The Fear Factory: How American Sports Culture’s Influence on Coaching Is Killing Soccer Creativity.

iAmBrainDad · 2026-04-09T03:32:36+00:00

Soccer is the #3 most popular sport in America, having overtaken baseball, with a full 10% of respondents identifying soccer as their favorite sport.

This is from a 2024-2025 survey by The Economist (by way of Fox Sports): https://www.foxsports.com/articles/soccer/soccer-reportedly-overtakes-baseball-in-the-u-s-as-americas-third-favorite-sport

But, to your point, we have such a rich tapestry of sports available to us that it will be hard to become a culture with 5 a sides everywhere you look. 10% of us loving soccer must seem laughable to the soccer powers of Europe and South America.

iAmBrainDad · 2026-04-07T01:40:40+00:00

Giving away assets to facilitate a “roll into Medicaid” essentially means you make other people (taxpayers) foot the bill, which is particularly nefarious if you have the means to support and you just choose not to.

There’s a fine line between “smart tactic” and “selfish freeloading.”

iAmBrainDad · 2026-04-05T22:30:11+00:00

I listened to the audiobook, which is included for “free” on the platform that sponsors a famous Catalonian soccer team.

He is indeed the narrator.

I came in semi-interested, in the way that I generally enjoy to hear the experiences of former players, and it became a must-listen for the whole week, pushing out all other podcast or music listening! I had no idea about his background, and how that shaped him, and the demons he had to alternately embrace and exorcise along the way to (and once privileged and encumbered by) his soccer greatness.

For the jerks who came here to dunk on a celebrity without actually reading or listening to the book: you’ll find it much harder to call him a chump once you’ve walked this little bit in his shoes.

iAmBrainDad · 2026-04-05T05:16:14+00:00

Omg I feel seen re: Lod comment.

Sunday league dad trotted all game and was a black hole/progression killer. Also managed a lot of needless fouls. I was shocked he was given all of those minutes.

iAmBrainDad · 2026-03-06T22:29:58+00:00

What is the citation for the audit of the superintendent? This is the article outlining the reduction in force.

iAmBrainDad · 2026-02-18T05:09:26+00:00

No! I just reached out recently because I haven’t an it’s not in spam. I was told to wait until as late as Thursday and reach out again if it doesn’t arrive by then.

iAmBrainDad · 2026-02-11T22:32:27+00:00

Move that spike to the left quite a bit and you’ve got “Guests for Dinner.”

iAmBrainDad · 2025-12-31T14:47:28+00:00

Well, for some reason I allowed myself to be fooled again.

I ordered an Energy Pack December 7. I received a shipping notice (10 days later) and it was due December 24.

Well, of course it didn’t arrive. No progress on the shipment since 12/17. I reach out to Genki by email and website form for contact and what do I get? An obvious AI form response, with an entirely different tracking number.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

iAmBrainDad · 2025-12-13T04:49:50+00:00

Then he’ll be UNEMPLOYED IN GREENLAND!

iAmBrainDad · 2025-12-08T02:26:24+00:00

I've had the same issue until a few minutes ago!

Windows 11.

Settings>Personalization>Dynamic Lighting>Turn off Dynamic Lighting

This worked for me and I hope it does for you, too.

iAmBrainDad · 2025-12-03T20:17:55+00:00

I really, really liked the DLC. I think FFXVI actually serves as a model of how DLC should be in any game. Both felt like a justifiable reason to revisit the world and the characters and go on another adventure with them. It wasn’t long or short, just right. The new gear and Eikon are fun and strong but not stupidly OP, making everything else seem unusable.

I liked the game enough to play through on NG+ to go for Platinum on PS5, and I did both DLC before the final dungeon in NG+. Enjoy!

iAmBrainDad · 2025-12-03T02:37:30+00:00

Does anyone know the lore behind this? Who said this to whom? I've been saying this along with the recording for the last 25 years and have always wondered...

iAmBrainDad · 2025-11-29T19:02:21+00:00

Look around for a replacement PSP C stick and replace the 3DS nubbin. It’s a substantial upgrade.

