Sunday, September 16, 2007
Soccer???
The first time I heard that soccer was the most popular sport in the world, I didn't believe it, but it is. If you don't believe me, head to England or Spain and you'll be amazed. Amazed how crazy the fans are for this game they call "football". You gotta ask yourself though, "If soccer is so popular around the world, why has it not caught on in the U.S.?" I've tried to come up with a reason why, but I just can't figure it out. Although soccer is popular among the youth, ranked 2nd in the nation with 7.7 million kids playing, it is almost forgotten in the U.S. when it comes to the professional ranks. There are multiple theories as to why it's popularity is decreased in the U.S. According to www.soccersucks.net, it's a cheap sport to play which appeals to many lesser-developed nations. With football, you need at least 22 sets of pads, helmets, and a football. With hockey, you need twelve sets of sticks, skates, and equipment. With soccer, all you need is twenty or so participants and a ball, which in many countries is made out of scraps of trash, and you’ve got a game. Also, soccer fields are huge. This means that real estate is super cheap where soccer is played. In more developed countries, indoor soccer has emerged because property is more precious. I personally enjoy soccer. Too bad the rest of the country doesn't feel the same way. What do you think about it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
My intrest in soccer has grown over the years. With the recent world cup and arrival of david beckham, my intrest has gone up. The game itself takes tremendous skill. Its two 45 minute halves where your probably constantly running or at least jogging. Can you jog for 45 minutes? Twice? As brian said, popularity is growing and continues to grow. David Beckham is just one player of huge talent imported to the us. Now what if we got more players from across the globe. Soccer has potential to be one of the most popular sports in the country. I dont think it will happen any time soon but maybe when were older and have grandkids we might see that popularity become reality.
I myself am not a huge soccer fan, nor do I think that it is very popular in the United States. I am very surprised to find out that it is the most popular sport in the world. You don’t normally hear people talking about soccer, and when you turn on ESPN, soccer isn’t normally one of the most talked about topics between the commentators. In fact, ESPN Deportes cover most of the topics about soccer, whereas other sports are covered by other commentators. When I was over in Europe in the summer, I was there for some of the games during the World Cup, and to say the least it was absolutely crazy. I am a huge sports fan, but I have never seen so many dedicated fans in my life. I was in Sorrento when Italy played Germany in the semi-finals. Every restaurant and bar were packed with people. At then end of the game all of the people rushed out into the streets and were running around with Italian flags. The streets were packed and blocked all traffic. There were even people hanging from buildings and starting fires. I have never experienced anything like that. When the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2005, Pittsburgh had a parade and party downtown for the city and team. The whole city was closed down and everyone was there. This does not compare to what I experienced in Italy that night. If the USA soccer team had won the World Cup I don’t believe that people would have the same reaction as they did in Italy. Although I don’t enjoy soccer, I do wish that we had some of the enthusiasm for our sports teams that the European fans have for soccer.
Post a Comment