Thursday, October 12, 2017

Soccer and Genetics

I'm keenly waiting to hear the genetics explanation for why the US doesn't do well in world soccer tournaments for men.  Till then, there is stuff like this.
Posted by Arun at 8:18 AM
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Guest · 391 weeks ago

The US has lots of genetic diversity and a large population, so it's highly unlikely that genetics is the problem. It definitely is a problem that soccer is not a big time sport in the US.

Of course genetics does play a big role in soccer ability, so you can't leave it completely out of the calculation. One problem is that top athletes in the US have lots of alternatives that may be more appealing or available than soccer. Lots of top US athletes come from gritty working class or poor backgrounds, and in the US, soccer is a suburban game.

Despite your author's talk of all the money in US soccer, US investment in soccer is tiny compared to Europe, though probably large compared to Trinidad. The total box office for US soccer is like 1 billion $, but one French team payed something like half a billion for one player - perhaps the third best player in the world.

Youth programs in the US attract mass participation, but instructional quality is quite low, and advanced level training is rare.
1 reply · active 390 weeks ago
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macgupta 81p · 390 weeks ago

Likewise, the US probably has enough sprinter talent - large, diverse population again - but probably those with talent get shunted away from track and field.

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