I've been wondering why soccer is not big in the States. Many people do play it. The term "soccer mom" is so well-known, the sport has got to be played by many many people to gain this kind of fame (or infamy). But a few adults like it. I heard a theory when talking with my colleague who came from South Korea. He suggested that it's because of the fact that a soccer game has no time-outs and does not stop in the middle of a game (except half-time), thus no chance of commercials while being broadcasted on TV. So from a TV station's point of view, when showing a soccer game, they lose money since they won't be able to show commercials, which would typically take up about 20 minutes per hour of TV time, to the viewer. With no many soccer games on TV, people get little exposure to the sport and this effect then snow-balls and leads to little understanding of the game and the ignorance of the sport. This, to me, sounds like a good theory and explains why soccer is not big here even though many people, especially kids play it.
