All this shows is there is still a long way to go... anyone who knows anything about the sport knows that PES is a far superior game.
I think that argument only holds if the other 3 are football, golf, and football. Much more a discussion of game quality - baseball has multiple titles that split the field, as do basketball and hockey.
Perhaps the prospect of the England v USA fixture in the World Cup 2010 will provide more interest also?
EA's FIFA is the great gateway drug into the sport for casual fans. I remember reading about some Boise State Linebacker (dude proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend after a bowl game) who talked about how the video game turned him and his friends onto the sport. Even in my own family if it wasn't for FIFA my older brother would still be completely in the dark about soccer and would still be staring at me with a blank look when I talked to him about all the different leagues, tourneys, and clubs in Europe. The best anecdotal story I ever heard about FIFA's popularity was in an interview here in Minnesota with a captain of the UofM hockey team. The interviewer asked how much him and the rest of the team were playing the most recent hockey video game and the player responded not all that much because they were all hooked on FIFA. I wouldn't doubt if you asked people who didn't play soccer as kids or have family ties to foreign clubs how they got into the game the answer would be FIFA.
I played college football. I mean in the 90's, for me, it was the world cup, sometimes euros and then Fifa. That was the extent of my soccer exposure. Damn sure wasn't gonna play the sport in real life, that would've been for the placekicker!
I have been trying to increase my knowledge in the sport of soccer and especialy with the 2010 World Cup coming but my kids will never let me close to the game they are always playing FIFA
Let's see how big of a seller the World Cup 2010 game is in America this summer. That should tell us a lot.