Top 5 Reasons Soccer Will Never Make it Big in the U.S

Soccer is exciting, requires tremendous athletic ability and stamina, and is an obsession in many countries around the world. One glaring exception is the U.S., where, not only is soccer an also-ran among sports, but it is likely to stay that way for these 5 reasons.

Soccer Is Not Part of the American Culture. Even though many American children participate in soccer in grade school, many of the most talented student athletes move on to more prestigious sports, especially basketball or football, as they grow older, because those are the sports that get the most support from school boards, parents, and alumni. To many Americans, soccer is still a "foreign" sport.

Soccer Is Not Where the Money Is. Many of the best student athletes gravitate to more high-profile sports such as basketball or football because they know that is where the money and media attention are. Young athletes with exceptional talent who hope to have a career in sports realize that the best scholarships and the biggest contracts don't go to top-notch high school and college soccer players but to stand-out athletes on football, basketball or even baseball teams.

Soccer Has a Hard Time Competing in a Crowded Field. It is difficult for soccer to compete for the attention of U.S. sports fans because the year is already jam packed with regular season and play-off sports action. In September alone, American sports junkies need spread sheets to juggle viewing time between college football, pro football, baseball playoffs, and U.S. Open Tennis. The last thing they need is another team to follow.

Soccer Has a Chicken-Egg Problem. Soccer is not popular enough with Americans to attract big television audiences, so the media won't support even the best professional soccer teams with national coverage in prime times for sports viewing. Without prime-time coverage, it is difficult for a sport to build an audience. Unless something happens to break this vicious circle, soccer will remain a second-class sport at the professional level in America.

American Sports Fans Don't Understand Soccer. Most Americans don't have the appreciation of soccer's nuances needed to become devoted fans. Many foreigners who see a baseball game for the first time find it mind-numbingly slow and boring. Americans, who grew up surrounded by baseball and learned its many subtleties and strategic complexities on the playground, at the ballpark, and in front of the television, would rightfully disagree with this view. Because professional soccer isn't part of the American culture, most Americans never learn enough about the game's intricacies and artistry to really appreciate what is happening on the field and, from that, to develop a love of the game. Most Americans would simply be puzzled if told that soccer has been called "the beautiful game."