A Guest Post: World Cup Soccer in America

I've never been much of a soccer fan, but have, on numerous occasions, found myself enjoying a game of futbol on the Fox Soccer Channel. The level of play of the European teams is amazing. On that note, the World Cup is about to commence and since I'm the equivalent of a t-ball player when it comes to the game I was more than happy to allow Marc Parker (he's a writer at a blog called Sports a la Mode) to write a guest post about it and their desire to bring back the tournament to our shores. Check it out below.

Committee Seeks World Cup Excitement and Culture For America in 2018/2022
By Marc Parker

In a couple weeks when the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa it will bring with it a new level of attention and popularity for the game of soccer. The majority of the world is accustomed to the popularity of the sport since soccer is widely considered the "globe's game." However, in the United States, soccer can be considered not as interesting compared to the other four major sports the country has to offer. However, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Soccer doesn't get the respect it rightfully deserves in the States, but when it comes down to Team USA versus the world, no matter how Americans feel about soccer, they pay attention.

The 1994 World Cup (the last time the games were held in the United States) was attended by a total of 3.6 million people, which is still a record even though the games have expanded. From a United States perspective, it was the highest attended single sporting event in U.S. history. The United States Bid Committee understands the significance of hosting such an event and has pulled out all the stops to bring the games to America over other locations like England and Japan.

The U.S. Committee's board of directors is made up of important figures like U.S. Soccer President, Sunil Gulati, Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg, Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Counselor to former President Clinton, Doug Band. The addition of Doug Band to the U.S. Committee is a smart move on behalf of the committee because Band, an avid fan of the game, is co-creator of the Clinton Global Initiative, and has worked tirelessly to help millions across the globe, adding an internationally recognized face on America’s bid. Band's commitment and global understanding is exactly what the Committee needs to make the 2018/2022 World Cup in America a reality.

With the world watching the 2010 World Cup will be on the forefront of sports watching technology with some of the games even being broadcasted in 3-D. Team USA drew a favorable bracket and will open the games against England which has many in the country ready to rename this soccer battle the Revolutionary War Part II.

Team USA is posed to begin their quest for their first ever World Cup, and America is ready to root them on showing that 2018/2022 is the time to bring the cultural relevance of the world's most popular sport back to America.