Why Soccer Won’t Be Huge In The U.S.

Category: Water Cooler

This is a great article that was posted at World Cup Buzz describing 5 reasons why soccer won’t ever make it as one of the top sports in the United States.

  • Outside Soccer Snobbery
  • No Patience
  • Freak Athlete Factor
  • Rich Country, Poor Game
  • The American Way

Some key points I wanted to point out were:

“Americans are not conditioned to appreciate the subtlety of soccer because American society as a whole is about instant gratification and the quick fix. The artistry & skill of soccer is lost on Americans because there isn’t a goal being scored every 2 seconds or someone isn’t getting the snot blasted out of them on every play. A game of patience cannot become huge in an impatient society.”

“Americans like their athletes freakish, whether they are unusually tall like basketball players or unusually muscular like American football or the roided up baseball players. Soccer is the common person’s game with its stars & icons looking as common as their rabid fans.”

“The prevailing notion in the US is that soccer is as an immigrant sport played by short guys with one name who aren’t masculine cause they don’t use their hands. A nation founded by immigrants has grown to view immigrants as dirty and the scourge of a nation. This American isolationist mentality & air of superiority has carried over to the promotion & marketing of soccer, thus stunting the growth of the Beautiful Game in the US.”

I couldn’t agree more with the above statements. It’s unfortunately very true.

What are your thoughts? Please feel free to comment.