Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Why soccer has made it in America

Photo c/o nielsenreport.ca
Those who know me know that I am a soccer fan, but more importantly, a soccer writer.
I don't know when the futebol bug hit me; it didn't come from serving a mission to a soccer-mad country like many returned Mormon missionaries. My mission experience was in a country that is among the highest producers of Major League Baseball talent.
It didn't come because of the World Cup. I don't have memories of waiting for the "savior of the sport" Landon Donovan getting ready to make his World Cup debut in 2002 (though I do recall a junior-high me glued to the TV as Brandi Chastain lined up a penalty kick against China in the 1999 Women's World Cup final).
Soccer, it seems, just kind of happened in my personal life. It helped that I grew up as Major League Soccer was forming and rising in the United States. It also likely helped that my formative years coincided with a time when the United States began to enter into the world conversation in each four-year cycle.
It's a similar path that has seen the soccer conscience pervade America at large.
Soccer never had an overnight "moment" in the USA. Instead, it's been aided by a series of mini-moments, whether for club or country, that have slowly converted more and more fans to the beautiful game. Whether it was the United States' 2-1 win over Ghana in Brazil, Donovan's crushing match-winner against Algeria in 2010, or a Champion's League final that captured hearts around the globe, America becomes more of a soccer country as time goes on.
Whenever it started, the latest culmination of America's love for soccer manifested itself Monday.
No matter how much the sport is criticized, mocked and denounced by fans of "mainstream" sports, its popularity keeps growing. In a time when attendance at traditional sporting events is dropping — even the mighty juggernaut of the NFL isn't completely immune — soccer's popularity as a live event is increasing in most markets.
A mix of family-friendly pricing, good hours, reasonable time commitments (90 minutes means 90 minutes, win, lose or draw) and a lack of viable television alternatives (which may change with MLS's latest deal with ESPN and Fox) seems to have pushed casual sports fans closer to soccer in markets where MLS holds a substantial presence.
Yes, there is still work to do. Soccer can certainly become more popular. But it's doing fine. It's growing in all metrics, and new TV deals have it set to reach all-time highs even in the club game in the near future.
So let's not talk about "when will soccer make it in America." Because, according to several reports, it already has.

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