It's Alive! and thinking about the beautiful game.

Tonight at 9:30 the MLS kicks off their season with a match between LA and Seattle.  If you want to pledge to watch AND get a free t-shirt, click here.

As luck would have it, I was thinking of writing a post about soccer anyway.  My question is why it not more popular in the U.S?

It has gained in popularity since last year's World Cup and the US team's performance there.  But can soccer really be an American sport?

I love soccer, but I don't think it can ever be as popular as football (or tackleball as it should be called since only one player ever touches the ball with his foot) or basketball (which I suppose is aptly named) and baseball.

First, you have the dreaded tie.  A tie is un-American.  If you're an American, you must have winners and losers.  Worse yet, in some soccer tournaments, where points are tallied based on wins, loses and goals, it could even come down to a coin toss determining the winner.

Next, there are no commercials.  How in the world can anyone make money that way?  A sport for the sake of sport where no money is made in the process?  That's un-American.

Don't get me wrong though, soccer makes some money.  Look at any MLS jersey and you'll see.  I would like to buy a soccer jersey to wear around, perhaps one from my hometown Columbus Crew, but I don't want to have "Glidden" paint emblazoned across my chest (however it seems the Crew's new replica jerseys they sell are ad-free, but most European teams are not).

The lack of commercials also brings up the issue of potty breaks.  When am I supposed to use the facilities or grab a bag of chips if the moment I walk away, an amazing goal could be scored, thus negating the last 40 minutes of no goals being scored that I sat through?  That significantly reduces my willingness to invest my time in the game.  Perhaps though, as an American, my attention span is shorter than our European brothers.

Thirdly... well I'm sure there are other reasons, but those are the two that I feel like talking about.  I'm out of time today, time to move on and save some words for another day.