Will Soccer Grow More in America?

[Paul Bunyan's Axe]

This is something I've been hearing on a couple of ESPN talk shows since USA got eliminated from the World Cup, and it's an interesting discussion. In America, we've had a growing interest in Soccer during the World Cup, but is that interest just as a show of patriotism, or are we actually getting more interest in Soccer?

Another big topic of discussion is how to get more youth interest in Soccer in America. With the four major sports in America, what is going to make a kid rather play Soccer than Basketball?

So, what do you think? Is the peak of USAs interest in Soccer just rooting for the USA in the World Cup, or will we ever see it go farther to where Soccer in America is a more popular sport?

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

As a non-American my views may not be entirely accurate but I have a feeling that it will still take time for soccer to become more popular in America.

The World Cup is an event that only comes along every 4 years like the Olympics and Paralympics and like those other events it draws behemoth viewing numbers and interest is piqued by casual viewers because these are rare events that are littered with moments of heartbreak and joy in equal measure. Yes, so are annual sporting events like Wimbledon, Super Bowl, World Series and the Champions League but it's the rarity of the World Cup etc. which raises the stakes even more.

Last night, the superstar and poster-boy of Brazil's team Neymar had a vertebrae fractured in his back. His World Cup, incidentally his first, in his home country is over and that will never happen again while he's playing.
As it stands, Germany's Miroslav Klose, playing in his final World Cup, has equalled the tally for most goals scored at World Cup finals and could even break the record if he scores just one more time.

What I'm getting at is that the interest in this rare event is understandably at a fever pitch but I don't think that will necessarily translate into sustained interest in domestic soccer compared to the viewing figures of team USA's games so far, although the MLS season starting while the world cup is still going on is quite interesting.

 

[Reflection]

I hope it does, I really do... Before the World Cup started, I was hoping that USA reaches the final-16 so that more people hear about it and become curious about it. Mostly its this lack of awareness of Americans or want to be aware of anything that doesn't have an American history, that slow, uninteresting sports like American Football and Baseball are still surviving. Once you learn the pleasure of sex (and have a willing partner, of course), you're not gonna *********e anymore. Its quite similar to this. The sooner more Americans try out Soccer, they're not gonna go back to watching NFL. Likewise, for the past few years, USA has shown a lot of interest in Cricket. They've hired coaches from here and everything. Once they qualify for the Cricket World Cup and have a good showing there, getting more people interested in it will only be a matter of time. The best bet for people associated with Baseball would be to pray that the American cricketers fail; there is nothing else they can do about it.

 

[Slash-LN]

I'm not speaking for the country as a whole here. Just from my own personal experience.

It's definitely been a patriotism thing. I've never heard anyone I know talking about watching professional soccer before the World Cup this year. Then during the World Cup as America was doing well people began talking about it more and posting on Facebook about it more. The thing is they weren't actually watching the games. They would just check the scores and see if America won.

The same thing has happened in years past with college basketball and football. When the University of Illinois was doing well and either landed a bowl game for football or was doing well in the basketball tournament suddenly everyone was a U of I fan. Then the next year they couldn't care less about the team.

Again I don't know about the rest of the country but where I live soccer has a certain stigma that it's a sport for girls and it isn't a though sport and that it's boring. Usually that comes from people who have never watched or played it.

I have noticed over the past few years that more of my friends' kids have started playing so maybe it's picking up steam.

I played one year myself when I was a kid and I enjoyed it. I never watch it though. If so many people hadn't been bandwagon fans this year I wouldn't have even known what was going on in the World Cup probably.

I just see it like the Olympics. People get really hyped during the Olympics but once they're over most of those people don't follow any of the sports involved until it's Olympic time again.

 

[Big Sexy]

This is something I've been hearing on a couple of ESPN talk shows since USA got eliminated from the World Cup, and it's an interesting discussion. In America, we've had a growing interest in Soccer during the World Cup, but is that interest just as a show of patriotism, or are we actually getting more interest in Soccer?

It's a show of patriotism. No different then everyone going crazy over random sports no one really cares about during the Olympics. Soccer's popularity in America may be growing slightly but nothing notable.

Another big topic of discussion is how to get more youth interest in Soccer in America. With the four major sports in America, what is going to make a kid rather play Soccer than Basketball?

