Olympics are every 4 years too and its a big deal. I’ll watch gymnastics, swimming and even curling because its the Olympics.
Other than the Olympics (4 year event) I could never imagine myself or a buddy saying ‘Hey, girls swimming is on Ch. 5 now, or gymnastics is on ESPN, or curling is on”. A guy would get scoffed at if he did.
Only way soccer does well in the US is the World Cup and amongst the mass forced immigration populace.
But to suggest that soccer (in the U.S.) will "only" succeed because of the World Cup (and that it will fade afterward) requires no small amount of denial.
Please note, I'm not talking about the "bump" I'm talking about the trend.