Hey, America: Why Not Soccer?

Many individuals, movements and organizations can take the blame for soccer's lack of popularity in the United States. Over the years, people have blamed lack of organization, the dominance of other sports and even mega-celebrities like Tiger Woods.

NFL domination. Americans love pigskin-American football. Americans like to be independent and inventive and appear that way as well. America loves football because it is seen as an American sport. The NFL (National Footbal League) is a major marketing and merchandising machine as well. If they can sell Michael Vick Eagles jerseys (by donating some proceeds of sales to the SPCA), other sports don't stand a chance in terms of popularity and fan outreach. Along with the NFL, NASCAR, baseball and pro wrestling are seen as intrinsically American sports.

Perception of the sport. Soccer is perceived as a sport for students and women. It's something that most people learn in school in the United States, but few people play even just for fun after high school or college. The only success the U.S. team has seen has been with the women's team-and Americans are used to women's leagues being underfunded, less exciting and less popular, even though that likely isn't the case in soccer.

Other European sports preferred to soccer. Americans with an interest in their European heritage often prefer other ethnic sports to soccer, which is sometimes seen as generic. Sports like rugby and hurling are very appealing to those interested in exploring a sport of European heritage.

Americans show allegiance to international soccer teams. As is the case with many sports teams, the most successful have the most fans. Since many Americans claim ancestry from countries with excellent soccer teams (Brazil, Germany, England), they naturally support other teams based upon heritage and popularity.

Late to the game. While leagues have been established in the United States for over 90 years, real organization and development did not occur until the late 1980s. In comparison to other nations, this set soccer back in terms of cultural inundation and popularity in the United States.

Fans wishing to cultivate knowledge and popularity of the sport in the United States should encourage others to participate, hold workshops and soccer clinics and invest in some U.S. soccer team gear to publicize its existence.