Why is soccer so unsuccessful here in the states?

Question

It's unfortunate because it is such an exciting and uniting sport. Hockey doesn't do very well in the states either. Get with the program you ignorant fools!! Talk about ethnocentric!

Answer 1

I'm going to disagree with the general consensus here believing that soccer is unpopular in the States because of its slow pace. Think about this carefully. What other popular (granted it's not as popular as american football) sport in America is quite similar to soccer? Yes, that's right. HOCKEY. Hockey matches usually end in scores of a total of 10 points or less.

You want to know the real reason why Soccer is not popular? Two reasons:
1) The game is quite harsh to aggressive behaviour. This is where a crucial difference lies between Hockey and Soccer. (This is also why Austrialians tend to like rugby over soccer).
2) Because America doesn't dominate Soccer.

Furthermore, Americans should begin to enjoy Soccer more because their national team is (I'm not debating this) getting better with every tourney. Afterall, there were many Americans in Germany rooting for their team and the TV ratings for football beat ratings for basketball, baseball, hockey and golf (granted, this is because of the large number of immigrants in the states but nevertheless, an important statistic but don't also forget that World Cup this year is held in Germany which means games won't be aired primetime).

"It's also not a very technical sport, in comparison to baseball and football, which rely heavily on strategy and analysis of situations and tendencies."

Excuse me? Ever heard of the 4-2-3-1 defense? or 4-3-3 or 4-4-2? The very fact that Soccer is quite harsh in terms of penalties makes it more technical then baseball and football. Typical American ignorance. Oh and honestly, baseball being a technical sport? Rubbish.

Answer 2

Here are a couple reasons why it doesn't do well here:

1. Games that end in ties with no winner and loser is like kissing your sister. YUCK!!!

2. Way too often the first team that scores first wins the game. Why? The initial scoring team will often go into delaying tactics. EX: England Argentina 2002 WC. The Brits scored right before the half, and I remember the announcer saying they will take the air out of the ball. That's exactly what the English did, playing a semi-stall game. The game ending up being 1-0. It was boring as hell. Yet all my English friends thought it was great.

3. Arbitrary officiating/rules. EX: In the Italy USA game, DeRossi of Italy gets a red card and for a nasty elbow shot. McBride was covered with blood and had to get three stiches. No free kick is awarded. In the Ghana/USA game Oguchi Onyewu somehow gets called for pushing, which the replays show didn't even occur. Ghana is awarded a free kick which basically hands them the game. How can I support a sport where you have these crazy rules and suspect officiating? It makes absolutely no sense. One player gets thrown out of the game for throwing his elbows, yet another player who barely makes that much contact with an opponent isn't even given a yellow/red card???? Yet the official gives Ghana a FREE KICK?? You may say the rules were followed, but I would come back and say, those rules are crazy.

4. The game is just too boring. I only watch it because it's on every four years. Truly it could be on once a decade and that would be enough. I will never be a fan of this sport.

Answer 3

First off, I'd like to thank you for stereotyping Americans as "ignorant fools" just because the country doesn't shut down for the World Cup. Second, as a soccer* fan myself, I believe it has too much competition. There's the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, Arena Football, Major League Lacrosse, and countless college and minor league teams. Soccer is gaining ground in terms of ticket sales and television exposure, and hopefully as America continues to ethnically diversify, people who were soccer fans in their home countries will pass that on to their children. I see good things in the next ten years.

Americans historically have never been that good at soccer, and fans tend to come and go as teams succeed and fail. Two years ago, the my hometown hockey team was doing okay. They had their fans, and the games sold well, but they didn't make the front page or instigate parades in the streets. A few weeks ago, they won the East Coast Hockey League championship, and suddenly the whole town's gone hockey mad. The same thing happened when Scott Gomez and the N.J. Devils won the Stanley Cup back in 1999, and by 2001 it had just sort of faded away. Unless America's soccer teams (national or MLS) do something really special, they'll get lost in the shuffle. Winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup apparently isn't enough, and getting bounced from the World Cup sure won't help.

* Using the term "soccer" to separate association football from American football (or Aussie rules football, I suppose), although my personal habit is to say "football" in all such cases.

Answer 4

Hockey is popular in certain areas of the US, mainly New England and the Upper Midwest, especially at the high school and collegiate level.

Soccer doesn't attract our best athletes because there are too many other options (baseball, basketball, football). It's also not a very technical sport, in comparison to baseball and football, which rely heavily on strategy and analysis of situations and tendencies.

I'd also love to know how we're ethnocentric when we're the ones who take in most of the people the rest of the world doesn't want, have taken a bunch of different cultures and blended them into one (well, we did until recently when multiculturalism became the rage). Americans of every different ethnic group have come together to make our version of football the top sport in the country; are we to be chastised for it?

Answer 5

It's probably because most americans think they are the greatest, and that any sport they didn't invent is sub-par compared to theirs. I'm a big fan of all sports, but I think World Cup competition is rivaled by no other tournament in size, competitiveness, reach, intensity, and glory. You're cemented into history if you win, your country as a whole enjoys great national pride and unity allowing them to momentarily forget their problems in life.

Hockey's great too. Too bad nobody was watching the Stanley Cup finals. I watched just about every game. Game 7's in hockey are always rewarding.

Answer 6

It is unfortunate. But, Americans like scoring, and that's the problem.

Even take one of our favorite games, baseball. Most people who even call themselves baseball fans say a pitching duel was a "boring" game. That's such crap.

I'm actually hooked on the World Cup this year. Even though USA didn't make it to the round of 16.

Answer 7

I think soccer would be more popular if it were introduced to americans differently. It is viewed in the states as a childs game and really nothing more. Alot could be done to advertise the games. It is mostly ignored by the media.

Answer 8

The popularity of the Kansas City Chiefs

Answer 9

awww. I'm ignorant cause I simple don't like a sport. Wow you are sooooo smart. Your right I don't like it cause I'm dumb. It has nothing to do with the ssssllllloooooowwwwww pacing, and UNexciting plays that you wait forever for. Thank you SO much. I will watch that and sucky hockey for now on.....wanker,

Answer 10

I guess it's a slow scoring game-takes time to get a score. Most of us like a fast phase game. I love soccer though.