# Why is soccer so popular with U.S. tweens&teens, but not as a college/pro sport?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-soccer-so-popular-with-u-s-tweens-teens-but-not-as-a-college-pro-sport/464219>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [September 18, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-soccer-so-popular-with-u-s-tweens-teens-but-not-as-a-college-pro-sport/464219 "2008-09-18T22:21:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-soccer-so-popular-with-u-s-tweens-teens-but-not-as-a-college-pro-sport/464219/121 "2010-06-20T04:06:13Z")

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> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> It’s been said multiple times in this very thread.

Where?

> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> And here are three articles from the first page of a Google search for “soccer popularity us”
> 
> [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/2006-07-06-soccer-in-the-us\_x.htm](http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/2006-07-06-soccer-in-the-us_x.htm)
> 
> [http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1566893/why\_is\_soccer\_not\_popular\_in\_the\_united.html](http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1566893/why_is_soccer_not_popular_in_the_united.html)
> 
> [Sports comments: Soccer will soon be popular American sport - pennlive.com](http://blog.pennlive.com/pasports/2010/06/sports_comments_soccer_will_so.html)

Where in any of these articles is the claim that soccer will become the biggest sport in the country?

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**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-soccer-so-popular-with-u-s-tweens-teens-but-not-as-a-college-pro-sport/464219/122 "2010-06-20T06:27:57Z")

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> [@Yookeroo](#):
>
> Where?

All of these posts mention soccer’s pending popularity spike (or a claim thereof):

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10215725&postcount=28](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10215725&postcount=28)

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10215897&postcount=30](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10215897&postcount=30)

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10222710&postcount=70](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10222710&postcount=70)

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10225873&postcount=85](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10225873&postcount=85)

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12578117&postcount=94](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12578117&postcount=94)

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12578117&postcount=95](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12578117&postcount=95)

> [@Yookeroo](#):
>
> Where in any of these articles is the claim that soccer will become the biggest sport in the country?

Most of them are one page. If you can’t be bothered to read something that short and would rather play gotcha, I can’t help you.

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-soccer-so-popular-with-u-s-tweens-teens-but-not-as-a-college-pro-sport/464219/123 "2010-06-20T11:14:58Z")

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> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#):
>
> Why would any of them make it? If you’re playing football at university, you’ve missed the boat. Professional players start playing for clubs at 16, 17, 18 etc.

A bit late on this response, but not in the US they don’t.

Of the US starting 11: Onyewu, Demerit, Bocanegra, Dempsey, Edu (I think he’ll start, but Clark too), and Findley played in college.

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