American Soccer or Futbol Culture

The development of the beautiful game in America would be substantially accelerated and enhanced if we could stop playing soccer and start playing futbol. Or futebol, or football or fussball, et al.

Soccer is played for fun, developed for profit, and watched for entertainment, when it is watched at all. Futol is played because its in ones DNA, developed for love of the game, and watched because its culture demands it.

Soccer players start at the age of 6 or 7 when they are introduced to the ball by a strange adult coach who talks to them at length about the game, what they can do and can’t do with the ball, how to line up on the field, the laws of the game and then the long lines and lifelong climb to developing technical skills, tactical ingenuity, physical prowess and psychological strength. When all they want to do is play.

Futbol players start when they can barely walk, are introduced to the ball by a parent or sibling, learn to play and love the beautiful game in early childhood, innately by discovery and develop technically, tactically, physically and psychologically by simply playing the game. All they want to do is win their league and the world cup.

Soccer players hardly play, they practice for an hour or two once or twice a week with other teammates on a big field and compete on the weekend for the normal length of a relatively short season. Futbol players play all the time, practice and compete every day alone or with peers and perform in matches on weekends and do this all year round.

Young soccer players are selected into advanced and elite development programs by their ability to pay the fees. Young futbol players are selected by their ability to play the game.

Pro soccer coaches come from the academic playing and coaching ranks, are well organized, understand the soccer player and communicate well. Pro futbol coaches come from the pro playing experience, work their way up through the coaching ranks, may be well organized or delegate it, understand the game of futbol and communicate that well.

Pro soccer coaches keep their jobs in a soccer nation without much critical oversight by informed fans, management, owners or media by not making waves, yelling too loud, or being too critical. It’s all about the positive and spinning of mediocre performances and losing seasons into something more.

Pro futbol coaches job keep their jobs in a futbol nation with knowledgeable fans, management, owners and media by taking a fucking flamethrower to mediocre performances and losing seasons.

Soccer journalists love their access to star players, coaches and executives and write fawning articles excusing the home team for mediocre performances and losing seasons. Futbol journalists love their futbol and take fucking flamethrowers to mediocre performances and losing seasons.

Pro soccer executives keep their jobs in a soccer nation mostly by applying much of their clubs resources into the imaginative marketing of mediocre performances to fill their seats. Because its what they know, marketing. And because pro soccer leagues and clubs buy their pro status and have no relegation process that filter the mediocre from the good and great and fuel improvement they thrive or at least survive.

Pro futbol executives keep their jobs in a futbol nation with the hard filter of relegation by applying much of their resources into quality player acquisitions, imaginative player, team and club development, training and preparation. Because it’s what they know, futbol. And they let the resulting exciting performances, their presentation and distribution, market their product.

And finally there are the pro soccer club owners. Absentee landlords in it for the commerce and not overly concerned about mediocrity or losses as long as their growing equity value. Then there are the pro futbol club owners, ardent futbol fanatics who suffer their teams trials and tribulations with their players and fans and who will take a fucking flamethrower to mediocrity and loss.

Soccer leagues in soccer nations survive, sometimes. Futbol leagues in futbol nations thrive, always. Which does America want to be.