A message to Americans who HATE soccer

[@suzuyj]

The manager of leicesters title run actually just came out of retirement this past week to help his favorite club As Roma to stay out of a relegation fight, he could just have enjoyed his retirement but he chose to come back to the club he loves bc it has been struggling truly a legend.

[@sehu1291]

Hope World Cup winner, ams two times CL runner up Mats Hummels (who was one of the two best CBs in the Champions League best XI of the last season and even nominated for the Ballon d'Or will finally get his chance. Such an underrated CB legend of the game

[@tylerdordon99]

Ranieri has always been like that.

[@diegodessy9700]

and he had just retired after getting a really unexpected promotion in serie A for Cagliari and then proceeded to save them in the next season. What a legend, even more so if we think that he had brought Cagliari from serie C to serie A in the late 80s early 90s

[@gajogrande]

Roma sacked Mourinho after back to back European cup finals, and everybody was happy when they started playing better for like 5 games. Kinda funny they’re fighting to avoid relegation.

[@mannym7849]

Hi Luke, am so so proud of you falling in love with football ⚽️ man! You are a prime example of someone who 2 1/2 years ago knew absolutely nothing about the beautiful game, and you set out to learn and educate yourself and you’ve set about to talk about to your friends like Corey and get him on board. Your knowledge is getting better and better and it’s so good to see this. I love your enthusiasm and how football has helped you in your bid to keep healthy and fit too. You’re a great guy! 😊💪🏻🙌🏻

[@Hladavzor008]

I think you could make a really good “guide to football” for new fans. The ones that are currently out there aren't very good in my opinion and i think you could make a more comprehensive and accurate one. I know this video explains some stuff but i think a full on guide would be a good video.

[@lukessportsacademy]

I will probably work on one after my semester is over and I have time to write the script

[@joules_sw]

​@@lukessportsacademywould be great cause you have the perspective of a new fan that discovered the beauty of the game

[@chaoznofx]

as a non US citizen.. as a southamerican football lover.. I THANK YOU LUKE.. for this vid.. for your journey.

[@apmoy70]

Several years ago, I read an article written by the US journalist Ann Coulter (spelling?) calling the growing interesting for "soccer" (football) a "proof of America's moral decay" or something like that, because according to her, it's a sport for liberals (in the American sense of the world, a sport for "communists"). I've heard people calling a sport boring, unattractive etc but attributing political identity to a sport is absurd

[@TomWright91]

That's utterly baffling. Probably the best evidence to how much of a bubble most Americans live in.

[@Tomurow]

Ann Coulter is considered a polarising commentator rather than a journalist - which explains her bad take! 😂

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@TomWright91 Actually, the US is lucky we have MLS even with its franchise no relegation mode. Until 2014 soccer or football was regularly attacked by our politicians, media, etc. as "sissyball" watched only by unpatriotic citizens who should stripped of their rights and deported. Think I am making this up? Google "soccer is a sissy sport". In addition, American media despises soccer because there are no ad breaks, so the only way to grow the sport in the US was to adopt the billionaire owner franchise system with no relegation and a hard salary cap.

[@Savalatte]

That's not true. Different sports in the U.S. are more common amongst some groups over others although a lot of this is based on the demographic groups behind it. For example the NBA is more popular with urban areas and African Americans and likewise, its fans tend to lean left. It just so happens that soccer fans in the U.S. tend to be amongst the most liberal compared to other sports. They seem to be aware of this too as they sometimes bring this up in converstation and they have their rainbow flags and make a big deal about tolerance. And conservatives have been calling liberals "communists" for about a century now.

[@lemarkclr]

reed my coment you proved my point @lemarkclr hace 0 segundos It must be really tough, living your whole life bombarded by misleading information and propaganda telling you that national sports are international, creating a false perception of the world around you. Only to find out in 2024 that the sports your government has told you for decades were the best are actually a niche, leaving you disconnected from the rest of the world. If I make an analogy, the U.S. would be like a special needs class - they play their own sports, and everyone wins. Now, kids are upset because they realize their sport isn't the most watched, loved, or interesting, and especially not global. It's laughable hearing North Americans say, "We have the best football league" or "We're the best at baseball," and it's like, of course, only you play that. Honestly, and without the sarcasm, it’s sad because it reflects how sports have been used to give Americans a completely skewed view of reality. I'm not saying this only happens in the U.S., but it's certainly a case worth studying.

[@gustavolanata1019]

Wonderful presentation, always enjoy your presentations. I love football and have since 1962 when I was five years old. I have tried to explain to people in the US why association football is so beautiful but always fell short of convincing anyone, you have done in less than 10 minutes what I never was successful to do in the over 40 years I lived in the USA. Thank you for the terrific presentation, keep loving football. PS: I am a Packer fan, love the NY Yankees, follow the NBA and the NHL as well as a variety of other sports but football is always my first love.

[@keebs67]

U might want to take a look at San Marino and what they have just done,everyone’s fav micro nation. And as usual brilliant vid

[@mannym7849]

@@keebs67 As far as micro nations go that is a fantastic achievement that San Marino 🇸🇲 have accomplished and their promotion to Nations League C is no surprise since they’ve been improving. Good luck to them they deserve this and I know it’ll be hard to stay in League C but I hope they give it absolutely everything.

[@ajibolavincent5496]

The NCAA(M and F) soccer tourney has been crazy while the MLS has served us insane upsets as well.

[@peterjohnson1091]

It's about American exceptionism. They don't want to follow a sport which is the most popular sport in 90% of the countries of the world.

[@Luso00_]

It's more common to support a big club, but I always tell fans of this sport that the relegation battles are just as exciting as the title race. These guys are playing for their life, money bonuses, and status.

[@jazzx251]

If you want to convince Americans - just show them Poland v Scotland from the other night ... both teams going end-to-end against each other Scotland's first goal was set up by a 19-year old prodigy Then Poland's goal was an unstoppable bullet from outside the corner of the area Several shots hit the bar and the post And, finally, the last gasp winner from Scotland in stoppage time - a beautiful swerving cross, and the team captain with a bullet of a header that nearly broke the net

[@davidjones992]

Only saw the highlights but it looked a terrific match. However, you left out the important bit that ties in with the essay. Neither team could win anything! They were both fighting to avoid certain relegation, the winner or a draw would suit Poland, gets a second chance to stay up in a play-off match.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@davidjones992 In the USA soccer/football is only the 5th most liked sports, has to compete with both the NFL & College Football, both equal in viewership & money to the Premier League, plus the MLB, NBA & NHL. BY the way to give you an idea of how little the Premier League is in America, it only has 527,000 people each week watching it while 1.2 million a week watch hockey. The USA does not give a shit about soccer - at least not yet. the ONLY reason FIFA keeps trying to push soccer in America is for USA dollars.

[@davidjones992]

@@gregorybiestek3431 fully understand American sports followings. With their population, money, love of sports and quality of athletes the US should win the WC at some stage. However, I'm not sure they ever will. It's not about money or population size its about the game being ingrained in the people. Huge clubs have fans everywhere but the vast majority of people support for life their local club. Apart from Wimbledon to Milton Keynes I cant remember a 'franchise' moving cities eg the Rams, LA to St Louis and back to LA!

