Originally Posted by Tal'shiar:
“I know its easy to dismiss it but I think to a point it does have merit. I know some people make out they are treating it like a normal job and thats not true, but the level of passion is going to be far lower and its not exactly anyones fault.
Let me compare it to something many people can also relate it too. Music. When people talk about a bands hayday it isn't when they are older and rich after the fame, its when they are young and hungry. When no one expects anything from you, you have a lot to prove. Its no surprise that time and time again you see people who struggle in a day to day life, those parts of the world pump out these amazing individuals. They are often given very few choices in life. If Ronaldo was a Brazilian superstar, what do you think he would be doing. Many times sports and music and the media in general are the only realistic way out, and that creates a bred of player.
Take some kid who dreams of being the next Messi or Pele, he puts in the hours day in day out for his entire life. He lives in some part of the world were options are low, low pay or a strong pull to gangs, football is their life line. Not only theirs, they know they can lift their entire family out of poverty if they can become one of those superstars.
Compare that to say Rooney, who is pretty rich at this point, he may still really want to win for England but the drive isnt as extreme. He isnt going hungry, his family are not in dire straights and he wasnt living in some crime ridden part of the world (OI no jokes please haha), his drive is simply his passion for football. He can still put a lot into it, but at that very peak of the game, he cannot compete.
USA whilst a great sporting nation in some areas, look at who gets them the medals. Which ethnic group pretty much owns the NBA, African Americans make a large portion of the baseball players also. The racial situation in America is very different from here and the old divides still exist. The ghetto seems like the stuff of nightmares, but it will also give rise to people who are really hungry for the top prize, they will live and die by that.”
Good post, agreed. I'm not saying it's the only reason, or that it applies to every team, but I definitely think it's part of the reason you'll see the occasional big shock, with big teams getting beaten by teams like Chile or Costa Rica.
As with everything, I think it's a combination, to be a great team, you need skill obviously, but you also need to fight for it, and want it more than the other team. I've watched some matches at the world cup and it seems like some of the teams have just given up. It's like a boxing match, half the battle is in your own head, your state of mind .A world class player can seem very average if they have an off day because their heart isn't in it as much as their opponents.
I'm not saying England don't work hard, and I'm sure they want it, it's just I've seen teams in this world cup that want it so badly, they're bristling with passion from every pore. People don't all have to agree, that's what's so great about
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