But I'm sure corollaries of this exist over there too

by HullieAndMikes, Yelling at Sam Cane, Dunedin, Tuesday, July 07, 2026, 05:17 (18 days ago) @ Pat

You don't have to listen to much or many European sport podcasts to hear people whining about the blazers ruining everything in the interest of lining their pockets.

My main guesses of the differentiators:

1. Poor integration of sports into primary and secondary schools.
2. A bigger, more capitalist-minded country allowing for more intensive travel and "showcase" culture.
3. Self-perpetuating problem of fewer elite coaches producing fewer elite coaches to replace them.
4. Lack of civic connections and monetary support between clubs and cities/towns/regions, let alone state and national governments.
5. "Original sin" of tying college cost to athletic prowess, encouraging the development of individual skills versus team vision.

The asterisk is that I'm coming at this from being involved in and trying to grow a much smaller sport (worldwide, let alone in the US). But I will say that the times I have been in trainings with European academy officials have been a stark lesson in the gaps.