World Cup 2010: The Last Time You’ll Care About Soccer Till 2014?
It happens every four years. Just like clockwork. It’s the beginning of June and you put away your baseball glove, throw your basketball under your bed, stuff your football, your hockey stick and your tennis racket into the trunk of your car—and park yourself directly in front of the TV for a month to watch the World Cup.
Somewhere between the penalty shots and the corner kicks and the yellow cards, you even start to think, “Hey, soccer ain’t so bad after all!” You start talking to your friends about it. You scan box scores at work. And you run around kicking, well, everything and screaming, Gooooooaaaaaaallllllll!, every time you get the chance.
And then a month goes by, the World Cup ends and the only thing you can say is, Soccer? Did I just waste a month of my life watching soccer?! HALF OF MY SUMMER IS OVER AND ALL I’VE DONE SO FAR IS WATCH SOCCER?! SOMEONE TELL ME THIS ISN’T TRUE! SOCCER? SOCCER? SOCCER?!?!?
Welcome to America, folks. Where we love baseball and basketball and football—and sometimes even hockey!—but we do not love soccer. I’m not exactly sure why that is, either. I mean, it’s not like we don’t like the idea of loving soccer. Why else would we spend thousands of dollars to lug our kids around in mini-vans and oversized SUVs to soccer practices and soccer games and soccer tournaments? The game of soccer has just never caught on here.
It’s not that the rest of the world hasn’t tried to help us out. They sent Pelé here in the 1970s to try and get the game off the ground. They sent David Beckham here a few years ago to try and make the game appeal to people more. They even helped us launch Major League Soccer, an organization devoted to giving all those kids on the soccer fields across the country a chance to dream about playing pro ball one day. But that hasn’t exactly made soccer a priority in America. If anything, it’s just made people like me more angry when I have to find something else to watch when ESPN’s showing a soccer game.
It also makes me wonder: why do people outside of America think this country needs to love soccer so much? Is it because so many other countries love it? Is it because it’s a sport that we didn’t invent, thus putting us on an even playing field with other countries? Is it because other countries see the potential in American players? Is it because America’s involvement in the game could help it advance in the future? Is it because they see how much time and effort (and money) we spend on other sports?
Whatever the reason, the rest of the world sure wants us to love the game of soccer as much as they do. But I don’t see that happening. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Just like the Summer and Winter Olympics, the World Cup has become an event that we enjoy once every four years. We follow all the teams that are involved. We root for the U.S. team to win. We try and learn all the soccer terminology that we can handle.
But we’re never going to appreciate the game of soccer like other countries do. Once the World Cup ends, we might think about trying to invest more time in it. We might give MLS a chance for a couple days. We might even consider the possibility of going to a game. But as the memories of the 2010 World Cup fade, so will our country’s desire to get onto the soccer field.
For now, though, it’s June again. The baseball gloves are packed away. The basketballs are out of sight. And we’re parked in front of the TV again, ready and willing to sacrifice the next month to see one of the greatest sporting events on the planet. We may not love it like we should—but for the first time in four years, we’re about to fall in love with soccer and the World Cup all over again. It’s just like clockwork. Just don’t expect it to last forever.
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I respectfully oppose your self centered view on how the world looks in towards America. I don’t feel the pressure of outside countries wanting us to love soccer as much as they do. Other countries love soccer because that may be all they have. Personally, I have always followed soccer and after the World Cup I will continue to follow our many American players playing Internationally on other teams. Go USA!!!
I dont know where you got all your lil facts from but that was not only a waste of time reading it for myself, but will be a waste for every single reader from here on out. You prolly dont even play a sport u fat ****, thats why ur sitting online typing bull**** bout crap you dont even know. Why dont u look at the numbers of kids playing baseball and football these days to those kids who are playing soccer in America. In the next 10-20 years baseball will fade off the map entirely and football will follow baseball’s lead with all the publicity on how many people use steriods. Not the actual game. The world cup doesnt have the same features as American sports and THATS WHY THE WORLD LIKE ITS. They dont have all the celebrity bull**** drama that comprises every sport these days in America. Watch a ****ing reality show if u want drama, it shouldn’t be involved in sports and its the reason why soccer WILL dominate America one day,veryyyyyy soon.
Typical yanks.
Call a sport 95% of the world ignores a “World Series” and mock a TRUE “World Cup”
The World Cup has more DEDICATED viewers for every minute than the Olympics.
Everywhere BUT the US the World Cup is watched avidly by most of the population, even when their own team is knocked out. (Probably why Americans don’t like football (not soccer))
Stick to you make-up sports.
Your “football” (played with the hands) is like Rigby. Only rugby players don’t need protective padding….
