The inevitable questions came about why Americans don't support soccer despite it being "America's fastest growing sport", and I answered "To say Soccer is America's 'fastest growing sport' is something I've been hearing in America for thirty-plus years and it's akin to saying 'I own America's fastest growing goldfish in this here little fishbowl'. If America actually enforced our immigration controls, Soccer would be America's #1 fastest diminishing sport.
Euros can watch Association Football matches in their own language, but the USA is in the Central American league and you'd have to watch the match in Spanish on some Mexican channel like 'Telemundo!' or Noticiero eSporta, or whatever. Americans just aren't tuning in to hear 'GOOOO-LO-LO-LO-LOOOOOLLLL!' being shouted when some team scores. Just can't get excited about Uruguay versus Latvia. There's no compelling draw for a contest like that in the USA.
Besides, I said, our American football gridirons are too small to be used as soccer fields. The biggest US football stadium is rinky-dink compared to a typical soccer stadium in The Netherlands. You could take off and land a C-130 on the field in one of those enormous stadiums. The first time I saw one, I couldn't believe the magnitude of their soccer stadiums. When the Euro NFL played their games inside them, the teams looked like they were playing croquet on a postage stamp.
But I like the spectacle of the World Cup and don't get snarky or jingoistic about it. I think it's neat. I'm glad the US team isn't made up of real professionals like all the big Euro teams have. Our guys are college students that nobody in America would recognize by name or face to the point you'd have to ask a Mexican day laborer hanging around outside of Home Depot to identify them for us as to who the hell our national team players are. Even Americans who've watched all three US World Cup games so far would be hard pressed to give the last name of any player on the US team.
Simply a point of information: NBC paying $250M for a three-year deal to broadcast English Premier League games in the U.S. is not an indication that NBC is counting on illegal immigrants from England to watch.
*** Even Americans who’ve watched all three US World Cup games so far would be hard pressed to give the last name of any player on the US team.***
Last name or first name? Last names are on their backs. I have trouble remembering their first names.