Writer Frank Deford wrote an interesting piece on the state of soccer here in the America. Deford states that despite the strives soccer has made in the US, Americans still aren't that interested.
Deford points out that despite celebrating 20 years, the MLS still only averages about 19,000 fans a game and that the ratings for MLS soccer are down while numbers for the English League are up.
"Yes, the World Cup attracted terrific interest, but then, so does Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, every time she has a baby. Then it's back to all the first-rate exceptional diversions that we have right here."
To a certain extent, he's right. Part of the reason soccer isn't as popular in the states is because there are so many sports options to choose from, not only pro sports, but college sports as well.
These other sports also have been around for a long time, which also hurts soccer. While the US has several options to choose from, places like Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, don't have that luxury. For those countries, soccer is their most popular sport and their countries favorite past time.
Another reason soccer struggles is because a lot of the best soccer players in the world all play over in Europe. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Rolando and even some American soccer greats such as Team USA goalie Tim Howard are all in the European leagues, and who could blame them?
It has the best players in the world, beautiful locations, and they pay a lot. Some of the highest paid athletes in the world play soccer, which would explain why a lot of the most popular athletes won't even take a sniff at the MLS.
But that's not to say that soccer isn't growing in the states. One can point at the ratings for the World Cup last year to see that a lot of Americans are really starting to get more into the sport, which can only help.
It would certainly help, though, if America had more stars like Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan to carry the sport like the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA do.
And maybe, someday it will.
