Ryan Morales has been following the current World Cup soccer tournament on ESPN with a great deal of interest.
Morales, 17, who will be a senior on Brandon’s varsity boys soccer team this fall, is not alone. Statistics show the tournament, which started June 9 and runs until the championship game on July 9, is extremely popular to watch, both in person and on television.
This year’s World Cup, which is hosted by Germany, is the 18th since the event started in 1930 in Uruguay. It is presented by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
The official Web site for this year’s tournament, fifaworldcup.com, stated that a total of 37 billion people worldwide watched the 1998 World Cup tournament games on television, including a 1.3 billion audience for the championship game, in which host France defeated Brazil 3-0.
In addition, a total of 2.7 million people attended the 64 tournament games in various French stadia.
Morales, who plays forward both for the Blackhawks and for the Vardar Stars travel soccer team (which travels throughout the country), said the sport has run in his family for some time. He credits his older brother Dean, 25, with helping him get started in the sport.
He said soccer is a great sport to play because ‘it takes the whole team to achieve something.?
Goodrich varsity boys soccer coach and assistant girls soccer coach Josh Watson said soccer still lags behind the ‘big three? sports of baseball, football and basketball in the United States.
Watson also said participation in youth soccer during World Cup years depends on how well the U.S. does during the tournament.
As an example, he believes people are ‘jumping off the bandwagon? because of the United States? 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic in first-round action June 12.
‘The participation increases if the U.S. plays well,? he said. ‘In the past, when the team didn’t do so well, participation went down.?
By contrast, Brandon varsity boys soccer coach Nathan Hunter said the World Cup ‘absolutely? has a positive impact on youth soccer participation.
‘It brings a great deal of visibility during the years that it takes place,? he said. ‘It brings a number of kids that are looking for something cool to get into.?
Morales also thinks the World Cup leads to more soccer participation, as well as an increase in the quality of play among youngsters. ‘The kids on Vardar start young and are really good ? they will be excellent when they get older,? he said.
Watson said a lack of media coverage and comparatively less money on the professional level are two reasons youngsters tend to gravitate more toward football or basketball as opposed to soccer. However, the opposite is true in European countries.
‘Soccer is the number-one sport in England and every other country in Europe,? he said. ‘They grow up overseas knowing soccer is a passion, and all the money is pushed over there.?
However, Hunter said during the World Cup years, the tournament’s exposure on ESPN’s Sportscenter and nightly news telecasts helps increase awareness of the sport. He also said the success of the U.S. women’s national team, which won the women’s World Cup in 1999, is another positive influence.
He estimates that youth soccer involvement increases by about 20-30 percent during both the men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments.
One recent trend that Watson said may change soccer’s fortunes for the better in the U.S. is the continued growth of the Major League Soccer league, which started about 12 years ago.
Currently, there are 12 teams in MLS (six each in the Eastern and Western Conference), with the Toronto FC expansion franchise set to get underway in 2007. There is no MLS franchise in Detroit ? the closest teams to this area are the Chicago Fire and the Columbus Crew.
‘MLS is doing well, and that’s why the U.S. national team is better as a whole,? he said. ‘Hopefully, we’ll start pulling overseas players to the league. It’s only been around since 1994. It takes a long time to develop.?
Hunter, though, said while he thinks MLS has some sort of bearing on increased soccer involvement, the fact it is not televised in a lot of markets hurts its cause.
However, he thinks the popularity of soccer is increasing. ‘I don’t think we can expect it to get on the same plane as football or baseball, but it has its own niche,? he said. ‘We need good, solid coaching and training to help it grow.?
The next step in making soccer more popular, Hunter said, is to make it more affordable and accessible to all youngsters. He said not everyone has the money necessary to compete on youth travel soccer teams.
‘I think that’s the biggest detriment,? he said. ‘Travel teams are based on money. One of the things we’re not doing is getting every single kid involved.?