They said something to the effect of in the US, soccer is a rich kid sport, while in the rest of the world, it is a poor kid sport.

I wonder if wealth, or even just middle class-ness, removes some of the hunger to excel, to push yourself to the absolute limits of your athletic potential. A middle class kid likely still has an opportunity to go to college even without an athletic scholarship. And once they get there, are probably more likely to prioritize their education over excelling in a sport.

But among poorer kids, I seem to hear a lot of stories about how they put their entire heart and soul into a sport because they perceived it as their only way "out," or at the very least it is their only way to stay away from the gangs, drugs, and other hazards of being young and poor.

Sure, there are plenty of exceptions, but it seems like a majority of professional football, basketball, and baseball rosters are made up of those who didn't have a lot of economic advantages growing up.

Might be complete bunk, might be something to it. But the theory does make me wonder.