"Why isn't soccer more popular in the U.S.?"

I think this is a fascinating question--especially when you consider how popular soccer is throughout the world and that, up until high school, the most popular sport for kids in the States is... soccer (yes, it's true!).

So what happens when kids get to high school? One thing is that because soccer is not a big sport for adults, kids stop playing. Also, there aren't any really famous American professional soccer players to look up to.

But why aren't American adults more interested in soccer? I can think of a few possible reasons. One is that, unlike baseball, football, or basketball, soccer does not put so much emphasis on the individual; teamwork is much more important. This is not very "American". Also, it is less of a contact sport. And, traditionally, it is associated most with Europe (we often try to dissassociate ourselves from Europe!). Finally, there's an important reason why soccer games are not shown very much on TV: it's hard for networks to run lots of commercials during them! Baseball, basketball, and football are much more suitable for the amount of commercials on American television.

Can you think of any other reasons? Please leave your comments.