Let’s say the adult population is 250 million. 25% of 250 million is 62.5 million people. That is almost as many people that live in France. And way more people than Norway, Netherlands and Portugal combined. Yet these three countries have a world class national team and produce top players.
It’s not that not enough Americans care it is the sports college system for this sport doesn’t work to create elite players. I bet California has enough people interested in the sport to replicate the European promotion and relegation system for a comprehensive multi level amateur league system to produce top players. Like if a tiny nation as Portugal can do it a rich state as California with more inhabitants can probably do it too. 25% of California inhabitants is almost 10 million that is the same as inhabitants in Portugal. And California has a GDP per capita that is more than twice that of Portugal
Not all adults are sports fans though, so those numbers are still inflated. Proportions may still work though. While I have no issues with sports, understand people following them and enjoy playing them, I don’t follow any sports myself. There are people like me and people who do the tired scoffing “sportsball” joke all around in the us (not like our interests are any less affordable).
I wonder if there’s any country above 84%. Some small countries like Bosnia seem even more obsessed than Brazil, but they have such a small population that they don’t have the reputation of Brazil.
The problem with the current Brazil team is that they all play like jugglers. Like yeah man it’s super cool that you can pull nifty tricks while you’re juggling with your friends at the beach, but that’s not the game you’re in now so lock in
Not being able to play as a team has always been a weakness for Brazil. The country also expects them to attack and play other teams off the park. It’s a team that always has superstars, and those superstars want to have their moments, and a coach that doesn’t allow that doesn’t last long. Meanwhile teams like Japan put the team first and aren’t too proud to focus on defending.
But, the bigger issue this time is that Brazil is a really aging squad lacking decent players in some key positions. Their main GK plays for Liverpool. Their CBs play for Arsenal and PSG. Their central midfielders play for or just left big European clubs. But, their fullbacks were major weaknesses. One is about to turn 35 and left Juventus a year and a half ago after barely playing in his final year, and he’s mostly a CB not a fullback. The other is a 32 year old who has been playing in Russia for the last 7 years. Brazil used to have world class fullbacks. Marcelo, Dani Alves, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, etc.
Age was also an issue. Despite having 2 teenagers in the squad, the third youngest player was 25, and they had almost as many over-30 players as they do under-30s. They were the 6th oldest team at the World Cup, and 3 of those 6 didn’t make it out of the group stage. Only 2 of the 6 were reasonable contenders, Brazil and Colombia, the other one that made it out of the group was the surprise story of the tournament Cabo Verde.
So, I don’t think it was really that Brazil played too many tricks. They always do that, and they frequently win. The problem this time was that their aging squad lacked good fullbacks which put them under pressure when opponents could get down the wings.
Nah football is football. You play it with your foot and a ball, however you see fit and within the rules. Shenanigans are Brazil’s trademark, they have always been. Stop trying to europeanise football.
It actually is one of the primary sports for women in the US. And their womens team is one of the best, having won the world cup 4 times, 91, 99, 15 and 19
And for 1 in 4 sportsfans to follow football in the US isnt THAT bad. More than i expected.
Interesteling info. I just got vibes of “we didn’t lose, we weren’t really trying”. Mix that with an american suggesting the rest of the world isn’t culturally aware is the perfect ragebait lol
What amuses me is the soccer fans here who think we’re going to get better. I first encountered this in '94 when we (the US) hosted the world cup and got spanked by a Brazil team playing with 10 players. It’s like Indians saying they’re going to be good at basketball soon (they aren’t, because they love cricket).
isnt Middle east practically the Private equity of sports right now, the oil generating countries are just buying up sports team and sportwashing them.
So, because they love cricket, they can’t love basketball? Spain, which has 2 orders of magnitude less the population, is a powerhouse both in football and basketball.
I think the US is going to get better, but I don’t think they’ll be challenging any of the global powerhouses. Soccer / futbol is getting more and more popular over time. And, typically, when a country hosts the world cup, 10-15 years later there’s a new group of players who were inspired by the tournament and who have spent the time since then focusing on it.
American athletes generally are multi-sport players when younger, and tend to follow the best money. The players who have the best chance at being star soccer players simply end up playing football or basketball. The sport being less popular than at least 4 other sports in America is a huge problem for developing homegrown talent for the national team.
soccer/football seems to be the only sport that our state uni in my area has as a legit sports team, and msot of them want to be part of AN EU team after graduation anyway, they likely know the US one isnt very lucrative or very good at getting them to level of the EU, BRAZIL,etc. they only go for other sports if a specific university has the teams for those sports like FOOTBALL , or basketball.
I mostly mean before college. There is definitely a path for american soccer players, but its not in America like you say. World class players still “retire” and then go play in America, which says a lot.
america only care about the americans only sports, football and basketball, and baseball. ive only ever seen heavily played in a university where students want to be professional in the eu.
Corruption aside, I’m not sure the rest of the world understands how little Americans care about this sport. I’m not surprised our team sucks lol
Let’s say the adult population is 250 million. 25% of 250 million is 62.5 million people. That is almost as many people that live in France. And way more people than Norway, Netherlands and Portugal combined. Yet these three countries have a world class national team and produce top players.
