So you listed one guy who had a problem and will never be as fast again.

Well, that's the trick. I could list you 4-5 linebackers in the NFL just as big and fast as Merriman and 10-15 guys as safeties and DBs who are just a little smaller (maybe 6'2", 230) who run even faster than Merriman.

Anyone who looks at the NFL and actually sees them play in real life would realize just how badly a cross-section of NFL players would kick the living shit out of any rugby team and make them re-think how much they want to play the sport. These guys are bigger, stronger, and faster than anything ever seen on a rugby field.

 Typical american, thinking only size matters. You will see the technique of the rugby players will make them laugh atyour nfl players.  

Typical idiot.

I didn't list only size. Read my post. NFL players are faster, bigger, stronger. Refute that and I won't think you're a complete fucking moron. Do you think that technique can't be learned? NFL defensive backs have to read, learn, and react to a play in less than 3 seconds. The typical NFL offense has more than 100 plays in its book.

Shit, if an NFL player can read 10 different offenses over 16 games and do it effectively, he sure as shit can learn a "technique". 

I think when you get up to the sizes and speeds of both top rugy and nfl players it makes little to no difference. Rugy forwards are big and strong, nfl players are big and strong. Chill.

Rugby is an endurance sport, nfl is a burst play sport. Being good at nfl /= good at rugby and vice-versa. 

NFL players are stronger I think, and faster, but both of this is probably explosive. There is no way in hell they have more stamina/endurance then a Rugby player.

Four sets of 15 minute bursts is nothing at all, and that hour game sometimes lasts up to 3 hours because of it's stop-start nature. That cannot match the endurance of playing two sets of 40 mins, sometimes with 5 minutes extra time added onto each half. And in American football there are much more players per team, so less chance of having to do anything.. What is it 45 active players per team as opposed to 19 in Rugby?

The reason Soccer isn't popular in the US is because its not a very engaging sport. Its undeniable that a game that ends in a 0-0 tie is tedium defined.

Some may claim "Couldn't you say the same about Nascar?" and I would say, Nascar is not a sport.

I think the real question is why is Soccer SO popular elsewhere? I think the answer is tradition. Its so old that so many generations have been raised with it. If you took every one in the world, wiped their memory, and introduced them to all the sports again, I highly doubt soccer would be number 1.

Now I am not here to smack talk soccer. I do have a unique position though. I grew up with my father, who had absolutely no interest in sports what so ever, so I didn't even learn about most sports until I was 8 or 9 (though my Mom is a baseball fan, we didn't live with her,) and entirely through my own actions. With no bias at all I tried a bunch of sports (baseball, soccer, football, basketball,) and I have to say soccer is just not very fun, to play or watch.

All of this is opinion tough, so bash away.

Because American's don't want an excuse to riot? Seriously though, a large portion of enjoying watching any sport is playing and watching the sport when you're young.

That's generally true.  As one of the probably rare exceptions, I was a soccer goalie in high school and absolutely loved playing the sport.  But darned if I can sit and watch the thing for more than 10 minutes at a stretch... just bores me to tears.

Then again, I don't enjoy watching sports in general... why sit and watch someone else have fun when you can sit and play a video game and have the fun yourself.  

I used to think like you crumas, especially when I played cricket and football through highschool, I couldn' t stand watching them.

But for some reason now there is almost sport I get bored watching. I used to REALLY hate watching cricket matches, but it just changed for no reason what so ever =/

I can't watch basketball for very long stretches for some reason, even though I do enjoy what I watch.

Errr..... no. Soccer is played a LOT in elementary, middle, and high schools. I don't know any of my friends who *didn't* play soccer as a kid. The problem is no one looks at it as a spectator sport. There are very few kids who grow up of dreaming to be a professional soccer playing in the US - they all want to be football, baseball, or basketball heroes. Soccer could only move from recreational to spectator status with a bunch of celebrity players and established teams.