HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Roland Martin says Americans applaud Team USA’s World Cup success
- He says football will never become one of the major sports in the United States.
- Fans are much more interested in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL
- Martin: I cheer for Team USA, but I long for football and basketball to return
Editor’s note: Roland S. MartinCNN political analyst, is a national columnist and author of “Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith” and the new book “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House.” He is a commentator for TV One Cable Network and host of a Sunday morning news show.
(CNN) — Millions of Americans are currently captivated by the performance of our United States soccer team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as evidenced by the eruption of cheers that accompanied Landon Donovan’s goal in the final minutes of the match against Algeria.
His game-winning goal was hailed as a defining moment in American sports history, and soccer fans predict he will be talked about for years to come along with Hank Aaron, Joe Namath, Bobby Orr and Wilt Chamberlain.
Sorry folks, it’s just not going to happen, despite CNN United Nations correspondent Richard Roth’s prayers for it to happen.
It’s not that I hate football, but the reality is that Americans didn’t take up the sport. As a native Houstonian, I wear gear from the Houston Rockets, Texans, Astros and my Texas A&M Aggies (Houston has the highest concentration of Aggies), but the MLS (Major League Soccer) Houston Dynamo hasn’t made the cut.
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Every year I hear fans say that “it’s upon us,” “this is the year,” or “the time has come” when football is accepted on par with soccer, baseball, and basketball. To be fair, even the National Hockey League has suffered immensely, and judging by television ratings, the lack of a major television deal, and the limited number of stars well-known to non-hockey fans, it’s safe to say that it’s no longer considered one of the four major team sports.
There are a multitude of reasons why football has not been so successful, but no one can say it is because of the lack of interest among the nation’s youth. Millions of children across the country play the sport, from inner cities to suburbs. Yet once they become teenagers, football is left aside and interest turns to baseball, soccer and basketball.
There have been several attempts to launch a major professional sports league, and the latest is MLS, which has been around since 1993. The league has valiantly attempted to reach the big stage, but has struggled, catering largely to its small but loyal audience.
If you walked into a sports bar in America and they had to choose which games to watch, the /topics/NFL_Football” class=”cnnInlineTopic”>National Football Leaguethe National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, PGA Tour or National Hockey League would likely trump MLS.
Although I’m not personally a football fan, I watched a few minutes of the World Cup. But it just hasn’t been a “must see” for me like the Ryder Cup or even the Olympics.
And to be honest, the Olympics are probably the best comparison in terms of measuring soccer’s appeal to American fans. Every four years we go crazy for our “amateur” sports stars. We applaud enormously when the American bobsleigh team wins gold; I love seeing our track stars flying around the oval; and are passionate about gymnastics. But once the Olympics are over, we stockpile our “USA! USA!” sang for four years.
I consider myself a huge track fan and would love to see it more on TV, but the reality is that in other parts of the world, track stars are treated like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Still, if Usain Bolt were walking through a mall anywhere in America, he might attract a few stares, but he wouldn’t be bombarded with autograph requests for photos, even though he’s currently the Kobe of the athletic world.
So, soccer fans everywhere, don’t take it as an insult that Americans don’t revere soccer the way you do. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. It’s really very good. You do it, and we will do what we do.
As for the /topics/World_Cup_Soccer” class=”cnnInlineTopic”>World CupI’ll be cheering on the Donovan-led American team to do well, while flipping through the NFL and NBA cable channels, waiting for my two favorite sports to return in the fall.
It’s just the American in me.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin.
