Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

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Yeah, I agree with this too. Playing in a competitive environment is fun. Playing in the "lol no one keeps score" league is total crap and perpetuates the myth that every kid is special and can do whatever they want when they grow up. Sure, that's what you tell them, but reality's a bitch, kid! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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When you're talking about three year olds, they can't even remember what the score is. it's still competitive, they know they need to get the ball away from the other team and get it in the goal.

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I'm not what you'd call a soccer fan. But one of my daughters plays and she loves it. I got roped into coaching her Under-6 team in Virginia Beach because no one else volunteered. Of course the league was a "no score" league which I absolutely hated with a passion. So I kept score in my head during the first team. Right after the game the first thing the kids wanted to know was who won. That was with no prompting from me or any other of the parents. From there on out, the kids always knew the score at the end of the game. Kids aren't oblivious to competition and what it means, no matter how much people try to sugarcoat the sports playing experience.

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

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LOL, I don't think it's a question of affording the equipment for a lot of people (e.g most of Europe). Is there some innate insecurity in the majority of Americans that compels them to troll football(soccer) threads?

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Hopefully yes, the rest of the world can manage just fine with football as it's number one sport without any american interference. Please stick to your niche sports that allow plenty of oppurtunity for ad breaks and rest for the 'athletes'.

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Plz to stop being hypocritical, k thx.

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

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I'm not what you'd call a soccer fan. But one of my daughters plays and she loves it. I got roped into coaching her Under-6 team in Virginia Beach because no one else volunteered. Of course the league was a "no score" league which I absolutely hated with a passion. So I kept score in my head during the first team. Right after the game the first thing the kids wanted to know was who won. That was with no prompting from me or any other of the parents. From there on out, the kids always knew the score at the end of the game. Kids aren't oblivious to competition and what it means, no matter how much people try to sugarcoat the sports playing experience.

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To me, the no keeping score rule for the youngest age groups was always about keeping the game fun for the kids and keeping the parents from getting bent out of shape. At age 5, there is nothing wrong with making everyone a winner. However, at age 10, I agree that it's a crime against humanity.

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

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I'm not what you'd call a soccer fan. But one of my daughters plays and she loves it. I got roped into coaching her Under-6 team in Virginia Beach because no one else volunteered. Of course the league was a "no score" league which I absolutely hated with a passion. So I kept score in my head during the first team. Right after the game the first thing the kids wanted to know was who won. That was with no prompting from me or any other of the parents. From there on out, the kids always knew the score at the end of the game. Kids aren't oblivious to competition and what it means, no matter how much people try to sugarcoat the sports playing experience.

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To me, the no keeping score rule for the youngest age groups was always about keeping the game fun for the kids and keeping the parents from getting bent out of shape. At age 5, there is nothing wrong with making everyone a winner. However, at age 10, I agree that it's a crime against humanity.

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My kids had ton of fun even when they lost the games where I told the score. How much fun the kids has nothing to do with the score and everything to do with the coach and parents attitude (at the age group we are talking about in this case).

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

Um, it's really easy. Soccer is cheap.

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

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FWIW, the youth baseball teams I've coached aren't bad. The parents are more or less well mannered. I do hold a parents' meeting preseason and tell them that I'm the [censored] boss and they aren't, though. That helps.

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Sometimes you will have parents that just don't get it. I had a mother pull her kid off my team because I embarrassed him (I pinch hit for him, he had never played on a team where it wasn't decided before the game how many innings each kid would play).

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

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I remember being about 5-7ish in a soccer game. The ball coming to me with tons of space in front of me, take one dribble and then I step completely on the ball and am down. Also one time I removed a large frog off the field during the run of play. I think the parents laughed at both, and nobody really cared. They weren't obnoxious at all until we started hitting puberty and started getting faster and more aggressive. About the age 8 being when the shift starts happening I disagree. There are kids that are way better and more athletic than others but they don't tend to ridicule the bad players until maybe 11-12 ish.

I've done some refereeing too and this has been my experience. Once the kids can actually run around a full field and play reasonably well the parents and coaches think it's the superbowl except many have no idea of the rules/ way the game ought to be played.

I think one reason it's a good sport for kids is because it is harder to single kids out. For example in little league when somebody sucks they can pretty much get humiliated every AB or time a ball is hit to them. In soccer when you get beat or missplay a ball it just doesn't seem as personal to a kid, because there is a lot happening on the field around them. Also the bad kids pretty much never get passed the ball or left on an island.

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never being involved in the play is a form of being singled out.

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

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If the rest of the free world could afford helmets and shoulder pads there is no doubt they would be playing 'American' football imo.

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loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool The rest of the world can't afford helmets or shoulder pads?? they are hardly that expensive. maybe some African countries thats about it who couldn't afford them in a large quantity. LOL @ no doubt too they would be playing "american football" Soccer is a great game FYI but it just gets bashed by people with no clue and it gets no coverage in America. Maybe you were joking or you just never been outside the states which i'm pretty sure of too.

Re: Why soccer is the best sport for kids
 

Soccer moms.

http://groovanauts.com/pictures/data/500/6684quage.gif

Heh heh ohhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhh