Why isn't soccer big or bigger in the United States?
I'll refrain to say the word soccer since it's what's said in the United States, but I'm fully aware that the global word for the sport is football.
This is a question asked by many. Pele tried to make it big in the 70's as well as David Beckham in the 2000's, and to be fair, it has grown, but it hasn't reached numbers to make it their most popular sport.
Everywhere except the U.S, it's every child's dream to play in the World Cup Final or represent their club in the Champions League while kids' dreams here are to play in the Super Bowl.
It's not a lie, what receives the most publicity and attention is American Football, the NFL. It's a nation that has so many sports to the point that they're spoilt. Baseball, basketball, hockey, auto racing (a.k.a Nascar) and more.
With this in mind, is one of the reasons why soccer will not become bigger in the U.S.
Choices. A child in the United States can play any sport they want, regardless of location or cost. They're open to more resources and if they don't enjoy one sport, they can choose to play another. While most countries don't have this option, and soccer is the viable option given that it's the sport that requires fewer resources to play on.
Draws. Just the thought that you can tie in soccer means it'll lose viewership from Americans. The mentality of Americans is to win, win & win. It's either win or lose, no in between, anything else is a burden and you can't have that. It's the fact that a team can draw a game and still play great, the fact that ties are good results depending on certain situations, it just doesn't fit the American model nor their mentality of sports.
Too Much Competition. Back in the day, baseball was America's national pastime, now it's football, and every other sport is trying to keep up. Add soccer into that mix and it'll get lost. You name it, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, Nascar races, World Series. There's very little room to shine and the competition is heavy, as simple as that.
Accept Soccer As A Universal Sport. If you want to bring the sport in the country, you have to acknowledge the culture and history of the sport. It's labeled a universal sport because the whole world watches it, it's the most watched sport of all time for a reason. Naming World Series in baseball, when it only presents the U.S competition, likewise as Super Bowl where only U.S teams compete.
Also, naming the sport football might help a bit, yes, it's the same name as the other, but that's only because it was influenced by rugby, which before was soccer (a.k.a football).
Soccer has grown in the United States, a lot to be exact, and there's no denying that it'll grow more as time passes. Considering the melting pot of races that live in the States, soccer will one day be a major sport in the States, and that day will be the day it'll truly become fully universal, the plan is to conquer the U.S and its mission is to win, and win.
