When the United States women's team takes the field tomorrow afternoon in Germany they'll have a pretty big support group watching from back home. Over the past week soccer has surfaced to the top of the news in the US, thanks in large part to a dramatic last minute goal by Abby Wambach. But before that goal, how many in the States actually followed soccer like they do other major sports? This isn't a knock on people for suddenly jumping on the bandwagon, after all it is our country's team and we all have a right to pull for them, but I'm posing a question: Why is it that soccer is such a popular sport in the rest of the world, and in America it cannot seem to gain the same fan base?
In its simplest form, I believe the answer lies in the speed and play of the game. Soccer requires patience to follow. It's a low scoring, defensive game that requires plays to develop over longer periods of time. Goals are low percentage, fields are large, and there isn't always a clear defined winner.
American's love sports that score. It's the norm in the NBA for scores to be in the 90 to 100 range. Football regularly sees scores hover in the 17 to 35 point area, and even baseball usually sees teams score 3 to 5 runs. Hockey, which isn't as popular nationally as the other three major sports, also lacks the same scoring power as football, basketball, and baseball. We love scoring, and a sport that routinely puts up 1-0, 1-1, and 2-1 scores requires a high patience that many fans do not have.
We've been trained that offense comes first and defense is secondary. Teams that score a bunch get the highlight reels and fame, while squads that defend are less likely to get that recognition.
Maybe it is something that goes deeper than the game. It's not unreasonable to say that the sports we watch reflect the societies we live in. American life is a fast-paced, more-is-better mindset, while the majority of the world tends to be much slower-paced and far more relaxed. Our sports define us. We like to score.
We also like to win. Soccer matches routinely result in ties or draws. As mentioned before, we don't have the patience for ties. If we are going to spend a couple hours watching a sporting event we want a clear cut winner.
As far as style of play goes, American's are used to contact in sports. Contact is good. Contact shows intent to put points on the scoreboard. Contact is a sign of toughness, of strength. Soccer frowns on contact. The slightest contact deemed not necessary can result in an ejection.
Because of rules that deny contact in soccer, players tend to flop, flail, and cowardly fall to the ground on the slightest touch from another player in order to draw penalties. It's gone so far that players will dive to the ground and fake injuries without being touched in an attempt to get a free kick. It's unattractive, pitiful, and weak. It's become such a part of the game though that it's now irreversible. I've slowly come to love the sport of soccer, but the only turnoff to me is the theatrical play of the players when they come in contact with a defender.
There could be other reasons for soccer's lack of popularity in the United States, but I believe these issues are the crux of the matter. It's not fast enough for our always-moving attitude. There isn't enough scoring. Should soccer change it's game? I think not. Maybe American's should look at the way we live. Maybe we are the ones that need to make some changes. Maybe a World Cup title would do this country some good. Just a thought. Go USA!
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