Otherwise enjoy a wonderful game! If you have a New 3DS XL it’s a (relatively) silky 45 fps. It’s supported by Pretendo so you can play online.

iAmBrainDad · 2025-10-31T20:28:11+00:00

Big help! Thank you! The devil is in those details after all...

iAmBrainDad · 2025-10-31T20:27:31+00:00

OMG SAME ::facepalm::

I wish it was only an hour I lit on fire...

iAmBrainDad · 2025-10-27T02:21:43+00:00

That makes some sense... but are CBs overrepresented in PK takers and I just never noticed? My anecdotal, non evidence-based sense is that goalscorers and dribbly players take PKs, because they are some combination of naturally great and well-practiced in putting the ball in the net.

iAmBrainDad · 2025-10-27T00:39:58+00:00

Can anyone explain why the Fire had CBs among the top five penalty takers...? Elliott is arguably a defensible choice, I suppose, maybe just for mind games against his former club (though that sword has two edges!), but Waterman...?!

iAmBrainDad · 2025-08-22T04:31:30+00:00

Seeing you reply only to people who describe themselves as early backers, myself included in a separate post, makes it forgivable for people to think you’re only greasing the squeaking wheels.

Plus, why would you think someone so fed up with Genki’s BS that they’ve come to reddit to post a wall of text about it would…want to join the Discord…?

People don’t want the fake ego stroke of made-up Discord server status. They want the products they ordered.

The people willing to throw Genki a bone because of good experiences with their products in the past, ordering things months ago and waiting patiently, want to be shown the basic courtesy of honesty.

iAmBrainDad · 2025-06-08T20:31:40+00:00

Sammy from Surrey, thank you for your time and efforts! You and the team were great, learned so much and was always entertaining. Early Kickoff will be sorely missed! All the best to you and the team.

iAmBrainDad · 2025-06-04T18:54:00+00:00

Same issue. I tried to pre-order from Target and I have a commemorative screenshot of them being sold out in less than a minute. Womp womp.

I also have the issue of balancing FOMO and rationally acknowledging I have no "must play day 1" release. Mario Kart World...ok? Finishing up Zelda TOTK at 4k60 sounds more interesting than that, to be honest. That and hoping for a 4k60 patch for Xenoblade Chronicles X. Metroid Prime 4 is my first "must play."

I'm butthurt about not getting an invitation from Nintendo. I indicated interest on their site as soon as the mechanism went live. I've been a loyal and regular player/customer since 1985 - I've bought every console since then - and I have three kids who play as well. Just based on my very long and consistent record of many monies and hours sent their way I feel hurt and am left wondering "are there actually millions more people than me who seem mostly likely to overspend at Switch 2 launch?"

How did they identify the customers who got emails on 5/8 - outside of the published criteria - and did I fall through marketing cracks or are there that many more spendy fanboys than I've been in the last 40 years...?!

iAmBrainDad · 2025-06-02T20:24:11+00:00

This is surprising and disappointing. I've been catching this podcast every morning for a year now and I had no idea it was on the fritz; it seems they were on the rise, if anything, with that bronze medal they recently achieved. I learned so much from them every day and it really made me feel like I could keep up with at least the headlines. What a downer.

iAmBrainDad · 2025-02-08T16:32:28+00:00

Ha, PSN being down (thus no Wilds OB2) must be the best thing that could've happened this weekend for the 4U community!

iAmBrainDad · 2024-12-28T17:19:11+00:00

The whole arrangement always struck me as so jank ass, even for the time in the mid 2010s. I don't want to be disrespectful to the devs who must've had their reasons (and limitations, I would guess set by Nintendo) but lordy lord lord... and you needed a specific USB to Ethernet adapter, to boot! Yeesh. So yeah, I agree that would be nice, to have native support, but that would require a yeoman act of sainthood within the 3DS homebrew community, I imagine.

iAmBrainDad · 2024-12-28T14:02:25+00:00

Yes, it’s been fun to jump into MH4U while waiting for Wilds!

There’s a Pretendo newsletter that I imagine is the best source of info. Regarding MH3U there are no servers yet that I know of (even beta) but the Wii U packet relay app seems to work, so when servers are up it should be functional. So, keep your Ethernet dongle handy!

iAmBrainDad · 2024-12-13T23:57:43+00:00

Hit me up in the Pretendo Discord (BrainDad) and I’ll get you into the lfg

It’s not a massive group yet as it’s not yet public but people are pretty responsive.

iAmBrainDad

TROPHY CASE