Why isn't Soccer popular in America?

Why isn't Soccer popular in America?

  • Too many other sports to watch

    Votes: 46 19.8%

  • The best players play in Europe

    Votes: 23 9.9%

  • Most American's don't understand the game

    Votes: 76 32.8%

  • Most games aren't played during prime time on TV

    Votes: 12 5.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 75 32.3%
  • Total voters
    232
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Bloodshot Scott

Icecold322 said:
It will catch on eventually just because we have the largest number of youth players of any country. It's only a matter of time until we produce our own Messi or C.Ronaldo.
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I thought Freddy Adu's tallent would come to fruition, but nope. Bottom line is if you are a multi-sport ahtlete it's jus common sense to go where the dollars are. Joe Mauer is a prime example of a genius athlete; he chose MLB, where there is no cap.

Ziggous said:
Ties - plain and simple
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That's part of the intrigue. Ask anyone of us here that are schooled in the NHL and we've been pretty vocal about our dislike of massive numbers. I like scoring, naturally, but when an NHL game is 8-7, it's pretty fucked.
 
L3ggy

L3ggy

Special Operations FOX-HOUND
Not again....
 
red-dog

red-dog

I coach a high school soccer team here in the US. Most people dont understand the game and America's best athlets play other sports. Can you imagine if someone like Cam Newton grew up playing soccer. We would dominate the world.
 
B

BioDefenseGrad

Banned
CadillacD said:
American football and soccer would have to complete in the eyes of Americans, and Americans are interested in the violence and seemingly faster pace of American football. Soccer is growing considerably with the American youth though, I noticed that many of them are only soccer fans or at least they have very little interest in American football. I think you could ask why American football has not caught on over seas and many of your answers would be the same.
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We also have a lot more immigrant kids coming from countries where Soccer/Futbol is the only major sport so on top of the kids who have grown up in the system from native born parents you have others. What I don't like about some of these kids (particularly those from hispanic and african backgrounds) is the disrespect they give to Football, Baseball and Basketball.

It makes me wonder wtf their ingrate parents are teaching them about America and American culture. Yet another way in which multiculturalism has screwed up the country. Part of it is also the information age though, people aren't as cut off from their home culture anymore and see less reason to assimilate.
 
B

Bloodshot Scott

red-dog said:
I coach a high school soccer team here in the US. Most people dont understand the game and America's best athlets play other sports. Can you imagine if someone like Cam Newton grew up playing soccer. We would dominate the world.
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I've said it before on here, I went to school with Tapeh (Eagles/Vikings RB) and he was the best soccer player I ever saw, and I've seen and played with some good ones in my life. Since he was an African native it was his favorite sport, but once Dickman put him at football in HS he was such a natural runner that he went to the U and obviously then went pro. I wonder how good he could've been.
 
B

BioDefenseGrad

Banned
Icecold322 said:
It's never going to surpass the NFL but I think it will become fourth most popular sport behind the NFL,MLB, and NBA.
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I agree but I'll go one notch higher and say it takes over MLB or NBA soon because the average age of an MLB fan is getting older and more and more players are coming from overseas. Baseball and Football compete directly for athletes and I think football will win the long term battle.

Hockey is also getting more and more folks from overseas, much of it 's fanbase is geographically isolated in northern states and it's an expensive sport to play. Also, football and lacrosse probably leach a lot of talent from hockey. Many kids can't afford to play or there is not an ice rink nearby with plenty of ice time. Hockey can also be difficult to follow on television. It has some of the same drawbacks as soccer with less of it's strenghs.

Soccer has demographic strength on it's size in terms of the groups who tend to like soccer are expanding rapidly in the U.S. and there is already an extensive amateur club system that probably beats all other sports in the country. It's also relatively inexpensive to run a soccer club because there is relatively less equipment involved than in football, baseball and hockey.


Basketball is a bit of a question mark because it has a shrinking fanbase in the U.S. the height norms for many of the positions limits the talent pool and it is normally played inside. It will always be second fiddle to football. HOWEVER basketball is truly a global sport, so the NBA may develop such a following overseas that it will have the revenue to sustain itself as the number 2 sport.

However, soccer is the global champ by far and it has demographics on it's side. I think we'll see soccer siphon off some of the slimmer future baseball players as well as some of the shorter basketball players.

Immigration, aging of the white fanbase and the evolution of the MLS (in whatever form) as well as more exposure to foreign premier leagues will eventually put soccer at number 2 sport. I'll hedge and say it'll be a shaky 3rd within 10 years.
 
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