It must have been more than a dozen years ago. Maybe even closer to 20 years ago. We were explaining to an in-law with a touch of Hispanic in his background that soccer will never--never--take off in this country.
What's more, we were quite firm on the subject: Don't be ridiculous. Baseball is the national pastime, or was. (Forgive our archaic preferences.) With football and basketball fighting it out for a close second.
But, but, but--
No buts about it. Soccer doesn't even have a time clock--or at least not one anybody pays attention to. Americans like to count down to the final buzzer. Three-two-one-HONK! So why is it that the only person who knows the real time left in a soccer match is the one referee who's holding the stopwatch?
But, but, but--
And why don't the players fall on a loose ball rolling around somewhere on the ground? Can it really be a sport if you're penalized for using your hands? And what's with the crazy calls from the booth after every goooooooooaaaaaaallllllll?
But, but, but--
And don't give us that talk about Nuance. You want Nuance? An outfielder checks out the sign from the catcher to the pitcher, knows the speed of the next pitch, and starts leaning this way or that in anticipation of just where the ball might be hit. Now that's nuance.
Oh, we made a brilliant case. In our own mind. Also, a completely wrong one.
The World Cup started last week--and you can tell futbol has made it in America when our fellow inky wretches gather 'round the TVs back in the sports section of the newsroom to catch the latest action. Somebody said they played an American golf tournament of some note last weekend, but who noticed with England playing Italy on the pitch? (Or rather on the soccer field, for those who think pitches only come in baseball.)
The evidence of soccer's rise in this country isn't just anecdotal. ESPN says its ratings for the United States-Ghana game on Monday beat its all-time high for soccer-watching. And this was on a Monday afternoon before most Americans left the office. That match, which was on pay-TV, too, beat the finals of professional hockey on NBC in prime time.
Here might be one reason our oh-so-brilliant analysis about soccer's chances in this country was more than a wee bit off all those years ago: More and more people may be watching soccer in America because more and more people have grown up playing soccer in America.
With all the news, publicity and welcome concern about concussions and heat stroke in our American brand of football, more young parents have been steering their children into sports that have less of a chance to inflict long-term injuries. For example, soccer.
Those who keep up with these things say almost 4 million kids in this country now play in an organized soccer league. For boys in high school, it's the No. 4 most-played team sport. And soccer has passed softball for the No. 3 spot for high school girls. There's a reason why middle-class suburban women with kids may be called Soccer Moms.
So consider this a correction. It's been a long time coming. But it's time we faced it: Soccer looks to be here to stay.
Next up for the Americans: the team from Portugal on Sunday afternoon. Can we watch with peanuts and Cracker Jacks?
Editorial on 06/21/2014