re: If these stars were USA soccer stars

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I get what you're saying, but I think most of us are just g-d tired of trying to refute this stupid fricking argument for the millionth time.

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This.

Athletes that large and explosive are really built for a different game. The bigger guys probably wouldn't actually make it even if they did play from a young age. Sure, a guy like OBJ would have fit at 6'0 and hyper athletic or even Westbrook possibly, but someone like Lebron would just be unfit for many positions outside of keeper. Your NBA guards and skill position guys in the NFL would fit better, but the games require much different forms of athleticism, as well. There are tons of guys more athletic than Messi whose lack of his skillset, similar build, and slight autism leave them on a lower playing field than him.

At that size and with that frame, the destruction of the body from not only the amount of running but the type of activity it is. It forces you to go from a light jog to dead sprint or vice versa throughout 90+ minutes. For those larger athletes, they'd have trouble maintaining fitness and they'd see injuries a lot. Actually, Lebron with his current routines, diets, etc. would be one of the only guys at that size that I could see maintaining a higher level of play.

Sure, we may have a few more super athletic guys in the pool, but honestly, they just don't fit well to many positions in the game. For the same reason that you'd want someone with Lebron's size and skillset for basketball (or American football), a 5'8-6'0 guy with smaller frames, high pace, and a wide bottom for a lower center of gravity is seemingly prototypical for a world-class forward in football. Other people outside of it can find success, but that size just seems to fit.