Hey hey hey!!! The World Cup started!!!

Did you know this?

Well, if you live in America, you may not have noticed.

I don’t remember this event getting this little coverage. I mean the World Cup is not the most prestigious sports even in the states. being in Russia, the games are happening at bad times. And obviously the fact that America did not make the World Cup hurts things even more. But I swear it is like this tournament isn’t even happening.

What else is going on in sports? Baseball…..but these are the dog days on summer. Golf….well that was for one weekend. Tennis……pshaw. Most of the talk I hear is about the NBA trade rumors (thank you ESPN for making it sound important, hmm, wonder why) and football holdouts.

Now I am not one to complain about not hearing about soccer. There are fundamental issues with the sport as a whole; the main point being the score is not an accurate measurement of the gameplay (a HUGE problem with the sport). But I keep hearing that soccer is becoming bigger in the states. The MLS has grown, NBC has bought the rights to Barclay’s, and Fox shows the UAFA Cup every year. Isn’t soccer the fastest growing sport in America?

Fastest growing sport…yeah I have heard that one before. In fact that was being said when Pele played for the New York Cosmos in the old NASL. That was said in 1994 when America hosted the World Cup. That was said in the 2000’s ago when the US omen’s team won the World Cup. That was said a few years ago when the MLS expanded and said they were challenging th NHL.

Yet the sport’s biggest event has virtually no coverage here.

Again, I know not having the US team competing in this thing hurts a lot. But if a society really likes a sport, they will at least watch the biggest event, even if their team is not part of it. Think the Super Bowl ever lacks viewers in New York when the Giants fail to make it? Also, I would maintain the majority of soccer fans here watch other countries and other leagues. I mean soccer is bigger in every other country, typically Americans root for the US team AND some country they claim they originate from. For example, have English roots? Pull for England. Does your last name have a harsh guttural sound? Root for Germany. Does your name contain a z and end in a vowel? Get on the Italian bandwagon. It is not like the US was going to win even if they did qualify.

In other words, this year is proof that soccer is really not growing that much. Sure, the MLS is successful. But so is Carl’s Jr, and they suck. So keep that ‘soccer is growing’ narrative alive, soccer fan. Maybe someday………….