Why isn't soccer big here on television in the USA?

Question

I love the World Cup, but I wish soccer was on television more...I love watching it. Every other country has it, why don't we?

to Amko B...I wish!!

Its a pretty big thing for little kids to play....and even in some high schools, so I don't understand why we are not good at it! I mean, if the kids grow up playing it and loving it, why isn't it big? That just doesn't make sense to me....

Answer 1

We don't have any really good or really famous players. It could catch on if there was a league that had good funding and good viewership. But it's like the chicken and the egg, it will only be funded if there are a lot of viewers, and for that we need funding. In Europe the clubs start with a huge amount of players and widdle them down to the very best, where in the states there is hardly any pool to draw from, so there are no super-star players to give the game a following.

Answer 2

It's not popular in the US because you guys don't have that tradition. In Most countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa it's the opposite. It's all about Football (soccer) and very few people are interested in Baseball and American Football. It will take a long time to change peoples attitude.

The best way to make football more popular in the US? Americans need a few really big stars who play in the biggest and best teams in Europe. You have to play with the best in order to reach a high level. The best American players are just solid but they are far from being some of the best in the world.

Answer 3

Becasue out of an hour of tv you get maybe a total of 2min of excitement. Why watch that when you can watch excitement on every play. Like in our football. The only reason soccer is so popular all over the world is because they never came up w/ american football. Andabout kids playing it they only play until they are big enough to play football. Look at the kids that play in highschool they are all about 110lbs- 150lbs. Weak

Answer 4

Ask Jim Rome.

My kids played it when they were little and really enjoyed it. The rules are easy for little kids to understand. I would have though it would have taken off by now, what with all the youthful soccer activity. I think Americans are still too inhibited to do the audience participation thing that the Euros do, like slaughter each other, and soccer celebrity hair-do's are, well, scary.

Give it time. If it sells, it will work. If it doesn't --- I'll be darned if I'll subsidize it with my tax dollars....

Me, I like to watch billiard tournaments. To each his/her own...

Answer 5

Duh
Football is our sport.
Ironically it was concieved from what the rest of the world calls soccer.
I like it too, but there are too many knuckleheads who listen to people like Jim Rome who think its not cool if you actually like the sport.
It is not the most popular sport in the world but it is way more popular than American football.

Formula One Racing has the largest television viewing audience in the world with just the Formula One championship bringing in 40 billion viewers annually.
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The World's Most Popular Sports


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This page was inspired by an unpleasant individual by the name of pa, who posted a message on our Team Handball Message Board, which read, "Team Handball isn't the second most popular sport in the world. It truly sucks." This post was in response to a statement on our site attesting to the popularity of Team Handball worldwide.



So,




Sport
2002 Estimates of Participants Worldwide
Number of Affiliated National Federations

Volleyball
998 Million
218

Basketball
400 Million
211

Table Tennis
300 Million
186

Soccer
242 Million
204

Badminton
200 Million
147

Tennis
60 Million
191

Baseball
60 Million
110

Dragon Boat Racing
50 Million
51

Team Handball
18 Million
147

Hockey
3 million
118

Judo
2.5 Million
187

Rugby
2 Million
97

Cycling
600,000
160

Bocce
Pending
72

Cricket
Pending

Answer 6

Football not soccer, as played w. the feet. Because it's an international game so the odds of winning at the end of the day are slim even if you're Brazil or Italy. Americans couldn't take being beaten like the rest of us, if they were to take it seriously.

Answer 7

Soccer is stupid. Your feet are to walk and run with not to kick a stupid ball around with! And to those of you who say that it is popular everywhere else in the world: that is the best reason for it not to be popular here! This is the best country in the world. Where else are people trying to get into the country with cars made into boats or stowing away in cargo ships? We should want to be different from the rest of the world. Baseball and basketball and REAL football are what it is all about!

Answer 8

I watch soccer almost everyday. What you need to do is get Direct TV. They have a Fox Sports Soccer channel. Plus a couple of others as well. I get to watch American soccer, European soccer, Italian soccer, Spanish soccer, German Soccer, Argentinian soccer, Asian soccer. Anyway, a lot of soccer. What's great about it is you get to see all of the International superstars like Ronaldinho. Check it out.

Answer 9

Because Americans like altot of scoreing, they tink that the more tipacal scored of 1-0 or2-0 is boring!! They don't appriceate the skills it takes to play the game.

Answer 10

Yea thats what I want to know.. I came from Europe and we are crazy about soccer..Here baseball which I think is one of the worst sports I ever saw... But here people are crazy about it. Do you have channel FSC soccer?