Soccer pales in comparison to football, will never be America’s favorite

Soccer will never be as popular as football in America. It is as simple as that. Americans will always love the sheer violence of football and hate the internationalism of soccer.

Despite rising safety concerns, football’s popularity is still growing. Over twenty million boys play football in America, compared to soccer’s mere three million. The large youth following gives football a strong fan base that will last for years to come that soccer simply does not have. And although soccer’s participation rates are growing while football’s is decreasing, the increase is not drastic enough to overtake football as the top sport in Americans’ heart.

The drama of football is something that soccer cannot replace. When people watch a football game, there are countless fanfares outside the game that liven the program (halftime shows, funny commercials, cheerleaders, etc.) that soccer simply does not have. Even during the game there are countless instances for drama-injuries, penalties, coach fits, and fights. While soccer has some of those elements, they are much less pronounced.

The lack of drama contributes to soccer’s main lack of popularity: the slowness of the game. Soccer games go long periods without a score. Soccer games go long periods without a score. And while the game may like a frenzy of action, it is truly misleading as soccer can go whole games without scoring

There is also a small bit of national pride tied in with football’s popularity. It is one of America’s hallmarks. Football was born, raised and lives in America. With soccer’s international roots, it may be America’s arrogance that keeps soccer from becoming a nationally popular sport.

Unless soccer majorly reforms itself to appeal to Americans, it will never be the most popular sport.