Turnip45 t1_j9yy6vw wrote
The barrier to entry for kids is “have a ball and some space to kick it around”.
In terms of participation you don’t need a full field, you don’t need grass, you don’t need special shoes, armor, uniforms, gymnasiums, an indoor space, etc etc. You don’t even need a goal - a couple of bags to mark the goal is fine. Kids don’t even need any particular supervision due to low contact nature, and versions of it can be played with almost any number of people and in parallel with other activities.
Compare to, say, baseball where you need at a minimum a diamond, enough clear space for the ball to reasonably fly and a minimum of 7 fielders along with other equipment. Or rowing where you need a boat, boathouse, river, and a whole team to turn up, or American football where you can kinda play but almost all variants require a fair number of people each time and a marked field of some description, or ice hockey where you need sticks, skates, and a fucking ice rink.
Adding: Association Football has heavily embraced an actual league system with promotions and relegations, and the league tiers extend all the way down to random pub and village teams. This enables widespread active participation in the sport at every ability level with a continuous line from playing on some local social team to the premiership football players at the top of the sport, providing a level of connection between fans and pro players that helps drive fan engagement.
Gnonthgol t1_j9z1xpe wrote
I do not quite agree with you about baseball. You do not need a full diamond, especially with kids who can not throw far, hit far or run far. The space needed for a variant of baseball suitable for kids is roughly the size of a small football pitch, and the amount of players the same as well. Rowing as well seams quite expensive and complex nowadays but were very accessible when waterways were a major form of transport. And still today there are places where a rowing boat is just as versatile as a car and therefore just as common. American football can also be played by kids very easy. You do not need a full team and it can be played in a smaller format with say 8 kids and just a ball. Granted it can not be played on pavement or gravel like soccer though.
Turnip45 t1_j9zbrau wrote
> And still today there are places where a rowing boat is just as versatile as a car and therefore just as common.
I’m kinda skeptical of that and would be interested to know where this is, however assuming this is true… this places highly restrictive geographic requirements as a barrier to entry and you still need a boat, oars, and a way to either transport it to/from the water or store it nearby. Not exactly something kids can do in any playground on earth.
Gnonthgol t1_j9zinjb wrote
I am not suggesting that kids get their own boat and boathouse. I have lots of fun memories of borrowing the boat of by parents or even the neighbors boat which they have to go fishing, transport things across the lake and through the canal, etc. in order to race with my friends at the time.
mynewaccount4567 t1_ja0tvs8 wrote
I think they mean rowing as in the Olympic sport of rowing. Those boats are pretty specialized and expensive. It’s a different motion than just a rowboat so it’s not as easily transitioned to the “real thing” like a kid playing football without appropriate gear.
Alas7ymedia t1_ja0kob4 wrote
About baseball, you are assuming open spaces that most countries don't have. In Cartagena, Colombia, for example, kids used to play a certain form of baseball with soda caps and the handle of a broomstick. It requires so much skill that not many kids can play it, and those who can, only got the coordination after certain age, but it's what they can get.
Basically an open field in a residential area with no cars or windows around is as rare in Nigeria or Argentina as an Olympic pool. So, no popular swimming sports here either.
Ratnix t1_j9z6po7 wrote
>baseball where you need at a minimum a diamond, enough clear space for the ball to reasonably fly and a minimum of 7 fielders along with other equipment
While baseball is more difficult, you don't need the full complement to play. You need a bat and a ball and an open field, anything can be used to mark the bases. Gloves definitely help, but i have played without them. And you don't need a whole team. We've played with 4 to a side before. It's just better with the full teams of 9 to a side.
Turnip45 t1_j9z7nqb wrote
How does 4 a side baseball work? Pitcher, catcher, first base and one kid covering the rest of the field?
Ratnix t1_j9z8i7n wrote
Do away with the catcher. Use a building/fence as a backstop, and the batter throws the ball back to the pitcher. A couple of people in the outfield and an infielder.
It's not like there would ever be based loaded and no stealing. So there's not really a need for everyone covering a base.
ohverygood t1_j9zxxts wrote
There was a time when baseball would be played by any number of kids, with whatever kind of stick and ball, in whatever alley or field was nearby. You never see that nowadays in the U.S., although you will see kicking a soccer ball in similar conditions.
mynewaccount4567 t1_ja0ulu2 wrote
I think baseball is pretty close to soccer and there is a reason it spread pretty well to other countries. I think the biggest hurdles are numbers. To play an actual game you need at least a handful of people. And without close to a full field , it becomes a lot less fun since defense gets too hard. Football can be played 1v1 all the way up to a full squad. Second while baseball in an ally is fine for younger kids, by the time you reach teenagers, broken windows and hitting it outside the area are a much bigger concern. Though usually there is an open lot available.
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