KrumlyMun

Hey guys, love the show. I've thought and written about this discussion a lot so I'd like to offer a few viewpoints of why soccer hasn't reached the popularity of baseball, basketball, or football that wasn't touched on during the episode: 1.) The highest levels of professional basketball, baseball, hockey, and American football are all in North America. The biggest soccer leagues, however, are in Europe. Because of this, historically, U.S. TV viewers weren't exposed to the best soccer in the world and U.S. athletes weren't pushed to participate in it because reaching the highest level would mean they'd have to leave the country - an idea that's unheard of for the other sports here. 2.) Soccer, in contrast to it's relatively inexpensive formula, is very expensive in the U.S. and is generally only embraced by upper class demographics and immigrant populations. Because of the fragmented fan base building a community aspect is more difficult. 3.) Culturally in many parts of the country is viewed as a lesser sport. On a larger stage, look at what many, many sports writers say about the game. There exists a loud, proud anti-soccer legion of sports viewers. 4.) The success of professional sports leagues in North America didn't depend upon globalization until recently. One could assume that may play a part in the negative aspect to some viewers. The NFL, for instance, is the most homogenized big sport in the U.S. and is easily the most popular. Also, Altucher's point about scoring has stuck out to me. It's funny because pro football - again the most popular sport in the U.S. by far - tacks extra arbitrary points to scoring. Imagine if a goal in soccer was worth six points like a touchdown.