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Message
re: Dan Wetzel blames "Travel Ball" for the lack of development of US Soccer
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:21 am to Bert Macklin FBI
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:21 am to Bert Macklin FBI
quote:is not
It seems like some of the best athletes
quote:
white middle class ones
0
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:21 am to Gravitiger
quote:
they just went back to the status they always had been
NNNNNNNNOPE! there is no men’s club wrestling or gymnastics teams at LSU.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:22 am to real turf fan
As an observer of travel soccer thru the lens of having friends w kids that are skilled and play on travel clubs, the soccer world is backwards.
They don’t play best on best very often. Most events they play two or three teams that stink. Then a competitive game. There are 15 year olds paying to play, and get time, that are just awful. Neither the skilled or non skilled gain anything.
They don’t play best on best very often. Most events they play two or three teams that stink. Then a competitive game. There are 15 year olds paying to play, and get time, that are just awful. Neither the skilled or non skilled gain anything.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:24 am to moneyg
quote:
From a participation perspective, there's tons of kids in early years playing soccer.
And transition to other sports when they figure out nobody outside their parents want to watch them play soccer
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:25 am to SoDakHawk
quote:
There is a fledgling women's volleyball league, but no real chance to make a bunch of money playing professional women's volleyball.
Ever been to a youth volleyball tournament or had a child playing club volleyball? Millions of girls playing the sport and the competition is cutthroat. All for a chance to someday play college volleyball.
I could say the same thing for softball or girls basketball too.
Agree.
And, if you broaden the base, you end up maybe doubling or tripling the candidates to be world class players.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:25 am to Boudreauboudreaugoly
quote:LSU Wrestling Club
NNNNNNNNOPE! there is no men’s club wrestling or gymnastics teams at LSU.
LSU Gymnastics Club (includes men)
This post was edited on 7/8/26 at 10:29 am
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:26 am to yellowfin
quote:
And transition to other sports when they figure out nobody outside their parents want to watch them play soccer
I can't tell if you realize you are agreeing with me or not.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:27 am to moneyg
quote:
An investment into mens college soccer probably would be a significant benefit.
Who’s going to invest? For what benefit or reason? The fact is, no one is really that interested in the sport past youth leagues. People have tried to make soccer happen in the US for 50 years and it has not made much headway.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:28 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Ronoldo made 300 mil in the past year and is a billionaire.
Messi made 140 million, and s a billionaire.
Mbappe 100+ million, in the last year.
in the 11th spot, Neymar made 38 million in the last year.
So yes, these values are on par with basketball and exceed football.
Messi made 140 million, and s a billionaire.
Mbappe 100+ million, in the last year.
in the 11th spot, Neymar made 38 million in the last year.
So yes, these values are on par with basketball and exceed football.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:31 am to moneyg
quote:
generally being a casualty of Title IX at many schools.
Title IX killed a lot of men's varsity sports.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:36 am to La Place Mike
I thought Title 9 got knee capped by the Trump administration? Isn't it now roster limits per sport and not scholarship limits?
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:37 am to moneyg
I’ve only read the two post I replied to so no idea what you’re arguing
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:38 am to real turf fan
If my son says he wants to play soccer I would feel like I failed as a man and as an American. I’ll let the Euros and Mexicans have that crap
This post was edited on 7/8/26 at 10:40 am
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:40 am to Fun Bunch
quote:
It is most certainly part of the problem. We do it significantly different than everywhere else in the world in the youth system and it doesn't work
No it’s not (at least not in how it’s being presented) and I’m a hater of travel ball and think it’s ruined sports for kids.
The problem for competitive soccer and the US is it is at best 4th in line for kids here.
Parents even of lower income will make it work if that’s what kids want to do. (See any travel baseball/AAU/travel 7 on 7)
Elite athletes are being pushed into specializing earlier and earlier (a product of travel ball) and the majority of those kids in the US dream of being Steph curry/mookie betts/justin Jefferson rather than Lionel Messi.
I can’t even name a MLS player besides Messi and it’s clearly not the MLS years why I know him.
Until we have more kids dreaming to be soccer players our talent pool will be diminished relative to the rest of the world.
The only way that “travel ball” has hurt soccer in this country is that kids are having to stop playing earlier because they/their parents say “we gotta decide whether to spend this weekend playing basketball/baseball or soccer” and in the US the vast majority of time the kid is going to say basketball baseball or football
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:42 am to Joshjrn
So that means the highest paid soccer players in the world are ~ 20M short of the best NBA players. Thats more competitive than I thought it would be, but that is still a very significant gap and whats the pay like for the average pro soccer player?
Athletes in the US do football/basketball/baseball for the money. If there were a reasonable path to high income for playing soccer in the US, some of our best athletes would be doing it. There isnt, so they don't.
Athletes in the US do football/basketball/baseball for the money. If there were a reasonable path to high income for playing soccer in the US, some of our best athletes would be doing it. There isnt, so they don't.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:44 am to CarRamrod
quote:
Ronoldo made 300 mil in the past year and is a billionaire. Messi made 140 million, and s a billionaire. Mbappe 100+ million, in the last year. in the 11th spot, Neymar made 38 million in the last year. So yes, these values are on par with basketball and exceed football.
“Hey 8 year old tyrann mathieu you can keep playing football and make generational wealth here in the US OR you can make even MORE generational wealth but only be able to do so on the opposite side of the world where you don’t know the language and your friends and family will likely never see you play in person and probably not even on tv….you in?”
What prodigy athlete kid in the US chooses that?
And that’s what they realistically have to choose for the foreseeable future to compete with Europe
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:46 am to teke184
quote:
Problem ain’t travel ball. It is a lack of interest in the sport compared to football, basketball, and other sports which have a pathway to the future in the US.
It is both.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:48 am to Fun Bunch
quote:
We do it significantly different than everywhere else in the world
We could do it like China and Russia where we basically kidnap the talented kids and make them live on a government compound until we are done with them. Seems to be an option.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:50 am to CarRamrod
Are those their team salaries or composite of everything? Top team salaries in the NBA are mid to upper 50M range. I imagine much of LeBrons income is endorsements and other things.
I have a hard time believing Ronoldo's team salary is that high, but maybe it is. I know those people are global celebrities.
But here it is right here. Im an american, and I have no clue what the world's best soccer player is payed, and I only recognize 2 of the 4 names you mentioned. I can name dozens of NFL/NBA/MLB players and I dont even watch sports. Its just not and likely will never be a dominant sport in the US at a high level. Our best kids and resources dont go to it.
I have a hard time believing Ronoldo's team salary is that high, but maybe it is. I know those people are global celebrities.
But here it is right here. Im an american, and I have no clue what the world's best soccer player is payed, and I only recognize 2 of the 4 names you mentioned. I can name dozens of NFL/NBA/MLB players and I dont even watch sports. Its just not and likely will never be a dominant sport in the US at a high level. Our best kids and resources dont go to it.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 10:50 am to yellowfin
quote:
I’ve only read the two post I replied to so no idea what you’re arguing
Then you certainly aren't disagreeing with me in that case.
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