If America's best athletes played futbol, do you think the USA would be a national powerhouse?

Just wondering what you guys think because I was in an argument with one of my friends and he didn't agree with me. The reflexes of baseball players at goalie, the strength of american football players at the back with the speed and what not.

2 of Americas 3 best athletes do play football....

Messi and Nerman :cofffee:

Probably. There's quite a bit of talent here, but the coaching is not always the best and many players aren't dedicated.

they've got arguably the best talent pool in the world (biggest and most diverse) so yes, if they actually focused on football they could easily be one of the best... look at what holland can produce from like 8 mil people

Giggity5313 wrote:Probably. There's quite a bit of talent here, but the coaching is not always the best and many players aren't dedicated.

If futbol was America's primary sport then there would be much better coaching and I'm sure that players would be motivated to be the best in America like how Matt Kemp from baseball or Peyton Manning want to be the best.

Yeah probably, if they focused on it from the start.

But some players of other sports, who have been playing that sport for years with hardly any real football devolpment think they can play...and those guys are retarded lol

Then again, Usian Bolt thinks he can play too..so yeah, not just USA.

You could say the same for India or China....

having a big talent pool and utilizing is a big thing

I absolutely disagree. Not because I have something against USA, but because there is a reason why USA is not a powerhouse at football. It's their mentality I would dare to say.

Look at how different nations play their football differently. Their mentality rules what their playing style will be. You can see how different football German football is from south American. And how different Italian football is from English, Spanish from Croatian, Holland's etc. This is, imo, caused by nation's mentality. I would never imagine Americans to become a powerhouse because their mentality goes along with big, strong, fast - more is better, while in football there is a lot of mental pressure when you need to overcome the urge to go all out and pull the brakes, change the lane and so on. On the other hand there are sports where your nation excells because of your mentality. Sports where you need to have "big, fast and strong" like basketball, NFL, Hockey etc. Don't get me wrong I'm simply trying to explain myself.

I think USA has lots of mentalities mixed because of all the immigrants from different cultures but still - they assimilate (or sometimes they dont ). What I'm trying to say is you can't have a team full of real Americans and be a real powerhouse in football. Again, don't get me wrong, I've met lots and lots of real Americans and they are awesome, but that mentality just wont do in football, it will however do in those other sports.

It's not about if "americas best athletes..." but rather if football was as dominating in the US as in Europe and South America. Yes, then USA would probably be up there somewhere among Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, England and Holland. And depending on the generation serious contenders for silverware.

I don't think they would for a couple reasons.

>Their domestic leagues would be heavily determined by media and financial success , which would result in a Premeir League esque environment with no real tactics or philosophy behind it.

>Their "best athletes" are almost exclusively physical freaks. Physical freak is not really on the CV for a footballer.

I think they would be a national powerhouse...but in the same Manner that England is a national powerhouse. They would be constantly in search of a identity.

It doesn't work that way.

Most basketball players are too tall to become footballers.

Most American Football players are too big to become footballers.

The physic needs of different sports are different. The actual problem is that due to Football not being very popular in the US, people who are more suited for Football end up going to other sports. There's not enough support and encouragement for someone to become a professional player.

The USA arent a powerhouse because football is not popular enough, and is not very viable as a professional career (atleast compared to other sports). Not because all the talent is in other sports. Talents used for Football are different.

But I get your point. There are some people who are just so talented that they excell at any sport. And yeah, some of those sports top players could become atleast decent players in Football.

I just had a vision of LeBron as a target man. Rape.

Aensensen wrote:I absolutely disagree. Not because I have something against USA, but because there is a reason why USA is not a powerhouse at football. It's their mentality I would dare to say.

Look at how different nations play their football differently. Their mentality rules what their playing style will be. You can see how different football German football is from south American. And how different Italian football is from English, Spanish from Croatian, Holland's etc. This is, imo, caused by nation's mentality. I would never imagine Americans to become a powerhouse because their mentality goes along with big, strong, fast - more is better, while in football there is a lot of mental pressure when you need to overcome the urge to go all out and pull the brakes, change the lane and so on. On the other hand there are sports where your nation excells because of your mentality. Sports where you need to have "big, fast and strong" like basketball, NFL, Hockey etc. Don't get me wrong I'm simply trying to explain myself.

