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I have never read an article that had a halfway satisfactory answer to this question.
Some say that soccer is not popular in the U.S. because it has been crowded out by other sports. But why didn't soccer ever have the opportunity to crowd out other sports? It was invented in the 19th century after all.
Others say that soccer is popular worldwide because it is simple, easy to understand, requires little equipment, and most importantly, anyone can play. The same could be said for a lot of sports, though. Basketball requires as little equipment as soccer and even people in wheelchairs can play. Plus, you can practice your freethrow shooting while lying down in bed. So I don't find the simplicity argument at all convincing.
I think that the popularity of soccer has more to do with colonization and the British empire than the simplicity of the sport. That kind of explains its popularity throughout the Commonwealth, but how did the game become so popular in Spain, France, and South America? What do you guys think?
I have never read an article that had a halfway satisfactory answer to this question.
Some say that soccer is not popular in the U.S. because it has been crowded out by other sports. But why didn't soccer ever have the opportunity to crowd out other sports? It was invented in the 19th century after all.
Others say that soccer is popular worldwide because it is simple, easy to understand, requires little equipment, and most importantly, anyone can play. The same could be said for a lot of sports, though. Basketball requires as little equipment as soccer and even people in wheelchairs can play. Plus, you can practice your freethrow shooting while lying down in bed. So I don't find the simplicity argument at all convincing.
I think that the popularity of soccer has more to do with colonization and the British empire than the simplicity of the sport. That kind of explains its popularity throughout the Commonwealth, but how did the game become so popular in Spain, France, and South America? What do you guys think?
Soccer is NOT very popular in the commonwealth countries. Excluding Engalnd it self almost all the major countries in the commonwealth have a greater emhasis on cricket, rugby or other sprots.
When did you ever hear about a brilliant soccer team comming from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, malaysia, pakistan, kenya or even south africa (their soccer team is mediocer at best, their rugby team are the current world champions).
Hear in Australia, soccer was until very recently a game played almost exclusivly by non english speaking european migrants, and even now the current world cup is still being broadcast on a minor TV channel which specialises exclusvily in foreign langugae progams.
Last edited by danielsa1775; 07-03-2010 at 04:43 AM..
I have never read an article that had a halfway satisfactory answer to this question.
Some say that soccer is not popular in the U.S. because it has been crowded out by other sports. But why didn't soccer ever have the opportunity to crowd out other sports? It was invented in the 19th century after all.
Others say that soccer is popular worldwide because it is simple, easy to understand, requires little equipment, and most importantly, anyone can play. The same could be said for a lot of sports, though. Basketball requires as little equipment as soccer and even people in wheelchairs can play. Plus, you can practice your freethrow shooting while lying down in bed. So I don't find the simplicity argument at all convincing.
I think that the popularity of soccer has more to do with colonization and the British empire than the simplicity of the sport. That kind of explains its popularity throughout the Commonwealth, but how did the game become so popular in Spain, France, and South America? What do you guys think?
As Toxic Toast has said, there are about 34 other threads on this topic on this site alone where this has been discussed ad nauseum. In short though, the reason soccer never caught on in the US is because the collegiate system, around the turn of the 20th century, decided to play rugby instead of soccer (possibly to thumb their noses at the British and say we're different, as we like to do with other things, like spelling). Well, our rugby changed too, into American Football, and with all the colleges playing that, it spread, while soccer stood on the sidelines, unloved, for a few decades.
What in your head make you think it was a good idea to start this thread?
I think this would be best if it were locked.
If you didn't think it was a good thread, you should have ignored it and allowed it to fade into oblivion instead of posting a statement. So you can either attempt to answer it or not post anything at all.
I am not saying it is not a valid question but you know very well that this question is being beat to death in about a half dozen or more threads already. Why start another one?
If you didn't think it was a good thread, you should have ignored it and allowed it to fade into oblivion instead of posting a statement. So you can either attempt to answer it or not post anything at all.
I agree, RjRobb2 why would you waste time coming to a thread just to tell every one you dont like it and it should be shut down?You some kind of control freak or are you just going after the post counts.
And Toxic Toast Informing us of the useless and rhetorical statement
"this has been Posted before" like it carries weight or in some way has importance just makes the rest of us question your level of education.
http://smileys.smilchat.net/smileys/bad/sadomaso.gif (broken link)
I agree, RjRobb2 why would you waste time coming to a thread just to tell every one you dont like it and it should be shut down?You some kind of control freak or are you just going after the post counts.
And Toxic Toast Informing us of the useless and rhetorical statement
"this has been Posted before" like it carries weight or in some way has importance just makes the rest of us question your level of education.
Do you not realize that this topic is being beat to death in other threads within this very forum. On top of that, the original poster has been an active poster in said threads?
I dont care about post count and I am not a control freak. I just wish people would use a little common sense every now and again. Why start a thread about a topic that is already being discussed? In most forums that is a violation of the rules. It's unnecessary and the original poster is just asking for trolls to come in and bash the sport. Maybe that is what he is looking for because he is not going to get an answer to his question because there isnt a single answer to it.
Not only do we have a bunch of these already, but why arent all the soccer threads in the general sports forum moved to the soccer sub forum?
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You some kind of control freak or are you just going after the post counts.
