Sports Then and Now

There is no doubt that soccer has gained some popularity over the past few years. The women’s national soccer team winning the World Cup tournament in 2015 drew a lot of attention. Unfortunately, the attention was short-lived. So, why is soccer less popular than football in the United States? Find the answer to this question and more information in the article below.

It’s About Winning

In America, it is about winning, which is why soccer cannot gain any popularity. While the women’s national soccer team have several World Cup titles under their belt, the men just cannot muster up enough skills to pull off a single win. When you compare the popularity of hockey and soccer in the United States, the two sports are lacking a lot. With that said, hockey does appear to be more popular than soccer in America. This is probably due to the Lake Placid Olympics win in 1980.

If the U.S. men’s team can pull off a win, it may actually help draw some fans. It is unclear whether or not Americans will be tuning in to the upcoming World Cup.

Substitutions Are Limited

Unlike football, soccer has a lot of regulations that Americans view as unnecessary. One regulation has to do with substitutions. When a player gets injured in soccer, the entire team is punished, at least that is how Americans see it. This is because the injured player cannot be substituted. When you look at it, losing a player makes the team weaker. So, they are not on a competitive level with their components, which gives them an unfair advantage.

In football, benches are lined with players that can be utilized as substitutions unlimited times. Substituting an injured or tired player can make or break a game. If the right substitute is chosen, the team will remain on the same competitive level as the opposing team. In some cases, the substitute will make the team stronger. Whatever the case may be, substitutions are seen as important in the eyes of Americans.

Fewer Scores

Unfortunately, online free Australian pokies appears to have a higher following than soccer. Soccer is one of those sports that could remain scoreless throughout an entire game. The main reason too many penalties. With the high risk of penalty looming overhead, some players cannot focus on the game. Unlike football, scores are very difficult to come by in soccer. It is like a momentous reward when a soccer player does finally get the ball in the net and it is ruled a score.

Not only are players plagued with fouls, but the officials are as well. Soccer officials have limited time to decide whether or not to call a foul made inside the box. Most officials agree that the winner of a tied game should be decided by a penalty kick. Of course, this is not always how the game plays out but they continue to hope nonetheless.

Ties Seem Unfair

Americans do not like it with a sports competition ends in a tie. They prefer for the teams to have the opportunity to break the tie. When a game ends in a tie in football, the game goes into overtime. In fact, overtimes are utilized as often as needed to break a tie in football. Well, this is not the same for soccer. The sport does not allow time to be added to the clock just to produce a winner and loser. When the score is tied at the end of the game, Americans view it as a loss for both teams.

Americans do not find it fair that two teams battle it out for so long only to have the winner determined by a shootout.