American Footballers better than soccer players?

That's fine to think that it's better, but you can't say they are simply better than "soccer" players; these are two different sports which require different types of skills. You say there are no Michael Vicks, Adrian Petersons, or Julius Peppers in soccer, but that's because soccer isn't all about strength. In American football, strength is required to block, tackle, break tackles, etc.. but that isn't needed in soccer. As for running, it's a lot easier to run faster when you don't have a ball at your feet, having to control it. Take away the ball, and Messi can keep up with just about any NFL player there is; give American football players a ball at their feet, and you'll notice that their speed goes down as well. Though it may not look like soccer players are physically strong, you should see these guys in the weight room; you'll be surprised at how strong these guys are. In my school, the strongest guy is on the soccer team; though he doesn't have the six pack or the arms like the football players. When you speak about durability, sure American football players get up quicker, but then again how many pads are they wearing? In soccer, you get hit pretty damn hard, with all your protection only being shin guards (which in most cases, they don't even help). Role models are seen in every sport; soccer, football, tennis, golf, baseball, you name it, and there are athletes that try to help out their community, but there are also bad athletes. I don't think bringing a gun to a club and shooting yourself with it shows a very good example (Plaxico Burress). And btw, though soccer players don't "sprint" the whole 90 minutes, its also more than a light jog. You can have a full attack going, and then you suddenly lose the ball, and have to run back to defend; at times it can feel like you are doing suicides. We are all entitled to our own opinions, but it's nonsense to say one set of athletes is better than another since different skills are needed to play those sports.