US soccer: Will Americans ever care about football? - BBC News
Summary
TLDRMariana explores the enduring popularity of American football over soccer in the United States. Despite soccer's global appeal, American football has dominated due to its early introduction, commercial opportunities, and dramatic gameplay. The script highlights the financial and cultural impact of American football, the contrast with soccer's slower growth, and the potential for soccer to gain traction, especially with the U.S., Mexico, and Canada's joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
Takeaways
- 🏴 Soccer, known as football in most of the world, has a rich history that began in England in 1863 with the establishment of the laws of association football.
- 🌍 The sport spread globally due to European colonialism, gaining popularity in South America, Africa, and Asia, but not in the United States where rugby and later American football became dominant.
- 🇺🇸 American football, which evolved from rugby, is more lucrative and culturally ingrained in the U.S., generating an estimated thirteen billion dollars a year compared to soccer's six hundred million.
- 📺 American football's commercial appeal is bolstered by frequent breaks for commercials, timeouts, and halftime shows, which provide advertisers with ample opportunities.
- 🏈 The physicality and spectacle of American football, including dramatic plays, tight pants, lights, and halftime shows, contribute to its popularity and distinguish it from soccer.
- ⚽️ Despite soccer's global success, it has struggled to break into the American mainstream, with the U.S. men's team's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup being a significant setback.
- 👶 Youth soccer is massive in the United States, with over 3 million children participating, indicating a potential future growth in the sport's popularity.
- 🏆 The U.S. women's soccer team has been extremely successful, winning the World Cup three times, and some of their top players have been signed by European clubs.
- 🤕 A recent study showing a high prevalence of a brain disease among NFL players due to head injuries might make soccer a more attractive option for American audiences.
- 🎉 The joint bid by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada to host the 2026 World Cup presents a golden opportunity to boost soccer's profile and popularity in the United States.
Q & A
What is the origin of association football as mentioned in the script?
-The origin of association football is attributed to a group of men who formalized the laws of the game over a drink in England in 1863.
How did football spread from England to other parts of the world?
-Football spread across the English Channel to the Netherlands, France, and beyond, evolving as it traveled, largely due to European colonialism.
Why did soccer not gain popularity in the United States as it did in other countries?
-Soccer did not gain popularity in the United States because it was overshadowed by rugby, which was introduced to the US in 1857 and quickly adopted by colleges.
How has rugby football evolved in the United States over time?
-Rugby football evolved into American football, which has become a sport distinct from its English origins, with modifications to the rules and a significant cultural impact.
What is the economic impact of American football compared to soccer in the United States?
-American football generates an estimated thirteen billion dollars a year, while soccer generates around six hundred million dollars.
Why is American football more advertiser-friendly according to the script?
-American football is more advertiser-friendly due to its numerous breaks and timeouts which provide commercial opportunities.
What was the significance of the US men's team's performance in the 2014 World Cup?
-The US men's team's performance in the 2014 World Cup sparked a wave of soccer fever in the US, suggesting a potential breakthrough for the sport's mainstream popularity.
What was the setback for soccer's growth in the United States as mentioned in the script?
-The US men's team's failure to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 32 years was a significant setback for soccer's growth in the country.
What is the current state of youth soccer in the United States?
-Youth soccer is massive in the United States, with over 3 million children participating in teams.
How has the US women's soccer team contributed to the sport's popularity?
-The US women's soccer team has been extremely successful, winning the World Cup three times, and some of their top players have been signed by European clubs.
What is a potential factor that could help soccer gain more popularity in the United States?
-A potential factor that could help soccer gain more popularity is the growing concern over the long-term health effects of American football, such as the discovery of a disease in the brains of many NFL players due to head injuries.
What opportunity does the 2026 World Cup present for soccer in the United States?
-The 2026 World Cup presents a golden opportunity for soccer in the US, as the country, along with Mexico and Canada, has entered a joint bid to host the event.
