HoneyB
Active Roster
As far as challenging, the whole idea that you cannot use your hands and still you are able to create the plays that are made in soccer speaks volumes to the amount of difficulty there is to play this game on an elite level. Football generally is more sided to the natural physical specimens. Sure you will get a short, grind it out type of player in the bunch, but in general, genetics eliminates 90% of the players who are successful in this game. In soccer, anybody can play this game, and it's a game where you can become as skilled as you need to be to be successful.
I agree it's difficult, all sports are difficult if you want to be elite. But as you said, anyone can play soccer. Anyone cannot play football, it's just too tough, too physically demanding, too punishing, and often for some players too mentally challenging because you do actually have to be smart to play,..dumb players just won't pick up the scheme and react fast enough. Smarter you are, faster you can react, and speed is everything in football.
I agree genetics plays a part in football. But I look at a lot of soccer players, and I see genetics at work there as well. They have a certain shape to them, the legs and buttocks. Every sport favors certain anatomy, even if it's slight, and when it comes to competing at the elite level any small advantage is actually huge.