Growth, Problems, Solution. How football in the United States has become more popular than ever.

Football. A Perspective

Ryan

From a fringe activity in a country smitten with American football, basketball, and baseball, soccer, or football, as most of the rest of the world knows the sport, has grown quite popular in recent years. It has suddenly grown and carved its niche in most aspects of American sports. That which was once shunned by the mainstream can no longer be ignored with this sport taking center stage. This is because, while its popularity has spread across groups, a number of pitfalls still remain. On the rise, football is a reflection of a shift in cultural attitude; however, other sports' traditional preeminence acts as a barrier.

Compared with European, South American, and many other regions of the world, for much of its history, football took shallow root in the United States. Soccer wasn't steeped in tradition like American football is deeply entangled with the high school and college athletic traditions. That fact obviously made it hard for the sport to get wider acceptance since it did not have a grassroots setting in the sporting culture of the nation. The U.S. sports calendar is extremely crowded, and football had to fight for attention with deep-rooted sports such as the NFL, NBA, and MLB.

The nature of the game itself also tended to alienate American audiences. Not everyone found the rules easy to learn, besides which the pace of the game-particularly in low-scoring games-was indeed slower compared to American football and basketball. Lack of familiarity and meager media coverage also added to the factors that led to football failing to make it into the mainstream of sporting audiences' interest. For years, the cream of European leagues, such as the Premier League or La Liga, had extremely limited regular broadcasting in the United States, considerably reducing the exposure to the best of the game's attributes. Despite these growth-constraining hindrances, the game started to take off internationally. Indeed, the establishment of Major League Soccer in 1993 marked a turning point. Although it had struggled in its infancy, the league would finally begin proving itself as a launching pad for talented footballers. It was not just the local products but also international stars like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimović who carried their celebrity status with them and brought new viewership. All this drop-in of international talents raised the league's popularity profile and started producing increased excitement about the sport in the US.

The intricacies involved within the game bothered the American audience much. Quite a few of them could not understand its rules, let alone the fact that, considering the low scoring, the pace of play seemed slow compared to the more frenetic action of American football or basketball. Due to this unfamiliarity and because of the limited media exposure, football failed to click with mainstream sports lovers. For years, the top European leagues-whether the Premier League or La Liga-had little to no regular broadcast presence in the U.S., so little exposure to the highest levels of the sport. Still, despite such obstacles, the game began to make its steps, at least in part through international influences. Things really started to look up until 1993 when Major League Soccer finally kicked off. While in its early seasons the league did seem to struggle, it finally started to become a place where footballing talent could be showcased. It wasn't just homegrown players; international stars such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimović brought in their star power, thus bringing new audiences. This added weight to the league, putting a wider spotlight on the sport within the U.S.

Another important influence that occurred during this development was the international tournaments themselves. Hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup was a pivotal point.

It gave millions of Americans a view of what world-class football was all about, and since then, the spark seemed to spread into a flame. Besides, global broadcasting of UEFA Champions League and other top international competitions exposes American audiences to cream soccer games. With that sport's exposure came the ability for Americans to appreciate its artistry, skill, and strategy on an international level. Accessible football in the grassroots game became something covetable for young Americans: "It's so easy to set up a game almost anywhere—on school grounds, in parks, or even in the street—and requires little equipment.".

With more kids playing soccer at schools and clubs, a new wave of fans and players started to grow and, over time, develop grassroots for the sport. Whatever growth the sport has been witnessing in the country can be attributed to the development of youth soccer here. Over the last few years, one could see a gradual shift in the way American people look at football. It is no longer just a "foreign" game; it commands respect and excitement from bigger sections. More and more American football followers started to follow European clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona; these clubs commanded huge followings in the United States. International influences continued to bring fast-tradition sets into fan culture, with supporter groups and electric atmospheres brought to match venues, especially in Major League Soccer. Women's soccer served to further solidify the sport's status as well, partly because the success was so incredible on the world stage for the U.S. Women's National Team, with the wins in the World Cups and Olympic Gold seemingly lifting the status of football in the United States.

This has brought pride, putting visibility into the sport, and has inspired a new generation of young female athletes to take up the game, hence helping the growth in the overall football game. Though change can be witnessed to take place with a gradual process, change is change, and cannot be prevented anyhow. The change in this direction has not been fully effectuated yet; its extended propagation and maturation would demand consistent enthusiasm and investment. However, from whatever success the men's and women's teams have gone through so far, there is ample reason to believe that football can only continue to entrench itself into the American sporting psyche. Nevertheless, it remains at a disadvantage in the United States despite the gain of popularity. First, there is an infrastructural challenge.

Yet, unequal access to quality facilities and coaching, especially within the inner-city areas of most communities still remains.

Other deterrents are what has been called the "pay-to-play" system in U.S. youth soccer, placing it beyond many families' budgets. This system narrows the talent pool and makes opportunities harder for young athletes from low-income families. Despite its growth, football still cannot get the prime-time slot of major media networks, which are still giving more importance to other sports events. Moreso, for football to keep the momentum it is gaining in the U.S., it needs further investment into youth development and community programs. Making the sport more affordable, both in cost and facility access, will go a long way toward talent development in all walks of life. Marketing needs to change: MLS and other organizations must find new ways to capture and hold the interest of fans-especially young fans-if the sport is to take off in America. After all, the future success of football in America depends on it staying fresh, fun, and accessible to all.

And it's bleaker: the growth has been constant, and it's not just about keeping the kids busy after school anymore or American audiences watching their favorite European clubs clash. It's about finding a place in the structural makeup of the American sporting ecosystem and structurally reconstituting how Americans consider not only the beautiful game but also themselves. Although the road of betterment is long and rough, the outlook for the future of football in America is rather bright; it is just a matter of time before it will find its place among the most favored sports of America. It already represents a vaster movement, this change, because it is inevitable and is being undertaken.

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