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@davidjones992 Agreed. The shared experience of fandom and rivalry, the sense of community support, of clubs not commercial teams DOES NOT EXIST in the USA for soccer. It was the Great Depression in 1930 that killed community soccer in the USA and it has never recovered that same level of local "club" support.

[@ilirianzuta6852]

@gregorybiestek3431 Honestly, it could also be partially to do with time zones. Ppl underestimate this factor. Majority of premier league games are like 7-10 in the morning. I live in europe but and i love footbal but i would never wake up that early to watch a sport. Especially if i grew up in united states where soccer culture is nonexistent. If the games were in the afternoon or in the evening, ppl might have had a better access to it. Champions leagues viewers can reach up to millions in US (not counting illegal streams).

[@chriswhite1417]

Very nice essay and captures the beauty of football nicely. I think what you say about stories being told week in week, week out is true. But what is even more amazing is that it is not just the Liverpools and the Arsenals. These stories happen in every small town, in every village, in the Premiership, Championship, League One, League Two and non-League every weekend stretching back generations. The cumulative effect of this shared experience of fandom and rivalry is an incredible culturally binding phenomenon.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

The shared experience of fandom and rivalry, the sense of community support, of clubs not commercial teams DOES NOT EXIST in the USA for soccer. It was the Great Depression in 1930 that killed community soccer in the USA and it has never recovered that same level of local "club" support. Kids playing youth soccer does NOT translate into community support & TV money. The average USL-Champion League player makes $38,000, the USL League One makes $18,000. Compare that to England's 3rd tier (League One) average of $69,500. Add in travel expenses (try flying from Manchester to Moscow one week & then to Athens the next which is the distance of many MLS and USL clubs) and other costs, and you get USA type franchise sport, not local clubs.

[@stephenhodgson3506]

Although now having great riches Manchester City were also relegated to the third tier in 1998. Luton Town who last season played in the Premier League went even further down into the fifth tier. While in the opposite direction Oldham Athletic went from the Premier League and twice reaching the FA Cup semi-finals now languish in the fifth tier. It is worth mentioning that promotion and relegation don't just happen in the professional leagues even the local leagues have promotion and relegation. With one exception the other thing that doesn't change is that football (soccer) teams don't up sticks and move if they get a better offer elsewhere. So fans know their team will always be with them.

[@MrMooemoney]

It's a reason it's called "the beautiful game",👍

[@SamM_Scot]

Some of the best things about fitba is no TV like breaks and stupid half-time shows or anything like that. It's all about the game :-)

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Of course that is a problem in the USA. No breaks mean no commercials. No commercials mean no ad revenue for the tv networks & stations, so they refuse to broadcast anything without income. No broadcasting means VERY few fans and VERY little community interest in sport.

[@hanswurst5433]

Don't know mate. Think we are going in their direction tbh... The amount of commercials they sneak in during the games (sometimes covering more than 50% of the screen) seems to increase every year...

[@jazzx251]

I've heard that they're thinking of extending halftime for the World Cup final in the USA/Mexico/Canada - just so some pop stars can do a halftime show! And I don't think I'm joking either It's not a good thing - when the pop concert in the middle of the game overshadows it

[@Ml10101]

Allot of Americans see in football just if you run or not. If you run like a chicken,then you are amazing footballer. I saw that in Miami podcast. Running is less important then understanding the game. Messi all career run 5 km a game, and he is still the best scorer,assister,playmaker,dribbler,aye vision,decision making..

[@seamusoleary3712]

I have got back into soccer (football) recently. I really appreciate the athleticism and skill of the players. The game is sometimes like a chess match to break though for scoring breaks, which is actually quite entertaining to watch even if that part doesn't make the highlight reels... at the same time, a lot of North Americans don't like the injury 'fakery' that is in the game. Players always have to 'sell' the penalty, which is a bit bogus. And there's a lot of time wasting that doesn't seem to get added on to the refs added time at the end of the game. Why can't the game have a clock that everyone can see, and they stop the clock when the play stops, just like other sports?

[@dacutler]

I am indeed blessed. I lived 2 miles from Old Trafford Stadium, the home of Manchester United for 25 years, and now have lived 2 miles from the Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles for 20 years. The fact that a baseball game can literally be won or lost with just one swing of the bat and likewise the last minute of a football match can be won or lost means excitement is maintained at all times. A basketball supporter said to me that it must be boring to only get 1 or 2 goals in football, when as many as 200 points can be scored in a basketball game. I responded saying what's the point of scoring a basket when it doesn't mean much to the outcome of the game? Some players run around 10 miles during a football game with just one 15-minute break in the middle. How does that compare with an American football game where only 12 minutes of play occurs during a three hour game and the rest of the time they are just standing around? And that doesn't take into account the fact that there are two complete teams playing for each side in the match. And if you want to watch hard physical play, watch a rugby match which is two halves of non stop 40 minutes each half. . . with no armor.

[@EasyDeanyEW5]

Bro I have so much respect for you! Props for taking the time to learn the game and glad you fell in love with it! Love all sports by the way!

[@miguelzap9269]

The problem with following football is, every other sport becomes obsolete. American hand egg, bases and sunflower seeds game, basketball is only for tall folks etc, etc etc. Football is 45 minutes of non stock action. 15 minute piss break, and another 45 minutes of intense football where every player leaves every ounce of energy on that pitch.

[@beosor4234]

VFB Stuttgart had a wild 23-24 Season. A Year prior they where fighting in the Relegation the next they were 2nd in front of Bayern in the Last Game and are now playing in the Champions League 😅

[@fcassmann]

Hi Luke,Amsterdam,the Netherlands here. When i was a teenager we played soccer in the winter and basebal in the summer with our club OVVO. Even the great Johan Cruyff played basebal in the summer. Greetz from a Ajax fan.

[@isaiahpavia-cruz678]

As fan of both sports, I love both equally. Baseball gives me the same tension, nerves, exhilaration, and heartbreak in a chilly October night, American style. The game is quirky and awkward in a style only America can deliver. The London Series drew big crowds as well setting up at West Ham’s London Stadium. Because it is a multipurpose venue the field looked beautiful.

[@joules_sw]

To be fair basket is a very artsy and elegant sport too, and it's popular in USA

[@boom16rag]

comparing a sport played with feet vs a sport played with hands... it's just off topic and somehow, a little petty, and i love basketball, to be fair

[@joules_sw]

@@boom16rag I'm not saying I value basketball more, i don't even watch it but I respect it a lot

[@ilan_nahshon]

Luke..2.5 Yrs ?? Time flies,I remember yr 1st reaction and how my comment was in yr video. We feel it,Football is getting bigger. Chapeau

[@darthwiizius]

Mate, if America does well and gets to the quarter or semi-finals of the North American World Cup in 2 years I think it's going to go absolutely bonkers on that side of the Atlantic in 2026. Nothing wakes up a sleeping American audience better than success, let alone success in the biggest, richest, most played game in Human history. It's only a matter of time before the US becomes a Football nation, trying to stop it is like King Canute trying to turn back the tide.

