The World's Sport... or is it?
- Allison Jacobs
- Oct 4, 2023
- 3 min read
Everyone all over the world has crossed paths with the game of soccer at least once in their life. Whether it be seeing a few kids volley a ball in a park or attending a FIFA World Cup match, soccer is a globally-recognized sport. America, however, has been late to hop on the trend of professional soccer and construct a major league empire, like the National Football League (NFL) or National Hockey League (NHL), that inspires a European-like passion and love for the sport.
“Soccer is in its infancy in the U.S.” said Sam Hall, captain of the 2023 USL League 2 Finalists Lionsbridge FC and current Assistant Coach of the Lake Erie College Men’s Soccer team. “It's already taken off, but I think it’s going to take off even more.”
Soccer, or “football,” is the most popular sport in the world, amassing 3.5 billion fans globally, explaining the game's nickname as “the world’s sport.” To no one’s surprise, the European football markets, which include Spain, Italy, Germany, England and France, contribute 131 million fans alone.
Hall, a native of Leicester, England, has had the opportunity to see football from a European perspective, and soccer from an American perspective, after moving to the United States (U.S.) to pursue collegiate soccer at Chowan University.
“Soccer is already a global sport, the biggest sport in the world by none,” Hall said. “Over here [America] it has grown significantly, but it is not the biggest yet, there are still bigger sports.”
The United States soccer league system, also known as a tier pyramid, is frail and underdeveloped when compared to the English football tier pyramid. In America, the top three tiers exclusively include professional leagues, with Major League Soccer (MLS) at the top, followed by the USL Championship League at the second tier, and the USL League 1, National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) and MLS Next Pro at the third. The fourth tier of the pyramid includes semi-professional leagues like USL League 2 and the National Premier Soccer League.
The seven-tier English pyramid overpowers American soccer because the sport is still seen as a simple, commonly-played game that everyone tries at least a few times when they are young. The love and passion for the game itself, outside of individual athletes, and the excitement to just experience it is where European football excels over America.
So how exactly can soccer grow in the United States? There needs to be a focus on increasing engagement to younger fans, and social media is one of the quickest and easiest ways to raise awareness and promote the sport of soccer by reaching children and teens. Teams, leagues, and individual players need to be utilizing platforms with younger audiences to draw their attention and create a desire to watch or play the sport. Soccer organizations need to appeal to the parents that are trying to find a reliable activity for their children, by sharing information about history, events, games and more on social platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. Social media can be a critical tool in sharing information and raising awareness, but until major U.S. soccer organizations and athletes begin to take advantage of it, the game will continue to fight for attention.
“There is not really a lot of information on U.S. soccer, especially outside the country,” Hall said.
While there is so much room for American soccer to grow, the sport has already taken massive steps towards generating respect and awareness of its role in professional American athletics. MLS teams have begun to sign highly-regarded names in international football, such as the world-famous David Beckham when he signed with the L.A. Galaxy or Lionel Messi’s recent contract with Inter Miami CF. Bringing in these world-renowned athletes has helped grow appreciation for the game and motivate athletes, both young and old, to give the sport a try.
The future is bright for soccer in America, but there is still much work to be done by major representatives of the game to create a love for the sport.
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