Soccer is a unique sport to talk about when considering the immense popularity the sport carries throughout the globe. When talking about the spectator popularity of the sport in the United States it's about the third of fourth most popular spectator sport, but when talking about majorly around the world it would be easily the number one spectator sport. So why is that the United States put the sport so low on the Tatum pole?
I myself find soccer to be one of the lesser action packed sports to watch on tv which may be one factor of why I do not choose to be a spectator of the sport. One theory to why Americans have a low tolerance for soccer as I do may be because the nature of the game is to build up the suspense in between the goals that are scored in the game. Many games are low scoring and fans have to be patient to see scoring in the game. I feel as though many Americans do not have to patience for this because we love action packed sports such as football and basketball which are constant scoring. Even our national past time sport of baseball is falling down the list of most popular sports in our country maybe because of the slow pace of the game.
The world cup however is a great spectator event to watch because of the high profile status of the event and many countries participate. The event is a great way for each country to rally behind their team and show their national identity. I remember watching the 1999 Women's World Cup final when the Unites States took on China which ended up be a thrilling game. It is great for the game when countries that aren't high profile soccer programs such as the United States makes it deep in the tournament to provide some light on the countries program in order to gain some growth for the sport.
Americans have a low attention pan and are excited about action in sports. I made a similar comment in the lecture last week about the low emphasis on soccer in the United States. Unlike many countries, American sports are dominated by the NBA and NFL. We like to see consistent scoring and major physical contact. Its part of the reason the NHL allow players to brawl during the game. Baseball is about as limited action Americans will accept in sports. The World Cup is the biggest major event in America, and honestly, that isn't even comparable to the Superbowl in America.
ReplyDeleteBrent,
ReplyDeleteBoth you and Bradford make the point that Americans sporting fans seem to crave contact, high scoring, trick plays, etc. Soccer is sometimes a slower paced (longer) game, with less consistent action. I believe the aspect of teamwork, strategy, and fundamentals get lost in the common sports i.e. football/basketball. This is why soccer doesn't seem to thrive in the states. (Unfortunately).