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Lets talk about americas lack of interest in soccer
Posted on 5/29/13 at 2:49 am
Posted on 5/29/13 at 2:49 am
so soccer is the most popular sport in the world but it is probably the number 4 or 5 sport in america. i understand it is the most played youth sport in this country but that has not translated into actual interest in the game as people age. anyone have any theory on why this is?
my theory is that we we able to adopt our own sport identity because we broke away from england early on and therefore, england and other european colonial powers couldnt instill their sports into our culture and we were allowed to develop our own. not to mention that in the united states, you have much more competition in regards to sports leagues and what not with the NBA, the NFL, the MLB, and the NHL all being the #1 league in the world of their respective sport and that isnt even getting into americas love of college sports.
anybody else have a different theory?
my theory is that we we able to adopt our own sport identity because we broke away from england early on and therefore, england and other european colonial powers couldnt instill their sports into our culture and we were allowed to develop our own. not to mention that in the united states, you have much more competition in regards to sports leagues and what not with the NBA, the NFL, the MLB, and the NHL all being the #1 league in the world of their respective sport and that isnt even getting into americas love of college sports.
anybody else have a different theory?
16
Posted on 5/29/13 at 2:53 am to WestCoastAg
When we broke away from England was Soccer a sport?
I do know that cricket was, and thus we evolved it into baseball.
I do know that cricket was, and thus we evolved it into baseball.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 2:55 am to dawgfan1979
and football is an evolution of rugby. the cambridge rules were drawn up in the mid 1800s but i bet people kicked a ball around and tried to put it through a goal throughout all of history
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:03 am to WestCoastAg
quote:
people kicked a ball around and tried to put it through a goal throughout all of history
I'm sure they did, but at a professional level its boring to Americans i believe.
We already have Baseball, Hockey, Gridiron football, basketball...maybe there just isn't enough room.
I really don't have an answer...just pondering, same as you
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:07 am to dawgfan1979
Soccer isn't very exciting from an action standpoint. The defense played at a professional soccer level is very impressive. It makes for a pretty boring game. Make the goals a few feet wider on each side, a couple of feet higher, and eliminate off sides and you've got something more fun to watch.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:14 am to peopleschamp
I think a lot of it really is preference. Americans also generally prefer football and basketball over baseball which is a more objectively "boring" sport. We like more action. UFC is growing and boxing is dying. Instant gratification society. And American Football really is God's gift to athletics. Just a great sport.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:18 am to peopleschamp
quote:
Make the goals a few feet wider on each side, a couple of feet higher, and eliminate off sides and you've got something more fun to watch.
This post was edited on 5/29/13 at 3:23 am
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:20 am to beaverfever
quote:
I think a lot of it really is preference. Americans also generally prefer football and basketball over baseball which is a more objectively "boring" sport. We like more action.
Football is objectively the most boring sport, least action sport there is.
Sports preference is about 1. Marketing 2. Availability thats it
This post was edited on 5/29/13 at 3:22 am
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:26 am to WestCoastAg
quote:
so soccer is the most popular sport in the world but it is probably the number 4 or 5 sport in america
behind baseball, football, and basketball certainly
hockey, boxing, MMA, NASCAR are probably more popular in the US as well (I would have guessed).
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:29 am to VerlanderBEAST
quote:as far as being objectively boring based on scoring I guess your right but football definitely would rank high on the "action" scale.
Football is objectively the most boring sport, least action sport there is.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:31 am to molsusports
quote:When talking how big the industries are in the US I would guess golf is probably bigger than those 4 and soccer behind probably all of them.
behind baseball, football, and basketball certainly
hockey, boxing, MMA, NASCAR are probably more popular in the US as well (I would have guessed).
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:36 am to beaverfever
probably true, I should have included golf
The OP asks a good question but I'm not sure there's an easy answer to it other than perhaps cultural history. If you grow up with a sport then you'd have more of a chance of latching onto it as your favorite. I played soccer for years and for the most part lost interest by the end of high school.