Youth interest is not the problem. I don't have any stats to back this up but I'd be willing to bet that soccer is one of the more popular youth sports in America. The biggest reason is because it's one of the easiest sport for younger kids to play. I absolutely despise soccer but even I played a couple years when I was around 5 or 6. The trouble is keeping them playing soccer as they get older when they have so many options and the other options have proven to be much more popular in America.

So, what do you think? Is the peak of USAs interest in Soccer just rooting for the USA in the World Cup, or will we ever see it go farther to where Soccer in America is a more popular sport?

I would be shocked if I see a day in my lifetime where soccer becomes even remotely close to any of the four major sports in popularity. Hockey is the least popular of the four major sports here but it is still light years ahead of soccer.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Soccer is doing fine in America and will continue to grow with this World Cup result. The World Cup can be seen as the last major sports hurdle left for the US to climb. Yes, a lot of the enthusiasm came from that but the ratings and attitude of the people that watched can not be denied. This is the first time I remember not hearing the usual complaints: too slow, not enough scoring. People enjoyed the games, that is new. I think more will continue to give MLS, Premiere League, and anything Madrid/Barcelona a chance. Still a slow progression but but still progression. I could see MLS getting the same money as the NHL after their eight year contract ends.

MLS is a nice summer alternative to baseball.

 

[J.J.]

It's rough to say, honestly. I think it was more of an act of Patriotism. I couldn't even name you two players off the top of my head that played on the USA team.

I don't watch soccer/football or hockey. American football, baseball and basketball will always be the main interest.

The job I work on generally played the World Cup games on the television in the cafeteria, was a lack of interest as majority of the people don't watch the Sport.

We take good pride in football and basketball. I'd argue baseball has taken a backseat to the two main sports.

It would have to take the USA team being a success in the World Cup for the people here to gain interest. Many feel we were doomed from the start with Landon Donovan kept off the team. Then there's many that don't see us winning from the start regardless.

People grow up in a household where they mainly watch and play football, basketball and baseball. A lot of kids play little league soccer and typically transition to playing a different sport because it typically translates to them being recognized sooner than with Soccer. Many shoot for athletic scholarships in football and basketball.

The increased interest in Soccer rests upon the success,of MLS and ESPN adding interest on the league and sport. ESPN is quicker to show golf and Nascar highlights and news with emphasis rather than Soccer.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Personally, I think it's too soon to tell. I think the primary reason why soccer has gotten so much attention in American media outlets is due to a combination of good old fashioned patriotism AND a very strong showing from Team USA. It's easy to jump on the bandwagon and get behind someone when they're doing great, every sport's team in every sport has its share of fair weather fans after all. That's not to say that soccer hasn't gained some fans from this who may not have been interested before, some who may never have even watched a soccer match before. Now that they have, they may very well be hooked on it and can't believe what they were missing all these years.

However, let's see if soccer fever grips the United States the same way in the next couple of years. Due to Team USA's performance this year, there'll almost certainly be people who'll tune into their games next time around in the hopes of seeing another strong performance. If Team USA doesn't deliver, however, I think a very high number of those fans will go away and, of course, so will all the mainstream media coverage, causing soccer in America to go back to being more of a fringe sport.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I doubt that just seeing the current World Cup on our TVs is going to stimulate a continuing interest in soccer in this country. Remember, the sport has tried to get us on board before, most notably with the North American Soccer League starting up in 1968. In '74, they brought in legends like Pele and Franz Beckenbauer in an effort to put soccer over in a big way In the U.S. From what I've read, they did get some good crowds at the stadiums for awhile, but while they generated interest from some folks who were first discovering the sport, they couldn't sustain it. Also, from what I gathered, the NASL (and subsequent leagues that formed, including women's leagues), were reaching fans who were already into the sport; it was questionable how much new interest was being stimulated.

At any rate, the effort had burned out by 1984, and the NASL folded.

For myself, I've tried to get interested in soccer......sometimes after getting home from a work shift at 4AM, I've turned on one of the Spanish speaking sports channels and watched Colombia playing Brazil, or some such match. It's supposed to be top-notch soccer.....and I'm sure it is.....but as hard as I try to follow it, I just can't develop an interest.....which is not to say I think it's uninteresting (tens of millions of people around the world can't be wrong, can they?)

I'm just saying that the current World Cup isn't the first effort the soccer world has made to try and interest Americans in the sport, and if it ain't happened by now, I don't see how it ever will.