Soccer isn't my favorite sport...

When it comes to sports, I’m a true American. I love baseball, football, and basketball; and I couldn’t possibly care less about soccer. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a difficult sport. It’s a sport that requires a lot of talent.

Unfortunately, to me at least, it’s just not that interesting. Teams play two 45-minute halves, running back and forth the entire time and – sometimes – they score. Sometimes. Sometimes one team wins - but that doesn't happen all the time either.

I think that’s my biggest issue. As an American sports fan I’ve grown accustomed to a little bit of flash. The occasional deep touchdown pass, 450 foot home run, or reverse dunk. Not to mention the fact that, in a game, there is a winner and a loser.

But, while a simple lack of interest is my biggest problem, Harry Browne, soccer writer and journalism professor at the Dublin Institute of Technology, believes the primary issue lies elsewhere.

“A lot of people passionate about soccer [in America] are passionate about teams in other countries,” said Browne. He says that the true problem with American soccer lies not in its fan base, but with American soccer organizations.

He says that Major League Soccer is more of a structured, socialist-style organization much like the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.

“That’s not how it is run in the rest of the world,” Browne said. That type of organization works for other American sports, he says, because of the strong college presence of each of those sports.

College soccer, however, is not nearly as strong as college basketball, football, or baseball. That means the players available to draft from year to year are not as talented.

Additionally, much like the problem faced by baseball and basketball in other countries, America suffers from the fact that the best talents often leave to play internationally.

But according to Browne, none of that necessarily means that there is no talent in American soccer. He says there is, particularly in the women’s game.

“More women play [in America] than anywhere else,” said Browne. Though, he says it does lead to some chiding from other countries.

“[Soccer fans from other countries like to say] America is so **** up, only women can play well,” said Browne.

I suppose, for soccer fans at least, that’s good news. Personally, I just can’t get into it. I’ll stick to baseball where, even in a low scoring game, somebody wins; which isn’t always the case with soccer.

The Future of Sporting Events

This month Wired magazine put out a challenge to readers to tell them what the future of sporting events would look like. It's an interesting concept; so let's try it. Sports in 20 years...

...Will be essentially the same as they are today. Prices will continue to increase for tickets, food, souvenirs, and just about everything else you can imagine, advertisements and other signage will increase, and attendances will continue to fluctuate from year to year dependent on economic trends. But, overall, sporting events will be generally the same.

One positive change that stadiums and ballparks may make is an effort to digitalize the fan experience. It is foreseeable that stadiums will one day implement programs which fans can access from their mobile devices which will give them access to statistics, commentary, and instant replays.

So, basically, if you're a fan of sporting events the way they are today - you're in luck; because not much will change.