I like to think that I have a good grasp of how the
intermingling of entertainment, music and sports combines to make American pop
culture. I have more useless
trivia floating around in my head than anyone I know about all things pop culture.
This weekend that idea of “pop
culture knower” was exposed as a myth as I started seriously getting engaged
with the amazing spectacle called the FIFA World Cup.
As I began gathering information on the teams, their
histories and their players, I discovered that the American team is not just a
novelty any more. The United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) is an
actual thing that has been getting more respect every year in the international
community. Granted, they have a way to go before they’re mentioned in the same
breath as England or Brazil or Argentina, or even Mexico, but still, they’re getting a lot of
press. Landon Donavan not making the team actually hit the front page of the
sports section in Middle America and a lead story on ESPN.
So, guess what a lot of press and TV coverage gets you in
America? It gets you a place at the American Pop Culture table. People start
talking about the players, the uniforms, the mascots and the girlfriends. And
when people stop talking about scores and start talking about girlfriends, you
know you’ve hit the big time. Professional soccer is now inching closer to the edge of
the big time.
OK, here are some things I learned about American Major
League Soccer (MLS):
- Most players for the USMNT play in the MLS
- MLS has 19 clubs
- 10 teams in the Eastern Conference, 9 teams in the Western Conference
- They all have killer logos
- People actually attend games. The average attendance for the Seattle Sounders was 44,000 per game in 2013. Twice the Mariners average
- In 1994, the last time the World Cup was played in the Americas, the US did not have a professional league
- Jurgen Klinsmann, one of the world’s biggest stars in 1994, is now the coach of the US team
- Recent ESPN poll found that among Americans 12-17, soccer is now as popular as baseball and way ahead of hockey.
- Washington Times survey found that 30% of Americans planned to watch some World Cup play
- The US will have more fans in attendance at the World Cup in Brazil than any other country.
- The US will have the second largest overseas TV audience after Germany
Every four years I read the stories about how soccer is
finally breaking through the American sports barrier, but this year it feels a
little different. There are a lot of forces at work in the making of sports pop
culture sausage. Judging by attendance numbers, it appears that MLB baseball, NFL football and NBA basketball have probably reached their peak in popularity.
Which leaves us with Soccer. If you want to see what’s going to be the biggest
growth sport in America over the next 25 years, read the latest census report.
Today’s kids are tomorrow’s ticket buyers and it doesn’t look like they’re
gonna want very many tickets for the Super Bowl.
 |
|
|
