Explain the allure of soccer to me.

[Amatikulu]

The US had better get used to it as within a generation Soccer will grow in popularity here in the USA.

Extracted from the internet:


Football (soccer), is another popular team sport played in the United States. It is the number one youth participation sport in the U.S. today, more popular even than American football, baseball, basketball, or hockey, up to about the age of 13. Dramatic growth in youth participation has fueled the men's national team's steady rise in caliber of play since 1990, with the US participating in every World Cup since that time. Almost as many girls as boys play youth soccer in the U.S., contributing to the women's national team becoming one of the world's premier women's sides. MLS (Major League Soccer) and USSF Division 2 are the men's first and second tier professional leagues in the U.S., respectively, and WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) is the top tier of American women's soccer. The designation of "tier" is mandated by FIFA in each case.

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[Harlan (Deceased)]

The US had better get used to it as within a generation Soccer will grow in popularity here in the USA.

I'll believe it when I see it!

(I still cannot tell for certain when your tongue is in cheek Niel!
I guess 'popular' needs to be defined further.

As someone said above, 'soccer' is participated in by quite a few Americans in a certain age group. I agree that it's a 'soccer mom' sport and may constitute a growing segment of a 'participated in' sport, but I don't agree it's all that popular, other than by the parents of kids playing. It's good fun for kids and easy to learn to play. Few injuries, and equipment is inexpensive. Good exercise and often it's the only sport many kids have ever participated in (Or ever will participate in for many).
I coached soccer a couple of different years when they were begging for coaches. I refused to coach my son's team though, even as an assistant coach. I did the same for little league baseball, and I never interfered with or questioned his coaches. I'd just sit in my chair away from the dugout and watch the game.

(I developed a certain disdain for low class 'little anything league' parents who interfered with coaches that I don't feel about anyone else)
(Now THERE'S a subject!)

Also agree with above sentiments as far as viewing most sports. I played soccer before I started playing football in Jr high and lost all interest in soccer. Soccer was fun to play. Of course football was much more demanding (tough coaches, etc) but still fun -
Both were fun to play, but I have never got much enjoyment out of watching someone else play most sports.

I guess for that matter, I very much enjoy shooting but don't care anything about watching someone else shoot! (I'm selfish and the world revolves around me)

[ArizonaBeagle]

The US had better get used to it as within a generation Soccer will grow in popularity here in the USA.

Yeah.......They said the same thing about the metric system too......

.

[Aragorn243]

The US had better get used to it as within a generation Soccer will grow in popularity here in the USA.

When I was in high school they said the exact same thing. They also said as the previous poster mentioned that we would be using the metric system within 10 years.

I graduated high school nearly 30 years ago. The metric system is still only used to measure soda (they used it more then in reality) and soccer is still ignored by everyone other than the parents of young children and said young children.

Our daughter's high school has a championship caliber boys soccer team. No one cares. They also have a football team that has not won more than 2 games per season in the last 5 years. The bleachers are packed, the boosters dominate all other sports with the possible exception of band (yes, considered a sport, scary isn't it) and when they introduce the various teams in the fall, most comments revolve around how much the football team would benefit if the losers on the soccer team weren't mommas boys.

Soccer is slightly more popular now than then and I expect a slow increase in interest will continue but I doubt it will ever reach the popularity of a dozen other sports that currently are regularly broadcast on network TV including golf, tennis, NASCAR, football, basketball, college basketball and college football and odd as it may sound, beach volleyball.