Why is it that soccer is popular around the world and not is the U.S.?

Answer 1

i think the US is more used to high scoring games with plenty of action .. soccer can go thru long periods of tactical and boring play .. its pretty hard to establish any sport in a new country nowadays. Basketball is played here in the UK but its not that popular .. i think a sport is just ingrained into the national psyche ie soccer in UK, Brazil, Italy etc and American Football in the US !!

Answer 2

As an US American who happened to also live overseas (Italy) for some time, pretty simple:
- though improving, our best is not generally very good at it
- not "our" sport
so easier for "typical" US American to put it down.

Football (American), baseball and basketball are the big three but other than basketball, other two are not even olympic sports and are primarily US sports.

I love watching football but most who have not played or followed it for a long time simply do not understand it. I loved playing baseball but just too slow and boring to watch unless a homerun race or close series...and also difficult to understand all the nuances for typical person. I used to really like basketball but since Jordan retired stopped watching until late in play-offs....just not as exciting and players seem too selfish and just not as good fundamentally as in the past.

Was shocking to me how many more US Americans were talking about the World Cup last year. With number of youth now playing soccer, I truly believe it will become more popular once the older generation (and close-mindedness associated) moves on. Unlike football and baseball, easy to learn and if you really watch actually very exciting with the skill and strategy involved.

In addition, I played football and soccer through high school and soccer was easier the more demanding and where I obtained more injuries. Those who mock it simply are ignorant of the demands and stress.

In summary, we have our own games but other than basketball hard for other cultures to understand...but that makes it more our culture. Other countries have less "pride" so are more open and can understand and respect soccer even if they did not create or are not very good. For older "typical" US Americans, simply too proud to embrace while other countries can more easily look at the virtues of a simple elegant game that can be easily (and cheaply) played anywhere.

Answer 3

One of the biggest reasons I think that many people overlook is the fact that advertisement drives sports. If you look at basketball or football even more so there are continuous breaks that allow opportunities for companies to advertise what they want. Soccer has half time. Also in america we are a get it now country. Things need to be happening now and exciting now. There just isn't enough scoring in soccer for the average fan. A 0-0 draw after you gave them 90+ minutes just turns people off.

Answer 4

1) It's not considered an American sport and it's not played by mostly Americans
2) It's not TV friendly because you can't have a commercial break every 5 to 10 minutes like the broadcast channels and sponsors and advertisers like to have.
3) Many Americans are closed minded when it comes to "foreign ideas". Many feel that doing something that isn't commonly done here in the US or even widely popular here is un-American
4) Look at how much money there is in the sports that are more popular here in the US. Soccer here doesn't have the money that baseball, basketball, hockey, or American football has. There are billions of dollars invested in those sports unlike soccer here. If that much money were to be invested in US soccer then I think it would appeal to many more americans. Keep in mind that the US in a capitalistic society driven by money.
5) Americans generally like sports that have a lot of scores and sports that have the potential and ability to score often and very quickly. I'd like to point out that in American football the score is highly inflated as in when you score a touchdown it's worth a ridiculous 6 points and then you get an extra point attempt which often means when a team scores they get 7 points per score. A field goal is worth 3 points. If the scores in American football weren't worth an inflated number of points the score lines would be much lower and closer to the score lines in baseball and hockey. It's all an illusion to add appeal. In basketball you have shots that are worth 3, 3, and 1 point which also inflates the score lines.
6) The media often downplays and badmouths soccer which I think ties in with the money aspect. People often tend to buy into what the media tells them. The media often has a biased opinion. The media doesn't have a lot of coverage of soccer here so this leads a lot of people to believe that it's not worth paying any attention to or even liking and enjoying.
7) Soccer is unique in it's own ways and quite different from other sports with one fact being it's a sport played using ones feet. Is there any other sport like this? Not that I'm aware of. Because it's so different from other sports it's hard for Americans to understand and what they don't understand they tend to dislike or even hate.
8) Americans thrive on quick action and quick results and often don't have the patients to watch soccer with it's two 45 minute halves and only a 15 minute break in between when the sport doesn't have a high score line. Again, they much prefer high scoring sports or sports with a lot of points earned.

Answer 5

A couple of factors.

1) Not fast enough. The only sports that can be slow and survive in America are sports that have continual stratigic adjustments, like baseball and, to a lesser extent, football (American). Americans can't deal with all of the 2-1 games. Look at the dive in popularity in hockey when teams started playing the nuetral zone trap. I know soccer also has lots of strategy, but its different you hav startegy on the fly, versus a stoppage in time for a strategy session. The latter is on a much higher level, in some ways.

2) Its simply not a part of the American experience. I know thats a little circular, but people grow up on baseball, football and basketball. To a lesser extent hockey. Passionate sports fans are generally people who are passionate about sports from their childhood.

Just my 2 cents.

Answer 6

well becuase fathers like to push their kids into playing football, baseball because thats what they did when they were young and never experienced soccer and don't understand the sport and end up stereotyping the sport not manly enough like football and program that in the heads of others. But for soccer to become big like it is every where else we need to have American born soccer superstars that will play in the MLS would be the best but even anywhere else and that would upgrade the american outlook on soccer on having an international superstar like a lebron james of soccer. having great american soccer players in the MLS would draw other great players from other countries to want to play with them.

Answer 7

The people of the US dont see the passion in soccer. they see a couple of guys running around, kicking the ball, and they think its easy. it takes tremendous skill to run for the length of the game and produce skillful shots/passes.
Baseball, basketball and football are not appealing around the world. baseball and now basketball have a better chance, but football will forever be an American sport.
MLS does not do a great job promoting soccer. ESPN should have boosted MLS when david beckham said he's going to the US. instead of promoting soccer and nurturing it, they slammed him and the MLS. they dont even give it a chance, and they're a SPORTS CHANNEL. those reporters watch every sport but soccer. and they can claim they know the greats blah blah blah. David Beckham can show the passion of soccer.
for everyone else around the world, Soccer is not just a sport, its a part of who you are. you live and die with your team. you grow up with them, it becomes you.

Answer 8

US has its traditional sports like grid iron, baseball and basketball that are established in terms of its history within the country. Soccer, although I believe is popular at lower age groups, loses its popularity because the emphasis in college is to concentrate on the aforementioned "big three" sports due to the success you can have after college playing in these professional environments as opposed to soccer which is very much the poor cousin compared to these sports. Of course, it doesn't help that soccer consists of two 45 minute halves which makes advertising during these matches unappealing to corporates.

Answer 9

This is cuz Americans like quick sports and don't like 90mins games that ends up in 0-0 or 1-0. instead Americans like 13-0 or 26-10 . plus soccer isn't over hyped in the U.S

Answer 10

The U.S. is all caught up in basketball, baseball, and especially football. You can't really make a country stop loving a violent sport like football. We also truly are the best in the world at football.