# American soccer fandom **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 1, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376 "2015-06-01T20:29:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/1 "2015-06-01T20:29:11Z")
In the Seattle area, the local MLS team the Sounders has a fevered fan base that regularly fills its home stadia. Yet it gets little coverage in areas like sports talk radio. I brought that up with somebody recently, and they claimed it was because soccer fans don’t really overlap with conventional sports fans. Do you think that’s true? Is American soccer fandom distinct from mainstream sports fandom, and if so why do you think that is so? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/2 "2015-06-01T20:35:48Z")
seems like sports radio is big on NFL and everything else is far behind FB. And that’s year round , not just during FB season. I think a main problem is that the Big 4 sports (FB, hockey, baseball, BB) are so big there is not a lot of room for soccer coverage. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/3 "2015-06-01T20:50:15Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > seems like sports radio is big on NFL and everything else is far behind FB. And that’s year round , not just during FB season. > > I think a main problem is that the Big 4 sports (FB, hockey, baseball, BB) are so big there is not a lot of room for soccer coverage. I think this nails it in #1. I have friends in Atlanta who get super annoyed that sports radio is dominated by NFL and college football talk during the baseball season - mind you this is a city where the baseball team has been far, far more successful than the NFL team. Sports talk isn’t necessarily where to go to find where the mainstream fans are, I’d say. Though I think you are starting to gain soccer fans who are fans of other sports. For a looong time there was this you are either an American football or a soccer fan type of mentality, mostly because American football fans objected to the use of the word “football” for soccer and soccer fans enjoyed needling American football fans over using the word football for a game that involves kicking very rarely. I think that’s starting to come around somewhat. I know in Atlanta, the MLS team (coming into the league in 2017) is owned by the same person who owns the NFL team and both sports are linked together in terms of the same stadium, the same colors (generally - the NFL Falcons are black, red, and white while the MLS team is black, red, and gold), etc. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/4 "2015-06-01T20:58:55Z")
I am a big soccer fan, with my main teams being Arsenal and the Seattle Sounders. I’ve followed the World Cup for many years, and played soccer as a kid, so there’s where all that comes from. But I am also a big fan of more traditional sports in the U.S., especially the Seattle SuperSonics. The NBA is dead to me until they return, but that goes way back. I’m also love college hoops, follow college football attentively, and am a fan of the LA Kings. For the NHL, I pay closest attention at the playoffs, but I’ve been a Kings fan since the early 1990s. So I’d say in most respects I’m a pretty traditional sports fan, other than being not especially interested in the NFL. As for MLB, the A’s were my childhood team and I still follow how they’re doing, albeit somewhat informally. I’ve cheered for the Mariners from time to time, but am not a fan, per se. The reason I don’t listen to sports talk radio is pretty simple: I don’t much care about the NFL, and the talk is mostly vapid, inane crap. I am also a fan of another non-traditional sport: road cycling, going back to the era of Greg LeMond. Fat chance sports radio will cover any of that! ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/5 "2015-06-01T21:09:53Z")
I think American soccer fandom is split into several overlapping groups: you have the MLS fans, you have the USMNT fans, the fans of big foreign leagues like the Premier League and La Liga and immigrants/descendants of immigrants who follow the international team and league of the country they came from/their forefathers came from (particularly the Mexican League). You also have more casual fans who will take an interest in the big tournaments such as the Champions league and particularly the World Cup. I am not American, but my experience is that most American soccer fans do have interests in other sports, particularly NFL, NBL and NHL. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/6 "2015-06-01T21:23:27Z")
I did think it a little strange this morning when the local sports radio guys were making fun of soccer fans. (In Seattle) I enjoyed it, but it did make me wonder (like the OP) why soccer is treated differently than other local sports. No one makes fun of Mariner fans, and we’ve had a sucky team for over a decade. I hear the Sounders are pretty good, but their games are never discussed on the two main sports talk stations. (Works for me, as I have zero interest. Maybe my view is common) ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/7 "2015-06-01T21:28:17Z")
