Re "sport for pussies", my impression of watching American sports is "sport for lawyers". The rules and play of the game reflect the litigiousness of American society in general, with the rules (I'm thinking football here) being really complicated, having all kinds of weird exceptions, and then challenges that are like little "trials" where you have to review evidence etc. It makes it totally unenjoyable for me.
If you want to overcome the "sport for pussies" stigma that American Football players love to attach to soccer, there's got to be some tough love, at least in the USA.