Yes, to a certain degree you are right. But when you starting averaging as much as some of the big 4...then you have to take notice.
Meh. When you isolate one factor and state that is a reason one sport is poised to overtake another, you are going out on a very slippery slope.
Professional wrestling has some very high attendance numbers, but that doesn't mean it's in the realm of the big 4 in the national consciousness. Horse racing has some crazy high attendance numbers for their big races...but that is not approaching the big 4 overall either. Not even close.
In fact, with the advent of casino-owning native Americans, the horse racing industry is dying overall. But some horse racing devotee can come here and say 'you have to take notice' that the big races draw numbers that dwarf the NBA and NHL.
They have done this in a 10 year span with NO WHERE as near as much exposure as the NBA or NHL, no where near as much TV time as either of those two and no where near as much advertisers as those two.
Professional soccer in the US goes back a lot more than 10 years. Apparently back in the 1980's the predecessor to the MLS, the NASL was drawing attendance figures that the MLS can only dream of. Pele was in the league, and everybody said soccer is exploding because so many kids are playing the game, so many hispanics are moving to the USA, etc., and the numbers will only grow up.
A few years later, the league folded. That's why a reality check is in order when people start making predictions again.
And like she stated, with the ever growing hispanic population growing(not just come from Mexico)...the popularity of soccer, I predict, WILL take over the US. It will never take over Canada because let's be honest, NOBODY moves to Canada....
Soccer will never take over Canada, but it's not because nobody moves there. It's because hockey always has, and always will, be Canada's national passion. Forget soccer...baseball, football and basketball are and always will be second class citizens in Canada as well.
Sandra