[@josefsad1502]

​@@darthwiizius I don't know how old you are to remember, but they expected that already in 94'. Just open up the border for Mexicans and the US is going to be a football nation pretty soon.

[@ilan_nahshon]

@@darthwiizius Agreed. Hope so

[@Bowleskov]

Good essay, I might just add, That US sports are elitist, the existing owners get to decide which MARKET deserves a team in any expansion, one of the benefits of promotion and relegation at least within the English Pyramid is there is a path for a Small town or Works team to gather support as they grow and improve to find the level of game their supporters financial muscle. Dorking Wanderers is one of my favourite clubs to keep an eye out for they were formed in 1999 by a group of Friends, they started at the Sunday League all amateur level, they've been promoted, Improved their Facilities along the way, they have been promoted more than 11 levels and are now firmly a Semi-pro side attracting nearly 2,000 spectators to each game. If the American Dream is to be shown in a real form it has to be as a Football pyramid but that relies on Americans getting over preconceptions abouts Soccer and instead see what a small start up can add to their community. As I understand it that is the role High School Sports play right now but for many at 18 that dreams ends and this is where Jamie Vardy comes back in He was released by a Pro club at 16 and built his way right up to playing For the National Side, No drafts, no deadline just a guy playing the game. Ian Wright and Stuart Pearce are two other players who although now both retired worked their way backup from Amateur to Pro later in life. I remember the film Invincible, well Soccer has a lot of those stories where you can impose the romance of the rise of the "little guy".

[@darthwiizius]

As an Arsenal fan (along with many other English clubs, most other English clubs if you trace their history far enough) I can attest to the principle of starting out as a works team making their way to the top. We are not just Arsenal, it is accepted officially that we are referred to as "The Arsenal" because we were the works team of the Woolwich Arsenal and played our league matches on the green inside the parade ground inside the arsenal itself before crossing the Thames and building a stadium in Highbury and Islington, bit too close to those mid-boys from Middlesex down White Hart Lane for my liking, jeeze I know the area is a sh*thole but why did they let Armitage Shanks build a giant sh*tter there FFS?

[@gregorybiestek3431]

The shared experience of fandom and rivalry, the sense of community support, of clubs not commercial teams DOES NOT EXIST in the USA for soccer. It was the Great Depression in 1930 that killed community soccer in the USA and it has never recovered that same level of local "club" support. Kids playing youth soccer does NOT translate into community support & TV money. The average USL-Champion League player makes $38,000, the USL League One makes $18,000. Compare that to England's 3rd tier (League One) average of $69,500. Add in travel expenses (try flying from Manchester to Moscow one week & then to Athens the next which is the distance of many MLS and USL clubs) and other costs, and you get USA type franchise sport, not local clubs.

[@kristi4113]

We have so many impatient people in our country. They don’t know how to just relax and watch because they want instant back-and-forth scoring. Football isn’t a 14-11 game, with goalkeepers shooting from their outside box right into the opposing net. It’s exhausting trying to explain this!!

[@gregorybiestek3431]

It is NOT the lack of scoring, but the lack of scoring CHANCES that hurt the game in the USA. Hockey has many 1,2, or 3 goal games, yet it is very exciting and watched by millions. What gets hyped are the shots on goal with daring saves that keep the audience glued to their screens. A 2-1 match with 5 chances by each side in 90 minutes is boring, the same score with 12-18 chances is white knuckle excitement.

[@MartinChungHNIC]

Also like to add the women's game is the fastest growing section of football, and the US women's team is very successful, they have actually won WCs . Secondly in football they can play over 50 games a season, so a Championship club team will play Saturday and Tuesday for league and cups over the season.

[@JakeJacks-mo1ck]

something that you can never get across on videos is atmosphere. Even people that can’t stand watching football on tv will love going to a game.my gf couldn’t stand football before o got with her, I took her to a few games and now she’s in the queue for a season ticket

[@jacksmith4460]

Great video dude A couple of really narrative important things people forget/dont know about the Leicester season 1) The season before they were fighting relegation, but eve ore than that, they were actually minutes away from it , until a late Cambiasso goal in the final game of the season, they literally. The fact they had Cambiasso in the first place was already pretty gnarly, an un predictable place for him to end up. But all that season they were fighting the drop, and they were expected to go down, even on the final day. After this BTW they sacked their manager which was seen as a mistake by most at the time (although there were some off pitch reasons I forget) To get across how crazy this is, they avoid Relegation with a late goal, and literally 10-15 minutes later (in competitive on pitch time) they started a relentless title run (at the start of the net season). I get a US dude who knows nothing about the game will not gain too much with that extra information, but to anyone who has any basic understanding, it becomes doubley crazy, and provides context as to why they were 5000/1. 2)The Manager they got in was Ranieri, who was a beloved manager by the whole league, even rival fans loved him (he managed Chelsea before and even Chelsea rivals loved him, but he never won the prem, but got close) Ranieri was sacked from Chelsea and Jose joined and started winning everything. You cant help but think Ranieri would have had a title as it was his team Jose won the first title with, so the Leicester story has yet ANOTHER layer, Raneri himself got to win the title he previously deserved, and in a way where its almost like the Universe had to address the balance itself

[@jaden338]

Amazing video, very glad you made this. thank you

[@jacksmith4460]

There are way more than 11 tiers, that's just the 11 semi pro and pro tiers,. there will be between 7 and 10 further tiers(region dependent) and the top few tiers of that structure actually have some semi pros in as well, and they feed into the 11 tiers you cite. I would say more like 15+ tiers were there are at least a few paid players in each team. couple of my friends play in tiers 11, 10, and 9 (in the main pyramid, county and above levels) I have also played in the upper tiers of the Amateur stuff below the main pyramid and there were paid players there, some of them were actually worthy of a much higher standard, and for whatever reason they were further down (everything from wasted chances, to other commitments preventing higher up standards of play through to people that are talented but dont really want to focus on it) FTR I am not someone who is paid to play but I know a few and have played with a lot over the years. In those upper amateur levels, its crazy, there are first 11's in those teams, where some of the players are paying to play, and some of the team mates are paid to play (they will have A, B, C teams etc so the best guys that pay to play will play in the A squad or whatever). I used to play for a team like that, where I was paying £5 as were 7 or 8 of the rest, couple were paid £10, and one guy was paid £30. He was a phenomenal player, I mean should have been a prem player good, possibly England player good, he was that good, but dude got into drugs and solvent abuse, and ruined his big tie prospects, he was an England school Boy and was in a couple of top pro academy's, but threw it all away and ended up earning £30 every Saturday, playing in the 13 or 14th tier of football

[@lukessportsacademy]

🤯 I knew there were more tiers but I didn’t realize that players were paid all the way down

[@DaveGreen-gw6ew]

Apologies if this sounds sexist but one of the reasons Americans can't get into football is probably because the women's national team is a country mile better than the men's team. You mentioned only having 5 substitutes, I have been following football long enough to remember when there was only one substitute per team per game allowed. Leicester won the prem title and were relegated 2 or 3 seasons later. So that shows you how quickly your fortunes can change in football.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

The average cost of a student in a middle school is $8,778 and for a high school student is $12,756. The amount for private schools is double that amount. Now add in the additional cost for coaching, playing field maintenance, etc. and you can see that to have a soccer academy like Europe in the USA will cost between $10,000 and $30,000 per player regardless of talent level. Now you can see why we have pay-to-play.

