I am pretty sure Lebron will die of heart attack at the end of the game. Kobe will be hurting and he can't possibly do any good. This game is different. Look at track, different kinds of athletes win the 100 from the guys who win the mile or the marathon.
Kobe and LeBron aren't just big. They run like gazelles. They can jump out of the gym. And they could most likely kill you with their bare hands. Replace the hand-eye coordination they developed from growing up playing basketball with foot-eye coordination they would've developed in soccer and they would be all-world most likely. Athleticism is fairly universal, it just depends on what motor skills you developed the most during your growth period that makes you better at one sport over another. There are some that are predisposed to being better at football, or baseball, etc because of innate ability (strength, size, pitching ability, etc) but for the most part, players aren't 'born' into their sport... they choose it.
YA ES TIEMPO MEXICO!!!!! We are the underdog!!! Bring IT!!!!! <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jw7E7G7G8IU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jw7E7G7G8IU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
That goal was impossible for anyone to call. The AR was in perfect position, even with the next to last defender near where the ball was struck, about 20-25 yard out. He sprinted down the touch line the moment the ball was struck but he was still 15 yard out when it went in (No other players, defenders or attackers got anywhere near the goal either, there wasn't enough time). The CR was also in perfect position, 10 yards up field from the ball, 30-35 yds out, in the middle of the pitch. If either ref made the call, it would have been a guess, not because they saw it.
You're talking about dumping them onto the pitch as-is, of course they wouldn't be physically up to the stamina challenge. Basketball players run on average about 5 miles a game. Soccer players run almost a half marathon and take less breaks. But no one is arguing Kobe would be all-world as is, they're talking about if someone as athletically gifted as him were to grow up playing soccer, and not basketball.
I don't agree. If this was true, they could/ should have played 48 minutes straight every game? Especially when they stop the game 30/40 times in a game.
Of course it would take them years to learn the game but it's more than that some big strong guys just can't play the game, no matter how hear they try.
He is right, but that is not the only way to do it. And did anyone else think that Klinsmann was auditioning for Bradley's job? DD
That's because the physical demands of basketball are different than soccer. Are soccer players as strong as basketball players? Can they sprint as fast? Can they jump as high? Probably not. If you grow up playing a sport, you adapt to its physical requirements.
You're missing the point entirely. The USA has some great athletes. Some of the best in the world. They're just not playing soccer. If they grew up playing soccer, they wouldn't just be "big and strong guys". It's stupid to assume that they would remain the type of athlete they are if they had been playing soccer from childhood. Yes, some people are not athletically gifted and sometimes the facets of a game don't lend themselves specifically to someone (for example, Shaq would never get onto the pitch, even if he had grown up in a soccer house, he's "naturally" a large dude, not going to ever be fast, and probably not ever going to be very coordinated), but it's silly to apply that to so many amazing athletes across the NFL, NBA, etc.
My youngest son is dominant at both soccer and basketball, I will let you guys know how it turns out. DD
Please do DD, we are all waiting with baited breath to find out what happens with your son.... why waste our time, just tell us when he turns pro in both of them.
I disagree, there is a reason why there are very few players above 2 metres (6"7) in soccer. There is a real difference between hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination. I'm not saying that if lebron and Bryant started playing soccer would be terrible at soccer, but I also think they would not be as good in soccer as they are in Basketball. For example, I (6"7) was an little above average Soccer player, but a very good basketball player. Basketball was much more my sport than Soccer. p.s. Van der Vaart is injured, I hope that it is nothing serious, He will not play in the next round, maybe Elia or Affelay will play.
I think you are missing the point. I never said there aren't any athletes in the USA who could play the sports. I said it's wrong to assume any athletes who are great in BB, NFL, could just step on the pitch and dominate.
Totally disagree they would be vulnerable down low. I think the USA is getting better, but until soccer is on TV and young kids start idolizing the players, it will always be a 2nd class sport for us. That being said, we have 300 million people, so even as it gains SOME more popularity, there will be another young generation coming up that has even better players so it will be a slow building process. All we need for it to take off is one superstar player.... DD
Perhaps, But than they do not need the skills like Run like a gazelle. We can discuss for ages what would happen if soccer was the first sport in the USA, or if Basketball was the first sport in Brazil or the Netherlands (tallest people in the world). But we just do not know if Great basketball players would make good soccer players and the other way around. Hand-eye and Foot-eye Coordination are very different. First let soccer become popular in the USA and than we can have this discussion.
You know what, the USA is getting better, and the rest of the world doesn't seem so dominant anymore. It will come. I do have a quesiton though, I think Bradley should be replaced for me, he is just too mellow, I think we need a guy that gets them a bit more aggressive from the get go... This team was laconic until punched in the face...every match. DD
Imagine if Chris Johnson had grown up playing striker instead of running back - that's a better comparison than Kobe or Lebron. They really are too big for soccer.
