As I watch World Cup quarterfinal action from Russia, I can’t help but think how well an American team comprised of all the great NFL slot receivers or running backs, or someone like Julio Jones the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, would do – given that they grew up playing futbol instead of American football.

Or think if you put NBA center Anthony Davis in goal? Imagine trying to score on that level of athleticism in that outsized body. 

I suggested the same thing before regarding athletics, in that the very best athletes in the USA don’t play futbol as they do in almost every other nation except China, which is also missing from World Cup action. 

Just think if a bull like Bo Jackson had grown up playing futbol, or back in the day if Jim Brown did. We can guess to a degree since Brown did play lacrosse at Syracuse University, and to this day is considered the greatest lacrosse player ever. 

Yes, Americans grow up playing hand-to-eye coordination games not foot-to-eye, but still, imagine lightning quick powerhouse Julian Edelman scooting around the pitch, PEDs notwithstanding. 

No disrespect to the great futbol nations of the world, but with America’s diverse gene pool and 330 million population, I’d take my chances. Instead, we have to find another nation’s team to root for as we await another NFL season watching America’s best athletes play one another while the rest of the world yawns.

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