why are sports such a big deal in this country?
604249
Because people need entertainment in their life. Way better than reading a book. \n\nPeople don't root for colors!! They root for their home state, they root for their favorite players. They root for the History of the team.\n\nFree Agency isn't that big of a deal. They usually sign long term deals with the huge money. \n\nTheir are many players on a team and there are usually only a few that leave every season. \n\nSome players spend their entire career with a team!!\nI'm from Minnesota- Twins- Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek, all lifers. \n\nTake Barry Sanders- Detroit Lions\nWalter Payton\nTim Brown spent almost his entire career in Oakland \nJerry Rice in San Fran for all those years\nJoe Montana\nThe list goes on and on. They do amazing feats and we like to watch it.
1064111
I feel it may have to do with a cultural thing.  \n\nFootball, basketball, and baseball have tradition and roots in the American culture.  As a result, much time has been invested in promoting the sport, attracting and recruiting talent, and incorporating technology to advance the sport.\n\nI feel that soccer is relatively new to America.  The soccer fan base is probably not as solid and committed with, say, the basketball group.  But then again, all this can change as more exposure of this sport is made in the media, and popular events like FIFA and the Olympics take place.
370061
I believe that it is the nature of America.  We like movies with explosions and quick action.  We love sports that have a lot of scoring like basketball.  Soccer is boring to us, we don’t appreciate 0-0 ties.  Also, our athletes here tend to be better suited for stop and go sports.  Like sprinting rather than marathon running, football and baseball, where the action stops constantly and we can have commercials.  Having said that, I could see soccer becoming bigger, as young kids here are playing it more and more so we’ll see.  Plus the last world cup brought together a great deal of people in America b/c we actually won something for once.
1105427
To me - Yes!  In part because it is one of the most culturally diverse sports.  Look at some of the player profiles and you'll see players from Ghana playing pro in England, etc.  At our local college we have players from England, Ireland, Costa Rica and South Africa.  Its great getting to meet so many unique people from different backgrounds that all come together for the love of the game.
799548
While soccer has the biggest international following of any sport, in the USA, there's just too much competition and too little interest in America.  Baseball, basketball, hockey, football, NASCAR and college sports all eat up precious amount of media time.  MSL, America's soccer league, gets covered but it's secondary.  \nIt's fan interest and papers and other media cater, as they should, to what their readers want.  It's a shame, soccer is a great game but the competition with other sports is just too great.
1056343
In Practical terms.. No its not. 'coz in olympics far more countries are involved and all the games, But in Popularity terms.. I think it is
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.
1167169
it's acually very popular among small kids because it's such a cheap sport to get started in. but as far a spectator sport is concerned, no one watches. there is a pro leauge here but it's very small and unpopular, it has no TV contract. i would say less than 2% of americans are serious soccer fans.
721646
Same reason why we have the olympics to re-unify the world and create a link between different countries. It's also just competitive nature and countries wanting to be better than the others, patriotism and supporting your country, take your pick
753865
Firstly, you need to define what an international sports event is!\n\nIf it's an event between India and other nations, then India does as well as any other country.\n\nIndia has a long and well documented history of success in sports such as cricket and hockey, and interest in a diverse range of events [1], but such international matches rarely get (a) large scale television coverage and (b) massive advertising promotion that raises awareness.\n\nSo what you may be asking, is why India does not do well in high-profile sporting events that are covered by the western media, to which the answer is a combination of cultural, economic and (even) climate differences that makes different sports popular in India.\n\nA member in India could ask the same question, for example, of the USA, which is not well known for it's cricket.
440422
Because the World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime event to see.  They only have it once every four years and it probably won't be in your country but once in your lifetime.  The passion and intensity is something that is rarely seen in all of sports (except the Olympics) and to see the amount of pride that the players take in their respective nations is astounding.  If only us Americans appreciated soccer more instead of sports like the thuggish NBA or "put me to sleep" MLB that we watch.
125330
Baseball isn't number 1 in America, not anymore.  Football and basketball have both surpassed it, probably because there's not as much scandal in those sports, and they're more fun to watch.
1094518
The same reason that those little African teams and Iran don't make the Olympic hockey field.  Soccer is not the national sports passion of Canada like it is in these other countries. Soccer is a sport that took root in these countries long ago and is also inexpensive to play. All the poor children in these places need is a ball and some other kids and they can play.  You see the kids playing in the streets with makeshift goals. Soccer is also about the only entertainment that these kids get.  They can't afford bikes, Playstation 2's, or even tv's.
369290
Too many sports in this country and not enough media coverage.
81417
Yes.  Sports don't cease to be sports just b/c they aren't played on a grass field.  It is more of an individual sport, similar to tennis and golf in that respect.  In fact, some argue none of those are "sports" b/c they don't involve teams.  [except ryder cups, doubles, etc...]
151642
In Pakistan,India,Sri Lanka & Bangladesh there are no sporting alternatives that ordinary people can relate to.These countries have not excelled in the more exciting ball games such as soccer & tennis thanks to lack of infrastructure & governmental support.Yet cricketers continue to emerge from complete obscurity to superstardom.Almost every boy grows up playing cricket.The extreme behaviour pattern of people in these countries also contributes to the craze.
121640
Before the advent of inexpensive air travel, the U.S. was isolated from the Europe when it came to sports. It just took too long for athletes to travel to Europe or Asia to compete in sports.  Sports that were developed here, were played here. As with all culture, you tend to play the sports that you played growing up. Take a look at cricket and (men's) field hockey -- they are primarily played in countries that were once part of the British Empire, and not much in other places.