Sometimes you have days where you see or hear something and it conjures up thoughts about a past conversation. 

As I was watching some sports highlights, they showed the U.S. men’s soccer team’s outstanding run in the Confederation Cup that concluded with a 3-2 loss to powerhouse Brazil in the final.

The Americans had upset top-rated Spain to reach the finals and should be commended for their run.

But overall, why has soccer not caught on in the United States of America?

Well, in a way it has caught on — and that’s even before the Confederation Cup.

The Americans’ outstanding run might very well be an indicator that they won’t be roadkill in the next World Cup.

However, I am simply not ready to buy the notion that soccer will take over in the U.S. like some zealots want to believe.

Granted, soccer has become more mainstream in terms of American thinking.

Locally, we are blessed with very good coaches in this community on the high school and youth levels, but just because there are youth leagues all over the nation, that does not mean the sport will take over in the U.S.

People have their theories of why the sport has not caught on in America:

• It’s boring.

• Not enough scoring.

• The pace is too slow.

• And of course, the most cynical and over-the-top answer is, it’s a Communist sport.

I don’t see any of those answers as credible.

I got news for you — a 2-1 soccer game is no less boring than a 14-7 football game.

Plus, just because a game is low-scoring does not mean it’s boring.

Again, I’m not a fan of the sport, but if my kids want to play it, I’m not going to stand in their way. After all, it is a positive and constructive activity for youngsters.

I believe the reason why soccer has not caught on in the U.S. is very simple.

It’s not our sport.

The prediction of soccer “taking over” ranks right up there with the idea that hockey was going to take over after the U.S. upset the Soviet Union — which was considered the best international team in the world — 4-3 in 1980 in what has become aptly known as “The Miracle on Ice.”

We are still waiting for hockey fever to collectively catch on in the U.S..

Hockey might be big in certain pockets of the U.S., such as Detroit or Philadelphia, but it remains a rumor in many other places in the states. 

Americans will never truly sink their collective teeth into soccer because we didn’t invent it or perfect it.

Football remains the most popular sport in America. High school football games are like a social event. College football is an American staple. The NFL is not only popular but profitable.

Baseball, while it has become more global in recent memory, has American roots and is still known as our National Pastime.

Basketball has also become more global but it is traditionally thought of as an American sport. Plus, the NCAA tournament thrives.

NASCAR is typically associated in popularity in the South, but has also grown in popularity around the entire country.

Again, baseball and basketball have become more global but the best in the world still come to the U.S. to play.

However, the best soccer players in the U.S. go to other countries to play in order to advance their career — and it’s hard to blame them.

Besides reaching the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup, the U.S. national team has not had consistent success on the world stage.

True, it was good to see the U.S. women’s team march to a World Cup title in 1999, but that run was just a blip on the screen.

Americans, meanwhile, are the best in the world in football, baseball and basketball — but they cannot yet hold a candle to other countries in soccer.

Sorry folks, it’s reality.

Some soccer cynics go as far to say it’s not a real sport.

I tend to disagree with that statement because soccer players are very highly-skilled athletes. It takes great footwork and enormous stamina. 

While soccer can be a good sport, it is simply not designed for TV audiences among Americans.

Advertising dominates TV broadcasts.

Since there are no timeouts in soccer, the best one can do in that case is having sponsorship for a half or part of a half.

U.S. broadcasts are based around 30- or 60-second commercials.

NFL and NBA broadcasts have “commercial time-outs” that lend themselves to companies advertising at key moments of a game.

And where do TV networks make money? Advertising.

Another stumbling block soccer faces with fully capturing the imagination of the U.S. is that we do not have a home-grown star that transcends the sport.

England has David Beckham.

Brazil has Ronaldinho, and Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo.

These men, along with others for their respective nations, have grown bigger than their sport in their native lands.

The U.S. hasn’t had that one player that has done that yet. We’ve had a few good soccer players, but it’s not like they are going to get splashed all over the Chicago Tribune sports section.

Again, soccer can be a beautiful game — just don’t expect it to the game of the week in the U.S. any time soon.

Contact Vince D’Adamo at sports@weeklycalistogan.com, vdadamo@sthelenastar.com or 967-6805.

Print this story   |   Email this story | Browse today's articles in this category: Previous | Next