Is USA Football Regaining Its Popularity

Football, also known as soccer in the United States, is not the most popular sports in the country. That may change real soon – in fact, it is already changing – especially now that more stars from all around the world are transferring to USA teams. After the spectacular transfer of David Beckham and a lot of other great names, Thierry Henry is adding the long list of multinational start players who decided to play in the US MLS.

The former Barcelona star may not be greeted as spectacularly as David Beckham when he made his transfer to LA Galaxy, but it is still an interesting move for both the US football fans and international football lovers. With Henry now playing for the New York Red Bulls, it is only a matter of time before more internationally-known players join the league.

Jen Chang, Soccer Editor at Sports Illustrated, stated that soccer may not be as popular as NFL, MLB and NBA; it is quite difficult to match the three most popular leagues in the United States from this point. However, it is not impossible at all to match NHL’s popularity and became one of the top 5 most popular sports in the US.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup also contributes to this interesting development. With top news stations including ESPN reportedly spent record-breaking amounts of money for exclusive coverage, plus the US national team placing in the World Cup, more and more people are appreciating the sport as part of the US culture.