I’ve always just found it interesting that it seems like so many kids play soccer in America, but it’s never taken off. Maybe one day the MLS will be a big deal. I just can’t see it happening. For better or worse, America likes high-scoring sports with a lot of action. You need a lot of patience to sit and watch a soccer game. I’m not hating on soccer, though. Just pointing out that for as much as we all love the World Cup, we really couldn’t care less about soccer after it ends.
High scoring….just like immature kids, in fact ?
Americans ignore football (soccer to you, and you ONLY) not because you’re run of the mill at it, by any chance ?
“If we’re not the best. we’re not interested”
Pathetic.
I think that your post brings up an interesting point, and something that I really can’t understand: just why oh why didn’t soccer (football) ever catch on in the U.S.A.? I watch matches in other countries and it makes me sad. I’ve spent my entire life playing the beautiful game and watching it fascinates me to no end.
I understand that soccer is a low-scoring game with a lot of passing and strategy, but then, so is hockey (although it’s arguably the second-least popular pro sport here…hmm). However, I respectfully disagree that the rest of the world wants us to love soccer because it would “put us on equal playing fields” or something like that. The world wants us to love soccer because soccer is great. Seriously – I could care less who you are or what you like, but I want you to love soccer because it’s friggin great. It’s infectious, and soccer fans are the craziest of the crazy (and I say this as a diehard Red Sox fan…haha).
The thing is that if America DID take soccer more seriously, I think we could be much, much better than we are now. Hell, the U.S. women’s team already is arguably one of the best programs in the world. If male athletes were more interested in continuing with soccer, I think our team would certainly be great – after all, America certainly has the resources.
Just my two cents. GO USA AND SOUTH AFRICA!
Scav: swear to god bro you get one step closer kanye status with every other article.
TO all his haters/critics: He’s right. You’re mad cause he’s right. A majority of people here in the usa really aren’t that into soccer. Unless you’re old school or around old school english, mexican, Portuguese, etc. You’re not going to be majorly into soccer. It’s just not in the regularly programed culture like baseball, football, basketball etc.
Most people in the states here played soccer till junior high, if that high, then did other things. I know it was that way for me and others.
Aside from this, coby jones, beckham and an occasional mention of chivas over the local radio station. I doubt anyone has heard and/or seen anything else related to soccer… er uhm football.
USA 1 England 1…it was a lucky one, but it counts
Most Americans are fat and ignorant. Americans are afraid of anything that will affect their comfort. Americans despise anything at which they aren’t “Number 1″.
The sad truth is, they’ve been losing wars since Korea and barely got out of WWII in one piece. If it weren’t for Russia taking the brunt of things in the East, and the Brits and French absorbing some of the carnage, things would have been much worse for the Americans.
Americans are on the down-stroke. They are just going to fight it every step of the way.
Why not just embrace a world view and accept that you can’t solve all of your problems with a military or a gun? The American empire will crumble like every other empire. Nothing lasts.
Have fun explaining to your Chinese overlords that you have to watch the Super Bowl instead of attending a Party rally.
Superior blah blah:
1. And yet you’re on an American website. Complaining about Americans
2. The article is about soccer. Do you really want to get owned on something else?
3. You don’t speak for the world, but I do have a feeling of where you are from, because I’ve ran into blokes like you before with same rhetoric coming out their mouths. This was after I schooled them in something and they had to retaliate due to insecurity. I also brought up the point that he was crying about how jacked up Americans are on an American forum.
4. I kind of agreed with what you said but then common sense kicked in. The world is afraid of anything that ruins its comfort, not just Americans. I’ve been to other areas of the world isreal, iran, panama, greece, italy, turkey, spain etc. Trust me I know how it goes. You swear the rest of the world is fit
You forget that people are in America due to wanting better opportunities or their country has it’s issues. I’d also like to point out that our govenator who is from another part of the world has California vastly jacked up. Due to trying things the world way.
5. I wish we solved all our problems with military or a gun. Sadly it’s not. Now it’s just over reacting, denial, finger pointing, wining & suing. Which is some of the things other countries do. We’re the new kid on the block so guess where we got it from… Rest of the world.
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scar you still writtin ? fire this cat!!!
“Only rugby players don’t need protective padding….”
LOL! Rugby player don’t weight 300 pounds, aren’t strong as bulls, don’t run like the wind, and don’t crash into one another at full speed. Rugby is a pussy sport compared to American football. Put rugby players on a field with American football players, and give them no padding. They’d all be dead before the first quarter ended.
“Stick to you make-up sports.
We will, thank you! They are infinitely more exciting than watching men run around for two hours while little scoring takes place.
I Love World Cup.