SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer Why LeBron wouldn't help US win the World Cup

This topic has been discussed a number of times. The author does a nice job of explaining his point.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/c...5901&ver=us

Here's the real reason it wouldn't happen. LeBron is from a lower income neighborhood in Akron, Ohio. Youth soccer clubs have no interest from youths from the inter-city. Soccer clubs are only looking for kids who's family is willing to pay out between $2,000 - $3,000 a year in club training and travel fees.
LeBron was able to refine his trade on the playground with a $25 basketball. This is why soccer will never succeed in the USA as football, basketball, and baseball have. Soccer clubs in this country are not letting all youths play the game because of their high training, travel fees.

gbdawgs,

I can't think of one competitive soccer club in the USA that would not invest "scholarship money" into a kid with well above average talent. All competitive clubs want to win and any club director/DOC will waive fees for a promising player who may be financially challenged.

Now.......identifying that kid at an early age may be difficult when the competitive clubs are so focused on the suburbs. (That's where their core customers reside).

Got it on the second thought, Hurst.

How does that kid with above average talent come to exist in the first place? What encourages him/her to pick up a soccer ball in the first place? Who invests time and training to SEE if he/she develops enough "above average talent" to get noticed and picked up for a scholarship by a competitive club? Who gives that kid the motivation to develop those skills and the belief that he/she might be able to earn that scholarship and play competitively, under our current (majority) system?

The average size shoe of an NBA player is a 14.5 with the 6'-10" + players averaging a cool 17, shaq happens to wear a size 23. One little problem Nike only goes up to a size 13. I guess my point is these guys are just to big to play soccer. How many players in the World Cup weigh over 250 pounds?

sweet,
You are absolutely correct. As the author points out, big & bulky doesn't work in soccer.

Chass,
Who helps this kid? Someone with altruistic motives who is capable of teaching technical skills.

Point is, how do we create a culture that gives this kid the idea that he can actually go somewhere with those skills rather than seeing them as a waste of time trying to break into a sport that isn't interested in him? How many kids grow up thinking somewhere in the back of their minds that they COULD grow up to be the next LeBron or Kobe, because basketball is so accessible to them, and how many kids grow up thinking you have to be of privileged class to even think about becoming the next Landon Donovan, because soccer is advertised as a big investment if you want to be successful?

I posted this earlier but sorta fits in this discussion as well......

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2010/05/17/team-usa-and-the-state-of-the-soccer-nation/

We do need to break the barriers that exist between 'our kids' and 'those kids' in order to have not only better opportunities to develop better players and better teams...but mainly for the opportunities to have better communities and better relationships.......

I can believe that just a little. Let's do a comparison. Lets take the top AAU basketball team in the Columbia area or Greenville area. I would be willing to bet that a team of 12 aau basketball players about 8 of them comes from a lower income household. I'll be conservative and say 50% of them or 6 of them. If you think a soccer club is going to put half of a premier club team (about 9 players) on scholarship and pay for their travel in Premier League, Academy, ECNL, 2 tournaments a year you haven't been around. This would cause Club Directors to go into cardiac arrest. The only way better athletes will play soccer is if its affordable, and the clubs actually go into the inter-city and train for little or no money., and that won't happen.

First of this is Gary, from New York....Never Anything Too Easy. This good ole buddy system in soccer will always prevail. Like how does the MLS leading goal scorer play very limited minutes in the World Cup or not make the team like Taylor Twellman last World Cup. Or why isn't Freddy Adu on the team making plays. Regardless the US leadership won't put the best, athletic, willing to take chance players on the field hence starting Ricardo Clark who isnt a bad player but not have been put in that role against Ghana. Another comment that PISSED ME OFF during the World Cup, I can't remember the announcer but he said that the US does not have a natural left winger on the team. THATS POOR!!! 300 million people and no impact left winger. Sounds like CRAP once again. And another sidenote GET Alexis Lalas off of TV because he is hurting the sport in the US by constantly downing the American squad! Those comments trickle down to the non-soccer watcher!!