By just about any measure, soccer is the most popular sport in the entire world. It is played on every continent, and the premier event, the World Cup, sets viewership records all the time, just like the audience at real money pokies. Whether it is watching or playing, soccer is more than just a sport in a lot of locations.
However, in the United States as well as some other countries, soccer still lags behind several other sports in popularity. Why isn’t soccer as popular in the United States? In this article from leroijohnny, we will be discussing that.
Not Part Of The Culture
The main general reason why soccer isn’t as popular in the U.S is that It’s not part of the culture just yet. It is a relatively new sport to the country, and without the history and connection to the game, sports like football, basketball, and baseball remain more popular.
There is some good news for people who enjoy soccer, and that is simply looking at the year-to-year growth of the sport in the United States. Younger athletes are playing more than ever, and Major League Soccer is becoming more and more reputable as a professional league. The demand is there even for watching top club teams in Europe in the mornings and afternoons.
Is soccer ever going to take over in the United States? It is likely never going to dominate the sports landscape, simply because there are too many options for people to choose from. On top of that, there are additional reasons why soccer isn’t as popular in the United States.
Lack Of Success
The three major sports in the United States are football, basketball, and baseball. When looking at individual and team success against other countries, the United States is the undisputed top country in all three of the sports.
In particular, the United States basketball team dominates in international competition. The United States is one of the only countries taking football seriously, and baseball history is largely filled with American players in the top league.
Every four years, the World Cup tells a different story. The United States has never won a World Cup, and they have never been particularly close. They have exactly one 3rd place finish, and that was in 1930 when most of Europe did not show up to play.
Without the top players, fans are not as likely to support them. Not only that, but children picking their favourite sport early on may gravitate towards the one they like to watch the most.
Lack Of Opportunities In The United States
Whether it is a player or a fan, there is a lack of opportunities in the United States that do not affect the other major sports. Until everything is fixed a little, it is never going to jump into the top-tier status.
First, let’s take a look from a potential player’s perspective. A top-level soccer players will need to spend their time in Europe to play for the best club teams every single year. Not only do they provide the best money-making opportunities, but the best competition as well. A star American athlete in other major sports does not have to leave the country and play far away from friends and family.
Fans run into the same problem, as they are stuck watching MLS games live and on the same schedule as the rest of the United States. While MLS is becoming better and better, it is still not near the overall level of the Premier League or La Liga, for example.
This goes beyond opportunities on the pitch. Soccer players are just not as marketable in the United States because their matches are being played when the majority of Americans can’t watch television. There is no way to catch them live except for maybe a couple of times a year with exhibition matches or friendlies on the national team.
Officiating
The officiating in soccer is always under constant scrutiny. So many decisions are left up to those calling the game, and with a decent amount of power, they can heavily sway a match.
Officials are left to make a lot of judgement calls, and soccer is very slow to adopt technology to help these humans out.
As a spectator, people have the opportunity to see a certain play in slow motion from every angle. It is just a bit unrealistic to think that officials will always make that correct call in real-time, even if they are the best in the world at their craft.
