If American football didn’t exist

[Hellowhosthat]

I don't think the same athletes who are playing American Football are generally the ones who would dominate soccer. I do think if soccer was more popular among inner city US kids and you had them growing up playing street soccer like they do in Brazil that they'd be a lot better, but it's not as simple as looking at an individual athlete and saying that he'd be an amazing soccer player. A lot of the best soccer players of all time weren't anything incredible athletically.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

That was weak, you obviously have no clue what would happen if little black kids here in America grew up playing soccer and rugby.

And only Jamaica compares to the USA when talking world class sprinting.

Never been an Olympic sprinter who came from soccer and rugby, TONS were football players.

Darren Campbell was in the Nottingham Forest youth team, didn't make it to pro level and he won an Olympic silver medal in the 200m

Also talking of Jamaica you only have to look at Usain Bolt's hilarious attempts to transition into soccer to see that pure athleticism will only get you so far.

 

[codfather]

Oh, "football rejects" (which is a meaningless term that could be ascribed to anyone who played the sport at any level) would utterly dominate soccer if any of them cared to try it. But football is played almost exclusively by Americans and Canadians, and so those who abandon pursuit of a career in other sports aren't bled to soccer because nobody cares about a B-athlete sport like that over here.

Okoye is a strange example. He was a track star. He was too athletic to put any serious effort into pursuing a career in soccer. Of course he ascended to the NFL.

So Okoye just decided he wanted to be a lot less rich, a lot less famous and a lot more brain damaged?

 

[Partlow]

Remember when soccer reject Christian Okoye led the NFL in rushing yards, despite not playing football until age 23?
Do you honestly believe the equivalent could ever happen the other way around?
Like let's say somebody plays football their entire life, but fails to even make a Div III team, they then pick up soccer at 23 years old and end up leading the Champions League in goals. It's utterly absurd.

Pro bowl soccer rejects from recent years:

Danielle Hunter (DE) - Jamaica

Jay Ajayi (RB) - UK

Ezekiel Ansah (DE) - Ghana

Jerome Felton (RB) - Germany

Mike Jenkins (DB) - Germany

Tamba Hali (DE) - Liberia

Osi Umenyiora (DE) - UK

Strange, I looked up all of these players and Ansah is the only one where it’s even mentioned ever playing soccer at any point as a kid, so I’m not really sure how they could be considered “soccer rejects”

All of them moved to the US when they were kids and played football in high school. Did you just find a random list of players who weren’t born in the US and automatically assumed they played it to prove a point haha

 

[Madmick]

So Okoye just decided he wanted to be a lot less rich, a lot less famous and a lot more brain damaged?

Tracks stars don't make that much.

Strange, I looked up all of these players and Ansah is the only one where it’s even mentioned ever playing soccer at any point as a kid, so I’m not really sure how they could be considered “soccer rejects”

All of them moved to the US when they were kids and played football in high school. Did you just find a random list of players who weren’t born in the US and automatically assumed they played it to prove a point haha

That's why you don't waste time taking the bait. Nobody with that kind of talent would fail at soccer. He's trying to create a false narrative. He does it every time Ronaldo's mediocre physical talent is illuminated.

 

[codfather]

Strange, I looked up all of these players and Ansah is the only one where it’s even mentioned ever playing soccer at any point as a kid, so I’m not really sure how they could be considered “soccer rejects”

All of them moved to the US when they were kids and played football in high school. Did you just find a random list of players who weren’t born in the US and automatically assumed they played it to prove a point haha

You obviously didn't look very hard...

Okoye: "Growing up in Nigeria, Christian played soccer until he was 17"

Hunter: "Hunter, who grew up playing cricket and soccer in Jamaica and wasn't aware of American football until 2002"

Ajayi: "Jay Ajayi was a soccer fan long before he was a football player"

Felton: "Finally, when that soccer season was over with, in my sixth grade year, he talked my mom into letting me play, and it just went on from there."

