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This article was first published 9 years ago

How World Cup fever has gripped America

Last updated on: June 30, 2014 15:12 IST

Image: A US fan cheers during the 2014 World match
Photographs: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

After a long and sometimes arduous courtship, soccer has finally revealed its charms to Americans who have embraced the World Cup in record numbers.

With the United States through to the knockout phase and interest and television ratings soaring, soccer can rightfully claim a place at the American sporting table.

Alongside the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, it has changed North America's Big Four into the Fab Five.

Complete coverage of the Football World Cup...

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How World Cup fever has gripped America

Image: Fans cheer after hearing the news that Team USA will advance to the next round of the World Cup
Photographs: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Often seen as the outsider looking in, a niche sport craving mainstream status, soccer has muscled its way into the day-to-day sporting discussion as an engrossing tournament in Brazil pulls in more-and-more soccer converts by the day.

A record 25 million viewers tuned into watch the US take on Portugal in the group stage and with the Americans preparing to face Belgium on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals, that mark is almost certain to be smashed.

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How World Cup fever has gripped America

Image: US fans cheer
Photographs: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

But not all Americans have joined the World Cup party.

While President Barack Obama was pictured leading the cheers from Air Force One, conservative political commentator Ann Coulter was warning that "any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation's moral decay".

Coulter's spin on the beautiful game generated predictable outrage, a few laughs and a brief social media firestorm. But it is clear that American appetite for all things soccer is growing.

On the pitch, the US men have qualified for seven consecutive World Cups while the women are the world's top ranked team.

How World Cup fever has gripped America

Image: American soccer fans react
Photographs: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

At the grassroots level soccer has always been popular in the United States with close to four million young boys and girls playing in leagues from Maine to New Mexico.

In an opinion piece written for CNN, Ed Foster-Simeon, President and CEO at U.S. Soccer Foundation, responded to Coulter's comments by pointing out that soccer is the third largest participation sport in the country and the team sport with the highest growth rate over the past decade.

According to the US Soccer Federation, the governing body for the game in the United States, total attendance at soccer matches in 2013 exceeded 10 million.

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How World Cup fever has gripped America

Image: United States fans look on in the rain
Photographs: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Domestic leagues are also experiencing growth with Major League Soccer continuing robust expansion by adding teams in Orlando, New York and Atlanta - with plans for another in Miami.

In May, MLS announced a landmark television rights deal after signing an eight-year agreement with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes that will, according to media reports, pour $720 million into league coffers.

Although Americans are currently caught in the grip of World Cup fever it is important not to lose perspective of soccer's place in the United States.

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How World Cup fever has gripped America

Image: Fans in Grant Park celebrate a goal by the US against Portugal in a Group G World Cup soccer match on June 22, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. Fans were turned away from the free event after a 10,000-person capacity was reached.
Photographs: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Major League Baseball attendance last season was close to 75 million and that many will be expected through the turnstiles again this year.

And while 25 million set a new benchmark for World Cup viewership in the US the number was dwarfed by the 111.5 million who watched his year's Super Bowl.

Tags: US
Source: REUTERS
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