The Beautiful Game, MLS and the American Fan

Nice to see soccer - specifically the World Cup - on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, with the title, "The Beautiful Game." The special report by Grant Wahl includes photos of people kicking a ball around in various parts of the world. I have not yet read the entire piece, but these three sentences on the first page are worth repeating: "At its most basic level - a handful of kids kicking what passes for a ball round whatever open ground they find - the game is a source of joy, sometimes a means of escape. At its pinnacle it defines nations and dissolves differences. In short, this simplest of games unites humankind like nothing else."

But will the intense worldwide attention to the World Cup translate into increased fan interest in the United States, where it has been said for at least 30 years that soccer was the game of the future and always will be? In its May 3 issue, SI briefly weighs in on this debate with several reasons why soccer will or will not "crash the major North American sports-popularity party." On the plus side are soccer specific stadiums catering to crowds of 18,000 to 27,000, the fact that the NHL and NBA have seen dropping attendance and that there is fan support beyond the MLS (noting the home opener sell-out of the D2 Portland Timbers). But on the other side it is argued that right now MLS is simply a cheaper ticket in a recession and that two top-drawing teams, Seattle and the Union, are riding on first or second-year excitement. "How many nil-nil draws before those fans disappear?" asks the writer.

But the argument against soccer really, I mean really, ever competing with baseball, football or basketball for fan interest in the U.S. is the last point: "We dare ya. Take the top three teams and name at least two players on each. Exaaaactly . . ." I think they have a point there.