Soccer Taking Over in US but Only to a Point

If there's one thing that's a constant in sports discussions of today, it's the possibility of soccer "taking over" as the top sport in America.

To quote ESPN college football commentator Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friends!" Yes, the United States World Cup team has gotten better and soccer has become more common in American thinking.

Now I must admit that I'm not a soccer fan but I'm also not one of these cynical Americans who calls it a "communist sport" or a "third world sport in a first world country." If my kids want to play it, I won't be a roadblock and I won't short-change the local high schools I cover in the sports section either. Especially, if they are successful.

To think that soccer is going to "take over" as some people suggest is delusional despite the fact that the level of youth participation is at an all-time high in the US. Part of that rise in participation is because kids can get involved in soccer much sooner than they can in say football, baseball, basketball or volleyball. Some kids start playing soccer as soon as age four. Then, when they branch off into other sports, they pick their favorite. Some stick with soccer but others do not.

Certainly, most Americans could not help but be happy for the 1999 US Women's World Cup team winning the gold medal. One also couldn't help but be happy for the 2002 US men's team reaching the quarterfinals but neither scenario is going to translate into soccer "taking over" as some might suggest.

Turn back 27 years ago -- when the United States hockey upset Russia for the gold medal in 1980. We kept hearing about how hockey was going to explode in the US. The sport might be big in certain pockets of the US such say Detroit, Boston or Philadelphia but the US will never become a full blown hockey country. Just like soccer will not.

For starters, we're going to need the US World Cup teams to make it to the semi-finals or finals on a reasonably regular basis. Let's face it; the country is not going universally watch if the US is winning maybe one or two games.

Again, it's fair to say that soccer has increased in popularity but it simply is not woven into the US culture like it is in say your European or Latin American countries. It's no different than you won't take the American past-time (i.e. baseball) and make it universally popular in say Switzerland or Iceland.

For one thing, soccer lacks a true season. The fall is associated with football. The winter is associated with basketball and hockey. The spring is associated with baseball. So soccer is in a no-win situation as far as universally capturing the imagination of the US.

I do not necessarily buy the "lack of scoring" argument as a reason people in the US won't universally get into soccer. Seriously, is a 2-1 soccer game any less exciting than a 14-10 football NFL game? Or an 85-78 NBA game? I don't think so.

Perhaps, the biggest reason why the US will never become a full blown soccer country is because if a player is really good in high school and goes on to play in the NCAA, what's next if he wants to play professionally? If he's any good, he's not staying in the US to play in the MLS (Major League Soccer). He's going outside the US where he'll face better competition and get recognized for his efforts. After all, does he really want to play for an MLS team where all 27 fans show up at the game?

Soccer can be a great game but it's going to have its limitations on how great it can become in the US.