Stephen H. Webb, a professor of religion and philosophy at Wabash College, recently penned a piece for First Things titled "How Soccer is Ruining America: A Jeremiad."
And frankly, I want to thank him for saying the things that needed to be said.
Professor Webb's argues:
Soccer is running America into the ground, and there is very little anyone can do about it. Social critics have long observed that we live in a therapeutic society that treats young people as if they can do no wrong. Every kid is a winner, and nobody is ever left behind, no matter how many times they watch the ball going the other way. Whether the dumbing down of America or soccer came first is hard to say, but soccer is clearly an important means by which American energy, drive, and competitiveness is being undermined to the point of no return.His justification includes:
- "Any sport that limits you to using your feet, with the occasional bang of the head, has something very wrong with it...Anthropologists commonly define man according to his use of hands. We have the thumb, an opposable digit that God gave us to distinguish us from animals that walk on all fours."
- "Sporting should be about breaking kids down before you start building them up."
- "Everyone knows that soccer is a foreign invasion, but few people know exactly what is wrong with that. More than having to do with its origin, soccer is a European sport because it is all about death and despair."
- "And then there is the question of gender...soccer is a game for girls...soccer mimics the paradigmatic feminine experience of childbirth more than the masculine business of destroying your opponent with insurmountable power."
H/T Assassin Ave
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