Saturday, November 26, 2011

Somebody left a pretty amazing comment the other day

Apparently I really irked somebody with my "soccer will never make it in the U.S." blog, because this was posted in the comments section shortly after I wrote it:


Yes there are mountains of data to contradict your misinformed "opinion". Don't worry you are not alone the sports media, mostly for selfish or nostalgia driven reasons repeat the same garbage. What has changed... The league and specific franchises are now profitable. Their is a greater diversity in ownership and an actual and immense widening of the talent pool to sustain a bigger league. Soaring television revenues. More and more outlets bidding on domestic (MLS and lower division) soccer rights. On and on and on... Chose your indice or metric and it's probably met. Btw, most NBA and NFL athletes are ill equipped to be successful in soccer. Don't worry your "theory" is another junk claim the mainstream media purports as fact that isn't supported by evidence, too so you are also not alone in thinking it. Soccer is a blend of long distance and short distance athletecism, where immense stature can be more of a hinderance than a benefit. Take a guy like Steve Nash who was a very good soccer player but nowhere near ever being one of the best players in the world like he was in the NBA (and he's relatively short). MMA athletes share more in common with soccer players than soccer players do with basketball players or NFL players. Though it's not like that sport is exactly stealing all the best players. For soccer to succeed in America, certainly it'd be better if guys like Chris Paul or Darren Sproles were drawn to the game (though they represent only a small cross over with mainstream American athletes), but really it is just getting a system in place to train young players. Our coaches, tactically are crap. They are getting better, but it takes time. Things are miles better than when Beckham landed here (just look at the coverage ESPN now gives to the sport), and light years better than when the MLS started. Before accepting someone else's opinion as your own or repeating the same jokes about the sport do a little research. You'd be surprise, your headline would be vastly different if you took the time to educate yourself. Cue jokes about soccer not being worth your while to do just that...


Wow.  Anytime I can inspire somebody to leave a comment twice as long as the original blog, that makes me proud.  I would like to make two brief points in rebuttal:


1.  I did admit there was statistical evidence that contradicted my opinion.
2.  Check back with me in 20 years.  I bet I'm right. 

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