Reading materials: 1. "Everyone Reads" a. Soccer Will Soon Be America's Third-Favorite Spectator Sport b. Go To College, Play Video Games. E-Sport Make a play for the big ten c. The positive effects o

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Socce r Wil l S oon B e A m eric a's T hir d-F avo rit e

Sp ecta to r S p ort

Fil ip B on d y , CONTRIBUT OR

I w rit e a rt ic le s a n d co lu m ns a bo u t s o cc e r a n d oth er b ea utif u l s p ort s F U LL B IO 

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

I’m su re yo u ’v e hea rd t h at o ld , d ism issiv e insu lt f r o m h ard line cynics: “Soccer is th e

spo rt o f t h e fu tu re in Am er ica … a nd a lwa ys wil l b e. ” E xcept t h at n ow, f ina lly , f a ns of

th e bea utif ul g am e have nu mer ic proof o f it s gro wing po pu la rit y.

A Ga llu p po ll r el ea sed l a st week f o u nd t h at 7 % o f A m er ica ns named so ccer a s th eir

fa vo rit e spo rt t o wa tch in a su rv ey co mpleted d u ring D ecem ber . W hile th at m ay no t

sound l ik e m uch , t h e fig ure repr esent s a sig nifica nt, t h ree- per cent ag e- po int g ain

fr o m j u st f o u r y ea rs ag o . S occer is t h e onl y spo rt t o po st su ch a l a rg e incr ease.

More Americans than ever love watching soccer, and that surely includes watching Lionel Messi. (Photo by Alex [+] 5/3/2018 Soccer Will Soon Be America's Third-Favorite Spectator Sport

https://www.forbes.com/sites/filipbondy/2018/01/08/soccer-will-soon-be-americas-third-favorite-spectator-sport/#e5db01a3c537 2/3

Footb all ( 37 %, d own fr o m 39 % ) , b ask etball ( 11 % , d own fr o m 12 % ) a nd b aseb all ( 9 % ,

d own fr o m 13 % ) a ll sh owed d ecl ining nu mber s. H ock ey wa s at 4 % , u p fr o m 3 % .

T he arro ws are cl ea rly po int ing in def init ive dir ect ions, a nd it is ver y l ik ely t h at

so ccer wil l su rpa ss baseb all in th is su rv ey t h e nex t t im e su ch a po ll is ta k en. E ven

m ore tel ling a re th e dem ogra ph ics beh ind t h ose nu mber s: Onl y 1 % o f t h ose polled

b y Ga llu p ag ed 5 5 o r o ver na med so ccer a s th eir f a vo rit e. B ut a m ong a d u lt s ag ed 18 -

34 , so ccer wa s th e fa vo rit e spo rt o f 11 % , t y ing b ask etball; onl y 6 % o f y o u ng er a d u lt s

ch ose baseb all a s th eir f a vo rit e sp ort. S el f- d ef ined l ib er als also sh owed a g rea ter

pr efer ence fo r so ccer . A m ong t h at po lit ica l g ro u p, t h e gap bet ween f o otb all a nd

so ccer wa s ju st 15 po int s.

These positive resu lt s fo r so ccer a re ev en more im pressiv e beca use th ey ca me in a

no n-W orld Cu p yea r wh en th e U .S . na tio na l t ea m wa s el im ina ted f r o m t h e

upco ming t o u rna ment in Russia . E ven wit hou t m om ent um a nd a d ail y pr esence, t h e

spo rt per sist s.

Not a ll is cu t- a nd -d ried . T her e are sev eral im porta nt ca vea ts th at s h ou ld b e

m ent ioned r eg ard ing t h ese number s. F or o ne th ing , Ga llu p did no t a sk pa rticipa nts

to l ist t h eir f a vo rit e spo rts in desc end ing o rd er . P er haps few respo ndent s wh o ch ose

fo otb all a s th eir N o. 1 spo rt ev en both er t o f o llo w soccer a t a ll , a nd m ight f o llo w

b ask etball o r b aseb all. A nd no ne of t h e to p th ree spo rts appea r o n th eir d ea th b ed .

Majo r L ea gu e Baseb all, in particu la r, h as m ad e st rid es in attend an ce and T V ra ting s

recent ly , d em onst ra ting so me zip in th e old pa stim e aft er a ll.

S occer f a ces some ver y r ea l, ex ist ing b arrier s in Am er ica . M any o ld er m ed ia

gatek eeper s rem ain resist ant t o t h e spo rt a nd a re m ore lik ely t o h ig hlig ht b aseb all

a nd h ock ey o n th eir t a lk sh ows an d news bro ad ca sts. T his snu b ca n cr ea te a pu blic

per cept ion th at so ccer is mer ely a m ino r, nich e spo rt.

P er haps most d am ag ing , so ccer is t h e onl y m ajo r spo rt in Am er ica t h at d oes not

dra w th e ver y b est a th let es in th e wo rld t o it s own pro l ea gu e – a t l ea st, no t y et . T he

N FL , M LB , t h e N BA a nd t h e N H L f ea tu re th e grea test t ea ms, a nd pl ayer s, o n th e

glo b e. Yet a s Toro nt o d ef ea ted S ea ttle in th e recent M ajo r L ea gu e Soccer Cu p, it

m ight h ave been arg u ed t h at t h e 10 3rd-b est cl ub in th e wo rld h ad j u st d ef ea ted t h e

12 8 -b est – o r so mething l ik e th at.

I n pa rt b eca use of t h is, t el ev isio n and st rea ming v iewer ship of so ccer m atch es is

sca tter ed in th e U .S ., d iv id ed a m ong b ro ad ca sts of M LS, t h e Eng lish P rem ier

Lea gu e, t h e Bund esl iga, t h e Ch am pio ns Lea gu e, et c. R ating s fo r a n y g iv en gam e are

no t a t a ll im pressiv e, u nl ess th e ev ent is monu ment al – l ik e th e W om en’ s W orld Cu p

th 5/3/2018 Soccer Will Soon Be America's Third-Favorite Spectator Sport

https://www.forbes.com/sites/filipbondy/2018/01/08/soccer-will-soon-be-americas-third-favorite-spectator-sport/#e5db01a3c537 3/3

fina l in 20 15 , wh ich wa s wa tch ed b y m ore th an 25 m illio n Am er ica ns, a nu mber

ra rel y m atch ed t h ese days by a ny spo rt o th er t h an fo otb all .

I n any ca se, t h is la test Ga llu p su rv ey a ppea rs to b e a h arb ing er o f t h ing s to co me.

The spect ato r l a nd sca pe is ch ang ing , j u st a s su rel y a s th e int ernet a lt er ed t h e

del iv er y a nd f o rm o f j o u rna lism in t h is co unt ry .

T hree gener atio ns ag o , spo rtswr iter s and newspa per spo rts sect ions fo cu sed o n

h orse ra cing , b oxing a nd b aseb all. O f t h ose th ree pastim es, o nl y b aseb all r em ains

pa rt o f t h e m ainst rea m d iscu ssion a ny more.

N ow, h er e co mes soccer , t h e spo rt o f t h e fu tu re. T he ver y nea r f u tu re. M ayb e ev en

th e pr esent .