[@DaveGreen-gw6ew]

@@gregorybiestek3431 The costs we incur in Britain are no where near the costs you have mentioned. The local council normally pay for the upkeep of the pitches. The parents/ guardian of the child/ children may have to pay a small amount for the cleaning of kit, general running of the club and possibly travel to an away game but it wont be a lot. The costs you incur are a stupid amount. Still that's what you get when you live in a country that's a business first and foremost and ruled by big businesses and anything else a very poor and very distant second.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@DaveGreen-gw6ew It gets worse. The shared experience of fandom and rivalry, the sense of community support, of clubs not commercial teams DOES NOT EXIST in the USA for soccer. It was the Great Depression in 1930 that killed community soccer in the USA and it has never recovered that same level of local "club" support.

[@ShahPhilLeotardo]

Women’s football is not a real sport

[@adamgt4037]

To be fair Soccer isn't what it used to be, it's Faster more athletic and the Flopping has gone down a lot. Americans didn't like it because it was Boring and there was a Huge lack of Integrity in the Game with fake injuries(which they've toned down a lot).

[@matheussalmaso6685]

You should follow up the Brazilian league more Closely next season (we don't follow the eropean calendar. Our season starts and end on the same year). It is a standard league, 20 teams, everyone plays one another home and away. But we have 12 clubs that are considered big and expected to win things. And here's the best part: FOUR teams get relegated. No playoffs. Bottom four? Out! This means that a lot of big clubs end up relegated. Besides that, since commenbol is a confederation with only 10 countries, the Libertadores Championship (equivalent to the Champions League in Europe) needs a lot of Brasilian teams to the current format. So we have 6 spots for it and 6 for the Copa Sudamericana (equivalent to the Europa League). So teams are always fighting for something. You could be battleling relagation and end up in an international competition. That's what happened to Cruzeiro last season. They were battleling relegation but secured the last sport to the Sudamericana on the last round. Now they are in the final that's gonna happen this next Saturday! TL;DR: Follow the Brazilian League for excitement!

[@HuangdiHS]

to all Americans who love drama, entertainment, let me tell you a story: I'm a huge club brugge fan, second best football club of Belgium history, and probably the best of the last decade. Last season, from october to april, our domestic season was atrocious, but we got qualified for playoffs (points divided in half and the best 6 teams get into a league fight). Every analyst wrote us down for the title, before the points division, we were 19 pts behind the leader (Union Saint-Gilloise) and 12 behind Anderlecht, they even said there were 0.1 % chance we get it. 8 games later, six wins and two ties, we were on top of the table, equal points with Anderlecht (who we were going to face on game 9) and 2 pts ahead of Union. if Anderlecht won the confrontation, they would eliminate us of the title race (in belgium, if equal points, the regular season position prevails). We won that confrontation so we had enough with a tie against our neighbor, Cercle Brugge, on the final game. the atmosphere was crazy, all the fans were welcoming the team when they arrived at the stadium, we had a few goal opportunites, they had a few also and like less than ten minutes before the final whistle blow, our opponent scored a goal (cleared by one of our defenders near the goal line),VAR asked the referee to check if the goal was valid (the ball was definitely over the line but on the cross, there was a foul and when the ball was touched, there was an offside), the check took like 4 minutes, the referee knows the decision will determine who wins the league (Union was winning easily on the other game), every fan in the stadium or sitting in front of the TV was deadly scared about the decision, with VAR you never know what is going to happen, on my side I had to remove my watch because my heartbeat was going crazy and finally the ref whistles an offside and we won the title 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

[@gregorybiestek3431]

That same level of drama, entertainment, and passionate following occurs in all of the better watched USA sports. The difference is that there is FAR FEWER teams that have only been in existence for a handful of years. In the UK there are 640 teams in the National League system for a population 67 million in an area of 243,610 sq km. The USA has a TOTAL of 94 teams in its system for a population of 350 million in an area of 9,833,517 sq km. The USA has 80% fewer clubs in an area 3,937% bigger.

[@ryanfebrianto8973]

What a presentation. To be honest, I also had similar experience to American sports. Back then American football caught my attention from the manga/anime I read/watched (Eyeshield 21), then I was trying to watch the full game and it was torturing. The endless commercials that pause/stop even kill the momentum of the game were the reasons why it ain't popular outside the US. And if some of you said football (soccer, duh) is a boring game especially you people who called this game as commie propaganda. Touch some grass man, it ain't got nothing to do with comunism. In fact a lot of us who are football fans had horrible experience with comunism and we don't endorse or support comunism (ask the ex east German folks). Then the American game was 60 mins game but it last for 3 hours and 2/3 of airing duration was commercials. But then, I accidentally subscribe to NFL channel and Chiefs vs Rams 2018 game highlight popped out on my home, and quite frankly that moment made me falling love to the American game. That made realize, there were tons of exciting moments that weren't just scoring touch down. Moments that made the games exciting (catches, runs, tackles, sacks etc). Do the same thing to other sports, find some highlights, got some contexts, and find the things that made the game exciting. That is also what happened to me for baseball, I also used to think that it is boring game where you just throw the ball and hit it with bat and the game last for for 3-3.5 hours long. Then I read a manga about Koshien high school baseball, I got things that made the game exciting, that made realize the home run is not the only exciting thing, then the Ohtani things happened. Now I am falling in love for seeing the canon ball or the dancing ball that throwed by pitcher which is hell of dedication and craftsmanship to mastering the multiple pitching techniques. Then the closing of statement from your essay is on point. The attitude towards international competition for American sports need to be addressed. Hey, Super Bowl champion ain't world champion. World Series champion ain't world champion. The attitude for not sending the best players to international competition are backfired. Just take a look the stupid reaction to Noah Lyles's statement about NBA and world reaction to FIBA world cup. Just take a look for some baseball fans said that WBC was just glorified exebition, but the Japanese sent Ohtani, Sasaki, Yamamoto, Darvish and how serious they were. Remember! England had similar attitude back then in late 1800s to early 1900's and look where are they now. Singing football is coming home every international tournament yet they failed (most of the time) miserably. And yeah, Imperial system is stupid it is pain in the ass and you should throw it to the trash, cus none of y'all (even us) can convert gallon to inch cubic without calculator nor converter.

[@ohauss]

To be fair, American Football lends itself to commercial breaks, because the game is stopped constantly anyway. "Soccer" just doesn't allow for that. There are no plannable maximum stretches between breaks in the game except for halftime. While it's not quite realistic because stuff (and goals) happens, in theory, a half could be 45 minutes nonstop action without a single whistle being blown.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Of course that is a problem in the USA. No breaks mean no commercials. No commercials mean no ad revenue for the tv networks & stations, so they refuse to broadcast anything without income. No broadcasting means VERY few fans and VERY little community interest in sport. That is why in the USA soccer/football is behind paywalls and there is NO free to watch games to interest poor & working class kids.