It’s not that not enough Americans care it is the sports college system for this sport doesn’t work to create elite players. I bet California has enough people interested in the sport to replicate the European promotion and relegation system for a comprehensive multi level amateur league system to produce top players. Like if a tiny nation as Portugal can do it a rich state as California with more inhabitants can probably do it too. 25% of California inhabitants is almost 10 million that is the same as inhabitants in Portugal. And California has a GDP per capita that is more than twice that of Portugal
Not all adults are sports fans though, so those numbers are still inflated. Proportions may still work though. While I have no issues with sports, understand people following them and enjoy playing them, I don’t follow any sports myself. There are people like me and people who do the tired scoffing “sportsball” joke all around in the us (not like our interests are any less affordable).
I wonder if there’s any country above 84%. Some small countries like Bosnia seem even more obsessed than Brazil, but they have such a small population that they don’t have the reputation of Brazil.
The problem with the current Brazil team is that they all play like jugglers. Like yeah man it’s super cool that you can pull nifty tricks while you’re juggling with your friends at the beach, but that’s not the game you’re in now so lock in
Not being able to play as a team has always been a weakness for Brazil. The country also expects them to attack and play other teams off the park. It’s a team that always has superstars, and those superstars want to have their moments, and a coach that doesn’t allow that doesn’t last long. Meanwhile teams like Japan put the team first and aren’t too proud to focus on defending.
But, the bigger issue this time is that Brazil is a really aging squad lacking decent players in some key positions. Their main GK plays for Liverpool. Their CBs play for Arsenal and PSG. Their central midfielders play for or just left big European clubs. But, their fullbacks were major weaknesses. One is about to turn 35 and left Juventus a year and a half ago after barely playing in his final year, and he’s mostly a CB not a fullback. The other is a 32 year old who has been playing in Russia for the last 7 years. Brazil used to have world class fullbacks. Marcelo, Dani Alves, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, etc.
Age was also an issue. Despite having 2 teenagers in the squad, the third youngest player was 25, and they had almost as many over-30 players as they do under-30s. They were the 6th oldest team at the World Cup, and 3 of those 6 didn’t make it out of the group stage. Only 2 of the 6 were reasonable contenders, Brazil and Colombia, the other one that made it out of the group was the surprise story of the tournament Cabo Verde.
So, I don’t think it was really that Brazil played too many tricks. They always do that, and they frequently win. The problem this time was that their aging squad lacked good fullbacks which put them under pressure when opponents could get down the wings.
Watch it buddy, I’m 32
Nah football is football. You play it with your foot and a ball, however you see fit and within the rules. Shenanigans are Brazil’s trademark, they have always been. Stop trying to europeanise football.
No one implied they shouldn’t be allowed to. People just have opinions on what works.
You can think what you like, I for example think the rest of the world understands perfectly well that soccer isn’t one of your primary sports.
For a sport in its infancy in your country, I didn’t think the US team were that bad
It actually is one of the primary sports for women in the US. And their womens team is one of the best, having won the world cup 4 times, 91, 99, 15 and 19
And for 1 in 4 sportsfans to follow football in the US isnt THAT bad. More than i expected.
Interesteling info. I just got vibes of “we didn’t lose, we weren’t really trying”. Mix that with an american suggesting the rest of the world isn’t culturally aware is the perfect ragebait lol
That’s even more scathing haha
What amuses me is the soccer fans here who think we’re going to get better. I first encountered this in '94 when we (the US) hosted the world cup and got spanked by a Brazil team playing with 10 players. It’s like Indians saying they’re going to be good at basketball soon (they aren’t, because they love cricket).
All American sports are dying because of private equity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=DPeRd48YfqY
isnt Middle east practically the Private equity of sports right now, the oil generating countries are just buying up sports team and sportwashing them.
This, it is sucking the life out of kids sports
So, because they love cricket, they can’t love basketball? Spain, which has 2 orders of magnitude less the population, is a powerhouse both in football and basketball.
I think the US is going to get better, but I don’t think they’ll be challenging any of the global powerhouses. Soccer / futbol is getting more and more popular over time. And, typically, when a country hosts the world cup, 10-15 years later there’s a new group of players who were inspired by the tournament and who have spent the time since then focusing on it.
American athletes generally are multi-sport players when younger, and tend to follow the best money. The players who have the best chance at being star soccer players simply end up playing football or basketball. The sport being less popular than at least 4 other sports in America is a huge problem for developing homegrown talent for the national team.
soccer/football seems to be the only sport that our state uni in my area has as a legit sports team, and msot of them want to be part of AN EU team after graduation anyway, they likely know the US one isnt very lucrative or very good at getting them to level of the EU, BRAZIL,etc. they only go for other sports if a specific university has the teams for those sports like FOOTBALL , or basketball.
I mostly mean before college. There is definitely a path for american soccer players, but its not in America like you say. World class players still “retire” and then go play in America, which says a lot.
america only care about the americans only sports, football and basketball, and baseball. ive only ever seen heavily played in a university where students want to be professional in the eu.
Japan would like to disagree about Baseball. They love it and have pretty good leagues.
Italy didn’t even qualify this year.