Actually I appear to be incorrect, baseball is still the number one sport in Japan.
But that’s clearly not true. Auto racing is, to anyone who hasn’t watched it, potentially the most boring sport imaginable. Entire races, major events, can transpire in which basically nothing happens; no big wrecks, no close finish, no changes in the leader, nothing. This is especially true of the F1 circuit, where the leader often gets in front in the first lap and leads for the entire race and is never even challenged, especially on circuits where it’s hard to overtake like Hungaroring. NASCAR and half of CART and IRL don’t even have the benefit of having challenging, interesting tracks, and they too can devolve into a situation where the leader leads the whole way.
I agree that soccer does not translate well onto the TV, whereas football and baseball are in many ways better on TV than they are in person, but then, golf is almost impossible to follow on TV; it’s simply not possible to see all the competitors and everything they do. Auto racing doesn’t watch well, either.
Again, though, that
A) Does not explain why Americans love playing soccer, and
B) Is true of anyone in the world, and
C) It’s not as if hockey’s any different.
Why football hasn’t caught on in america part II:
They play it in a place called the Kuntz Stadium.
Nothing could survive that.
Auto racing, hockey, and golf are sports with a core of highly dedicated fans, but to which the bulk of the population are largely indifferent, as compared to football (where the Super Bowl is one of the most widely watched events) and pro basketball (which has been hurting in the post-MJ era for lack of a marketable star). They’re poor examples of American inconsistency with respect to soccer appreciation because they don’t register much above soccer in American culture as a whole. I suspect that most Americans would probably be hard pressed to name more than about five to ten active players/ participants from auto racing, hockey or golf. In the case of golf, it would not shock me if awareness of active players other than Tiger Woods is fairly minimal. Americans might actually have an easier time naming active female American soccer players because of the widespread publicity surrounding the women’s team a few years ago.
Hockey and auto racing also offer the possibility of fights and crashes, respectively, which appeals to the bloodthirsty voyeuristic streak that exists in American culture. But they’re still not yet national pasttimes in the way that baseball, football and (in varying and fluctuating degrees) basketball are.
As far as why cricket isn’t more popular, the answer to that is easy. Baseball. With soccer, you can at least argue that it’s not that similar to any other major professional sport. But rugby and cricket will have a damn hard time competing for American sports attention with football and baseball. They’re too similar, and we like our versions better.
I was more being facetious in pointing out that all the things quoted here regarding why sports work well in America apply to cricket, yet most Americans would declare watching paint dry to be more interesting than watching cricket.
Baseball is better on TV than in person? Which baseball are you watching? Baseball is nearly impossible to watch on television since there’s usually stuff going on all over the field and television provides only one view. What’s happening on the basepaths while the RFer is chasing the ball down? How are the infielders positioning themselves while the camera is focusing so tight in Jeter’s face I can count the pores on his nose? Baseball is horrible on TV. Probably more so than any other sport.
Basketball and American football are better on TV than in person, though. Unless you have good seats.
**
A) Americans love playing golf, biking and swimming, too. That doesn’t mean they gets big ratings. I think we are discussing the popularity of professional spectator sports, not the popularity of recreational sports. I’ve found that my countrymen will play just about anything if the opportunity arises. And enjoy doing it. That doesn’t mean they’ll want to watch it, though.
B) Very true.
C) Sure, but hockey isn’t that much more popular to watch than soccer, so there you go.
I love soccer and baseball, but find the latter virtually unwatchable on television unless I care about the game’s result. But as a general rule I can enjoy a soccer game on television even if I have no interest in the teams that are playing.
I can watch anyone play baseball. I like it better in person (unlike American football, which is improved by TV), but it’s okay (for me) on TV.
And since I don’t live in a baseball town, TV is my best bet.
Julie
Baseball is definately better in person, but soccer is good either way. IMO
An Addendum…
For those soccer fanes out there, has anyone been watching any of the Champions Series matches on Fox? For those not in the know, some of the best teams in the World (Manchester United, Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus, Boca Juniors, Club America, Celtic) are touring the US in exhibition matches. So far, most of the games have been exciting and have attracted huge crowds.
I just finished watching Manchester United play Juventus (Man U. embarrassed them). In fact, I’ve seen all three Manchester United games, and they have played extremely well in every game (all 3 high scoring games). From a marketing standpoint, I think Manchester U. will reap huge benefits from their showing in this series. The US is a virtually untapped market and by their performance in this series will gain an edge over other clubs in continuing to expand their fan base.
As an aside - Time Howard (of MLS fame) played in the Juventus game and did an outstanding job. Again, bodes well for both Manchester United increasing their fan base in the US and our US national team by helping one of our young stars gain experience against top-flight competition.
