How Big Is The World Cup in The United States?

What does soccer mean anymore in the United States? I know that the newspapers all around the country try to pretend that it's a big deal (because it is), but why isn't it so special?

I recently shot out e-mails and texts to some friends and family to find out who follows the World Cup. There weren't a whole lot of them that even followed the World Cup.

One of my friends didn't even know what the soccer tournament was!

Honestly think about this question: Did you really care about the U.S. getting an opportunity to play one of the world's elite soccer teams in England?

I doubt it.

Soccer is a sport of being cardiovascularly fit... the ability to run long distances. The soccer athlete is usually very good with their feet, controlling them, and even have what I call "Foot-Eye Coordination."

In the United States of America, "sports fans" are impressed by the "power" sports: football, in particular with lots and lots of contact; basketball, with all the "LeBron superstitious jams"; baseball, who knows? Maybe some collisions at the plate.

Nothing else really stimulates the sports minds anymore. Since NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death I have lost all interest in the driving sport.

So, what has soccer become in the U.S.? Nothing. The Universal Sport does not really exist in the country.

The existence of power, hitting, contact... Where is it? Soccer really doesn't involve much contact other than "tackling" to get the ball. It isn't really a game to take a hit, let alone deliver one.

So now I turn to you...

What's your reasoning for disliking a loved sport? It may not be an average American's regular taste of pleasure, but give a couple games a shot.

Try it.

You just might enjoy it for once... For a change.