Why Soccer is not popular in the US

Money speaks. Ultimately I believe that the US cannot compete in the world in soccer because there is not enough money pumped into it. People in the US are motivated by the reward of fame and fortune, so in order to really get people to support and live in the soccer mindset there needs to be money there. Soccer is known to be a poor sport. All you need is some kind of ball and you have a game. Part of what kids grow up thinking about it how to prove to others that they can “make it”. They want to look back one day and be able to say, “I told you so”. Soccer does not provide the opportunity to do that in the US. We are not lacking skill, physical build, or athleticism. We are lacking someone to follow. Just as Argentina had Hugo Porta to elevate rugby and make it popular, we need someone from the US to do the same. They just have to be good enough for the country to take pride in their play, even if that play is somewhere else. We are a country full of bandwagon fans. We can cheer for the team with the handsome quarter back, retiring coach, or all-star breaking records. Loyalty can be won by creating something to get behind. This is even greater when there is a story of the “American Dream”. People are not given the chance for reward from soccer here on US soil so it has to be abroad.
FIFA and Nike, Adidas, or another soccer supplying company would have to help bring the fanaticism of the sport to the US by providing the capital. There are ways to try to raise interest but it is uncertain whether not the momentum would be sustainable. One would be to host the World Cup, which would bring recognition and a first hand view of the world’s passion for the sport. The other would be endorsement to the American players to get them in the US media and public eye as a celebrity, even if they are playing for a European or South American team. Even with all of this I do not think soccer will ever have the hold in the US that it has in other parts of the world. It does that the potential to make money in the US. And it is all about the money in the US.