Reflection 04: Get on the Pitch—Analyzing the American Resistance to Soccer

In 1994, nationally-recognized sports marketer Nye Lavalle boldly predicted that “there is no chance (Major League Soccer) will survive. Absolutely no chance whatsoever.” His prediction was grim, but also off the mark. Almost twenty years later, American professional soccer has not only survived, but grown its base. Still, no one today can argue that soccer's popularity in America has exactly exploded in that time, either. Of the five major US sports leagues, it has the lowest attendance and brings in the least amount of sponsorship dollars, especially compared to the "Holy Trinity of American Sports": baseball, basketball, and football. Thus far, men's pro soccer has failed to seep into the country's consciousness the way other sports have. So, in many regards, men's pro soccer remains the ugly step-child of American sports. (As for women's pro soccer, its last incarnation, WPS, collapsed in 2012, though there are plans for a new joint Canadian-American-Mexican league in 2013.) Of course, all of this stands in stark contrast to the rest of the world, where soccer—or football, as it's known—is a maniacal obsession. Why has soccer failed to firmly take root in America? What is behind many Americans' resistance to the sport? And will soccer always be relegated to second-class status in the United States?

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "Top Ten Reasons to Hate Soccer" (Bleacher Report) 
• "So, What if Soccer Isn't a Big Deal Here?" (Wall Street Journal)
• "In Defense of American Soccer Culture" (SBNation) 
• "Euro 2012: Why Can't America Get Behind the World's Most Popular Sport" (Bleacher Report)
• "Can Soccer Be Popular in the U.S.? Actually, Numbers Show it Already is" (Bleacher Report)
• "Analysis: Soccer Growing, but US Not Delivering on Field" (Reuters)

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Th 03.07