I think your basic point has merit but bringing in the sports analogy was a mistake. I also played and coached baseball but never set foot on a soccer field. But I do know that there is a wide gap between the skill level required to excel in the two sports, and comparing them in any way is the proverbial apples and oranges. It has been said since the game was first played that hitting a thrown baseball is the most difficult move in all sports. Soccer is such a great game because it allows kids with less physical ability to participate in a game that requires speed and stamina which can be attained by kids who couldn't compete in sports such as baseball, tennis, basketball, golf, and others. The heightened skill levels in baseball also brings out the competitive feelings in parents, sometimes, unfortunately, to a level which harms the sport. I certainly recall angry parents demanding that their kids should be on the field more, but the kids' skill levels weren't at a level yet to play more. It is still our "national pastime".So I have to admit something here... I bought a 19ft power boat about a year ago. I enjoy it! I still sail a hobie and enjoy that too but that is now why I'm writing.
I also joined "The Hull Truth" forum thinking it would be a power boat analogy to this forum. I could not have been more wrong... the character of the participants is dramatically different.
Comparing THT to SBO participants is analgous to comparing the the type of parents you see at a dixie youth (or little league) baseball game to the type of parents you see at a youth soccer game.
Don't missunderstand, I coached both and love both games but there was a difference in the interaction with the parents in the two camps.
Hats off to the participants (and moderators) of this forum.
Sailors vs. Stinkpoters
- Thread starter rgranger
- Start date
You have never been on a field yet you "know" ?
Here's an interesting comparison between soccer and baseball difficulty:
What’s the most difficult thing to do in sports? - Manage By Walking Around
Years ago, ESPN assembled a panel of experts to determine which sport demanded the most from the athletes who compete in it. The experts ranked 60 sports on 10 different skills, including endurance, speed, agility, and hand-eye coordination. Their verdict: boxing is the most difficult sport...
jonathanbecher.com
You see overweight guys in baseball... other sports require both stamina/speed and hand/foot eye coordination.
Golf, Tennis and Hockey are games for the affluent, which likely prevents people that would be world champions from ever entering the sport. Basketball, soccer and baseball can mostly be played by people worldwide regardless of financial status. That is why they are great games. With soccer you can have a world championship that actually includes a huge number of teams from other countries, which therefore includes a wider player pool and much more skill and competitiveness. Baseball and Basketball are localized.
That has nothing to do with skill level It is driven by a combination of cultural tradition and the hope that one day their kids will be rich. Same BS happens in Canada with hockey. Hockey parents are often idiots. Here, baseball is considered a consolation sport for the people who suck at hockey, american "football" and soccer, so you don't usually see that parental stupidity.
Not for long. MLB has long voiced concerns that the sport is dying. "Mostly watched by old people", "Boring and Slow" are some statements made about it by the younger generations.
Soccer is now the #4 sport in the US, with baseball a close and fast dwindling #3
Football Still Americans' Favorite Sport to Watch
As a sport, football has taken some serious hits over the past few years, but it is still Americans' favorite one to watch.
news.gallup.com
FWIW: My vote is for Aussie Footie.
I was wondering what he meant by "analgous"...Good point but isn't he making his own point by example....?