Don't worry, soccer fever will pass

Sun Chronicle ^

[Chet 99]

Friday, June 25, 2010 1:11 AM EDT

As you know, we are all in the grip of World Cup fever.

It's reached such intensity that if you walk into a sports bar anywhere in the United States and mention Landon Donavan's stunning extra-time goal against Algeria that allowed the USA to finish atop group C and advance to this weekend's round of 16, literally several people will actually know what you're talking about.

And only a couple will want to beat you up.

The World Cup is, of course, that quadrennial event when the entire sporting world can join together as one and revel in the joy of pointing out how stupid the Americans are for hating soccer.

But Americans don't hate soccer. We also don't hate haggis, or warm beer, or eating snails or invading Poland or any of the other things that Europeans like to do. We just don't think about them much. (OK, to be perfectly accurate, Glenn Beck DOES hate soccer and the World Cup, accusing the rest of the world trying to "shove it down our throats." Evidently someone told him it is a game played by foreigners.)

But, you may say, America's performance in World Cup play this month has drawn decent ratings for the telecasts and certainly must be inspiring a whole new generation of fans.

To that I say, someone has been blowing a vuvuzela too close to your head. Americans will happily watch our athletes every four years in the Olympics, too. That doesn't mean that women's gymnastics or luge is going to become the Next Big Thing In Sports. (Heck, if they only have to do it every four years, Americans will even get kind of excited about watching curling.)

Soccer has been the official Next Big Thing for about the last 35 years. Professional leagues have risen and fallen, great stars of the game - who may have seen better days -have been imported and now our national team is rising through the top ranks of world competition.

And American soccer still hasn't broken the glass ceiling that, in most polls, puts it just below horseracing and just above lacrosse.

This is despite the fact that every suburban child in America is required - by law - to participate in a soccer league at some point in his or her life. This is how most of us become acquainted with soccer, watching our kids cluster around a ball - at least the ones who aren't standing at random points around the field, contemplating dandelions - their little legs flailing, until one kid does the only logical thing and picks up the ball and RUNS with it.

It makes you think, "Gee, a warm beer would taste great about now."

TOM REILLY is a Sun Chronicle news editor and former soccer dad whose daughters have moved on to more interesting - and expensive - pursuits. He can be reached at 508-236-0332 or at treilly@thesunchronicle.com. Read his blog at thesunchronicle.com/reilly.

[discostu]

I noticed something else looking at your numbers. Last week you said ESPN was averaging 3.35 million, now your new numbers are saying 2.78, somewhere along the way your numbers bled half a million viewers, which for a sport getting good ratings wouldn’t be too horrible but for world cup it’s 1/7, that’s a big bleed.

All your numbers show this is at best a side show.

[windcliff]

Sounds like most soccer players.