TRUE TRUE....but how I said later that is not the reason NOW. And yes Baseball started first and that was the main reason, but COMMUNIST playing that sport was another reason why Americans were soo turned-off from soccer in later years when soccer was growing all over the world. Why would Americans drop a sport that they invented???(baseball was invented in the USA right) people do not think like that anymore they are not so closed minded like back in the day where it did matter where and who did certain stuff. THAT IS NOT THE REASON NOW..but it did have in influence in the reason why soccer was never really introduced here in the USA when it was growing everywhere else......amd that is cool that so many people are playing soccer here in the USA. That means USA is gonna become a power house soon and probably dominate soccer,maybe, sometime. With all the awsome facilities, large amounts of money being put into training, the coaching, grass on soccer fields.lol. and all the advantages the kids here in the USA have over third-world countries i wouldnt doubt it.
Alright alright sorry how about if i change it to "a lot" of countries have soccer than another that makes more sense???(not being sarcastic)
Because Americans would much rather be entertained by John Madden than try to sit through commentary by Phil Schoen or Max Bretos.
Yeah, probably because "our" league is just a private business. It's not like I'm going to support Microsoft... yadda yadda
Thats cool i support a lot of teams not in mexico but it is true that a lot of peole who do not have a "good" league at home go to support the BIG teams in Europe a.k.a. MANCHESTER, BARCELONA, REAL MADRID, etc....a lot of Central Americans do that(iactually started a thread about it) and I do not think it is cool IMO. Why not support both a BIG team in Europe and a local home team to support the MLS ya know???
ok, so you're argument supports the "selfish-american" theory. You're telling me Americans have taken interests in foreign cars and food, which is true, but only because it benefits them, for the most part foreign food is better than domestic, foreign cars are more efficient and benefitial than domestic so of course they're going to take an interest in them. Cricket on the other hand doesn't benefit them whatsoever which justifies the fact that they should take no interest in them. There are numerous foreign interests which Americans are simply dismissing and refuting; movies, soccer, geography, politics, art to name a few, which there is plenty of opportunity for exposure and would normally enhance one's knowledge of the world. I'm still sticking by what I've said, but you're right, this country is extremely polarised.
The reason the American media has actively bashed "soccer" throughout the decades is because there is a perception that they cant make money off of it. Unlike baseball and football there are no commercial breaks in soccer, the game is continuous and flows and you cant cut away to an ad about a car or deodorant every 15 seconds.
Perhaps that used to be true, but I don't believe it is anymore. Do we still have a group (including moron sports writers) who look down on the game? yes...but to say that a "majority of Americans dislike soccer" is not accurate. Look at the participation numbers in youth soccer, the number of schools that have soccer programs and our ability to keep a professional league in place for over a decade. I would suggest a majority of Americans like soccer.
When I was growing up in the mid to early 80's there was no way to get any info on soccer. There was no exposure to it in the media execpt the spanish station, international newspapers(my dad always got the gazzeta delo sport-pink paper) or a random tidbit in the sports news every now and then. In the United States most people do not grow up watching soccer. I grew up watching soccer threw my dad, and I also played it. If it was not for my dad I probably would not have played it our watched it. Soccer is something that you need to almost "grow up with" in order to fully appreatiate. I know there are plenty of people that started taking a liking to soccer later on in life, weather through a friend, or a visit to England,Germany, Brazil etc.etc or simply watching the world cup. But as a whole, your not going to get everybody(USA) hooked on a sport if they are not immersed in it(multiple highlights on espn,10 pm news and front page stories in newspapers). I try and explain to my friends why soccer is a great sport and they just dont under stand. Thats why I'm saying it's easier to like something if it if it's in your "blood". It's easier for let's say boy from Japan to eat sushi, since that's what he's grown up with as opposed to a mid-western American boy who has never tried it or knows what it is. ****However, I think as a whole the U.S. is doing better at accepting soccer into the mainstream. Very often sports center will have a soccer goal/save in their top ten plays of the day. While working for the local school district during the 2002 world cup I came upon a room of kids in the day care center in 6:45 amwatching the live world cup game that was going on. I was really superized, because I would have never seen that when I was growing up. They may not be big strides but there is progress.****
i wrote a speech in the 8th on the very subject of why Americans hate soccer. this was one of my main points. well put
Can I just tell you all how glad I am that someone took the time and effort to bring up this obscure, rarely touched upon question...
