Can America Accept Soccer into Our Hearts?

Why hasn't professional soccer taken off as a popular sport in the United States? We love baseball, basketball and football, which are truly American pastimes. Here are five reasons why soccer will never be big in the United States.

No Small Milestones to Measure

When playing the game of soccer, the players are either on offense or defense. There are no small milestones to look for when rooting for your favorite soccer team. In American football, we have first downs to mark progress towards the goals of scoring touchdowns or field goals. There is a way to measure progress.

In our beloved baseball games, Americans also have a way to measure progress. By keeping track of strikes and outs, men on base and how many hits are needed to score runs, achievement towards winning is easily measured.

In soccer, the ball is kicked from one end of the field to the other throughout the entire game. There are no small ways to measure progress towards a goal, except for actually scoring a goal.

90 Minutes is too Long

American soccer matches have a 90 minute playing clock with only a halftime break. With referees blowing their whistles to stop the game to officiate bad plays and only one break at halftime, Americans understandably have a difficult time staying interested, as games can last three hours or more.

Granted, American football games also last longer than three hours but in football, we are given breaks at each quarter. During high school, college and professional football games, lively halftime entertainment is provided, usually by high school or college marching bands. Another advantage of American football is that it has only 60 minutes of playing time.

Americans Like to See a Team Win

American football and baseball games play in overtime until one team wins. Rarely do we ever see a professional game end in a tie. Baseball games have been known to last up 5 hours in order to have one team emerge as the winner.

Soccer often ends in ties, which is disappointing to both the players and fans. Sitting through an entire soccer game with your team tying the opposition seems like a waste of time and can turn off potential fans.

No Room in Our Hearts

According to the website www.wiki.answers.com, American football was invented in 1876 by Walter Camp. The idea came from soccer, but Camp held onto the ball and ran with it to end goal. Football's field goal has origins from soccer's goal.

The sport of baseball is an undeniable symbol of America, as the old Chevrolet commercials state. The jingle was, "Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet." These two sports, football and baseball, indelibly inked into the cloth of the U.S.A., make it difficult for soccer to weave its way in to our hearts.

High School and Colleges Favor Football

Which sport is more valued and favored in high school and college, soccer or football? Football has become an all-encompassing sport in high school and college, leading to big money opportunities in scholarships and eventually pro football contracts. Schools just don't place as much emphasis on the sport of soccer.

In many towns, kids as young as six years old start to play padded football. Football players also have the advantage of the cheerleaders to rally them on. There are no cheerleaders in high school, college or professional soccer.

There are many reasons why soccer will never be big or popular in the United States. There is only so much spare time and interest we can invest in sports and in the United States, the main sports we love are baseball and football.