That’s close to my observations. NFL MLB NCAA Football NBA NCAA BB NHL Have a lot of overlap between them Nascar, golf, and soccer have much less over lap with anything else. Most of the soccer fans I know are Europe or Latin American born, actually now that I think about it. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/8 "2015-06-01T21:29:04Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I did think it a little strange this morning when the local sports radio guys were making fun of soccer fans. (In Seattle) I enjoyed it, but it did make me wonder (like the OP) why soccer is treated differently than other local sports. No one makes fun of Mariner fans, and we’ve had a sucky team for over a decade. I hear the Sounders are pretty good, but their games are never discussed on the two main sports talk stations. (Works for me, as I have zero interest. Maybe my view is common) I wonder what they were making fun of? The Sounders have the most points in the league right now. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/9 "2015-06-01T22:05:20Z")
The Chicago Fire have their own weekly show on Saturday mornings. It’s got a small, but very loyal group of listeners. Otherwise , they’re basically ignored ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/10 "2015-06-01T22:28:46Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > I wonder what they were making fun of? The Sounders have the most points in the league right now. And won the Supporter’s Shield and U.S. Open Cup last year (the latter for the fourth time!) Lost in the semi-finals of the MLS playoffs last year, though. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/11 "2015-06-01T22:33:08Z")
In big college areas like Tenn, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas , etc. The sports rank is probably this: College FB college FB recruiting all other sports start at #3 There is a big sports talk guy named Jim Rome who openly mocks soccer and I think other guys follow his lead. He’s a big asshole, but to his credit he admits he’s an asshole and many fans won’t like him. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/12 "2015-06-01T23:17:15Z")
I think the main blowback to soccer comes from American football fans. High School soccer is played in the fall, and football coaches love to challenge players by saying “If you aren’t tough enough for this game, go over there and join the soccer team!” It’s an attitude that has caught on. Of course, there are a lot of primarily football fans in the US, and sports radio is 95% football talk. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/13 "2015-06-02T00:00:38Z")
FB is popular partly because it’s very easy to follow with just 1 game a week. So it’s easy to watch every minute of every game. and of course high school and college FB help build fan bases for the NFL. What is odd is that the NFL only shows 4 games on Sun. +1 on Mon. while college FB shows 15 or more on various networks just on Sat and they also play on TV Thurs and Friday. NFL says they stick to 5 per week to not overdo it. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/14 "2015-06-02T00:20:12Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > I wonder what they were making fun of? The Sounders have the most points in the league right now. Maybe it is because [sounders](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sounding) are people that enjoy “the practice of inserting plastic or metal ‘sounds’ (long thin and very smooth objects) into yours or someone elses uretha. Ultimately leads to streching of the uretha so that larger objects (such as a finger) can be inserted in the penis.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/15 "2015-06-02T13:47:16Z")
I think a lot of it is simply that most sports reporters and commentators did not grow up in a society where soccer was popular, or even played. When I was in High School in Ohio 68-71, the school I attended was one of only a dozen or so playing it. In the 80’s-90’s in boomed as a youth sport and those folks are now growing up with at least an appreciation of the game, even if they are not major fans. But most of the writers/commentators missed out and really know only Tackleball, Baseball and Basketball well, with Ice Hockey 4th (except in the South, where it is a tie between Tackleball recruiting season and NASCAR). So as often in the course of human events, they tend to ridicule/ignore that which they do not understand. IMHO as always. