Telemundo Deportes released a report that had soccer as the fastest-growing sport in the United States. This poll was done by Gallup Sports between December 2012 and April 2019. Given the United States Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) recent success at the 2022 World Cup, the numbers could continue to climb.

The numbers

The numbers show soccer has increased by 52 percent. Other sports that increased include hockey by 46 percent, basketball by 27 percent and baseball by 7 percent. The abundance of soccer on TV is a critical factor in the success of the sport in the U.S. Almost every league on the planet can be found on TV and streaming services in the U.S., including the men’s and women’s professional soccer leagues, college soccer, and our own domestic leagues. Only six days, or more than 4,600 matches, were not televised in the U.S. in 2021.

The MLS influence

The league’s expansion will give it a national presence and make it easier to obtain television rights, both of which will contribute to the sport’s increasing popularity. Some notable players who were drawn to the MLS include David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard, David Villa, Didier Drogba, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, Gonzalo Higuain, and Gareth Bale. In order to highlight this potential, Major League Soccer and Apple announced a deal worth $250 million. For the next ten years, it will give fans around the world more access to the league because every game will be broadcast on Apple TV. The MLS must be credited for the increase in soccer supporters in the U.S.

A world game

Any year there is a World Cup, soccer viewership around the U.S. is bound to rise significantly since the tournament will feature them this year. The USMNT  was ridiculed for the past four years for missing out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia. According to FIFA, 3.57 billion people watched the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which more than half of humanity watched. The USMNT vs England match was the most-watched men’s soccer match on U.S. English television ever, with 15,377,000 viewers, per Fox Sports PR. That record will undoubtedly be broken in 2026 when the World Cup will return to North America with a larger field of 48 teams and USMNT with an automatic bid. This generation of USMNT players has been said as the “golden generation” in U.S. men’s soccer. As they continue to rise, so does the fastest-growing sport in the U.S.

For more information on what is helping soccer become one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. visit Sogility.net or click this link.