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Rugby is a very popular sport, in relation to union and league, and compeitions such as the six nations and Rugby World Cup are very well watched. Union is of course the more popular of the two types of Rugby.
The big difference in relation to American Football, Baseball and Basketball is that they lack the major international competitions that other sports such as Soccer (Football), Rugby and Cricket enjoy. Whilst Hockey and even Basketball doesn't get much coverage as a sport in many countries.
I dunno, hockey and basketball are fairly big internationally (both are headliner Olympic events), and the US is world-class when it comes to both (but not dominant, there's a lot of healthy competition out there). Though it's interesting that, while both sports are extremely popular in the US (well ahead of soccer), they're also not in any danger of dethroning Baseball or (American) Football as the U.S. national sport of choice. Which, as you pointed out, are mostly played in the US and Canada and that's it (and Japan, they're pretty into baseball too).
So on the one hand, Americans have selected two sports to love that are essentially home grown, and as it happens, no one else is very interested in anyway. While the rest of the world seems to have selected a sport to love that the US sucks at...and don't really mind that fact very much.
Huge nations like the US, Russia, China, India....all suck.
Soccer is on heat mainly in Europe and Latin America.
Yes China has a large group of soccer fans, but relatively few people really play it. Many of the fans only watch major games, largely because Chinese sports channels make them prominent.
Is what I said not a fact? It is. Soccer here is expensive as all hell, whereas anyone can get into basketball, football and baseball leagues. This is not the case in poorer countries. Everyone can and does play. Why does what I said bother you so much? Does the typical Senegalese parent pay $10+k per year for their child to play competitively?
It's the main attraction in Senegalese sport. As it is in most footballing nations. Pay to play is not the issue many make it out to be. It's the popularity and competition from other sports. Pay to play exists all over. The difference here is there are no wealthy clubs trying to develop prospects who foot the bill.
Is what I said not a fact? It is. Soccer here is expensive as all hell, whereas anyone can get into basketball, football and baseball leagues. This is not the case in poorer countries. Everyone can and does play. Why does what I said bother you so much? Does the typical Senegalese parent pay $10+k per year for their child to play competitively?
Huumm in Brazil, Europe and most of South america countries if the kid is good in football the professional clubs will keep them trainning and competing for free in their ‘’categorias de base’’ youngster teams.
In fact the clubs offer healthcare and education and the parents signe exclusivity contract for their kid play only in this team and this is for a random player, one just ok player, super players like Neymar or Messi their parents had millionaries agreements with Santos and Barcelona since they were 8 aged.
The kids can play football in lots of places for free when I was a scholar I used have classes and championship of football, volleyball, handball and basketball in my school.
There are tons of amateur football clubs for play for free because discover new footballers is a big business much people invest money having amateur teams just for discover players and sell them with profit.
I guess in Senegal or Africa many rich people from Africa and Europe are working over there seeking for talented footballer childs. Europeans big clubs have youngsters teams over there too.
Huumm in Brazil, Europe and most of South america countries if the kid is good in football the professional clubs will keep them trainning and competing for free in their ‘’categorias de base’’ youngster teams.
In fact the clubs offer healthcare and education and the parents signe exclusivity contract for their kid play only in this team and this is for a random player, one just ok player, super players like Neymar or Messi their parents had millionaries agreements with Santos and Barcelona since they were 8 aged.
The kids can play football in lots of places for free when I was a scholar I used have classes and championship of football, volleyball, handball and basketball in my school.
There are tons of amateur football clubs for play for free because discover new footballers is a big business much people invest money having amateur teams just for discover players and sell them with profit.
I guess in Senegal or Africa many rich people from Africa and Europe are working over there seeking for talented footballer childs. Europeans big clubs have youngsters teams over there too.
It's a matter of focus. The same situation exists here in the US, but for different sports (Baseball and American Footbal). There's a whole system built around the particular sports that most countries favor, in order to keep said sports fueled with talent to keep them going.
It's the main attraction in Senegalese sport. As it is in most footballing nations. Pay to play is not the issue many make it out to be. It's the popularity and competition from other sports. Pay to play exists all over. The difference here is there are no wealthy clubs trying to develop prospects who foot the bill.
Pay to play is a huge issue, when you charge a huge amount to get your kid to play fooball. So Chad gets on the pitch and he is muck but he plays because mammy and daddy paid for him. Doesnt matter how bad he is. Insert a poor kid who cant play who could probably walk rings around Chad and cant even join the team. Its ridiculous.
A tiny country like Ireland is better than the US and the the value of all Irish clubs couldnt even buy an MLS club. The youth system, as bad as it is and with competition from 3 other big sports is way better than over here because you dont have to pay a fortune to join a club and play a game that is cheap to play.
It's not always going to be this way though. Soccer is the 2nd fastest growing sport in the US. Meanwhile more and more parents are not letting their kids playing American football and the NFL for the 5th straight year has declined in viewership. Soccer has already surpassed hockey and is expected to pass baseball next year in popularity. The one thing holding it up, as someone else mentioned, is how expensive it is for kids. I think that will change.
America's best athletes do not play soccer. They play football. They play basketball. They play hockey. They play baseball. That is the reason the US is not dominant in soccer.
Actually they play just football and basketball. Baseball is pretty much becoming more and more foreign and hockey is still mostly Europeans, Canadians, and some Americans. I love baseball but I think people are overrating how popular it still is especially among the youth in this country. Soccer IMO has caught and passed hockey and it's on the heels of baseball. It's now the 4th most watch sport though ahead of hockey and close to baseball.
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A Gallup poll released last week found that 7% of Americans named soccer as their favorite sport to watch in a survey completed during December. While that may not sound like much, the figure represents a significant, three-percentage-point gain from just four years ago. Soccer is the only sport to post such a large increase. Football (37%, down from 39%), basketball (11%, down from 12%) and baseball (9%, down from 13%) all showed declining numbers. Hockey was at 4%, up from 3%.
The USA will never get to the World Cup, because no one knows each other. The athleates all play for teams around the world.
When time comes to play in a tournament, the players don't know how their fellow players play the game.
That's a very good point!
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