TOW #7 (written text)- Growing Popularity of Soccer in America

The sport of soccer, or fútbol as it's known in almost every other country, is the most popular sport in the world. Although, the same cannot be said for America. Among kids in America, soccer is the fourth most popular sport for boys and the third most popular for girls. However, over the last few years, soccer has begun to grow in the US at both the youth and professional levels. This increase in popularity is expected to be greatly accelerated due to a recent $250 million dollar deal between NBC and the English Premier League (EPL). This season, NBC plans to broadcast over 380 EPL games on multiple different channels in the US. NBC and ESPN sports analysts predict that because of the growing popularity of youth soccer, more kids and their parents will watch professional soccer that can now be easily accessed. Another reason people predict the EPL will gain popularity in the US is that England is 6 hours ahead of the east coast and 9 hours ahead of the west coast, so the games will usually be played in the morning and early afternoon in the US. At this time, there will be very few other sports shown on television, attracting more Americans. The author of this article, Patrick Rishe, did not necessarily direct his argument and predictions towards soccer fans, but towards other sports supporters and rival sports broadcasting companies, such as ESPN and FOX. To effectively support his predictions related to the growth of soccer due to NBC’s deal, Rishe refers to recent surveys and statistics that appeal to logos. The US Tennis Association surveyed “50,000 students a year, and found that soccer ranked 4th for boys (20%) and t-3rd for girls (17%) with regards to the percentage of adolescents who play a particular sport.  For boys, football (40%), basketball (40%), and baseball (24%) led the way.  For girls, the top participation sports were basketball (25%) and volleyball (23%).” Rishe then states that the percentage of youth soccer players in the US (20% for boys and 17% for girls) has increased several percentage points since 2000. This data appeals to logic and supports his idea that professional soccer will gain popularity in the US because if more kids play it, more parents will watch it. Rishe effectively communicates and supports his prediction is this article, which I believe will stand true in the next five to ten years. Soccer will certainly become more popular and may cause intense competition between the NFL, MLB, and NBA.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2013/08/18/why-the-epl-on-nbc-will-accelerate-soccers-popularity-in-the-united-states/