Soccer vs. America

I have been an avid soccer fan for most of my life.  I played soccer when I was little and grew to love the game and all of it’s aspects.  Lately I’ve been watching the EURO CUP 2008 on ESPN and I am once again reminded of how different soccer is in countries other than the USA.  Soccer (also known as futbol and football in other countries around the world) has had a hard time gaining momentum in America.  Why is this?  Well, soccer has had to compete with American Football and that is no easy task.  American Football and the NFL are multi-billion dollar industries.  American’s love to see big guys hitting each other and a game that scores a lot of points.  America has Football because we can afford it and other countries cannot.  Soccer is and easily affordable game for all people.  The only essential item needed for a soccer game is a soccer ball.  No helmets, no pads, no bats or gloves.

Another huge difference between soccer in America and soccer in Europe are the fans.  The fans in Europe are willing to kill fans from the opposing team.  If you have ever seen fans from Europe you instanly know what team they are rooting for.  Even those who have come to the games directly from work tie a team flag around their neck and paint their face with team colors.  These radical fans provide a huge mental boost to the morale of the team.

So what is the future of soccer in America?  Well until we stop making the game atmosphere one of “family friendliness” and “happy-go-lucky” attitudes and start truly caring about our MLS teams and fight for our loyalty we will never fully appreciate the sport.  With the arrival of David Beckham (one of the greatest players in the world) to the USA I know that the game of soccer has risen as far as viewing audiences goes.  But we can’t always wait for the next great player to come to the USA because they won’t keep coming.  The future of American Soccer is in the hands of the next generation.  These children are playing soccer at young ages and with the further development of Sports Websites they will be able to follow their favorite teams with ease and even watch foreign games. 

Will I see a soccer revolution in my lifetime in America?  I think I will.  I long for the day when people get excited about their local (or national) team and root them on with a zealous fervor.

Well, that’s my take, tell me what you think. 

Hey Blogging World!

Hello,
With my first blog I would like to say Hi to the people who will be reading my posts. I will hopefully be writing about a lot of different topics. Although I am a rookie to the blogging world I am very experienced in other areas (hence my username).
I’ll be writing again soon with my first topic,
c-ya