(06-18-2018 04:04 PM)TU4ever Wrote:  

(06-18-2018 03:40 PM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  

(06-18-2018 03:23 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(06-18-2018 03:12 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  

(06-18-2018 02:18 PM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  The youth participation was usually very brief, not well coached, and not coupled with any soccer you could watch on tv. Even though they participated, it was likely that the coaches of the time didn't watch soccer either.

Add to that, the fact that Americans had been particularly hostile toward the thought of soccer for generations. Didn't just not like it, but would go out of their way to let you know they don't like it (an example being the amount of people who've come in the various soccer threads just to say how "boring" it is). Over the years Americans have softened to the game and will continue to do so. That's already a huge improvement.

If so, then the youth participation figures often trotted out to support the notion that most Americans care about soccer or a strong indicator of its future popularity should be discounted. I have heard the same point since the 1970’s and it has yet to produce the predicted bonanza.

I think the “hostility” you mentioned is a reaction to some soccer evangelists’ belief that Americans [b]should like socce[/b]r and if they don’t it is due to ignorance or stupidity. They completely resist (like hidebound traditionalists) making the game more appealing by improving scoring opportunities just like football, basketball, and baseball have done over the years.

Couldn't agree more with this...there are a lot of jackasses (on both sides) who make it far more contemptuous than it should be. Look at the generation born in the 80's and 90's...they are categorically destroying the old funding model for baseball because of their disinterest to borderline hatred of that sport, but no one gets into stupid shouting matches about it. I think a lot of the maliciousness probably has to do with the fact that soccer interest seems to be with a specific generation (millennial and Gen X) and ideal (globalization) that everyone outside of those brackets feel is the problem, and many tend to lash back out at any comments, ignorant or otherwise.

Personally, I love soccer, have played it for 20+ years competitively at the club, collegiate, and semi-professional level, but I recognize its shortcomings and completely accept than many don't like it and will never try to "convert" anyone (just like my distaste for baseball that no one comes after me for)...I just hate it when an utter lack of perspective is being used to make a point about why it's a "terrible sport".

The sport that I'm shocked actually hasn't picked up steam in America is hockey...it quite literally has everything the American sporting enthusiast wants. Plenty of scoring opportunities, no whining, constant action, short games, and fighting...I'm from Northern MI originally though, so I'm one of the converted borderline Canadians there.

Hockey has the bad designation of being a regional sport that has been distinguished by regional weather. It's a sport that's been played in the US a good deal over a century, but it can't shake its regional vibe.

It's similar to sports in Australia. Every region developed their own sport and now they don't have one that stands out.

The Wallabies and their rugby world cup would like a word with you. Or any of the super league teams who play games on 4 continents.

So would the often number one test cricket, single day cricket world cup, and Ashes winning Aussies.

The Aussie Rules teams will line up behind them with a 100,000 in the stands for some games. AFL is the 4th highest attended football code league in the world with a 35,000+ average higher than MLB and behind only the NFL, Bundesliga, and Premier league.

Rugby, cricket, and Aussie Rules are dominant national sports. They have strong soccer and basketball pro leagues as well.

I didn't know we were talking about national teams here. I was talking domestic.

Have you seen the attendence numbers for Super Rugby and National Rugby League? They have attendance crises. Super Rugby's Australian teams only had 45% attendance during the playoffs. It doesn't help that their fans do NOT cross over due to the League/Union rivalry. Last season Super Rugby's attendance dropped 20% and it was already low.

AFL is big in its own way, but at its heart it's still a Melbourne phenomenon with 10 of 18 teams in Victoria. The people who are crazy about it are crazy about it, but a vast majority of the membership is within an hour's drive from Melbourne. That's not an exaggeration. Over 400,000 of team membership can get in a car and get to Melbourne Cricket Ground in less than an hour.

Now, everyone of these sports have fanbases, but they tend not to like the others. Talk about hostle. So, while these sports are major, neither one of them can say that they have major crossover appeal that makes the NFL and NBA what they are.