If American football didn’t exist

The Chosen

The Chosen

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Would America have the best soccer/football players? All of America’s best athletes go to sports like American football and baseball
 
The Chosen said:
Would America have the best soccer/football players? All of America’s best athletes go to sports like American football and baseball
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Soocer didn't really gott a foot in america cause they wanted to change the rules in the 30's ( rules that would become the norm later on by the way lol) i don't know maybe
 
The Chosen said:
Would America have the best soccer/football players? All of America’s best athletes go to sports like American football and baseball
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But the athletes that go to american footboll probably woudn't be the ones in soccer... Completely different body types they probably wouldn't work even as goalkeepers. If americans were into soccer than the nfl athletes would be jobless
 
Bangkok ready d1 said:
But the athletes that go to american footboll probably woudn't be the ones in soccer... Completely different body types they probably wouldn't work even as goalkeepers. If americans were into soccer than the nfl athletes would be jobless
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The players that would transition best would be wide receivers and defenders, they have amazing footwork and they have to have a lot of speed to play these spots, they aren’t the overly muscular types that play other positions
 
The Chosen said:
The players that would transition best would be wide receivers and defenders, they have amazing footwork and they have to have a lot of speed to play these spots, they aren’t the overly muscular types that play other positions
Click to expand...
They could if they are smaller guy (i don't know about american football to be fair) but the big dudes would not have a place
 
Aegon Spengler said:
They would all play Rugby and they would kill people
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Multiple rugby players have played in the NFL, within 2 years of ever touching an American football. There is no mythical gap in athleticism between both sports. Of course most who make the switch don't make it, most college football players don't make it. But the fact that some do, despite competing against guys who have 10+ years of field IQ experience, should be clear enough.
 
The men that go into Futbol in the US are D athletes. The best male athletes go into Football, Basketball, and Baseball. If all the skill players in Football went into Futbol instead team USA would be on a completely different level. It's hilarious that people would think otherwise.
 
Very American-centric question (and I don't mean that in a bad way) with very interesting elements based on the development pathways different sports take in different countries.

I'm not American and have never been there, so the things I say could be well off base - please call me our with corrections where appropriate.

From what I understand, the structural relationship between education and sporting organisations is extremely different USA to many other parts of the world. This is extremely important.

The OP question was if American football didn't exist, would America have the best football / soccer players?

I think the answer to that question requires a different initial question: if American Football didn't exist, would the development structures used within American Football still exist?

I feel that this detail is extremely important.

Things like college football, high schoolers lifting weights in strength programs within the educational curriculum....all that shit is WTF to me (and never mind the PEDS...)

Does it make for better athletes? On the average I'm almost sure it does. But at the peak, I'm not so sure.

I went to the same high school (within less than 5 years) as an individual who is considered to be one of the greatest rugby league players of all time. There's absolutely nothing within our school structure to develop those skills or facilitate that pathway - from what I understand, this is completely antithetical to the American establishment. So what does this mean in the end? If things were different Would this person still be one of the goats? I feel like thats where they actual question is
 
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If not for football the USA would totally dominate rugby and soccer on the world stage not even a debate.

Herschel Walker and rugby, whoa!!!!!

Antonio Brown and soccer, whoa!!!!!!
 
I have a hard time believing someone like Rondo wouldn't be a world class goalie
 
Elzio Dennick said:
Imagine this guy in rugby or soccer...


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I see your Devin Hester and raise you one Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon


If he had stuck with futball

It would have looked like this....
XypDyKz.gif
 
Bangkok ready d1 said:
They could if they are smaller guy (i don't know about american football to be fair) but the big dudes would not have a place
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Do they play football because they are big, or are they big because they play football?

I can't think of another sport where a large size is encouraged as much as youth football.

Large kids are recruited into sports, specifically football because there is a false narrative of a "full ride scholarship" for any high school player slightly above average.

We still use terms like "Oh, my what a little linebacker he is" when talking about overweight kids.

In the US, any super fan of the sport can be a youth coach. No training needed. When uneducated coaches have run out of strategy, the default is "go put on 10 lbs" and we will see what we can do.

I would love to see the data of BMI comparing two high schools within the same region. One school with a football program and one school without. But, I am not sure such a study would see the light of day. After all, an entire news channel was driven out if the US shortly after the broadcast a negative piece about a beloved NFL player.
 
Aegon Spengler said:
They would all play Rugby and they would kill people
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Only if the NCAA recognizes Rugby as a scholarship sport. After all, youth sports has stopped being about hard work, team work, being social, and being physically active while making friends. It's now all about "investing" in the false narrative of a "full ride scholarship" for college.

I don't necessarily blame the parents or the high schools for pushing this evolution. Rather, the rapid increase in college tuition.
 
Soccer was considered a girls sports in the USA into the 70s, so they didn’t really focus on it. Even after USA 94 it didn’t pick up as it should have, or the USA would be a world power.
 
Odell Beckham Jr. almost became pro in soccer.
 
I think corners, safties and receivers would do well.

I grew up playing football and found soccer as an adult. A lot of those skills crossover well. If we could encourage undersized highschool players to go into soccer, we'd have a long line of N'golo Kante types. Undersized linebackers and athletic QBs would be great central midfielders. They can pick up the dribbling and other skills easily with their athletic ability. The biggest issue would be changing the overall mindset between the two games. Football with it's rigid, 'do your job' way vs. the more free flowing, improvisation of soccer.
 
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