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/16 "2015-06-02T13:55:11Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > I think a lot of it is simply that most sports reporters and commentators did not grow up in a society where soccer was popular, or even played. This. Sports commentators, channels, shows and talking heads _will prefer to remain on the subjects they know about_. A guy who played NFL football and has followed baseball and basketball all his life doesn’t want to talk about soccer because he does not understand it. He is no longer in a position of superior knowledge. You’ll see this in many markets. For a long time the morning show in Toronto’s sports station was 100% hockey, nothing else, even in July. This was in a city that at the time was selling out a 50,000 seat baseball stadium every game. But the morning show announcers were former hockey guys, and all the industry insiders they knew and could get info on were hockey guys, so that’s what they talked about. Today the show’s far more balanced in terms of discussing other sports, because they have younger, more rounded guys hosting it, but there’s still very little talk of soccer, and the afternoon host will feature professional golf to an extent far disproportionate to its popularity because, well, he knows golf and can speak to it. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/17 "2015-06-02T19:26:08Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > And won the Supporter’s Shield and U.S. Open Cup last year (the latter for the fourth time!) Lost in the semi-finals of the MLS playoffs last year, though. Yes, I think they were making fun of how excited the Sounders fan base gets because “we’re the best,” and then it goes nowhere. They said it was like Groundhog Day (the movie). Mostly, I think, they were making fun of soccer, more than the Sounders. As if it’s unworthy of any fan enthusiasm. I’m not a soccer fan myself, so it didn’t bother me, but as I stated, it seemed strange coming from a sports talk radio host. It is a pretty big deal around here, but I guess not with that listener base. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/18 "2015-06-02T19:34:32Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > What is odd is that the NFL only shows 4 games on Sun. +1 on Mon. while college FB shows 15 or more on various networks just on Sat and they also play on TV Thurs and Friday. NFL says they stick to 5 per week to not overdo it. The NFL shows every game on TV though you might not be able to get them all. They have a nationally televised game on Sunday, Monday and Thursday evenings. They also have national or regional late Sunday afternoon games on two networks. The early afternoon Sunday games are mostly regional or local, but if you’re in a non-NFL city you will get two games then as well (assuming the networks have local affiliates). ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/19 "2015-06-02T19:35:57Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Yes, I think they were making fun of how excited the Sounders fan base gets because “we’re the best,” and then it goes nowhere. They said it was like Groundhog Day (the movie). > > Mostly, I think, they were making fun of soccer, more than the Sounders. As if it’s unworthy of any fan enthusiasm. I’m not a soccer fan myself, so it didn’t bother me, but as I stated, it seemed strange coming from a sports talk radio host. It is a pretty big deal around here, but I guess not with that listener base. Ah, seems like general American football fan snobbery (which is slowly but surely winding itself down). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376/20 "2015-06-02T20:59:20Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > In big college areas like Tenn, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas , etc. The sports rank is probably this: > > College FB > college FB recruiting > all other sports start at #3 No… for some weird reason, pro football is absolutely king in Texas, unless you’re in Austin. Here in Dallas, anything Cowboys-related is front-page news, even now, a little more than halfway through the offseason. Same thing in Houston with the Texans. During football season, college teams (A&M, UT, Baylor, TCU, UH) take a close second to the pro teams, and stuff like baseball is a distant third, unless the Rangers or Astros are in a pennant race or playoffs. Similarly, basketball isn’t really on the radar until after Xmas, when it takes the place of college football until after the Super Bowl, when it’s the primary sport, although there’s still plenty of draft-day and college football signing day drama to go around. Baseball picks up sometime around Memorial Day as the NBA playoffs start, provided the Mavs or Rockets aren’t in the playoffs, and stays top-dog until August, when the pro preseason starts. In Austin (and I imagine any other southern city with a major college program but no pro sports), the sports coverage seems to be at least 60% UT year-round, with a really inordinate amount of UT football coverage in the fall. I can’t think of any Top 25 level college football programs co-located with a pro team; the only two FBS programs I can think of in that situation are University of Houston and TCU, which is in Ft. Worth, not Dallas. Both of them get fairly short shrift from the local media in favor of the larger state schools (A&M & UT), even when they’re doing well. Soccer is kind of a distant… fifth? Most soccer fans in the US are either immigrants, expats, or younger white men who like the ‘cool’ factor of soccer. Joe Six-Pack still thinks of soccer as somewhat effete. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-soccer-fandom/721376.md?page=2)