Hali: "There Tamba played both basketball and soccer, but he didn’t discover football until a coach finally persuaded him to try out in high school"

Umenyiora: "How old was I when I started playing soccer? As soon as I came out of my mother’s womb,’’ Umenyiora said."

Ansah: "soccer was my sport growing up"

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Tracks stars don't make that much.

That's why you don't waste time taking the bait. Nobody with that kind of talent would fail at soccer. He's trying to create a false narrative. He does it every time Ronaldo's mediocre physical talent is illuminated.

Soccer isn't really about athleticism as much as other sports. Being fast, strong and having a shitload of stamina could make you a good full back or defensive midfielder but a lot of the best soccer players ever (Messi, Maradona, Zidane, Xavi, Pirlo, Garrincha, Cruyff, Platini, Iniesta, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Batistuta etc etc) weren't especially athletic.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

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

Running Backs would transfer the best.

 

[Elzio Dennick]

Darren Campbell was in the Nottingham Forest youth team, didn't make it to pro level and he won an Olympic silver medal in the 200m

Also talking of Jamaica you only have to look at Usain Bolt's hilarious attempts to transition into soccer to see that pure athleticism will only get you so far.

Darren Campbell was in the Nottingham Forest youth team, didn't make it to pro level and he won an Olympic silver medal in the 200m

Also talking of Jamaica you only have to look at Usain Bolt's hilarious attempts to transition into soccer to see that pure athleticism will only get you so far.

Dude, I was around six when I first started playing football, what if I had no football? Now think!

 

[Elzio Dennick]

Imagine all these speedy black footballers in the USA, all of them were playing street ball as little kids. What if it had been soccer/rugby intead,.....ah....not on the street.

 

[Madmick]

Ajayi: "Jay Ajayi was a soccer fan long before he was a football player"

Being a soccer fan = failed professional endeavor in the sport, LMAO.

This is how insecure soccer fanatics are about their sport. We're carving the bottom out of the barrel.

 

[codfather]

Being a soccer fan = failed professional endeavor in the sport, LMAO.

This is how insecure soccer fanatics are about their sport. We're carving the bottom out of the barrel.

Yes, I'm sure he's never played, he just likes watching on TV. <45>

Your avi...
"Andrei did not begin his martial arts training until he was 18. He was a soccer goalie until age 14 when he gave it up to concentrate on personal fitness."

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Imagine all these speedy black footballers in the USA, all of them were playing street ball as little kids. What if it had been soccer/rugby intead,.....ah....not on the street.

The US would be a lot better no doubt, but the issue is that you're assuming it would be the same guys who are playing other sports that would be the ones making it in soccer and while in a few cases that might be true, overall I don't think that would be the case. The ones who would have been the elite soccer players had they grown up in Brazil probably ended up working normal jobs.

 

[MCS]

If one of the 3 popular sports didn't exist good athletes would go to NBA and MLB programs instead. Soccer would first need to be a popular sport for such a transition of talent. Follow the money.

 

[codfather]

If one of the 3 popular sports didn't exist good athletes would go to NBA and MLB programs instead. Soccer would first need to be a popular sport for such a transition of talent. Follow the money.

...also consider that MLB and NFL have larger roster sizes than UEFA soccer teams.

 

[MCS]

...also consider that MLB and NFL have larger roster sizes than UEFA soccer teams.

We're talking about US popular sports here. If soccer was a major sport in the US given their fan capacity then that list would have Miami, NY and LA soccer teams.

 

[WandySaku2]

The US would be a lot better no doubt, but the issue is that you're assuming it would be the same guys who are playing other sports that would be the ones making it in soccer and while in a few cases that might be true, overall I don't think that would be the case. The ones who would have been the elite soccer players had they grown up in Brazil probably ended up working normal jobs.

This has essentially been my take for a while. People don't think about the amazingly skilled and athletic football players that can't get above 170lbs or basketball players that will never break 6' that get cast to the side as they get to higher levels and end up leaving sports behind.