". We get more people at our youth football games than at the high school soccer games.

 

First of all, I have nothing against people who play soccer...their are some fine kids that play the sport.

 

I did not have a bad experience playing soccer, I was pretty good and won a rec/travel state title. I am just frustrated with all the people who bad mouth football when I can assure you kids get much more out of football than they do soccer (or any other sport). If you haven't seen firsthand what an unbelievable experience that young men get when playing football then it's hard for you to understand. I can assure you that it is far different than what any other sport can bring to the table.

 

I was telling you the attendance in HS soccer/a Youth Football because I wanted you to get the picture that the biggest and most important sport is still football and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

 

I was meaning badmouthing football as a general statement not necessarily in this thread.

 

It's not just me saying it...there is no question football is the better sport, proof is in the popularity.

 

The life lessons and discipline kids learn from soccer IS IN NO WAY COMPARIBLE OF WHAT IS LEARNED IN FOOTBALL. To believe that it is is ridiculous.

First of all--this soccer bashing thread was started in the football forum, so there's that.

My Momma always said, "Those that feel the need to go out of their way to criticize and cut something down is because of their own deep seated insecurity and fear."

 

Word.

First of all--this soccer bashing thread was started in the football forum, so there's that.

My Momma always said, "Those that feel the need to go out of their way to criticize and cut something down is because of their own deep seated insecurity and fear."

 

Word.

 

If the best US athletes played soccer we'd win every tourney ever played in the history of the world.

 

Do you know why they don't play soccer?!?! Because it's boring and they are man enough to play a REAL sport.

 

Word.

 

Lol

Im of the opinion that most times you don't lose "football players" to soccer. Totally different mind set, if you think soccer is a better alternative than football, odds are you wouldn't help the football team much. Probably athletic enough, but different mentality is needed for both sports. Not calling one more manly than the other, but from what I've been around kids may like the idea of both sports, but not the true participation of others.

 

Promoting soccer as a safe alternative to football is ridiculous. It is a sport with contact without a helmet or pads.

 

To me one of the biggest reasons for the increase is the amount of input parents get in soccer. If you're starting at 4-5 years old, chances are 3-4 parents are coaching. It many areas it may stay that way through middle school, or in some schools high school. Football and basketball are much more likely to have an established coach in place, though obviously parents still coach from time to time.

 

While soccer is not something I will ever be interested in, it's a good option in schools for kids. Kids desperately need options for participation in schools. Soccer getting popular will likely impact the numbers of kids playing football, but not the quality. Lots of schools have good football and soccer programs, so the impact on both must be minimal. I would argue that the quality of baseball and basketball will probably suffer more in the long run.

The lacrosse coach at our high school is in the lacrosse hall of fame. He got lots of football players to play lacrosse (different seasons). Said he liked to get linebackers and defensive backs and put sticks in their hands.

 

https://apps.uslacrosse.org/museum/halloffame/view_profile.php?prof_id=159

 

 

I'm all good with "sharing" players mcpapa, but there are unfortunately some coaches out there telling their players to not play other sports and to concentrate solely on theirs. The multi-sport athlete barely existed @ the 6A sized school that I was at.

A lot of good points in the thread. The United States has a long way to go to catch up the rest of the world in soccer. Yes, sometimes boring to watch. As far as athletism, it is much easier to catch a football and or simply take a football and run to avoid a tackle( and those are "skill positions")vs the skill and foot eye coordination to play soccer. Athletes can start football late simply because they are fast and or big. Typically not the case in soccer. The best athletes playing HS soccer could make a much easier transition to football ... The best athletes playing football would have a much tougher transition.

A lot of good points in the thread. The United States has a long way to go to catch up the rest of the world in soccer. Yes, sometimes boring to watch. As far as athletism, it is much easier to catch a football and or simply take a football and run to avoid a tackle( and those are "skill positions")vs the skill and foot eye coordination to play soccer. Athletes can start football late simply because they are fast and or big. Typically not the case in soccer. The best athletes playing HS soccer could make a much easier transition to football ... The best athletes playing football would have a much tougher transition.

Nice perspective.

I've never understood this false competition and why the anti-soccer crowd feels so threatened by the sport.

 

No one is threatened I just never got Soccer. I find it boring .I've tried multiple times to get "it". I'll watch Team USA but give me an NBA preseason game or a Div3 football game to watch any day.

 

I get the need to be trendy in today's social media world but soccer ....blah.

I'm not worried about the "it's boring" crowd. It's fine. Not everyone has to like the things I like.

 

I also enjoyed "Mad Men" on TV, the music of Tomas Luis de Victoria, and books by Stephen King. Not everyone does. That's fine.

 

But the anti-soccer crowd can be hilarious sometimes. They will NEVER pass up an opportunity to tell you just how horrible that 'dumb commie kickball' is.

 

That's a perfect name for this recreation.

If I'm allowed to guard him, why would I care where he stands. Should we have offsides in basketball too...a sport that IMO soccer is closer to. Continuous movement in soccer vs. multiple stoppages in play for football. Also, the ball changes hands frequently in soccer without stoppages.

 

For me, having a goalie and not allowing a player to break away is like having an extra defender in basketball that stay in the paint all the time. In soccer, you already have someone protecting the goal and if you don't want someone alone down by the goal, it's your job to protect it and guard that person! Just like every other sport. Maybe if you were allowed to spread the field more, there would be more scoring and interest.

 

Ding ding