Why is the FIFA world soccer cup so expensive to watch in the US?
458204
listen get cable or satellite TV for about $30 a month and enjoy the whole world cup then cancel your subscription at the end of the tournament.
1084984
I like the to watch the Superbowl. But there is no question the biggest event in the world is the World Cup. You have nations declaring a national holiday when that country's team plays. There are over 5 Billion people watching the World Cup. \n\nYou can combine the NFL, NBA, World Series and you still will not get half of the billions of people following the World Cup.
434452
I think most Americans have a very short attention span, and soccer is simply too low scoring for them.  They like the high scores of American football, or even the seemingly random Hungry Hungry Hippos action of professional basketball.\n\nMaybe if you took the goalies away Americans would watch more soccer.
1089311
Its because we don't have a chance for it to grow on us. America is a culture that relies on the media heavily. Soccer isn't made for tv. It would be impossible to show commercials or anything like that. All of the other sports in America actually make breaks so that they can show commercials. Soccer just wouldn't fit in with what most people are used to. Therefore no big network would risk it.
393447
The prices vary, depends on which seat you are in and which games you are attending. yOU CAN GO TO FIFAWORLDCUP.COM TO VIEW THE LISTINGS
398722
I see it very difficult to happen since Americans don't like or don't pay as much attention to soccer as they do to other sports, but as soon as they start paying attention to soccer as they do to baseball or football I think it would only take them as much as 3-4 world cups since they can really afford sponsoring a very good team.... but hey that's just my opinion
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
388791
The thing about the good ole U.S. of A. is that they have a sh*t load of money.  Because of this, they have the means of financing world class facilities and programs to train youths in the beautiful game.\n\nFortunately for the rest of the world, interest in football still isn't what it could be, considering the amount of investment it recieves.  Granted, the money that goes into football is a fraction of what goes into, say, American football, but had other football mad (put very poor) nations had the money the U.S. has, you would see them in the World Cup more often.\n\nAnother thing is that the development of youth football is very different in the U.S. than it is everywhere else.  Youth sport is organized either in the school system or youth sport organizations (such as AYSO or US Youth Soccer)  .  In the US, school sports (especially in high school and college) is used to develop players, and as such has the greatest prestige (take a look at the basketball players who enter the NBA straight from high school).  Youth sport programs, on the other hand, has less prestige when it comes to development and generally tends to focus on pre-high school participants.  As high school football has little following and interest, investment in it pales in comparison especially to sports such as American football (visit a small town in Texas one autumn Friday night and you will see)\n\nSo you see, the U.S. football youth program, as great as it may be, only reaches a small pool of players, usually those from more affluent areas, since it takes a bit of money to be able to fully be involved in it.  Until more players are able to attend such a program, the amount of world class players that pop out of it will be small in number.\n\nThis is parallel to the MLS, who remains a second-class league.  If you don't agree, just look at their poor international record in a weak CONCACAF.\n\nBecause of all this, I don't think the USA will win the World Cup in at least 20 years or so...
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.
723331
i don't know. I live in the USA and I can't stand foot ball. i'd rather watch soccer.
995240
Wow same!  I'm American and this is the first year I've even watched a soccer match without just taking a glance and dismissing it with boredom.  I don't know what about this year caught me, but now I'm really into the WC.  However, I think once this dies down, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue sating my apetite for soccer w/ national games (mainly cause I'm a staunch supporter of European teams).  Too bad the rest of America is too intrigued by our own brutish version of football to care about soccer.  It's merely a reflection of us as a country I guess, and it fits well with our war-mongering image.
559317
Because the whole system was a crapshoot that meant real fans affiliated to their National Supporters Associations got tiny allocations. \n\nI used to work at one of the big football sponsors and during Euro 2000, every employee had the option to buy tickets at a subsidised rate - most people bought them and then sold them on to desperate fans at a huge profit.\n\nIt's about the fact that the World Cup is now a way to make money and not about the football any more.
1158205
There's still HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS watching it, myself included. I'm an England fan but wanted to see the USA do a lot better than they did, I feel it would have been good for football in the states & for it's international standing.\n\nAnything you'd like to talk about, feel free to contact me via my profile.
1112860
Absolutely not!  They love football, but it is American footbale play by hand! 99% of American do not care soccer. I tried to watch Mexico against Angola yesterday and only Spanish channel show this match. During that period of time, three other sport channels were showing other sport!\n\nHow do they expect their team would advance to next round this year? US team did a very good job in 2002 World Cup. This should increase the popularity of this sport in the US. But, obviously, it is not.\n\nNone of the newspapers in the US shows the World Cup' s matches schedule. No analysis has been drawn up. \n\nUS seems to enjoy sports that other countries do not play. The biggest sport in the world, Soccer, has been intentinally igonored!
1041685
I don't know because I live in the US and we don't watch soccer here.
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!!
1130804
Nope.  Soccer doesn't fit in with the American mindset.  First of all, soccer is nationalistic, and the U.S. isn't.  We like to divide up and go at each other, not unite as one big team to play other countries.  Second, we're an insular nation.  Since the overwhelming number of Americans wouldn't be able to find a single World Cup participant on a map, it's unlikely they would enjoy the competition.  The rest of the world is a mystery to us.  Third, the U.S. has developed an "MTV/ADD" mindset.  Soccer is too slow for us to pay attention.  All sad, but all true.