I think USA has lots of mentalities mixed because of all the immigrants from different cultures but still - they assimilate (or sometimes they dont ). What I'm trying to say is you can't have a team full of real Americans and be a real powerhouse in football. Again, don't get me wrong, I've met lots and lots of real Americans and they are awesome, but that mentality just wont do in football, it will however do in those other sports.

That's not true at all, American sports are sports of contact and intensity in short sequences usually, while football is a game of endurance. The logic behind is completely different.

The "bigger, stronger, faster" bit is a myth imo, surely you will find physically impressive athletes in US sports, but i only need to look at the way Quaterbacks in football are prepare to know that their understanding of the mental aspec of the game is supreme.

I can say the same thing about Baseball or Basketball, and there is a wonderful emphasis on the intellectual aspects of the game. So i have no doubt that they would figure out the ins and outs of football and adapt.

But at core, if they do focus only on football, they will be as good as elite european football. Athletes wll simply develop differently, and the urge to get as big as an apple wouldnt be the same.

justdoit_ wrote:I just had a vision of LeBron as a target man. Rape.

Lebron would not settle for being a target man, he would try to be the CM and string passes around like Xavi.....(and fail miserably).

Howard as a target man.....

Steve Nash would tear it up. Too bad he's Canadian.

Le Samourai wrote:

justdoit_ wrote:I just had a vision of LeBron as a target man. Rape.

Lebron would not settle for being a target man, he would try to be the CM and string passes around like Xavi.....(and fail miserably).

Howard as a target man.....

Lebron is one of the best passers in the NBA... I don't think he would fail miserably..

I imagine the other guy winning in football. It's the neck

EDIT: and the jaw

Aensensen wrote:

a real American



not a real American

I imagine the other guy winning in football. It's the neck

This post makes no sense at all.

Aensensen wrote:I absolutely disagree. Not because I have something against USA, but because there is a reason why USA is not a powerhouse at football. It's their mentality I would dare to say.

Look at how different nations play their football differently. Their mentality rules what their playing style will be. You can see how different football German football is from south American. And how different Italian football is from English, Spanish from Croatian, Holland's etc. This is, imo, caused by nation's mentality. I would never imagine Americans to become a powerhouse because their mentality goes along with big, strong, fast - more is better, while in football there is a lot of mental pressure when you need to overcome the urge to go all out and pull the brakes, change the lane and so on. On the other hand there are sports where your nation excells because of your mentality. Sports where you need to have "big, fast and strong" like basketball, NFL, Hockey etc. Don't get me wrong I'm simply trying to explain myself.

I think USA has lots of mentalities mixed because of all the immigrants from different cultures but still - they assimilate (or sometimes they dont ). What I'm trying to say is you can't have a team full of real Americans and be a real powerhouse in football. Again, don't get me wrong, I've met lots and lots of real Americans and they are awesome, but that mentality just wont do in football, it will however do in those other sports.

All this post tells me is that you fundamentally misunderstand Basketball, Football and Hockey on a tactical level. Pros /=/ little league, and being the strongest/fastest all the time would fail miserably in any of those leagues.

That being said, I was talking about this with a friend the other night. Imagine this, if they had trained in soccer since they were 4 or whatever:

Brian Urlacher
Adrian Peterson-------Ray Lewis----Clay Matthews----Arian Foster
Andrew McCutchen----Kobe----Wade-----Jacoby Ellsbury
Lebron---Calvin Johnson

Would be dominant in the air, with fantastic pace on the wings and up front, and a couple of marshalls in the middle to control the pace when necessary and keep the team focused.

Flick wrote:

Le Samourai wrote:

justdoit_ wrote:I just had a vision of LeBron as a target man. Rape.

Lebron would not settle for being a target man, he would try to be the CM and string passes around like Xavi.....(and fail miserably).

Howard as a target man.....

Lebron is one of the best passers in the NBA... I don't think he would fail miserably..

Lebron is 2 meters tall. His ball controll would be horrendous. How many 2m footballers have you seen play? Not many I wager.

Tall people have a hard time making it into pro football. Being tall = high centre of gravity -> low ball control.

Stevie's team right there would fit well in the Donkee League.

I have to seriously question the mental state of anyone who says no.

Just based on statistics, demographics, and probability, the answer is an impossibly obvious yes.

Surag wrote:Stevie's team right there would fit well in the Donkee League.

I'll take it