Why is association football not as popular in the United States?

Answer 1

Football [soccer] was one of the first sports played in the USA. However americans wanted to show their independance from britain and so decided not to play any popular british sports. Baseball (Rounders) maybe british but it was designed as a childrens sport and not to be played by adults and thus has never been regarded as an adult sport in britain.

In fairness this is slightly arrogant from you as an English football fan as id ask you what Brits play any popular american sports nfl Gridiron, baseball or basketball??? NONE...same applies to most of the rest of the world where Gridiron and baseball leagues americans have set up to try and make their sports popular have folded. Only fair to balance the argument.

Traditionally american "jocks" have made hating football [soccer as they refer to it as] one of their most popular pastimes. In the USA they have even created anti football websites paid for by american sports coaches to deter young americans from playing football.

Football was termed a communist sport by these "jocks" as another attempt to try to deter other americans from watching or playing football.

However in the 1990's america had it's first world cup and football has grown and grown ever since. Even with almost professional anti football journalists, coaches, radio presenters the sport of football has become the most played sport in america along with Basketball, overtaking baseball, gridiron and Ice Hockey.

Football may well be played by millions of americans but has still very few spectators. This mainly due to the USA inability to produce top quality footballers. The standard of footballers in the USA is increasing but as of yet the USA has never produced a world class footballer.

I guess the question that has to be asked is why has america never produced quality footballers?

Most probably because american sports are one dimensional, meaning a player only has to learn one skill to be good at a professional level. Whereas in football you need to be a complete athlete and have higher level of technique and creativity.

American sporting culture has sadly been dominated by steroids for the last 20 years, whereas in football steroids would give a player no advantage at all. So americans will have to change their whole sports culture in order to gain respect as a footballing nation.

American's like high scoring sport, football (soccer) is very low scoring

Translation: americans like scoring to be very very easy...with little or no skill required. Look at nfl Gridiron for eaxmple...#1.they get the ENTIRE width of the field, #2.they get multiple attempts (as they keep failing), #3.they dont even have to put ball down on ground, nor do they even have to put ball over the line (only the tip)...or you can just touch a pylon thingy...or just the tip of your toes on the ground..therefore Non score...so as you can see, Gridiron is very very simple, its start stop, static...they take an eternity crossing the field.. hence zero entertainment explaing why there aint any interest outside america (with exception of americans abroad)

Soccer in America has a very checkered past. Alot of corruption in-fighting and inconsistency was the norm for the early pro-leagues. Which made it difficult to appeal to fans, of which there were many due to the high immigrant popualtions of the east coast cities.

Soocer also doesn't follow the kind of time keeping that every other American sport does. American TV advertisers tried to change the game to allow more ferquent pauses for ads. This really did not work, so American TV stations were unable to make soccer profitable.

The TV issue was probably the most decisive reason for the sport no taking off earlier. but even now there is a subtle current of acceptance for, especially inernational soccer, in mainstream sports. Americans are increasingly feeling alienated from the rest of the world thus soccer is taking on a bigger profile. Americans also took notice when Adu the 13 year old joined the MLS. which along with the US national team's effort in Korea has made it increasingly popular.

The notion of low score being the main reason is largely false, as hockey is almost equally as low scoring. Gridiron (American football) doesn't always have a high score either they just award more points for a TD. as in rugby.

American soccer players arent that into soccer like italy, brazil or Argentina where their lives are soccer. Most Americans like to watch hockey or american football (Gridiron) because they can relate unlike soccer.

The above reasons are all applicable. Another factor is that the American sporting community is largely uncomfortabel with tied scores / a drawn result, which is quite common in football.

Soccer is not very popular in the US because americans don't think that the game physical enough. That is why people like american football (Gridiron) and hockey. Plus people don't really under stand the game as well.

This is a contradiction given that Gridiron use a tonne of body armor, helmet.. rest after a 5 second play, have 12 minutes average actual playing time in a game (so in a 50-50% game each team has actual play for 6 minutes). 6 minutes play in body armor...i think theres your reason Gridiron has never caught on outside america inspite of them trying to "globalise their game" with nfl Europe...which folded.

It's because a lot of Americans think that football (soccer) is for whimps and like sports that have to do with beating someone up i guesss

Because of history.

America was founded by so many different immigrants; puritans, italians, french, germans, polish that they never had a common sport tied together as soccer was different to them all. So they created their own sports and those became popular.

not so because the italians and french and germans and spanish all played soccer so the above answer does not make sense

The reason soccer isn't as popular in the US is not because it isn't physical enough. I play and I know for certain that it is, and I used to live in US. I just recently moved to Singapore (in Asia). I used to watch soccer all the time, of course it was international soccer, but I watched it on ESPN sports. Soccer hasn't reached it's peak in the US, to be frank. I see people beginning to take interest in it. Of course, the most unrecognized form of soccer is women's soccer, but that is a different subject all together.

The reason is because the major US sports (Baseball, Gridiron, Basketball) seasons take up the entire year (I think there may be 1-2 days in a year where none of the sports is played). Also, the major sports cover everything that soccer does, scoring in a net (NBA), physical roughness (NFL Gridiron), hitting an object (MLB). The major US sports had already established themselves in the US, so there isn't really a good entry point for soccer.

Contrary to popular belief, the game itself has nothing to do with being big or small in u.S. The people that run it do not do a good job and soccer has been a natural competitor to Gridiron (American Football). Gridiron has a patriotic Americans that attend it and historically they have always tried to kill soccer. Soccer(football) has always been there in U.S but what you see today is the game that never became extinct in U.S. I say this because Americans try to make it a girls sports so they can better market their Gridiron as a masculine sport. (which the rest of world laughs at in hysterics with their use of body armor, tights, helmet, make-up etc...you wont see someone put on Gridiron gear outside america as you'd get massacred). Have you noticed the NCAA does not give Federal money for soccer scholarships to college men but they give out to women soccer in the blink of any eye. On avarage Gridiron has 120 players each on scholarships. That alone will make the game look big but in reality they manipulate public opinion. So I would not say soccer is not popular in U.S it is small however is just that the millionaires who run it have not idea how to run a business like that.

As followers of the "daddy of all sports" Football fans can be myopic and arrogant and dont consider the other side of the argument of why a small game like NFL Gridiron is shunned outside america for example...its instantly dismissed and to most doesnt exist and nor do they feel does it have any right too. NFL Europe was Gridiron's attempt to quote"globalise their sport" but it failed due to zero fan interest and when it did not only did Europeans not notice it had gone, but they werent aware it existed...only americans abroad watch it. I would also say that there is little or no attention given to Gridiron or indeed baseball as they aint seen as a threat...when anything is top dog as Football is then its a target...whereas something like nfl Gridiron which is seen as a bizarre alien novelty game that people look at in bemusement for a couple minutes then wipe it from their memory. Also Gridiron is constantly stop start, static...and isnt really a spectator activity as people like breaks to do other things..eat and talk amongst themselves, so a sport like Football with 90 minutes non stop action this wouldnt allow for that.