Why is it that most Americans don't  like soccer?
455256
because it isn't a sport americans play as kids. at least not traditionally.\nbeing british i grew up with soccer and cricket. i hate baseball and basketball. the opposite is true for americans. no one is right or wrong, its just what you know.\n\nTo oran who posted a few below, america is ranked 5th in the world but you have to take into account that ranking is calculated by the teams they play (especially world cup qualifing). european teams play each other so teams like italy, spain, portugal, france, england all potential world cup winning teams have a difficult time ranking because there is no one great team. they are all fairly even. North American teams play each other, so the US plays teams like Canada, St Lucia, Kitts, Dominica etc. most of these teams are small islands whose main sport is cricket. Several of these countries only have part time players. It is widely regarded that the US is not the 5th best team and that the FIFA ranking system is  inherently wrong.
1162635
First, I'd just like to say that I know plenty of people who are extremely excited about the world cup. Like getting up in the middle of the night, having huge parties to watch the game, painting their faces, getting crazy and unruly excited about it. America as a whole is not a soccer country, but there are plenty of soccer fans in the U.S.\nSecond, while this guy was sort of an ass about his dislike of the sport, I do see his point. America gets a lot of criticism from the rest of the world for not liking soccer. But it's not like we are required to. If another country, smaller, less influential country chose not to be fanatic about a sport, no one would care. I think this is used as another chance to attack America. And, believe me, there are lots of reasons to dislike America (this coming from a proud American) but the fact that we generally dislike a sport that everyone else likes is a pretty superficial reason for attacking America. And I think that's what the author of the article is reacting to. He's being defensive because he's constantly being treated as having less intelligent, less complex (or whatever) taste just because he doesn't like soccer. \nSo, yeah, this guy is sort of a jerk. But you must not take his view as the one that all Americans have. And you should also understand that Americans are a little sick of people telling them that they SHOULD like soccer just because everyone else does.
498785
Because football mirrors the American psyche better than any of the other major sports. Americans find "soccer" boring because there simply isn't enough scoring. Baseball, which used to be America's game is much too analytical and the action is too intermittent. Basketball has become more of a "black" sport for middle America. Hockey is too much of a "Northern" sport.\n\nWhich leaves football which is popular in every region of the country.Actually, football is different than it was 100 years ago, which illustrates one of the reasons football is popular- the rules can be changed slightly or even in bigger ways to make it more exciting. In baseball, you can't change the rules without purists crying foul. In football, they change the rules in subtle ways almost every year to make it more exciting.
329600
U.S.A. is most overated, ranked 4th in the world cup, please. The reason is because they are trying to market 'soccer' in the U.S.A. Its all a marketing strategy to promote soccer in USA.
1096834
i know nothing about soccer and, yes, i am an american:-)
1072572
if running back and forth after a ball is boring then all sports are boring because when you think about it...all sports involve chasing a ball\n\namericans don't have what it takes to play soccer. In fact, USA is the only country in the whole world who doesn't like soccer. What does that tell you?
1064131
soccer is only broadcasted on TV when the americans play or when the local MLS team plays. if people want americans to become more supportive of soccer on scale close to or equal to the NFL, MLB, NBA, even the NHL, and college sports (football and basketball) they need to broadcast more games particularly the european league games. occasionally i'll find a Manchester United or Chelesea game on but never Arsenal or Juventes. "short term soccer fans" are only exposed to soccer when it is pretty much the only thing on during the WC and they need to be exposed to more soccer even if it means going to local high school or college games to learn how amazing this sport is. I'm a die hard soccer fan and always will be b/c i respect the game and love it with a passion only shared with non-short term soccer fans.\n\nGO USA SOCCER!!
627492
I love soccer, too bad it's not very popular in the US. I guess the Americans love only incredibly boring sports like American football and baseball - sports that move at glacial speeds!
1104148
Haha...good question.  They're just amazed that Americans don't go crazy over soccer so they try to make fun of American football...however, American football is simply a much, much more exciting game.  I'm not a soccer hater, it's alright, but not nearly as exciting as football.
447916
im a canadian. The People in the us take football WAY too sriously. Some of them would sell their first born just to get into a game. I went to the orange bowl once in flordia, and the first thing i noticed was that almost everyone had their team colours on and that they were getting wasted out of their mimds just for a football game. There was fights and even a stabbing. People in the US take it like it was life and death. I mean some of them are F ucking nuts. oh and as for football being all american , it was invented by canadians uh burn. oh soccer umm its not really big in north america not even here in canada, Esspecially not in the US.
506191
Americans are Idiots thats why. As one I unfortunately live everyday seeing such things as Football called Soccer. It must stem from when the Pilgrams came over, they didn't want anything to do with England. Therefore they changed the name of England's beloved game to soccer. At this very moment I am wearing a nike "soccer" t shirt, if I wore one that said Football then these imbiciles would think I was talking about stupid "American Football". I think your right about changing it back to football, but americans are stubborn mules and won't change for anything.
1159030
American football is really big here. Soccer is more of a local thing, doesn't have much of a following except for small teams and the few who cheer them on. Too bad really ...
1183329
There are a few reasons that I suspect:\n1. they don't take the time to understand the game\n2. they like slower paced games...all that running is too stressful for the watchers\n3. they like high scoring games (which soccer isn't because it is a more difficult game than other sports)\n4. since it was not a sport that originated in the U.S., they don't want to embrace it...might be seen as unAmerican\n\nPersonally, I love soccer.  I love the constant action and the lack of those ridiculous time outs that most other sports have.
452993
The U.S. is such a huge country that we're completely content to compete against each other.  California is practically a different country from Texas.  There's plenty of rivalry there.\n\nI'm a World Cup fan, but there is simply no way you can expect Americans to enjoy soccer the way it's enjoyed everywhere else.  Many, many, many have tried and failed.  It's just not going to happen... especially now that television has changed how we enjoy sports.  American football, baseball, basketball: these all have built-in spots to break away for commercials.  Soccer doesn't.  That hurts its chances of gaining significant telelvision time here in the States.
1081191
I hate to be the devils advocate here, but nobody that matters in America likes soccer, or football, or futbol, or whatever other names there are for it. Its viewed in LARGE part to be a sport for children, immigrants, homosexuals, and oddly enough, overpaid, underqualified prep schools. The simple fact is, it sucks. Its nothing at all like the sports we have here, which are, mainly, contact sports (even baseball has more legal contact than soccer). I dont want to waste my time or money watching an incredibly boring sport where a bunch of metrosexuals chase after eachother and a ball (but any contact whatsoever is severely punished), and then they kick that little ball at this enormous net guarded by one dude, but still manage to miss 90% of the time. I mean, wtf?! The scores should be, like, 40-39.
382982
Because America is full of ethnocentric people who think that their way is the only way and should be followed as such. FIFA might as well just ignore the US since we are the only ones hard headed enough to pick up on the fact that football is world-wide, not just an american-born game played on sundays.
792911
Soccer is just begining to get popular in the US as more youth and people are getting involved in it. As the more famous names come to the US, the more popular it gets.\n\nI believe it isnt as big in the US because American Football has taken the higher position here. As you see, soccer isnt even shown too much on TV or in magazines such as sports illustrated because half of their pages cover either American Football or Baseball. So when it isnt publicized enough, people don't really care much for it.\n\nThe rest of the world is a common place for soccer because it started with people as children. Many children in Europe, Africa, etc grew up playing only soccer (because soccer was their only main sport in the country) in their streets and I believe it spreads from there.\n\n\nHope that helps,\nGood luck