Wow! Lots of theories here. Please let me weigh in. Yes, there are Soccer bashers in this country but they tend to be those who bash anything un-American. There are also hoards of others who have more open minds. Some of those people are simply apathetic about Soccer, just as one might imagine the average middle age English bloke would ignore Baseball, hockey or Football. Is it really any different than that? Then, you have some people in this country (USA) who are learning to like the sport. I don’t think many of these previous posts bothered to point out that Soccer has finally taken root in the US and it is growing. Look at the new MLS stadiums going up everywhere and the investor dollars flowing into the league even though most teams have not yet made a profit! The picture painted in these posts is that the sport will never gain any level of popularity here. That’s unfair and it’s also untrue. In addition, I’ll say that in 20 years, Soccer will be big here and Baseball still won’t be in Britain. Do I care that most other countries don’t care about the American pastime? No, I don’t care. Lets consider that when one is hardwired to like a sport, mainly because they grew up with it, it is hard for that person to take on an unfamiliar sport later in life, unless they really make an attempt to. Most older Americans will go to the grave not appreciating or enjoying Soccer, but the young ones are a different story. I consider myself one of the exceptions, because I’m 46 and did not grow up with Soccer. But a few things happened to change me: 1. We got MLS and with it, I got a local team (The Revolution). 2. I was growing weary with Hockey and Basketball because those sports are changing for the worse and I needed a replacement sport. 3. Because we got the Revolution it made me pay more attention to the last World Cup. In the last World Cup I still didn’t know how to watch Soccer. Consequently, I was bored with it. This was not my fault any more than it was Soccer’s fault. I just didn’t know what to look for. What was a little different for me than most people, however, was that I didn’t dismiss the sport. I became very curious as to why the rest of the world was crazy over this sport, yet I was bored. It didn't add up. I endeavored to find out why. I started going to Revolution games. At first I was bored through most of the matches but was entertained intermittently by the goals. That was enough to keep me coming. Eventually, I gained an emotional attachment and pride in my team, which I’m learning is a big part of the passion. (I still think it’s hard to be passionate if one has no team to root for.) Then, I realized that the game is so much more than just sitting there waiting for a goal. I realized –and accepted- the fact that the goals are fewer and farther between, as compared to scoring in our traditional sports. But, I also learned that when they do come they are way more intense than any other sport!! When my team scores, it’s usually a result of extremely hard work, combined with lucky breaks and skill. It makes me leap 10 feet in the air. Homeruns and touchdowns don’t do it as well for me. Americans are hardwired for frequent scoring, incessant breaks in action and wanting wins or losses with no ties. It is only those who are willing to accept that Soccer is not and won’t be like their other sports that will learn to love Soccer. Now that I appreciate the game I actually find Soccer to be the sport I want to watch the most. (It took me a long time to realize that and admit that.) I love how the clock keeps going, I love how the clock goes up instead of down, I love how the Ref decides when the game stops, watching the talent, skill and the way the ball spins mesmerizes me, I love how the coaches must change strategies on the fly and not make me sit through another boring time-out and commercial. I’m so glad I learned to love the sport. The joy I get from it is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Now, I play in an adult league, my son plays and he’s very good. I coach his team and he’s good because he goes to clinics, we go to Revs games and we watch FSC. He learns. I’ve got news for some of you overseas who think the sport will never make it in the US… Not only will it make it, but someday we will dominate the sport. Lets look at this: In England you really have only one major sport (football) and some of those teams (in the EPL) are in financial peril. In this country our economy must support 4 major sports and now Soccer endeavors to be a fifth. The MLS will be solvent someday too! In 15 years or even less, the best players will be in the MLS. Now, wouldn’t that be ironic?
What a first post!! I agree with the points I read. The MLS is the exposure that americans get, and even if those stadiums don't fill up, it's not their fault. It almost seems sometimes that the MLS wants to implode again, trying to use a system that is different that foreigners don't like it, and they don't seem to be flexible enough to change. And, the MLS is going to play RIGHT THROUGH THE WORLD CUP. First few things they could do: A) Use the scottish system: They have 12 teams, and they could copy the system, minus the relegation for now. Also, changing the fixtures from Jan-Dec to Sep-Jun would be better. B) Build real youth soccer. These local leagues are fine and dandy and do the job nicely, but the only way to keep kids in the sport is to bring them through the ranks like in europe. The Y-Leaugue is a step in the right direction. C) Get more exposure. Make deals with FOX and ESPN, show matches in primetime, get some celebs to endorse the sport. Plenty of options here.
Thanks! But, I dunno, I think MLS is on the right path. They play by FIFA rules now, they actually have inked the best TV deals ever for 2006, and they actually are considering a world cup break. I can't imagine (living in New England) the games continuing throughout the winter. It could never happen without a dome and I don't want that!!!! People here still aren't devoted enough to go to an MLS game if the Temps are below 45 degrees, or if it is even raining we get only half a crowd. I can't imagine how awful the attendance would be for a winter game. We are spoiled as every Revolution game is televised, so it can hurt stadium attendance. Just my 2 cents.
I didn't mean play through winter. With the number of teams they have, they could easily have a winter break.
Fair enough but I'd still prefer a warm weather season with a summer break. I love sitting in Gillette Stadium in June, august, Sept and watching soccer. If we had a winter break here it would be good, but still, either side of that break would be chilly damp and unpleasant weather to be out.
The US has the potential to become huge, and I can think of a way to have Promotion and Relegation in this. Some might not agree, saying it would push investors away, but the Argentine system is one of the best. But, instead of having straight up and down, there should be a playoff for relegation-promotion.
I don't like the whole idea of relegation with no salary cap. It creates eternal haves and have nots. You look at these EPL teams... You know before the game that Chelsea won't lose to Norwich, etc. The Brits are passionate enough to follow a team and a futile situation but the American soccer fans will only support a loser for so long and then abandon them. Only American Baseball fans will follow thier team no matter what and even then, a bad baseball team has bad attendance. Can you imagine spending the money for a team and a stadium only to get relegated? It would be disasterous. That is where (as an American) I draw the line. We need to go with a play-off and free agent, salary capped system.