June 28, 2006

Few Americans Watching World Cup

ESPN can hype it all it wants with commercials filled with action, rock music, and passionate fans but people aren't watching the World Cup:

Despite a high level of media coverage for the World Cup soccer tournament, three-fourths of Americans (78%) are not following the action very closely if at all. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 adults found that just 6% are following the tournament very closely.

Since Pele in the 70s soccer fanatics thought the day would come when the sport would catch on in the United States. The U.S. team now makes regular World Cup apperances, there's a professional soccer league, and English player David Beckam is recognizable here, but the sport still hasn't caught on.

It can't be a lack of scoring. 1-0 games in baseball are some of the most exciting, nailbiting affairs in that sport. Soccer's lack of American popularity has to do with the game itself. Playing it is enjoyable. Players run around trying to fine open spaces to receive a pass then do some fancy footwork to try to break for the goal. The feeling of kicking is similar to swinging a baseball bat. The full range of motion and the connection between body and object ignites the senses.

However, from a fan's perspective soccer amounts to 20 men running around a huge piece of grass kicking a ball and occasionally putting it into the net. There's flow to the game, but it's nothing like a series of passes around the basket in an NBA game where teammates find someone cutting to the hoop for a layup. Other than penalty kicks soccer doesn't have that one-on-one moment like a pitcher facing a batter with two outs and the bases loaded. Soccer doesn't possess the power and beautiful violence of Walter Payton taking a hit from a middle linebacker, bouncing off him, then delivering a punishing shoulder shot to an on-coming safety.

To be blunt American's don't watch soccer because they have other, better sports to watch. For us non-fans we'll ignore the hype and consume our soccer dosage as SportsCenter highlights.

"World Cup Scores Only Small Audience"

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