Julio Santos

The reason seems to be a chicken and egg kind of thing.

In many other countries, football is the only sport available. And why is that so? Because it’s cheap to get started and you don’t need anyone else if you don’t want to. See here for something you can do with a ball if you’re poor, alone, bored…and skilled. It’s so easy to get started, it’s such an obvious sport, in many places it has become the only sport.

Though I didn’t grow up poor, I did grow up in poor countries, with not much infrastruture for anything. If anyone would want to play anything but soccer, they would be pretty much out of luck. There were no hoops, no voleyball, no squash or racquetball courts. No nothing. But plenty of empty fields and large beaches. My parents could afford paying for some “strange” sport I would want to play, but where would I?

When everyone plays soccer, if you’re lucky, your country will invest in soccer fields, not squash courts. Gradually the population will be into soccer or into nothing at all.

Easy access explains why soccer is big everywhere, but it doesn’t explain why it isn’t in the US. The reason is competition with other sports. There are no poor kids in favelas here (at least not enough to start a movement). If you’re 5 or 6 years old, you can pick the sport that appeals the most to you, and your parents will pay for it, whatever it takes.

Baseball? Sure, here’s the gear son. (American) Football? No problem, there’s going to be practice 3 times a week, after school, and of course, here’s the gear son. Tennis, Volleyball, Rowing, Lacrosse? Anything you want, just say the word. And because kids can play whatever sport they like, there are fields and courts for whatever sport they like. If they ask for Polo then there’s a problem, but nothing cheaper than that is fair game.

Add to that that Americans like to be different and have their own sports, and there you go. They prefer alternative sports *and* they can afford it. Good combo.

Me? Sports? No thanks. Not my thing, and certainly not to watch. It’s fun to watch the watchers though.