Last Edited: 5/1/2013 4:19:17 PM by L.C.

Last Edited: 5/1/2013 6:30:04 PM by Mark Lembright '85

At first i find the notion that a sport as popular as football could just die ridiculous... Then i look at how popular boxing was awhile back.
 

I think football has some MAJOR health issues it needs to address if it wants to stick around. That said, I am a big believer that our society has advanced to the point it can make unthinkable technological advances at will. I think the helmet companies will put up a noteworthy fight.
 

THAT said, I think soccer is going to grow VERY rapidly in popularity the next decade.
 

Yep, and it has seen monster growth in participation in the US since you were five.  And I am not just talking 5 year olds. My high school now has more kids playing boys soccer than football.
 

What we have not seen is that participation translating to a massive burst in popularity of the game at the professional level. That is what I see changing in the next decade.
 

A big change I see happening is the disappearance of this football vs futbol notion. I see more young Americans being big fans of both instead of seeing them as substitute products as many in the older generations do.
 

edit: and I should add, I think the MLS is a huge joke. It could see big growth by default, but the English league is just as likely to see big growth in the US... We are already seeing big tv deals for it......
 

Last Edited: 5/2/2013 8:44:12 AM by The Optimist

Last Edited: 5/2/2013 8:51:32 AM by Ohio69

Follow the corruption and the money. American boxing died because the money flow was corrupt. It's hard to take the NBA seriously due to the same corruption concerns, although the international game is becoming huge. Professional soccer has not taken hold in America because the big money is overseas, and FIFA may be more corrupt than boxing.

The NFL (Super Bowl XL conspiracy theories aside) appears relatively corruption-free, and is far and away the biggest money-making athletics league in America. It isn't going away, although it may change. College football and high school, though? Maybe. There's definitely more corruption concern, and the money isn't there like in the NFL. But so long as the only way to the NFL is through college, and the only way to college is through high school, they'll be there.

• Shoot more free throws.
• Get more foul calls
• Secure more turnovers
• Benefit from loose-ball fouls
• Get almost four times more calls that result in a change of possession
• Get 15% more traveling calls against the visitors

Lets say popularity wise what you say is true.... Still wouldn't matter. 1 US consumer is worth as much as 10 Mexican consumers...  Whoever gets ahold of the US soccer market stands to make big $.
 

I look at my soccer friends and I. We all like football and futbol.. Growing up, we didn't watch much pro futbol because we didn't have a team to support up in Cleveland and there wasnt tv coverage for other squads. That is changing. We still don't care about the MLS, but it's on tv now and we watch.  Now even meaningless US National games are televised and we can also watch the EPL (British soccer) and the Mexican league every single week.