Soccer then and now.

Consistent interest is still minimal, but media coverage has exploded.

There was a time not so long ago when ESPN basically covered the World Cup and that was it. I don't ever remember MLS or Premiere League highlights as a kid.

It's been "the up and coming sport" since I was in high school in the 1980s.

Then- maybe a -1? It was a sport every kid played and no one cared about after they stopped playing and moved to football, baseball, and basketball.

Now- maybe a 4. The popularity of the Fifa video game franchise is making some of the lesser known (to non soccer followers) players more known. More leagues and teams are starting to become better known to younger kids and gamers. Added that the European championships and the Americas championships just happened and both were pretty good tourneys.

Future- hard to say. As others have said, soccer has been the sport of the future since Pele came over here. I think it's on an upswing, but can we do anything with it?

20 years ago, I didn't know soccer was a sport. Now, I'd say it's about a 3 on a scale of 1 to football.

2016 Harris Poll

1. NFL
2. MLB
3. College Football
4. Nascar
5. NBA
6. NHL
7. Soccer (Premiere/MLS)
8. Golf

List of Americans that said this was their favorite sport...

Nothing has really changed for soccer except the last two years...but only minimally.

So there's hope but it's just minor things corresponding with the World Cup. The big spike was 2014 Brazil World Cup.

Men’s soccer

1985 - 3%
1989 - 2%
1992 - 2%
1993 - 1%
1994 - 3%
1997 - 3%
1998 - 4%
2002 - 3%
2003 - 3%
2004 - 3%
2005 - 2%
2006 - 2%
2007 - 2%
2008 - 3%
2009 - 2%
2010 - 4%
2011 - 1%
2012 - 2%
2013 - 2%
2014 - 6%
2015 - 4%

quote:

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As an American spectator sport, on a scale of 1-10 in terms of prominence (10 being NFL), where was soccer 20 years ago, where is it now, and where will it be in ten years?

I will say it was a 1, now it's a 3.5, and in 10 years it will be a 5.

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If we're just talking about MLS and the US MNT and WNT, it's still probably a consistent 2 rising to 4-5 on rare occasions.

If we're including EPL and Euros and things like that, it's probably a consistent 4 overall, maybe rising to 6ish+ in urban areas and at peak times. I live in Atlanta, and it's pretty normal for me to go to a normal (not soccer) sports bar and see an EPL game or recently, a Euro game on TV.

We're getting to the point where EPL games and Champions League get time on the front page of ESPN and on Sportscenter. Non-soccer people talk about stuff like Leicester City and other notable events in a generic, "universally interesting sports story" sort of way. I come across more and more people who have started to claim EPL teams even if they are far from avid viewers.

I think all of that is different. It's almost like people are preparing themselves for the day when soccer is truly prominent ("I can't say I watch that many of the games, but I'd probably be an Arsenal fan"). shite like that.