It’s no secret that the United States doesn’t view soccer the way the rest of the world does.
But the sport has made great strides increasing popularity among Americans and especially the new generation. Soccer is making a legit impact in this country in ways that have only been seen by the likes of football, basketball, and baseball.
Here are four reasons why soccer will surpass all other sports and become number one within a decade.
The new generation loves soccer
The new generation is extremely excited about soccer. According to NBC News, “youth players officially registered with U.S. Soccer programs in 2014 has gone up by 89 percent since 1990.”
Older generations are raising their children who have a love for the game that they didn’t understand when growing up. This will help spread excitement among older generations as well who want to understand the game and especially find the same love that their children do.
The English Premier League and the Champions League have deals with American networks such as Fox Sports, Bein Sports, NBCSN and ESPN to provide games for the U.S. audience, which will drive up the popularity. This leads to constant talk on social media and new blogs/websites created to cater to this niche group of fans. The more exposure sports fans have to high-quality soccer with the best players worldwide the more popular the sport will become as fans discover and support new favorite teams and players.
World Cup Russia 2018 and World Cup Qatar 2022
The World Cup is the most watch sports event in the world. According to FIFA, 3.2 billion people tuned in to the World Cup in Brazil two years ago. In the United States, viewership averaged at 17.3 million viewers. These numbers are expected to rise rapidly as the popularity of the sport and US national team continues to heighten here.
The United States Men’s and Women’s National Team
The women’s national team has been the pinnacle of women’s soccer for decades. They just won the world cup and are still ranked as the No. 1 team in the world. The men’s national team is still continuing to grow at the international level.
Leadership under former German striker and World Cup winner Jürgen Klinsmann has helped the national team progress successfully as well the development of young rising stars such as Christian Pulisic, Jordan Morris and Julian Green who give hope to the future of the team going forward into major tournaments.
by Steven Rendon
CougarBuzz 