[@tokysobukanla]

Luke, you have understood the intrinsic nature of the beautiful game. Keep up the good work!

[@takaaki1905]

Great vid bro, we all need football And football is for everybody

[@panamafloyd1469]

Nice one, Luke! Oh, and did you get the chance to see US v. Jamaica in CONCACAF on Monday? Scored 4, but leaked 2 at the back. Still some work to do, I guess.

[@1972dsrai]

Americans don’t like it when they’re not the best or at least competitive. Right now they’re not even the best in CONCACAF with Canada and Mexico arguably better so Poch has his work cut out for 26 wc. They’ll do well to reach the last 16. I’m thinking last 32, but a lot depends on who you play.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Being #1 has nothing to do with liking the sport. Hockey is big, but for 75 of its 100+ years it was entirely played by Canadians even on USA teams. It was the Great Depression in 1930 that killed community soccer in the USA and it has never recovered that same level of local "club" support.

[@chippydogwoofwoof]

The running stats for the NFL v Soccer is crazy in terms of distance covered per game for example on average Premier league players run over 7 miles per game whilst NFL players are only just above 1 mile per game

[@aanholle]

long time no see luke hope you're doing well!!! keep up the good works 🦾

[@kscman]

Do not like Football! I am broken... my most favourite team, Karlsruher SC plays in the 2. Bundesliga... in the national Cup, the DFB-Pokal, they had to play against Augsburg, 1. Bundesliga. After 90 Minutes the ständig was 1:1... it went to overtime... we scored, we could have won, but then... in 120+4 Augsburg scored too... Penalty Shooting... Karlsruhe 4:5 Augsburg... the game costs me 20 years of life!

[@chippydogwoofwoof]

Ive followed football for aw long as i can remember but still really enjoyed this video

[@BlackRoseImmortal75]

Nice vid bro, you explained this sport true nature very well. I think US for the first time in their football history have a serious team with actual good players. People like Pulisic, Tessmann, Musah can become top players in a very short time. Mckennie is already a solid reliable midfielder and Weah also is not bad. They just need a good defender. Canada Also is growing interesting players. Next WC will be entertaining for sure. Hope americans will accept this beautiful game and fully enjoy the magical atmosphere of hosting a world cup.

[@joules_sw]

8:26 Luke, did you know only 3 subs were allowed until recently?

[@robbiebalboa]

I still forget sometimes they hadn’t changed it back. Was crazy they initially introduced it due to lesser conditioning of the players cause of isolation.

[@agn855]

Kaiserslautern had been relegated in 1996 to Germany's second tier, but getting promoted back to the "Erste Bundesliga" again in 1997. That same year they made it to win the Championship! Their manager Otto Rehhagel later became coach of the Greek National Team (kinda Europa's underdogs) and made them European Champions too.

[@danielleeskelton]

Pro/Rel is a big debate I've seen between American fans, some are very much for it others very much against. I'm not sure if the US is ready for it yet. Especially the MLS. I think there was talk of the USL bringing it in at some point to see how it works.

[@panamafloyd1469]

I agree with you. There just isn't enough football here yet. Add in the fact that MLS is kind of going down the NBA/NFL business path (no new franchise without blueprints for a multi-million dollar stadium in your pocket), and I think pro/rel is quite away off. I guess I'm a "fence-sitter"? I love the concept, think it would help the quality of play in this country. But I think you're right about not being ready. Before MLS Next came along, our (Atlanta) academy team played in USL. Played in a stadium built for our old WPS team (up the Beat! 😊). Many clubs were jealous that our place was so "fancy".

[@gregorybiestek3431]

I am here as an American to keep reminding everyone that promotion/relegation will not work in the USA because teams sent down would lose fans, media coverage and MOST OF ALL money. There is NO community base of support big enough to sustain a relegated team. If relegation was implemented in the USA a team does not get a chance to be better, it would just fold and within a couple of years the entire league. In the US even without relegation in the last 40 years the following leagues have folded: The American Soccer League (twice), the National Association League, the North American Soccer League (twice), the United Soccer League, & the USSF Division 2 Professional League. Pro/rel, if implemented, really would be the kiss of death for American soccer.

[@quebecforce111]

in North america we have the same kind of sport but in better . We have ice hockey. Ice hockey are the most spectacular,fast,agressive team sport in the world. Nobody want watch soccer when you have ice hockey

[@steveholmes11]

Hmmm, Ice Hockey world cup viewing figures?

[@quebecforce111]

@@steveholmes11 Ice hockey are not play in really hot countrys. Yes soccer are popular but so boring and slow. Hockey are so fast and spectacular.

[@Savalatte]

It's not that popular in the American South but my sister is a fan of a Canadian hockey team post-pandemic and she's obsessed with it, even watches the analysis and everything.

[@quebecforce111]

@@Savalatte iknow and it's sad. This sport are just the best sport and deserve the most popular one. (ice hockey)

[@Savalatte]

​@@quebecforce111 Yea the biggest problem is not even the SPORT of soccer, but the RELIGION of soccer. So they go around thinking if a country doesn't like soccer there is something wrong with them and this requires constant analysis. If they prefer some sport that keeps soccer from being number one then they are "wrong" and this invokes constant critique. Ditto for calling it "soccer" or calling something else "football". Because only soccer has history, passion, and a real community that brings people everywhere together. ​I personally think it's ideal for people to like different sports and don't want to see our traditional North American sports struggle because of their superiority complex

[@leecollison7527]

Could just as easily use Brighton & Hove Albion as a great fairytale story. Almost relegated out of the Football League in 97 (and extinsion due to previous owners selling and profiteering from the sale of the stadium). 25 years later, qualifying for European competition

[@guyfaux3978]

The problem some Americans might have with futbol is that the build-up takes a lot of time and effort, only for the defensive team to foul or put the ball over the touchline, leading to the complaint, "Are there EVER any goals?" This happens when there are two half-assed teams or two terrible teams playing, not unlike two gridiron teams just going three-and-out with a lot of false start/encroachment penalties.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

That same level of drama, entertainment, and passionate following occurs in all of the better watched USA sports. The difference is that there is FAR FEWER teams that have only been in existence for a handful of years. In the UK there are 640 teams in the National League system for a population 67 million in an area of 243,610 sq km. The USA has a TOTAL of 94 teams in its system for a population of 350 million in an area of 9,833,517 sq km. The USA has 80% fewer clubs in an area 3,937% bigger.

[@guyfaux3978]

@@gregorybiestek3431 If you think of the US as being a soccer nation of, say, 70 million rather than 350M, you'd have a better idea of the scale on which it operates.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@guyfaux3978 More like a soccer nation of 35 million rather than one of 350 million spread across a continent larger than Australia.

[@p4n23r]

American got to watch Messi in his late age. Please WATCH Lionel in his young age 17 to 25. It is MAGICAL. The time when he play with RONALDINHO (another magic player) will WOW you. The 1-2 pass, the free kick, the goal. Its entertaining.

