Why soccer will never be popular in the USA

Soccer will never be popular in the USA because of the flow of the game. There are dozens of sports out there that Americans will never get because they do not know how to watch it. Americans sports are sprint oriented quick fast paced action high impact. The excpetion to this is baseball which is a purely spectator sport that you can fall asleep and while watching only to wake when you hear the crack of the bat.

I doubt soccer will ever be the most popular sport in the U.S., but it's a very popular sport to play among children. As these children grow and have memories of playing at a young age, the sport will grow in popularity. The speed of the sport isn't really an issue, IMO. Baseball and golf are both popular, and both of them can be very slow. To me, a bigger issue that will hold soccer back in the US is that it is not television friendly. Baseball has natural breaks for advertisements. Football and Basketball made moderate rule changes to allow more frequent breaks for advertisers. Soccer, on the other hand, is continuous action. No one wants to be at a commercial break when the only goal of the game is scored, and advertisers want regular access to viewer eyeballs. Without advertisers, soccer will never get a big television contract.

Soccer is simply not a popular sport to watch. However, it is still a popular sport to play. I am still an avid soccer player to this day. However, I rarely watch the game on TV. On the other hand, I rarely play hockey anymore yet still try to watch every game I can. I guess what I am trying to say is that some games are simply better to play than watch. Soccer happens to be one of the biggest that fall into that category.

It depends on which country you are from, but you may be right. unless it's the other 200 countries that play, then you're dead wrong.

Scoring points/goals etc. is not what makes a sport interesting. There are other things at play that entertain you. The build up and defensive struggles are often good to watch. Not in football though.

Dude, sometimes the saves are better than the goals. Sometimes though. Plus, the MLS ain't a good example. Go to south america, they're just better.

You wanna know why...this has been discussed on AGM ad nauseam.

Soccer lacks specific situations. Football and baseball have plays...they are the 2 most popular sports...coincidence? Basketball, also has plays (something like a 24 second "play")...to a degree...but at the very least is situational in that aspect.

Hockey, obviously is "similar" (used loosely) to Soccer, however the quarters are much closer and there is generally more scoring regardless of old versus new NHL...there's also fight and hitting...you don't fall over like a bitch in hockey...unless you are one

It also has to do with the lack of success on the men's side. The women seem to be doing well in the Women's side.

Whoops crookedcap, I picked the wrong country. Thanks for the edit. ( I'm on summer vacation, so my brain is at a semi-conscious level)

No problem, just a slip up, cause my Geography is far better than that.

The exposure issue that Alex brought up is an interesting one. In terms of very regular exposure of the sport, the most accessible soccer coverage in this country is MLS. While I don't want to knock MLS (I can stand it; really!), it isn't the most flattering impression of soccer available. If there could be more regular European club soccer available from the big leagues, that would help.

ESPN has the rights to Euro 2008 next year. As long as Dave o'brien isn't the announcer or his partner in crime Marcelo Balboa, I might watch it.

Since Zidane is retired, I won't have to hear Brent Musberger constantly say "The GREAT............................. ZIDANE"

And it's bloody unnatural when Americans do it. Especially Max Bretos.

You are the one millionth person to write this. While you and others are writing it, an increasing number of people are watching games on tv (see Copa America and World Cup ratings) and going to stadiums (see MLS attendance). The sport may never be top dog in the US, but it already has a solid following that will only increase despite the wishes of some.

MLS attendance has got to be forged for some teams (Kansas City Wizards). I agree, they're watching it on tv, but how many foreigners are in this country as well?

What if we scrapped the MLS and tried to put a couple teams in one of the tope Euoropean leagues. Isn't the system you describe such that we could come in as a minor league team (I know, probably not the right name for it) and if we improve we could move up? We could have our players move and live over there but still have them be from NY or DC or LA and just have some home stands there where 2 or 3 European teams travel over at a time. I think having a rooting interest in a league that matters for the sport would greatly increase American interest. I mean if you were into hoops and lived in China, would you rather watch their crappy league, or try to get a Chinese NBA team? In fact, wouldnt you rather have a team in the best league even if it meant only a couple home games a year? i think this could work people. of course I admit I know absolutely nothing about soccer except it is boring to watch, I'm too fat and slow to play and the greatest moment in the history of the sport was either the movie Victory or when that player for the US womens team celebrated by disrobing.

I think that it would take several more years, decades even, for soccer in the United States reach the popularity and, probably most importantly, the passion that it has in the rest of the world.

It isn't like soccer is a new thing in the States; there was the NASL (North American Soccer League) with some great stars to push the teams...but soccer never got past being the stigma of being a foreign game being pushed on the states for some reason. MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) was as popular as a fad; I loved the San Diego Sockers. I guess the Americans have to tinker with the game to like it.

There are too many other sports...too many "born in the states" sports that have the USA enthralled as the world is enthralled with soccer: Baseball, Football, and Basketball. There is no history for the game, no rivalries either for pro teams or national squads...I mean, in the states we have serious rivalries in the other sports: Yankees-Red Sox, Cowboys-Steelers, and Lakers-Celtics just to name a few...but in terms of soccer, nothing has been generated. Maybe recently with MSL some teams have created some locally but nothing on a national level. Plus, the States are so isolated from everyone else; playing soccer with Canada? We play hockey with them, eh. Mexico? Even tho we play soccer with them, we'd rather play beisbol. If The States were scrunched with other countries like Europe, we'd build up some rivalries. But, alas, that is not the case.

I think the highlight for soccer (I doubt that ANY American male will call soccer "football" unless he is trying to score with a foreign woman that likes the game; switching to " football" is as likely as switching to the metric system) in the United States was when the World Cup was held here and the great Women's Soccer teams that dominated the world. Until the men win consistently (we Americans love winners, and ties are like kissing your sister; it might feel good, but you really aren't getting anywhere) and the fans get worked up during the 4 year wait for the cup, the state of the game will always be considered either a woman's sport or a college game. With all the hype on ESPN before the U.S.'s first game at the 2006 World Cup, I was amped up to watch the Americans win or maybe tie...but the dismal play really hurt the perception of ourselves in the games, in its grandest showcase of the World Cup.

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