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Essay / The State of Soccer in the United States
The 2014 World Cup Final, Argentina vs. Germany. More than 26.5 million Americans turned their attention to the event, breaking the previous record of 24.7 million American viewers. Since that fateful day, American viewership has plummeted. The 2018 World Cup saw a staggering 44% fewer viewers in the United States. This is due in part to the United States men's national team failing to qualify for the tournament, which is an all-time high for the team. In 2014, the USMNT (United States Men's National Team) managed to get out of the group of death (Germany, Portugal, Ghana and the United States) that we were never supposed to get out of. Reaching the round of 16 where they lost to Belgium 1-0. Since then the quality of our team has gone down and many have lost matches and many thought the team should have won, as well as tournaments. The question now is why this talent is diminishing and what the connection is with an unenthusiastic nation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe state of gaming is declining in the United States. This is happening because the United States is alienating the sport, making it so that only rich kids can afford to play it. If you are a parent making $30,000-$40,000 a year, how are you supposed to pay $3,000-$4,000 a year for your child to play soccer, not including travel and hotel costs? . Very few minorities can afford to pay, which is upsetting because there is talent at every income level and passionate about the game, but they are told that if you don't have money, you can't not play. If you compare that to Europe or South America, some of the biggest players come from poverty. Dutch professional team AFC Ajax, widely known for its player development, sends scouts everywhere to find talented youngsters. They don't look for who runs the fastest or who shoots the hardest, that can be a factor in early development, they look for how the players run or their creativity on the pitch. Once the players are selected, they are invited to the Ajax academy. Where parents pay nothing other than an insurance contribution of 12 euros per year. In the United States, football has become a reward for playing a sport. Doug Andreassen, chairman of US Soccer's "diversity task force," looks at the game he loves and all he can see is a broken system in America. He wonders why no one seems to care. He had a habit of phrasing what he said carefully, taking care not to push or offend. But nothing seems to change. “People don’t want to talk about it. " He says, "The system doesn't work for the underserved community, it works for white kids. » Andreassen watches his country's national teams play and wishes they had more diversity. Like many of us, he can't ignore the fact that the winners of the 2015 Women's World Cup were almost all white, or that several of the non-white players on the U.S. Copa America team grew up abroad . Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a Custom EssayThe talents of America's top prospects are stifled by a process that never lets them be seen.Now, some people might say that football isn't a very American sport. Why should we care and try to improve it. We have.