Why Soccer Will Never Become Big in the U.S.

[Swan]

There just isn't an American foundation for soccer in the States.

 

Some potential soccer players are playing other sports, but the truth is, most just don't pursue the passion since soccer just isn't popular or mainstream in the States. It's a negative feedback cycle, but over the past few years, we have gotten considerably better.

[Dex]

Because it's fuging boring.

[Brooklyn Bully]

That is because they cannot throw in a commercial break every four minutes.

 

I'd actually pay money to watch NFL without commercials (well ... I do watch when I watch Red Zone). Commercials are getting out of hand. Basketball is even worse. At least with MLB you won't see a commercial until a pitching change or the end of an inning, even if it took an hour. Soccer at least does something right. My folks went to the Panthers Super Bowl and said it was just insane how much the players had to just stand there and wait.

[Goondal]

My wife always said that soccer is dumb... Now she watches it with me every weekend. When you know the rules and pick ur team, u will realize how addicting it is. Soccer season starts in August and ends in late May. Free agency is twice a year. It's very entertaining and year around. Football season is almost over, soccer is only half way thru.

 

Technology and increased exposure are huge with this also.  Fifteen years ago there really was not much options for people looking to get into the game.  The 1994, 1998, and then especially the 2002 World Cups (with how well both Germany and the USA did) had a chance to be major breakthroughs for me personally as a soccer fan.  I loved watching the tournament but once it was over it was back to the same.  The sub-par nature of MLS failed to hold my attention.

 

We reached a point now however that you can stream almost any event from anywhere in the world online, in addition to having much more exposure through better TV contracts.  I know I started streaming the occasional Bayern game back in '07 and now watch almost every weekend.

 

You are right about how addicting it can be.  My problem all along is that I could never watch.

[pstall]

US still holds attendance record for world cup.

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[Panthro]

I'd much prefer rugby to take off in the states

[KendrickPanther]

The biggest problem with Soccer and the American sports fan is stats. Football is a great statistical sport. There are prestigious yardage and touchdown records to track. There are turnovers and limiting yardage for fans of defense.

 

If you watch a 1-0 soccer game there is only 1 stat that really describes what happened: a goal. If a football game finishes 7-0 then you can ooze about how your team held the opponent to 50 yards rushing and 80 yards passing. You forced three turnovers and 8 sacks...

 

Sometimes in Soccer the better team loses because they lost focus for a split second. Americans can't see that. They don't know a good play when they see one, they don't recognize exceptional performances unless they result in a stat. Soccer is part art, part geometry, and part sport. It's abstract and you need a trained eye to recognize it's beauty.

 

There is nothing inherently feminine about it. American's thump their chest as they watch "man sports". But if you grew up without football and Soccer was the national pastime you would accept it.

[Vampire the buffet slayer]

One of, if not the cheapest sport to play.

1 ball 1 field , goals can be made out of anything.

Compare that to baseball, football, basketball, golf, ect.

Probably why its so popular everywhere else in the world.

[fitty76]

I like that soccer is 90 minutes running clock.  No 4 hour game commitment like most sports.  

[DirtyMagic97]

The biggest problem with Soccer and the American sports fan is stats. Football is a great statistical sport. There are prestigious yardage and touchdown records to track. There are turnovers and limiting yardage for fans of defense.

 

If you watch a 1-0 soccer game there is only 1 stat that really describes what happened: a goal. If a football game finishes 7-0 then you can ooze about how your team held the opponent to 50 yards rushing and 80 yards passing. You forced three turnovers and 8 sacks...

 

Sometimes in Soccer the better team loses because they lost focus for a split second. Americans can't see that. They don't know a good play when they see one, they don't recognize exceptional performances unless they result in a stat. Soccer is part art, part geometry, and part sport. It's abstract and you need a trained eye to recognize it's beauty.

 

There is nothing inherently feminine about it. American's thump their chest as they watch "man sports". But if you grew up without football and Soccer was the national pastime you would accept it.

 

Yea. I can see this. For every set of downs, there is a new milestone in American football. Something fans can point to and be like "Yea. We accomplished something right there."  With European football, Americans view the only milestones or accomplishments as scoring a goal.  There are a lot more stats for fans to hang onto in American football.

 

It's just a different game. American football players laugh at the "toughness" of soccer players, much the way hockey players laugh at the "toughness" of American football players. Maybe European football players aren't as tough, but I'd like to see anyone on the Panthers play 90 minutes of Premier League football.

[Darth Biscuit]

Nothing to do with flopping or anything like that...

 

America's best athletes play football, basketball and baseball, and generally in that order due to the fact that those sports are already popular AND that's where the money is.  I don't see that changing...

 

I never played soccer other than the occasional intramural game in college, but I can get into the World Cup and other such big events.

[KJ89]

I would be completely okay with soccer never reaching the US

[Hawk]

One of, if not the cheapest sport to play.

1 ball 1 field , goals can be made out of anything.

Compare that to baseball, football, basketball, golf, ect.

Probably why its so popular everywhere else in the world.

 

this was exactly what I was going to say....an increase in soccer popularity would surely help the ongoing obesity problems we have in North America.  Cheap sport that anyone can play, pretty much risk free as well.

 

Soccer is boring to watch until you play or understand the game more, then it's quite exciting, in my opinion.

[KendrickPanther]

this was exactly what I was going to say....an increase in soccer popularity would surely help the ongoing obesity problems we have in North America.  Cheap sport that anyone can play, pretty much risk free as well.

 

Soccer is boring to watch until you play or understand the game more, then it's quite exciting, in my opinion.

 

Even the ball doesn't have to be purchased. I know a guy who was raised in Argentina. They would take old panty hose and ball them up.