It goes without saying that more athletes focusing on soccer in the US would lead to better results but the idea that LeBron James or any other “freak of nature” athlete would be a GOAT at soccer is way off.
Maybe not, but I can also see how a lot of kids who end up becoming really good football or baseball players could probably have become really good soccer players instead.
It would not matter much. Elite athleticism is nice, but it is nowhere close to as important in soccer as football or basketball. You need to spend age 4-16 with a ball on your foot more than anything else.
It’s like expecting Lebron James to be able to be an elite baseball hitter because he’s such an absurd athlete… it just doesn’t work that way
Sometimes I wonder if the importance of athleticism is underrated. The USMNT has shifted focus from athleticism to skill quite a bit but any improvement has been small.
If soccer was the sport all kids in this country dreamed of playing professionally the skill increase would most likely follow.
Not true imo. They are dominating cocncacaf/Mexico in ways they’ve never done before, both in style and results. They’re in the Olympics (for the casuals - Olympic men’s soccer is a youth tournament) and they’ll be in copa, we might get some sort of international sample size worth something this year.
Only if the investment in youth development came with it (which, for the record, has happened)
Before, in order to make it into a youth academy, you had to be one of the top 25-30 kids in your year. The only program was in Bradenton Fl for the national team. That misses out on a lot of kids.
Now, there’s dozens of similar academies, and you’re just now starting to see the fruit of that development at the full international level.
Anyways, to be blunt, the athleticism take about America is a classic “you don’t know ball” take when talking about soccer.
My underlying point is if soccer was the main sport in the US with the highest income potential kids would play it at a young age and develop the skills necessary to be a professional.
It’s not that a random NBA player could be the best soccer player in the world with zero training.
Both seem true. More attention on soccer = more people playing soccer = more of a player pool to develop and choose from. But that does no good on its own if there aren’t programs to develop said player pool.
I think basketball brain is more closely related to soccer brain - continuous team sport with passing and spacing being important.
This is the most dystopian, horrifying ad I’ve ever seen. Who thought “sending the consumer into existential depression” would be a good selling tactic? I’ve never seen an ad that actually hurt my soul…until now.
https://x.com/tim_cook/status/1787864325258162239
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Haha it’s refreshingly honest, not even trying to hide the fact that they want to replace all of our hobbies with an addiction to their screens
Not reading this. Give 0 fucks. How does he not have his finances in order after 14 seasons plus his earlier career.
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I’m not an Apple guy but imo Jobs would prefer this version.
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Jesus, tough room. Here is this new tool that can let you do all sorts of things and is ridiculously small! But your metaphor destroyed stuff I like so I’m going to kill myself!
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I don’t care about it too much. I didn’t even know why the video vaguely bothered me. Conceptually the tech industry has long said “hey look here’s all the things this technology is replacing” but that post does crystalize why it vaguely bothered me, the commercial is destroying colorful and beautiful things and replacing it with cold, dimly lit, monochrome thing that seems lifeless.
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