[@TagusMan]

There's something about chasing a round bouncing ball ⚽ using only your feet, no hands allowed, that makes this sport beautiful in ways that no other sport can match. The skills, the endurance, and the creativity needed to play ⚽ is far superior to every other sport. And ⚽ is the great equalizer. You don't have to be freakishly tall or a muscle bound behemoth or a certain weight class to be the best player on the planet. You can be a hobbit like Messi or Maradona or Pelé and be the GOAT. You absolutely cannot do that in football 🏈 or rugby 🏉 or volleyball 🏐 or basketball 🏀 or ice hockey 🏒 or sumo wrestling (no emoji for sumo). That's why soccer ⚽ is the greatest sport on Earth.

[@OscarOSullivan]

Guess you never have seen scrum halves or hookers in rugby union kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4HOkIyEmJ2fqpYsi=ueX3ya9YlePa_KF_ kzbin.infoatg7Yn0ap4Y?si=HxoC2wQu01rYVF_t one of the greatest rugby players of all time Gareth Edwards was only 173cm tall and weighed 80kg. While top flight rugby union these days seems to favour above average height players there are world cup winning boks who are 175cm tall. In the lower divisions height is less of a factor. Modern upper flights soccer is quite selective based on build, no place for the bulkier or heavier set players anymore unlike rugby union where these players number 7 in total.

[@vergueta_]

I think that don't exist a better sport than other, I think it's only question of culture, so simple like that 🤷‍♂️

[@Billboswaggings]

2 years jeez been here from the start 💙

[@k2411871]

Luke its your channel, but I think you should go on Football panel shows, more than anything you get a new audience to see your views.

[@jacksmith4460]

I have always said , I would rather be trucked by an NFL beast of a Rugby monster than have my leg snapped. The bad injuries in Football/Soccer are pretty terrifying to be honest, I have seen a tackle turn someone's foot 180, and it stay that way, bones in legs snap and break and tear skin. Dont get me wrong NFL and Rugby are VERY brutal sports and the sheer pounding those sports dish out is quite phenomenal for non combat sports, but the horror of the bad football Injuries are quite unmatched IMO outside combat sport.(although I would not say its a good thing, but it indicates its far more physical than many think) OH and for the record i played rugby union for 5 years at school where I was mostly tiny and getting trucked game after game by beasts, I was a small fly half with good feet, if you know Rugby you know that means I have a target on my back (if you only know NFL its kind of a QB position but more kicking based, and just like a QB, huge fuckers all trying to truck you asap). I have direct experience of Rugby and Football/soccer nasties (these are all Football/Soccer: 1 broken collar bone, 3 times ankles mashed up, 2 ridiculous partial ruptures that could have stopped me playing, and 1 break , the ruptures are less brutal than the break, but took far longer to heal) When I hear people talk like its a soft game, I laugh. They would not last 20 minutes playing 11 aside, and they would be in far more pain than they anticipate come the end of 90mins. just think how much stuff hurts more, when you are really tired, how much harder impacts are because you are less likely to be able to dodge/mitigate force even redirect. Anyone who says football is a soft game, either 1 has never played it properly, or 2 is one of those bell fruit that are just trying to act tough,

[@marco_grt4460]

I suggest you watch the Calcio Storico Fiorentino (historical Florentine football), maybe you might like it, more than half a century of history on this discipline, father of the two sports (or more)

[@OscarOSullivan]

Most rugby injuries are the sort of strain injuries you see in soccer.

[@stevemcgowen]

I wasn't a fan of football until I moved to Prague. The Sparta-Slava Derby sold me. I still don't watch it on tv unless it's on at my local. Going to the games in Prague and Plzen is just awesome. Americans won't embrace football because ultras wouldn't be allowed- and that's half the fun. There's also no pub culture in America. Red hats in America also call football soft...

[@beefabob]

Well said sir. I can remember back to the sixties when you were only allowed ONE substitute per game.

[@steveholmes11]

My Dad played at a decent non professional standard in the 1950s. No Subs at all (I'm in danger of wandering into Four Yorkshiremen territory here). Get injured, stay on and walk or stand where you'll cause most nuisance. It sounds brutal, but for school games, if you're in the eleven on the bus, you know you're getting a game. The current youth game sees so many kids getting reduced time as substitutes are rolled on and off.

[@beefabob]

@@steveholmes11 I was playing Sunday League football back in the late sixties early seventies and unlike in your Dad's day we were allowed one substitute. Having said that, once the sub had been used, if you suffered anything less than an inverted fracture of the femur you were expected to stay on the field just to make up the numbers! Crazy days, but I loved 'em!

[@steveholmes11]

@@beefabob I certainly remember outfield players having to take over as goalie after a bad collision. The game has changed a lot: Acrylic footballs in 1970 and the Brazilian "bender" free kicks. The same footballs don't absorb 2lbs of water on a damp day. Gradual transition from 2-3-5 to 4-2-3-1 even in youth football. The near disappearance of the "midfield enforcer". Every sport evolves, but football remains the beautiful game.

[@Eiibon]

Great video Luke!!

[@henning8737]

Check out German Football the crouds and the chants are amazing.

[@filipfilipov8716]

As long as you dont have relegation, your players/teams are not fighting. They play for the money, cant get paycut cause they relegated and suck, clubs wont care if they play bad, or dont need to put money in the squat.. Also youth academies owned by the clubs, or working with them.

[@porafriken]

relegation and promotion is also about money too btw… wage cuts and the lower TV money etc.

[@filipfilipov8716]

@@porafriken which they dont have in US.. That is my point

[@gregorybiestek3431]

I am here as an American to keep reminding everyone that promotion/relegation will not work in the USA because teams sent down would lose fans, media coverage and MOST OF ALL money. There is NO community base of support big enough to sustain a relegated team. If relegation was implemented in the USA a team does not get a chance to be better, it would just fold and within a couple of years the entire league. In the US even without relegation in the last 40 years the following leagues have folded: The American Soccer League (twice), the National Association League, the North American Soccer League (twice), the United Soccer League, & the USSF Division 2 Professional League. Pro/rel, if implemented, really would be the kiss of death for American soccer.

[@filipfilipov8716]

@@gregorybiestek3431 its much more complicated then that. In Europe, clubs don't lose fans when they get relegated. Fans who give up on their team when they get relegated aren't fans. In the US, I don't believe that if, say, Los Angeles gets relegated, fans will stop going to the games just because they'll be playing a season with weaker opponents. The money from the league doesn't support the team. The team is supported by a combination of transfers, merchandise, TV rights, advertising contracts, tickets and many other things. If a team gets relegated, it will lose some of its good players, but it will give a chance to the young players from its academy, who can grow a lot in a season and bring the team back to the top level. Everything is much more complicated than you think, but it has already been invented and the model works in many countries. In the US, you rely on franchises, while the rest of the world relies on clubs. Franchising does not allow for the creation of clubs in the same city (or makes it very difficult), while in London alone there are 7 (I think) top-level clubs.

