Will FIFA World Cup 2010 Excitement Increase US Soccer Popularity?
Though the U.S. is now out of the World Cup, Landon Donovan's goal last week against Algeria was another shot heard around the world. The goal felt like a major sea change in how Americans view soccer.
Will it now become America's fifth team sport, after football, baseball, basketball and hockey?
What Donovan's goal did was show just why soccer is popular in other countries. The tension throughout a game builds and builds so that a single goal can be far more triumphant than a touchdown or home run. The thing with soccer is that watching the game takes a different type of skill set: a near miss can be exciting too. For Americans, that may be asking a lot--similar to asking baseball fans to be excited about a ball with home run distance that goes just foul. That's just not the way we think. "Almost" is not really a part of the American Dream.
The other major issue is how this all plays out financially. Because soccer's played in two 45-minute halves without a break, there's no time for commercials, so networks can't make the same kind of killing as they do in Super Bowl ads. However, there's a huge opportunity for merchandising and other revenue-getters.
Will it now become America's fifth team sport, after football, baseball, basketball and hockey?
What Donovan's goal did was show just why soccer is popular in other countries. The tension throughout a game builds and builds so that a single goal can be far more triumphant than a touchdown or home run. The thing with soccer is that watching the game takes a different type of skill set: a near miss can be exciting too. For Americans, that may be asking a lot--similar to asking baseball fans to be excited about a ball with home run distance that goes just foul. That's just not the way we think. "Almost" is not really a part of the American Dream.
The other major issue is how this all plays out financially. Because soccer's played in two 45-minute halves without a break, there's no time for commercials, so networks can't make the same kind of killing as they do in Super Bowl ads. However, there's a huge opportunity for merchandising and other revenue-getters.
