Will soccer ever become the most popular sport in America?

Not on the pro level, no, it never will become the most popular. But on some school age levels it already is #1.

Pele, Esq. wrote:

It might be the most popular sport in the world, but even diehard soccer fans can't deny that it is not a popular specator sport (at least to casual fans) in the United States. At least not compared to the "Big Three."

I'm not smoking anything; just making an observation. Why did you have to respond to my comment like such a d--khead? If you're a soccer fan, more power to ya. But there's no need to be jerk just because you don't share my opinion.

It's not a difference of opinion I reacted to, it's your ignorance. To even suggest playing without a goalie says you have no clue how soccer is played. Hey, you know what would make baseball interesting? Replace the bats with tennis rackets and make the rules similar to dodge ball.

Was Mystified wrote:

Not on the pro level, no, it never will become the most popular. But on some school age levels it already is #1.

And do you think those kids will grow up and join the naysayers? Of course not. They may not all continue to play in adulthood (I didn't) but they will surely be fans.

man Pele just trolled you hard and you're still biting.

Also someone mentioned goalless draws as if they occurred in every other game.

http://i.imgur.com/VJJsu.png

I'm not American and don't live in the US but from where I'm standing it appears to be on massive upward trend over there. ESPN were even showing live shitty Europa league games today.

It's full steam ahead for the soccer bandwagon.

The Quenton Cassidamius wrote:

The entire world loves soccer and the US is just starting to catch on.

Yes. They were saying that 40 years ago. But it just hasn't panned out.

Honestly, major soccer on TV is a bore, kick the ball down field, someone catches up to it and kicks it back, no action, no scoring, few shots on goal. It will never come close to american football, no way no how.

Soccer will always be 2nd rate in the US, soon to be joined by the boring and even slower game of baseball.

Actually, in US high schools, soccer is presently fourth-rate in participation, behind football, track and field (yeah!), and basketball, in that order. Soccer may ultimately be sixth-rate, behind faster-growing lacrosse and swimming and diving.

In my mind, American football players look like athletes, basketball players look like athletes, people like Bolt and Ashton Eaton look like athletes....and people like soccer players and runners like Rupp look and act like dorks. But even in 10000m, you still have a last lap where people actually RUN. Soccer pretty much just wimps out.

Name ONE pro soccer player who's a$$ Eva Longoria couldn't kick. That's why soccer will never be popular in the land of the NHL.

fooot balll wrote:

Honestly, major soccer on TV is a bore, kick the ball down field, someone catches up to it and kicks it back, no action, no scoring, few shots on goal. It will never come close to american football, no way no how.

American football is the one where they replay every 5 second bit of action 4 times because each play is followed by a long stretch of complete inactivity, right? The one where a guy in the pads throws the ball into the ground and then the guy in the striped shirt goes and gets it and puts it back where it was before the man in the pads threw it out of bounds?

think I've seen that game wrote:

American football is the one where they replay every 5 second bit of action 4 times because each play is followed by a long stretch of complete inactivity, right? The one where a guy in the pads throws the ball into the ground and then the guy in the striped shirt goes and gets it and puts it back where it was before the man in the pads threw it out of bounds?

And soccer is where some metrosexual lies on the ground grabbing his leg grimacing in pain in order to stop play (where people just stand around anyways), then he/she gets carried off the field on a stretcher and maybe comes back 15 min. later after they have gone in the locker room and snorted a line and had a smoke.

Q: How many nil-nil football games have you seen lately?

Soccer will never catch on in America because there isn't enough breaks in play in which to go and buy a corndog.

I think the main thing holding back soccer in America is the fact they have never had a player who has been remotely good. Even Togo have had Adebayor, Ivory Coast have had Drogba but who have USA had? Freddy something?

Freddy who? wrote:

I think the main thing holding back soccer in America is the fact they have never had a player who has been remotely good. Even Togo have had Adebayor, Ivory Coast have had Drogba but who have USA had? Freddy something?

Neven Subotic and Guiseppe Rossi(when he was healthy) are top 15 in their positions. Unfortunately they play for other national teams. Unfair to say there were no "good" American players. There have been respectable American players abroad. Dempsey, Friedal, Altidore, Tim Howard, Bradley, Reyna, McBride and a few others. The only way a superstar breaks the American market is if he is a striker. Even if Adu worked out, he would have faded since he doesn't play in a goal heavy position.

I also find it funny that distance runners are calling soccer boring, since 99% of the country would never watch an entire 10,000m or marathon.

coach d wrote:

Actually, in US high schools, soccer is presently fourth-rate in participation, behind football, track and field (yeah!), and basketball, in that order. Soccer may ultimately be sixth-rate, behind faster-growing lacrosse and swimming and diving.

In my mind, American football players look like athletes, basketball players look like athletes, people like Bolt and Ashton Eaton look like athletes....and people like soccer players and runners like Rupp look and act like dorks. But even in 10000m, you still have a last lap where people actually RUN. Soccer pretty much just wimps out.

Name ONE pro soccer player who's a$$ Eva Longoria couldn't kick. That's why soccer will never be popular in the land of the NHL.

Not sure if flame, but here you go

.

coach d wrote:

Name ONE pro soccer player who's a$$ Eva Longoria couldn't kick.

Duncan Ferguson

To all of you saying "that's what they said 30 years ago blah blah":

The world is radically more globalized and smaller than 30 years ago. I can't really overstate this.

The internet and other global communication has totally changed the game, on top of that North America isn't in the same 'island' position like it used to be.

While the US once used to be the only country really being in the position to export their culture and ignore what was going on elsewhere, the center of gravity has already started to shift and is likely to continue shifting (sorry).

So yeah back on topic, it seems very likely that the US interest in soccer will be growing (maybe exceptionally)in the next 20 years or so, soccer being the closest thing to a truly global sport.

When SportsCenter begins to lead its broadcasts with soccer highlights, I will start to believe you. Until then, soccer occupies a spot somewhere between hot dog eating contests and poker. If the interest level was really there, you would see soccer in the first five minutes of the show. But you can watch a week of SportsCenter without once seeing a soccer highlight.

Nutella1 wrote:

Racehorse wrote:

Basketball seems to be taking hold in many civilized countries. Track and Field is a very serious sport worldwide. Baseball has a huge following in the Western Hemisphere.

True about basketball. Viewership for T&F is a joke outside of the Olympics.

Baseball has a huge following in the US/Canada, Cuba and Japan/Taiwan. That's it. I wouldn't call this the

Western Hemisphere"

The entire Carribean plays. Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela have players in MLB. Your point about Japan and Taiwan does not invalidate this at all. I stand by my comment.

Not sure if it's more funny or sad how Americans try to rationalize their fear of soccer. They might have a better case if they could come up with something positive to say about the sports they've been brainwashed since childhood to follow which are now losing ground, but it's better entertainment to read all these fictional things that are wrong with soccer.

Keep it up, chumps. You'll need the practice for when you become crotchety old Grampa grumbling at your soccer-playing grandsons and soccer-watching sons about the good ol' days when real American men put on pads and helmets and stood around watching replays of absolutely nothing.