[@ricardocima]

Nice video. in 2002 I predicted that USA would win a world cup by 2030. Not gonna happen but I strongly believe that once you start loving and playing the game, you will be FOR SURE one of the best national teams in the world. I lived in US for a while and my advice is to pratice a bit more outside academies: in the street, on the beach, futsal, "altinha" (passing without letting the ball touch the ground), etc. It's important to create intimacy with the ball and hence, skills. I think it's equivalent to what you do with basketball, you have different ways of having fun. Also very important is to start very very young, like professional musicians do. It;s impossible to be a professional if you start late. Greetings from Brazil, and as we say: come to Brazil!

[@joules_sw]

USA or Japan will be the first world champion outside UEFA/Conmebol

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Development of kids in soccer/football takes $$$. Paying liability insurance, renting fields, paying coaches & refs costs $$. In Europe it is primarily funded by an established clubs, transfer fees, and government funding. The USA has clubs that have only recently been in existence, loses entire organizations (3 USL teams folded in 2023) every year, has not had enough development for transfer fees, and absolutely will NOT get ANY state funding. Without those sources of $$$ you get Pay-to-Play.

[@ricardocima]

@@gregorybiestek3431 see, that's very bureaucratic, I think a more playful approach is needed. If you talk about "liability insurance" in Brazil, people will think you're crazy.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@ricardocima That's because you have never had someone in family's life ruined forever by one accident. If a person is found to not have taken protection of someone's child, that adult or the parents can be arrested & imprisoned, the children taken away by CPS, and what is left of the family devastated for decades.

[@ricardocima]

@@gregorybiestek3431 Makes no sense at all. Do they need insurance to ride a bike?

[@OscarOSullivan]

Even rugby union in Europe has some form of promotion and relegation. The teams in the top 8 of the URC go to the European Champions cup next season while the rest play in the challenge cup which has less financial revenue, something which the club I support Munster is in real danger of, this season. France has the Top 14 to D3, England Premiership to National league 1, Ireland All Ireland league (multi division) down all the way to the lowest social rugby division, you get the picture.

[@JayAP2024]

Great video. Fair play lad

[@mrmr5580]

Like I've said before Luke, in America you guys didn't have much access to football, US TV networks just didn't really show it, with things like KZbin there's much more access to it now, ive enjoyed watching your journey into football (even if you chose Spurs, yes im an Arsenal fan 😂) but long may it continue dude

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Of course that is a problem in the USA. No breaks mean no commercials. No commercials mean no ad revenue for the tv networks & stations, so they refuse to broadcast anything without income. No broadcasting means VERY few fans and VERY little community interest in sport. That is why in the USA soccer/football is behind paywalls and there is NO free to watch games to interest poor & working-class kids.

[@merseydave1]

Our World Governing body F.I.F.A. means Federation International FOOTBALL Association ... as The World Name for The World Game is FOOTBALL ...Fact! I am an Englishman from/in Liverpool England, I want to see The World Game grow and prosper in The U.S. and I fully support The F.I.F.A. World Cup Finals returning to North America. Your Female U.S. National Football Team have dominated International Female Football from the mid 1990s and I would Love to see your Men Catch Up! Something many Americans do not know (I have other points too) The World Game of FOOTBALL was established in America from the 1900s up to the 1920s from European migration and The British Empire via Central and South Americans entering The U.S. sadly it faded just like what happened in the 1970s into the mid 1980s. This time I am sure The World Game of FOOTBALL will establish itself in The U.S. as "We" The Rest Of The World Want You To Join Us!.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

Total MLS attendance in 2022 for the MLS was 10 million regular season & playoffs combined. Total attendance for the NHL in 2022 was 22.4 million during the regular season & an additional 1.6 million during the playoffs. Total tv audience for MLS average 343,000 per week while the average tv viewers for hockey was 4,590,000. I agree that soccer is growing, but right now which is better liked? By the way tv viewers for the Premier League average is just 527,000, so tv viewers COMBINED of the MLS & the EPL is ONE FIFTH that of Hockey. No breaks mean no commercials. No commercials mean no ad revenue for the tv networks & stations, so they refuse to broadcast anything without income. No broadcasting means VERY few fans and VERY little community interest in sport. That is why in the USA soccer/football is behind paywalls and there is NO free to watch games to interest poor & working-class kids.

[@FinallyMe78]

Because scoring is so infrequent, it carries more meaning. A single penalty can change the entire game. I stopped watching American Football for years and focused on real football. Then I watched the superbowl a few years ago. A 60 minute game that takes 3 hours to play. 2 hours of stopping and commercials. No flow, just stop and start.

[@pablitoborda7236]

la mayoria de los deportes se juegan con las manos, lo que da una gran ventaja, dado que los humanos somos infinitamente mas habiles con las manos que con los pies, por eso el futbol soccer es mas impredecible que el resto de los deportes.

[@OscarOSullivan]

Have you ever tried to catch Gaelic football or Rugby ball while playing or training? Harder than it looks.

[@pablitoborda7236]

@@OscarOSullivan el futbol gaelico se juega con una pelota redonda (similar ya la de soccer, salvo que es un poco mas pesada) practicamente la llevan picando (esa comparacion no me parece la mas acertada) respecto del Rugby, es verdad lo que expresás. pero convengamos que el rugby no goza de tanta popularidad y el virtuosismo de ese deporte, no pasa por la aprension de la pelota sino por la fuerza o velocidad de los jugadores.

[@AgentTokyo78]

Brian Clough said its an easy game played by men then its not a game its life.

[@chaoznofx]

HI LUKE, HI GUYS.. . THE BEAUTIFUL GAME IS EVERYWHERE NOW.. AFTER USA26 WC.. THERE ARE NO MORE PLACES TO CONQUER.

[@fortheloveofmusic860]

Baseball, basketball and Football could be "Beautiful Games" as well. But they're just franchises. They're just money schemes. US sports and US soccer miss strong roots in local communities. Sports are seen as money schemes. Even at grassroot level playing in a club is expensive. In Europe every self respecting village has a club, no matter on whatever level. We play. Every professional league, at least, has a couple of derby matches and away games are not to far off. If soccer was the big game in the US New York would at least have 8 or 9 professional teams. The same in LA. Any other decent sized city, about 500 to 300k, would at least have 1 or 2 teams. And they'd all have multiple amateur clubs. And all with players who'd probably go and watch their local professional club.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

The shared experience of fandom and rivalry, the sense of community support, of clubs not commercial teams DOES NOT EXIST in the USA for soccer. It was the Great Depression in 1930 that killed community soccer in the USA and it has never recovered that same level of local "club" support. Kids playing youth soccer does NOT translate into community support & TV money. The average USL-Champion League player makes $38,000, the USL League One makes $18,000. Compare that to England's 3rd tier (League One) average of $69,500. Add in travel expenses (try flying from Manchester to Moscow one week & then to Athens the next which is the distance of many MLS and USL clubs) and other costs, and you get USA type franchise sport, not local clubs.

[@fortheloveofmusic860]

@gregorybiestek3431 It's a shame the MLS doesn't care about this. They could be a very welcome catalyst for this. But the MLS doesn't care. What would be better if instead of a 500 million entrance fee to join MLS clubs were made to invest that money into infrastructure for local clubs, helping set up clubs and leagues?

