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The United States of Soccer: Components that Lead to many Americans' Disinterest in Soccer

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my father, Mike Savic, uncle, Frank Savic, Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona, and the Italian Men's National Soccer Team for showing me how beautiful the game of soccer really can be and inspiring me to undertake my topic. If it wasn't for them, my interest level in soccer certainly wouldn't be what it is today and it would never had crossed my mind to choose this topic for my project. Furthermore, I want to thank all the soccer coaches, reporters, academic scholars, and others who graciously gave me their time and consideration for being interviewed for my project. If it wasn't for their participation, then this project would not have been possible. I want to thank, in no particular order: Dr. Yuya Kiuchi, Benjamin Dettmar, Dr. Robert Rodriguez, Zack Blumberg, Jeffrey Kassing, Aakanshk, Caiden, Derek, Eduardo, Garreth, Luke, Jake, Jehan, Kendall, Luis, Miguel, Laurie, and Steve. Sports Reporters Carlos Revelo, Cynthia Lemus, Esteban Creste, and Jose Romero. Coaches Albert Anson IV, Jamie Clark, Dean Koski, Seth Roland, Lucas Martorano, and Rob Stoutenberg. Moreover, I want to thank the Chair of my Project Committee, Dr. Jessica Retis for helping me along my journey by providing me stout advice, guidance, and always believing in me.

About Masters Project

Growing up, I was always curious about why soccer was never held in the same esteem as the major traditional sports in the U.S such as American football, basketball, and baseball. I began to realize that many Americans' interest in soccer peaked when the FIFA World Cup would come around every four years, however, as soon as the tournament concluded, that interest quickly went away. My love and passion for the game of soccer has led me to fully commit and explore this curiosity in-depth. It has been quite a ride and I've had a blast devoting hours of research to my topic and uncovering eye opening information that has aided my understanding with Americans' relationship with soccer and what components have been influencing their levels of disinterest. In the end, I was happy and content with the topic I selected because it only fueled my love for the sport and it was very hard for me to see myself choosing any other topic. For this project I included a written manuscript, audio pieces and photos. The manuscript covers the research I conducted for my project and explains my findings in depth. My audio pieces aid my research and provide knowledge and expertise from soccer coaches, reporters, and academic scholars who are well versed in my topic. My audio even includes commentary and insights from a mix of individuals who are interested and disinterested in the sport. These were my "man on the street" type interviews. I conducted these interviews all over the University of Arizona campus and Mulcahy field during Arizona Women's Soccer games. All of my interviews with soccer coaches, reporters, and academic scholars were conducted either over the phone or on Zoom.

Project Questions

  • What are the components that lead to many Americans' disinterest in soccer?
  • Are there higher disinterest levels in different parts of the U.S and vice versa?
  • Where does the disconnect occur? Is it socioeconomical or sociopolitical or both?
  • Why has soccer struggled for years to carve out its own niche in the American sports space?

  • How is the sport generally perceived in the U.S?

  • Why was there only a gradual increase in American interest in soccer in the U.S after it hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994?

  • How is soccer covered by American media in comparison to European  and Latin American media?

  • Why is it that soccer has always been popular at the youth level in the U.S, yet the interest level tends to decline once it gets to the professional level?

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  • Why is there a very limited soccer presence in the inner cities and rural areas in the U.S?

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Project Overview

The purpose of my final project is to provide diverse perspectives and insights on what may be significantly contributing to the disinterest levels many Americans’ have for soccer. The project seeks to identify the root of this phenomena through a cultural, socioeconomic, and sociopolitical lens. Through these lenses, I seek to examine why soccer has struggled to carve out its own niche and lay its imprint in the American sports space. To support my research findings, I put together a series of audio tapes that include observation practices and insights from accredited academic scholars, sports reporters, soccer coaches at the collegiate level and individuals that I interviewed. The main purpose of these methods is to better understand Americans’ relationship with soccer and uncover the components that may be significantly contributing to many Americans’ disinterest in the sport. Main results of this project are published in a website created to share findings, s anecdotes and other bits of information that explores the cultural underpinnings and levels of dissonance that the U.S holds for the game of soccer. Furthermore, the series of audio tapes can be accessed through this website as well.

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