The OP asks a good question but I'm not sure there's an easy answer to it other than perhaps cultural history. If you grow up with a sport then you'd have more of a chance of latching onto it as your favorite. I played soccer for years and for the most part lost interest by the end of high school.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:38 am to WestCoastAg
It's just painfully boring to try and watch.
I mean there's what, 4-7 shots on goal on average in most games? I think the USA had 1 shot on goal against Mexico back in March in a 0-0 draw.
Yeah, a 0-0 tie between the US and Mexico is sure to get the sport going in this country.
Our sports have shot clocks to prevent them from getting boring, multiple "scores" per game especially in the NFL anymore which is pretty much an air raid attack and high scoring.
Baseball is slow, but even still the best pitchers in the game usually allow 2-3 runs per start and they only start once every 5 days. Other times you got guys that give up 3-5+ earned run average =, enough to keep interest.
Hockey you're going to get 2-3 goals usually minimum with the way the game is now, but more importantly there is 1 timeout all game, and very few stops in play, resulting in 25+ shots on goal per game and the better teams 30-40 shots on goal giving you constant action.
Basketball has a shot clock to keep the pace up decently and obviously a ton of shots, momentum swings, high flying dunks, etc.
If soccer took away offsides and maybe took away 2 players from each team on the field to open it up more, maybe, only maybe would I consider sitting through a match.
I mean there's what, 4-7 shots on goal on average in most games? I think the USA had 1 shot on goal against Mexico back in March in a 0-0 draw.
Yeah, a 0-0 tie between the US and Mexico is sure to get the sport going in this country.
Our sports have shot clocks to prevent them from getting boring, multiple "scores" per game especially in the NFL anymore which is pretty much an air raid attack and high scoring.
Baseball is slow, but even still the best pitchers in the game usually allow 2-3 runs per start and they only start once every 5 days. Other times you got guys that give up 3-5+ earned run average =, enough to keep interest.
Hockey you're going to get 2-3 goals usually minimum with the way the game is now, but more importantly there is 1 timeout all game, and very few stops in play, resulting in 25+ shots on goal per game and the better teams 30-40 shots on goal giving you constant action.
Basketball has a shot clock to keep the pace up decently and obviously a ton of shots, momentum swings, high flying dunks, etc.
If soccer took away offsides and maybe took away 2 players from each team on the field to open it up more, maybe, only maybe would I consider sitting through a match.
This post was edited on 5/29/13 at 3:40 am
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:42 am to VerlanderBEAST
quote:that completely kills the game imo
Make the goals a few feet wider on each side, a couple of feet higher, and eliminate off sides and you've got something more fun to watch.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:44 am to UltimateHog
Yeah if soccer could get to where there where like even 1/3 as many scoring opportunities as in hockey it would be way more entertaining.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:47 am to beaverfever
i understand the boring factor, hell to be honest i dont think ive ever been able to sit and watch a full game, but if thats why it hasnt caught on in the US, how has it been able to catch on in every other country in the world?
This post was edited on 5/29/13 at 3:50 am
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:50 am to WestCoastAg
well played it is not boring and someone who is a passionate fan of the sport will argue it has a lot more action than sports like baseball, football, and golf for example
I think it just hasn't reached the critical mass necessary to make it an "it" event where the stadiums rock here in teh states
I think it just hasn't reached the critical mass necessary to make it an "it" event where the stadiums rock here in teh states
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:52 am to WestCoastAg
quote:poverty, lack of options, already being ingrained in the culture imo. Basketball is exploding in smaller poor countries that are being exposed to it.
i understand the boring factor, hell to be honest i dont think ive ever been able to sit and watch a full game, but if thats why it hasnt caught on in the US, how has it been able to catch on in every other country in the world?
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:53 am to WestCoastAg
What's the avg age of the posters in this thread? Just curious.
Posted on 5/29/13 at 3:57 am to beaverfever
quote:thats where i was heading with my OP. just wanted to know what others were thinking
poverty, lack of options, already being ingrained in the culture imo
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