Open Mic: We Like Football...I Believe You Call It Soccer!

* Where would the USA soccer team rank amongst the world's best if its top athletes grew up playing soccer? Which athletes from other sports would make great soccer players (i.e. could Dwayne Wade or Kobe Bryant hold their own in goal)?

I think the US would be slightly better than they are now, but not drastically better. It will take more than just better athletes playing soccer; it will take a widespread interest in the sport across America. As Americans, we want instant gratification and payback for what we are watching – 1-0 soccer games just don’t give us these feelings. I think football players would be able to bridge the gap the best because they are athletic, used to changing directions quickly, and not extremely tall. I just can’t see Kobe Bryant dominating soccer; his center of gravity is too high for a sport played at your feet. Basketball players would have to stay in goal.

* Which sport has the best pound-for-pound athletes from a physical perspective? Which sport takes the most mental toughness to excel at?

From a pound for pound perspective I think soccer players are the best athletes in the world, followed closely by basketball. When I think of athleticism, I think the ability to change directions quickly; to jump high; to run fast. Strength plays a part, but not as much as those, so that is why I would rank football players third.

Golf takes the most mental toughness by far. This is a big reason why Tiger is far ahead of the world. There are probably 10-15 players who can come close to matching his ability, but his mental toughness is what sets him so far apart.

* Which star athletes have the skills necessary to succeed in other sports? Do you believe tennis players would make strong baseball hitters, and hockey players talented golfers?

Hockey players could make talented golfers and it was proven on the Senior Tour by Allen Doyle a few years back. Doyle, a former hockey player, used only ¾  of the swing he had used in hockey to hit the golf ball. The transition from tennis to baseball and vice versa would not be as easy because of the movement of the pitch in baseball.

* Why would a top young American athlete opt for soccer or rugby if he could make NBA dollars or play in the NFL? Will this cultural dynamic ever change?

A young athlete would definitely be more directed to soccer or rugby if the money was comparable. To get the money to a comparable level, the sport would have to gain popularity, which in turn would increase the incentive to play it.  However, I do not think this will change in my lifetime. Most of us have ancestry dating to other parts of world (Europe in particular), but our culture is very different from sports to food to language, even with the British.