I no huge Manchester United fan, but I will say I have been thoroughly impressed with the level of play they have exhibited. A lot of people in the US got a taste of what the other fans in Europe get to see - Van Nistelrooy, Giggs, Veron, Scholes, Folan, Skolkjaer, Ferdinand, O’Shea, Keane. Van Nistelrooy has been particularly impressive.
(on anthoer note: I would have liked to have seen Celtic fair much better in this Series. While no huge Celtic fan, I really like Henrik Larson - simply a brillant player).
I think one major reason soccer isn’t that popular here is simple: We don’t have the top league. MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL are all the top leagues in their sports, and all are based in North America. Sports that have their base outside this continent aren’t as popular – soccer, rugby, cricket, F1, etc. Therefore, it makes it much more difficult to build a fanbase, because fans don’t have easy access to the top players.
If MLB moved all its teams to Europe, and we were left with only the minor leagues, baseball wouldn’t be as popular. Similarly, if all the worldwide soccer leagues were to disappear, replaced by one American soccer league, soccer would shoot past hockey in popularity (at least), because fans would then see the cream of the crop. The NHL is only as popular as it is (just a bit above MLS), because it’s the best league. Nobody plays hockey (by and large) on this continent outside of Canada and northern states. That’s not true with soccer – people play it everywhere.
Soccer isn’t considered “sexy” in the U.S. In high schools the football players date the cheerleaders. Soccer players date each other. 
The real question is who gets to date the (female) volleyball players?
I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you aren’t making a homophobic joke, because that would be extremely inappropriate for this forum.
Me
Well, when I was in high school at any rate…
A few random thoughts on this matter…
In America, you can make a case that the rise in popularity of a particular pro sport is proportional to the prevailing cultural zeitgeist.
For example, in the first half of the century, America remained a largely rural nation. Baseball, the ultimate timeless pastoral game, reigned supreme.
After WWII, with the rise of big corporations, football’s popularity rose tremendously. Football is probably the most hierarchical game - where faceless players work in tandem, often performing tasks not easily recognized (i.e. the offensive line) yet still vital to the success of the team. The players report to their position coaches (who are equivalent to say, supervisors); who in turn report to the head coach (the director); who in turn reports to a GM (Vice President); who in turn reports to the owner (CEO).
In the 80s and 90s, the nation placed emphasis on individuality, entrepreneurs, mavericks, etc. Basketball - the game in which showmanship, athletic ability, grace are most apparent - rose spectacularly during this time.
Now, we’re in the age of globalization. Perhaps soccer - the ultimate global sport - will now rise.
Ten years ago, I would have laughed at that notion. Not so now. After all, it’s hard for me (as a native Southerner) to believe the ultimate Southern sport - NASCAR - is now a national phenomenon. If NASCAR can make it here, so can soccer.
Second random thought…
What if America actually gets good at this game and wins the World Cup? God, could you imagine how much the world will hate us then?:eek: :eek:
Third random thought…
My theory about why soccer inspires such passion in Europe is that the fans think that their support of the team represents a form of solidarity with the working class neighborhoods the teams represent (Manchester, Birmingham). I think that passion is much more muted in America, where free agency, alienation from selfish athletes, and corrosive effects of money serves to make the fan cynical. We root for the home team, but it isn’t life and death anymore. Like Seinfeld said, essentially, we’re rooting for laundry.
*Originally posted by GoHeels *
You may have a point - but I think there are strong similarities between the loyalties to certain soccer clubs by in fans in Europe, South America, etc. those those found in the US among fans who are strong supporters of college sports (especially college football). To give an example - tell Jerry Seinfield whether the people living in Lincoln, Nebraska, or South Bend, Indiana, or Tuscaloosa, Alabama (and the alumni of Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Alabama, respectively) are rooting for laundry.
Granted, the support in Europe and elsewhere may be more class based, but the devotion and following for a particular college team (especially in football) is no less fervent.
When I was a kid, I used to play soccer. In fact, I have a soccer trophy (a cheep one that the whole teem got, I wasn’t good enough to get one of my own :() from 1980 that I still keep out.
I’m not a sports fan, but soccer is the only sport I really like. I don’t watch any sports at all (except for the summer Olympics), but I watched a game a few days ago, and got into it instantly. I enjoyed watching it much more than when I’m at other people’s houses and they’re watching football, baseball, basketball, or boxing.
I haven’t read all of the previous threads because it’s 12:00AM where I’m at and I’m going to bed after this post, so I’m sorry if somebody else already expressed this opinion, but soccer is probably seen as a foreign sport and not really an “American pastime” which is probably why it isn’t as popular as it is in other countries. But, I’ll state once again, I personally love it myself.
If some are thinking that fans of American sport are a little insular - they’re cosmopolitan in comparison to Australian Rules supporters.