Some call it soccer, and others call it football. Regardless, around the globe, it’s considered to be “the beautiful game.” A game so popular, there’s even a course at U of T, HIS199 — Soccer: The History of The World’s Game, from which you learn all about the history and cultural implications of the sport.
Soccer has captivated a huge audience — for example, the 2018 FIFA World Cup final gathered 3.572 billion viewers. However, soccer often seems to be much easier to access outside of North America, as it takes a backseat to cultural pastimes such as American football and baseball in the US, and hockey in Canada.
According to Nielsen, a global data and analytics company, of the 20 nations whose populations are most interested in soccer, only Mexico ranks from North America, coming in at number six. Canada and the United States don’t even make the chart, which is instead filled with European, Asian, and South American countries.
This might come as a shock, considering the women’s teams for both countries are highly regarded as some of the highest ranked globally. For instance, the US Women’s National Team handily won the Women’s World Cup for the second consecutive time in 2019.
Furthermore, Canada’s Alphonso Davies tore up the German Bundesliga — taking home rookie of the season honours, and being named in the 20-man shortlist for the FIFA Golden Boy award, which is given to the best young player in Europe that year.
So, why is soccer not capturing the eyes of North Americans? Some put the blame on the lack of fast-paced action. Canadians, especially, are used to the hard-hitting, pedal-to-the-metal pace of hockey, which soccer — a much less violent and speedy sport — fails to match.
Americans, too, seem to prefer the quick back and forth of basketball or the overt violence of American football. The stereotypically overdramatic soccer players, then, are hard to watch, with their feigned injuries and huge field that slows down the action.
Another reason why soccer is so hard to access in North America may come down to the shocking costs. According to NPR, registering for an organized club team in the US can reach a staggering $1,500–$4,000 per year.
For low-income families, this price can be too high for a sport that is widely accessible in other countries. Indeed, the sport is cheap to play — there is no expensive special equipment necessary — but team fees become outlandish in the American clubs. The same issues arise in the north for Canada’s sweetheart sport, hockey, but it seems that the cultural impact attracts more Canadian families nevertheless.
The University of Toronto usually offers drop-in soccer for students, which I believe is a great way to spread the word without having to drop a pretty penny on club fees. Pre-pandemic, any student could hop on the field and play until the drop-in time was over.
Growing up in Brampton, Ontario, soccer was neck-and-neck with basketball when it came to what we would play at recess as children. However, my peers often stuck to the playground instead of opting for club teams due to high prices. Soccer, although quite a fun sport, has a long way to go regarding equity before we can tear down the barriers and share the beautiful game with all.
