Soccer Events Enthrall But Soccer Itself Doesn’t
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By DERON SNYDER
Soccer lovers in the U.S. have a chip on their shoulders and with good reason, miffed that their sport isn’t as beloved here as it is worldwide. But they aren’t the only fans frustrated by America’s particular taste.
The world’s favorite team sports, based on total fan rankings by www.mostpopularsports.net, are soccer, cricket, field hockey, volleyball and baseball. In the U.S., it’s baseball, football, basketball, hockey and soccer.
So fans of “the beautiful game” have to get in line when lodging complaints that America doesn’t get it. At least they have Major League Soccer and the fledging Women’s Professional Soccer to provide a fix. There aren’t many domestic options for spectators in search of pros wielding wickets or spiking sets.
The just-concluded Women’s World Cup gave soccer its every-four-years booster shot that doesn’t exist for many sports outside of the Olympics. And the U.S. team’s thrilling performance was a big hit at home, generating huge TV ratings and saturation coverage in print, cyberspace and broadcast reports. Predictably, thoughts have turned to what it might mean for women’s soccer here, and U.S. soccer overall.
Unfortunately for diehards, it won’t result in a dramatic reshuffling of our pro sports preferences. Soccer will still trail baseball, football, basketball and hockey, and women’s pro soccer still will struggle to be viable.