[@Savalatte]

College sports aren't francises based on money and nobody owns the team. Yet they often have huge fanbases and crowds. Even many of the players tend to be fairly local. By contrast, top level European soccer is very lucrative and the top players, coaches, and owners are super rich. Many of their fans live in different countries even. Real "community" spirit from the biggest of hypocrites.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@Savalatte I was responding to the many Europeans who were posting about USA PRO sports. I agree that college sports is a completely different, but in the context of soccer college is poor example because players are NOT there to primarily to be paid but to be educated & the level of 20-year-old players is below those in European professional leagues. In a way it is too bad, because could you see the rivalry soccer game between Michigan & Ohio State, or Alabama & LSU, or Texas & Oklahoma in a big stadium?

[@fortheloveofmusic860]

@@Savalatte Sports on top level in Europe are about money to and soccer will be the best payed and makes the most money because it's by far the most popular spectators game. But still, Real Madrid or Liverpool depend on and are rooted in Madrid and Liverpool and will always nurture that. They have a youth academy and scout for players in their local amateur clubs. I don't think American sports clubs do so. And college teams might be local, but what about talented kids that don't go to college or university? Is there any local sports club they can go to play in a competitive competition? US soccer has very weak grassroots. And the franchise model is nothing like a true club that grew and developed by the hands of local people. As long as the US clubs lack that history and it's just about money (no matter how much) they'll have a weak foundation. And there's nothing hypocrite about that. I'm from Groningen in the Netherlands, my local professional club, FC Groningen, has a history going back to 1915. Last year we got promoted back to the top flight. In the team were 6 local, from the city, players. None of them were drafted. They all came in from our own academy after having started playing at local amateur clubs. We drew in more fans, 18,000 on average, than the year previous, when we didn't play them.

[@clivenewman4810]

Leicester City and Emma Raducanu, sporting achievements that should never have happened but did.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@TCGTales]

Is it me or was there an issue with the video's audio?

[@newgen85]

And now the beautiful game is a little more beautiful 😊

[@possessedboy4908]

10:42 spectacular

[@gavinmallett9331]

Well said Luke!!

[@alejandroalfonso4132]

Good video 👏👏👏

[@TruEliocean]

beautiful video, nothing more to be said

[@alexore7128]

Amazing video ❤👍

[@RuzFN]

Could you react to a video by Daily Dose of football called “How one tackle killed the career of Maradonas favorite player” it’s about Paulo Futre

[@mech-x-xavious]

Am I allowed to disagree and say that I have these feelings for our own sports and sporting traditions? Am I allowed to call it soccer ⚽️ and football 🏈 and still be on the same moral/intellectual ground as you?

[@Tvtvtvtvttv]

American football as I call it the cte car crash game.

[@mech-x-xavious]

@Tvtvtvtvttv more entertaining than soccer

[@L1am21]

Do what you want to do.

[@tconbo4514]

There's reasons football is the most popular sport on the planet. By a country mile. . .

[@davidsouth9979]

The second most popular sport worldwide is cricket. There are lots of vids. If it’s grit you want try rugby which is far more physical than NFL, no pads or helmets.

[@OscarOSullivan]

Also a lot less start stop for both codes

[@joules_sw]

Great video

[@darthwiizius]

"We love brutality". Mate, just show them some videos of Vinnie Jones' playing career. 🤣

[@nimay13]

No need bro. Just go watch pre EPL era matches. Players just flying tackles to each other like nobody’s business.

[@joules_sw]

Just make them watch Pepe😂

[@Thekaiser4100]

That game with the teams in white and blue was fake, right?

[@lukessportsacademy]

@@Thekaiser4100 stock footage to avoid copyright infringement

[@Gustavo_Baeza]

Hey Luke ! Do you continue playing FM24?

[@lukessportsacademy]

@@Gustavo_Baeza I havent been able to keep up because of my school schedule. I will return to it once school is over though

[@gamera5160]

Why watch soccer when I can watch hockey and get faster higher scoring soccer on skates with hitting and fighting?

[@ricardocima]

Great game, not as beautiful.

[@gncl7599]

Why not both?

[@TagusMan]

​@@ricardocima Because hockey is basically guys in body armour slapping an invisible disk around at a thousand miles an hour. And there are countless commercial breaks and time outs and other stoppages in play that destroy the flow of the game. The most exciting bit of hockey are the hockey fights, which rarely happen anymore. That's why.

[@ricardocima]

@@TagusMan To be fair I've seen some crazy "golazos". I remember one guy called Jaromir Jagr, his highlights are amazing. Nutmegs and all.

[@gamera5160]

@@TagusMan I like my games at 1000 miles an hour instead of in a big empty field where nothing happens until people pretend to be hurt in order to get penalty shots. Then whichever team bribed the refs the most wins.

[@lucasrecargado]

You are a good man, but soccer will not end with politicization. Here in Argentina we are very olarice also. And we all love our national team

[@markflower3934]

I would say to Americans not to bother with football ( Soccer) as rugby is far superior.

[@SteviG9]

Baseball is definitely better than soccer, BUT it doesnt come close to FOOTBALL 😊

[@kevinumber7]

BIGGEST SPORT ON EARTH CONVERSION! My goodness this guy. Just wTch AC Milan - Christian Pulisic bro

[@lukessportsacademy]

He’s a beast!

[@kevinumber7]

@lukessportsacademy my guy! Forza Milan

[@joshua34289]

Chills

[@daviel6595]

Loved by world

[@williamking1554]

footy is a contact sport mate

[@OscarOSullivan]

Most football codes are.

[@shanekopacka2945]

AFL. In Australia. The field is. Much much. Bigger. Then. Any. Soccer field in. The. World. Very fast. Scoring. Soccer is. A. Wimpy. Game.

[@bamfyfe]

Good luck on your weight loss journey brother! You can do it if you eat less and move more! Send me some food please if you can! I´m underweight and have similiar problems like you : (

[@TommyBuskulic-u2k]

Leicester City's achievement was made possible for three reasons: 1) The team was bought by a wealthy man who was willing to make the investment needed to build a winner. 2) They overachieved with the right group of players. 3) The Premier League's traditional powerhouse teams underachieved. Immediately after that season, all of Leicester City's top players (not named Jamie Vardy) were bought up by the league's traditional powerhouses. Teams that get promoted to almost any first-division generally have no chance to become contenders for a league championship. They get relegated back to the second-division within a few years, many times after only one season. In the typical U.S.-based sports league, teams have a chance to go from punching bag to league champions within several years if they have good ownership, management, player development, drafting (in certain leagues). It also helps that all of those leagues have revenue sharing. Some leagues have a luxury tax (like MLB). Other leagues have a salary cap with some being stringent (like the NFL & the NHL), while others are more lenient (like the NBA). In any case, a team in any U.S.-based pro sports league can use more long-term planning to build a championship contender. In contrast, many teams in most soccer leagues have no hope of winning a championship, but also don't have to seriously worry about being relegated. Some other teams often panic & have to sign players who are merely good enough to help them avoid relegation. In other words, long-term planning doesn't exist for alot of these teams. The closest thing that professional soccer in Europe has to a salary cap or a luxury tax is Financial Fair Play.