Why is soccer not a popular spectator sport in the United States?
The short answer
Soccer is not popular in the U.S. for a few reasons: Soccer historically hasn't been seen as an "American" sport, the men's team hasn't fared well in the World Cup, tie games don't sit well with the U.S.'s culture of competition, most popular spectator sports have high scores, and there is little opportunity to incorporate advertisements. This combination of factors contributes to why soccer isn't as popular in the USA compared to other major sports.
The long answer
Soccer (or football/fútbol) is the most popularly watched sport in the world – but not in the United States. Even though youth soccer has the highest rate of participation in America, its popularity as a spectator sport is eclipsed by American football, baseball, and basketball. The question remains: why isn't soccer popular in America?
Here are five reasons that help explain why soccer isn't a popular spectator sport in the United States:
Reason #1: Soccer was originally held in lower regard due to its roots in immigrant and working-class communities.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, soccer was mainly played by immigrants and working-class people. This gave it a lower-class and foreign sport image in the eyes of the well-to-do Americans who gravitated towards rugby and American football.
Additionally, as baseball became regarded as the national sport, more immigrants chose it over soccer as an attempt to assimilate into American culture. While more homegrown sports like American football, baseball, and basketball became synonymous with American identity, soccer failed to gain popularity in the U.S. and faded into the background.
Reason #2: The American (men's) team doesn't win often in soccer.
There is a correlation between soccer's popularity in the US and how well our teams do on the world stage. And while the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team has won more World Cups than any other country since the tournament began in 1991, the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team hasn't fared nearly as well. With a lackluster men's performance, soccer historically hasn't been seen as a sport America is good at.
Americans don't want to watch their team lose – but we love to watch a win: With nearly 23 million viewers, the 2015 Women's World Cup Final was the most watched soccer match in American history. Soccer has been gaining more popularity in the recent decades, and we probably have the women's team to thank. However, the US Men's National Team's struggles contribute to why soccer is less popular in the US.
Reason #3: Soccer games can end in a tie.
Competition (and, let's face it, winning) is a key value in American culture. Soccer, however, often ends in a tie, which can frustrate American fans used to decisive results. Because it takes so long for each goal to happen, ties are frequent, and this drains a lot of excitement out of watching sports for American fans.
Reason #4: Most popular American sports have high scores. Soccer does not.
Here are the average points score per team in these professional sports:
American football: 20-29 points per game
Baseball: 9 runs per game
Basketball: 97 points per game
Soccer? Barely an average of 2 goals per game.
The low-scoring nature of soccer contrasts with the high-scoring games that American sports fans are accustomed to, contributing to why soccer isn't more popular in the US.
Reason #5: It is difficult to weave commercial breaks into a soccer game.
All professional sports are businesses that earn most of their revenue through television advertisements. This works well for popular sports that have many breaks built into the game. But soccer technically only has one break: halftime.
With virtually continuous play, there isn't nearly as much space for ads, which means there's less money to be earned, which means there's less exposure, which means there's less interest in the sport. This business model challenge is a major reason why soccer is not big in the U.S.
🧠 Bonus brain points
What does "offsides" mean anyway?
I am the artist of this diagram. Please send all compliments to caitlin@todayyoushouldknow.com.
A player is deemed offsides if they are on the attacking team (i.e. they're on their opponents' half of the field) and they are closer to the goal than both the ball and the second-to-last opposing team member. Please review my carefully crafted diagram above for reference, if needed.
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Sources
Chanis, A. (2022, January 10). 6 Reasons Why Soccer is Not Popular in the United States. Master Soccer Mind. https://mastersoccermind.com/6-reasons-why-soccer-is-not-popular-in-the-united-states/
Macfarlane, A. (2023, January 16). History Of Soccer In The US: Brief Review Of American Soccer. History Of Soccer. https://historyofsoccer.info/history-of-soccer-in-the-us
Miller, J., & Silverman, B. (2013). Soccer Culture in the U.S. Soccer Politics / The Politics of Football. https://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/world-cup-2014/usa-soccer-and-world-cup-2014/soccer-culture-in-the-u-s/
Tauer, J. (2010, June 27). Why Aren’t Americans More Interested in Soccer? Why is the U.S. Bad at Soccer? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/goal-posts/201006/why-aren-t-americans-more-interested-in-soccer-why-is-the-us-bad-soccer
U.S. Soccer. (2015, July 8). Women’s World Cup Final Is Most-watched Soccer Match in U.S. History. U.S. Soccer Official Website. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/07/womens-world-cup-final-is-mostwatched-soccer-match-in-us-history