Outlines
🏴 Soccer's Struggle in America
Mariana, an American in Britain, discusses the popularity of football (soccer) in the UK and its lack of widespread appeal in the United States. Despite the global success of football, the US has favored rugby and American football, which has a larger economic impact and more advertising opportunities. The script also touches on the historical development of football, its spread through European colonialism, and the rise of American football in the 1850s. The US's struggle to fully embrace soccer is highlighted by the men's national team's failure to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, despite moments of excitement and growth in youth soccer and women's leagues.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Football
💡American Football
💡Rugby
💡Colonialism
💡World Cup
💡Youth Soccer
💡Women's Football
💡Commercial Opportunities
💡CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)
💡Joint Bid
Highlights
Football is deeply ingrained in British culture and is hard to avoid.
The origin of association football's rules was established in England in 1863.
European colonialism helped spread football's popularity globally.
Rugby was more popular in the United States, overshadowing football.
American football has evolved to be distinctly different from its English counterpart.
American football generates significantly more revenue than soccer in the US.
Commercial breaks in American football are frequent, providing ample advertising opportunities.
The US men's soccer team's qualification for the 2014 World Cup sparked a temporary surge in interest.
The US men's team's failure to qualify for the World Cup was a setback for soccer's growth.
Youth soccer is very popular in the United States, with over 3 million children participating.
There is a notable absence of professional American football leagues for women.
The US women's soccer team has been highly successful, winning the World Cup three times.
Some top male footballers move to the US to end their careers.
A recent study showed a high prevalence of a brain disease among NFL players linked to head injuries.
Soccer sees the US as a valuable market with a population of 300 million.
The US, Mexico, and Canada have a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup, which could boost soccer's popularity.
Transcripts
hi I'm Mariana an American in Britain
you literally cannot escape football
here sorry
not that kind this kind which we call
this by the way Shh you're not allowed
to say that here I just don't get it
America loves Downton Abbey for the
Queen Harry Potter but not soccer what's
with that like all good stories this one
starts in a pub legend has it a bunch of
men Flo wrote up the laws of association
football over a drink in England in 1863
these official rules spread across the
English Channel to the Netherlands
France and beyond evolving as they
traveled because of European colonialism
the game grew in popularity across South
America Africa and Asia but not in the
United States where it was beaten by
another sport rugby which has this book
- things went on Browns school days took
the US by storm in 1857 exposed everyone
to the sport and colleges quickly began
adopting the rules of rugby football
over time this sport morphed into
something a little less English
[Music]
in the United States American football
brings in an estimated thirteen billion
dollars a year soccer just six hundred
million and it doesn't hurt that it's an
American advertisers dream I love you
halftime bathroom break look down back
up where are you you're on a boat with
the man your man could smell it so while
soccer has halftime American football
has timeouts injury timeout game stop
ejector score game stoppage after punt
return game stoppage after turnover
every break is a commercial opportunity
we also have drama tight pants lights
halftime shows and really really big
players time and time again people claim
that this kind of football has finally
broken into the American mainstream it's
never quite made it we thought it had
when the men's team made it to the 2014
World Cup and soccer fever hit the US
Obama was a fan it even made it to space
but this time around disaster struck for
the first time in 32 years the teams
shockingly failed to qualify for the
World Cup a huge setback for the sports
growth in the u.s. that's not to say
that there isn't an opening take youth
soccer it's massive in the United States
there are more than 3 million children
on teams even I played there's another
opening for soccer want to know why I'm
not a professional NFL player apart from
that there aren't any professional
American football leagues for women well
there is one the legends Football League
formerly known as the lingerie football
league but seriously women's football
could be a weigh-in for the sport the
u.s. women's soccer team has been
extremely successful they've already won
the World Cup three times some of the
top players have been snapped up by
European clubs as for the men well there
have been big signings stateside but
America is where famous male footballers
go to end their career oh and there is
one more thing that could help football
football do you thrown American football
a good old-fashioned helps care a recent
study looked at the brains of 111
American NFL players 110 had a disease
that is caused when you get hit in the
head too much so it's not surprising
that soccer is still hungrily circling
the United States with 300 million
people it's a seriously valuable market
but what will it take without the u.s.
competing in next summer's World Cup
many are looking to 2026 the u.s. Mexico
and Canada have entered a joint bid to
host it's a golden opportunity
okay
[Applause]
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