Originally posted by Unregistered
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Soccer will continue to grow and become accepted as a US sport as the country continues to diversify. Immigrants are by far soccer fans more than they are football, basketball and baseball. It is also a sport that requires only a ball and open space. Many public school have taken up soccer because it requires so little capital. Finally, as soccer players become soccer parents, the sport will grow the fan base exponentially. Think of it this way, most boys play football, basketball or baseball because their parents directed them to the sport from the time they are born. As more and more parents put soccer on the tube and a soccer plush in the crib, you will see more kids play soccer.
The other factor is the teen culture of sports. As alluded to in previous posts, there is no fanbase for soccer in High School. Regardless of what you feel about HS v Club, the High School is the social center of a teenagers life. Kids naturally gravitate towards the more popular sports. They don't hold pep rallies for the soccer team. This will change as soccer continues to grow in popular culture. In some Hispanic neighborhoods, soccer is already more popular than football.
One change that will help the sport retain players is to play soccer during the same season across the country. Some schools play in the fall, some in Winter and some in Spring. There is no way you can build a consensus national ranking and schedule cross state rivalries when there is no "soccer season" in High School.
Of course the Club Snobs will disparage High School soccer as being dangerous, recreational and irrelevant. In most regions, they are right. The only exception would be among the private schools which can afford to hire professional coaches and recruit the best talent. Among public schools, HS is a hodge-podge of skilled club players and clueless rec players with school spirit.
This will probably be the last thing to change. Government is the slowest to change and we all know that public schools are bureaucratic sloths slowed even more by the scrutiny of parents. All it takes is one parent to stand up at a school board meeting and raise a concern and a policy change will be tabled for months while a "blue-ribbon panel" conducts a study. I still feel the popularity of the sport will eventually win over even the most traditional school boards. Soccer coaches will become principals and soccer fans will become school board members. Someone will present a financial analysis that shows that soccer cost the school 10% of football, basketball and baseball and the old guard will be persuaded to bring the sport into fold. Once that happens, you will see soccer hit another growth spurt as more kids stick with it and more parents accept it as an American Sport.
The other factor is the teen culture of sports. As alluded to in previous posts, there is no fanbase for soccer in High School. Regardless of what you feel about HS v Club, the High School is the social center of a teenagers life. Kids naturally gravitate towards the more popular sports. They don't hold pep rallies for the soccer team. This will change as soccer continues to grow in popular culture. In some Hispanic neighborhoods, soccer is already more popular than football.
One change that will help the sport retain players is to play soccer during the same season across the country. Some schools play in the fall, some in Winter and some in Spring. There is no way you can build a consensus national ranking and schedule cross state rivalries when there is no "soccer season" in High School.
Of course the Club Snobs will disparage High School soccer as being dangerous, recreational and irrelevant. In most regions, they are right. The only exception would be among the private schools which can afford to hire professional coaches and recruit the best talent. Among public schools, HS is a hodge-podge of skilled club players and clueless rec players with school spirit.
This will probably be the last thing to change. Government is the slowest to change and we all know that public schools are bureaucratic sloths slowed even more by the scrutiny of parents. All it takes is one parent to stand up at a school board meeting and raise a concern and a policy change will be tabled for months while a "blue-ribbon panel" conducts a study. I still feel the popularity of the sport will eventually win over even the most traditional school boards. Soccer coaches will become principals and soccer fans will become school board members. Someone will present a financial analysis that shows that soccer cost the school 10% of football, basketball and baseball and the old guard will be persuaded to bring the sport into fold. Once that happens, you will see soccer hit another growth spurt as more kids stick with it and more parents accept it as an American Sport.
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