Arrogant US soccer fans--another soccer post
 

http://www.cougarboard.com/nologin/m...tml?id=2833573

This reminds me another thing about soccer.

Soccer fans are dominated by nerdy, soccer geeks who were too unathletic to play any other sport so they made it in soccer, where in most states you could play high school varsity soccer if you had a pulse.

My kids play competitive soccer. It is dominated by the same kids. Girls competitive soccer in Utah not so much--the best girl athletes play soccer along with softball or volleyball basketball whatever. The boys--only the nerdy soccer kids who specialize in soccer are on the competitive teams past about age 10.

This group forms the foundation of US soccer fans. They are arrogant. They are not sports fans. They are soccer fans. They have some wierdo thing with copying all British terminology--pitch, side, pace, skill, etc.

For soccer to become popular in US, we have to take it back from the soccer nerds. We have to Americanize it. It's OK to say a soccer team is fast out there on the field. Not the side has pace on the pitch. Yuck! It's OK for Americans to develop their own uniqueness in the soccer world (even improve on it??!!) and not mimic Europe on everything.

For soccer to become popular, football and basketball and baseball guys have got to like it. Kids have got to play through high school in soccer that are double sport or triple sport kids with football or basketball. You have to have the jocks and the cool kids buy into it.

Popularity will never truly increase until it becomes like baseball, where fathers and sons use it to bond together.

You never hear about "Soccer Dads", do you? An increase in soccer popularity is at least two generations away, at which time it is probably rendered moot by most apocalyptic calculations.

I disagree. I played football at a Utah HS within the last 10 years, and the stars on the soccer team, all kids who were talented soccer guys, they all also played Football. Most of them weren't on the basketball team as well, but they were good basketball players. Good athletes. Most of them played football too, and not as kickers. Skill position guys, CBs, WRs and RBs.

We're too diverse.

In many cultures, one or two sports dominate culture.

In our culture, we have so many that it impossible for all to capture the imagination. And I disagree with you. Swimming is where nerdy, middle class kids with little or no athletic talent hide.

Soccer depends on origin. Many talented immigrants play soccer.

Whether we borrow terminology is irrelevant, but finding the talent to participate is the key. Plus it's dang expensive to support.

I don't care if soccer ever becomes popular.

Neither does most of America.

There is no reason for this. Of baseball, football, basketball, and soccer, it should be the cheapest. In Utah competitive soccer, there are many levels of administration with lots of hand in the pot. Youth soccer coaches are more likely to get paid than any of the other sports. The demand can handle this because it mostly consists of upper class to rich folk whose kids can't make it in the other sports.

No. That's where golf and tennis come in.

swimming is in the same category. only kids of yuppies do swimming.

Well I spend far too much for supporting youth soccer and volleyball.

I would state the sports with the least talent are swimming (I was a swimmer I should know), tennis and golf.

Ouch.