Why is Brazil so good?

[AreliusIV]

Originally Posted by StarsOnSunday

I've got common sense, tradition, and observation on my side. The support is needed to substantiate your claim that soccer is not "a rich kids sport" in America. There is a reason wealthy, stay-at-home Moms in SUVs are referred to as "soccer Moms".

Unfortunately common sense, tradition, and observation can't be substantiated outside of your own subjective worldview. If you have statistics, that would be nice.

[StarsOnSunday]

Originally Posted by AreliusIV

Unfortunately common sense, tradition, and observation can't be substantiated outside of your own subjective worldview. If you have statistics, that would be nice.

While this has been true, it is changing. Whereas yesteryear the majority of youth were white anglos, those demographics are changing rapidly.

Hypocrite.
Don't be a d-i-c-k and call for stats when you yourself don't provide the same. I'm not going to entertain your lust for online argumentitive supremecy. It just so happens that soccer in American is more popular in suburbia than it is in the inner cities.
Please provide some reasoning (subjective or otherwise) why you do not think soccer is more commonly played among rich kids in this country.

[I_Believe_In_Kreis]

Originally Posted by AreliusIV

Can you show me some support for your assertion?

Here's some data for starters: For an 8 year old to play soccer for Sparta United the base fee is between $600 and $1,400 (depending on your competition level) per year. That does not include travel expenses for the mandatory 2 out-of-state tournaments per year that each Sparta team is required to enter.

I don't have any soccer demographics, but this shows that you need to have quite a bit of disposable income for your kid to play high level soccer, even at such a young age.

[AreliusIV]

Originally Posted by StarsOnSunday

Hypocrite.
Don't be a d-i-c-k and call for stats when you yourself don't provide the same. I'm not going to entertain your lust for online argumentitive supremecy. It just so happens that soccer in American is more popular in suburbia than it is in the inner cities.
Please provide some reasoning (subjective or otherwise) why you do not think soccer is more commonly played among rich kids in this country.

If you would have continued my quote that you cite you would see that I did provide support for my assertion. There are presently 5 African Americans on the USMNT, a reflection of the changing demographics of US soccer in general.

I simply asked for support for the assumption on which the previous statement was based. I don't see how that is being argumentative.

Now, if you can't have a gentlemenly conversation and refrain from the epithets, then I guess this is as far we'll get with this particular topic.

[Jose Luis Luviano]

Originally Posted by StarsOnSunday

Currently that is the case. It's hardly an assumption.

As a Part Time Galaxy fan, I don't like to admit that these people exist.

But Memo Gonzalez, Marvin Quijano and Jose Botello did not come from Palos Verdes (like Kevin Hartman did)

This weekend, if I can get a Kitchen Pass; I am going to spend at least a couple of hours by Jose Vasquez's old stomping grounds in Santa Ana; seeing if they will take pity on me and let me into a Cascarita.

[StarsOnSunday]

Originally Posted by AreliusIV

If you would have continued my quote that you cite you would see that I did provide support for my assertion. There are presently 5 African Americans on the USMNT, a reflection of the changing demographics of US soccer in general.

I didn't say that soccer isn't more common among the rich. I simply asked for support for assumption on which the previous statement was based. I don't see how that is being argumentative.

Now, if you can't have a gentlemenly conversation and refrain from the epithets, then I guess this is as far we'll get with this particular topic.

Your "support" is comparing the USMNT to youth soccer. The USMNT is not a normal sampling distribution of the mean of the US youth soccer population as the USMNT represents only the highest skilled player regardless of social status. Apples and Oranges. Even that does not support your claim that "whereas yesteryear the majority of youth were white anglos, those demographics are changing rapidly." Please show us some, any, stats that show white Anglos are no longer the majority of youth soccer players in this country.

[I_Believe_In_Kreis]

I think you guys are treading on thin ice when you make this a race issue. My argument is it's an economic issue, regardless of race. I have several latino kids on my Sparta team, but their families are pretty well off. I don't care if we're talking about "white anglos" or "latinos" or "African Americans" - I'm trying to say that money is a barrier to playing soccer in this country, not race.

I want to see soccer available to (and popular with) poor kids, whether those kids are white, black, Asian, latino, whatever. That's one reason (not the only one, mind you) why countries like Brazil produce so much better talent.

[AreliusIV]

Originally Posted by I_Believe_In_Kreis

In Brazil soccer is a poor kids' sport. In America it's a rich kids' sport. Not that there's anything wrong with being poor (or rich), but Brazil has the edge for two reasons: One, less money means playing in tough conditions which makes better players. Two, there are way more poor kids (in both countries) than rich kids, so Brazil is tapping into a larger talent pool.

The truth about Rich vs. Poor nations is that it is the poor kids that live in wealthy nations that end up becoming the best players because of the existing training infrastructure and nutrition in wealthy nations is still better even for poorer children.

If poverty were the key, African teams would win World Cups. Instead, the trophy usually goes to a rich nation: Germany, Italy, France, England, Uruguay when it still was rich.

Goldman Sachs, in its report on the tournament, notes that “the wealthier nations are generally the better footballing nations”. It turns out that you need good nutrition and a well-organised football set-up to win the World Cup (unless you are Brazil). It’s true that within rich countries, the working classes and particularly poor immigrants tend to produce the best players. But even these groups are many times richer than the global average.

[StarsOnSunday]

Let it go, dude.
Just walk away.