10-05-2003, 12:44 PM
There are so many angles to approach this one from that I'm not sure what to say. My main thought is that soccer in the United States as a Big Thing is very, very young. Some thought that the '94 Cup would have some instant effect, but I think they were expecting a 50 year process to take 5 years (or 5 months). The direct effect of that World Cup was that it spurred the ground roots of soccer in the U.S. When I grew up, Little League meant baseball and only baseball. Now Little League baseball is something you watch Japan play on TV and Little League in the U.S. means soccer. But the first big generation of little league soccer kids isn't even old enough to play pro ball yet. How many fans really exist in the older generations? Give it 15 or 20 years and if soccer is still one of the biggest youth sports, it may be one of the biggest prep, college, and pro sports as well.
Now if soccer continues on that track, it eventually could become one of those sports that Americans talk about in sports bars and at business meetings. Since so many girls play, could it also eventually have a large female fan base? I'm not sure on that. But that is what it will take for a women's league to really thrive. Well, the Kournikova approach might work too.
Does having the lower bar on the international level raise the bar within the nation? Americans love to be a winner. Mia Hamm is a bigger star than any male soccer player in the U.S. because of her domination of international opponents. Does that spark more interest in the women's game, or ultimately will it just result in American sports fans (mostly men, at least for now) treating the women's sport as B level play just like their European counterparts do?
Now if soccer continues on that track, it eventually could become one of those sports that Americans talk about in sports bars and at business meetings. Since so many girls play, could it also eventually have a large female fan base? I'm not sure on that. But that is what it will take for a women's league to really thrive. Well, the Kournikova approach might work too.
Does having the lower bar on the international level raise the bar within the nation? Americans love to be a winner. Mia Hamm is a bigger star than any male soccer player in the U.S. because of her domination of international opponents. Does that spark more interest in the women's game, or ultimately will it just result in American sports fans (mostly men, at least for now) treating the women's sport as B level play just like their European counterparts do?