Yeah, I definitely think that's probably the biggest problem...no rooting interest. That pretty much makes any sport a bore if you have no one to cheer for.
I also think that the free flowing nature of the game makes it hard for Americans to get into.
In every other major American sport there are lots of discrete, easily identifiable plays where one team wins and one team loses: a pitch is either a ball or a strike; a football play either gains yards or it doesn't; a shot is either made or missed. There's always something to cheer even if those plays mean nothing to the outcome of the game.
When you don't have those little cues I think a lot of Americans find it hard to maintain interest.
I agree.
I never cared for American football.
Then, I moved to Colorado. Go Buffs :-)
When, you got into the game, American football is an excellent game. The comeback the University of Colorado pulled against Michigan was easily one of the greatest sporting moments I have experienced.
I love sports though. Give me any competition, from the world cup to a game of darts, and I am there :-)
In the last ten minutes of the USA-Italy game, every ball was huge, that's intensity. It's like the last few minutes of a hockey game when a team is up by only one goal, the other team sends the kitchen sink to equalize.
I contend that American football and baseball can be interesting if you don't have a rooting interest because of your ability to play coach. Like basketball, there are some coaching decisions in soccer, but football has innumerable decisions to be made and second-guessed.
Soccer is much more fun to play, I think.