Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco said the Harsh truth every MLS fans needs to hear
There is an ugly truth about soccer in the United States: it still isn’t a dominant sport for fans to watch.
While the recent World Cup held in the country gave the sport a modest boost, soccer still has a long way to go before it can compete for attention with the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
Also, the arrival of soccer stars to the MLS has made a few fans start watching their local teams, but it is still not enough.
During a recent interview, the Former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson discussed why soccer will never be a big three sport in the U.S.
Ochocinco shared a harsh truth for every soccer fan
In a conversation with former Arsenal legend Sol Campbell, Ochocinco explained why soccer will not have the same impact as other sports in the country.
As much as it may hurt MLS fans, he is not wrong because, without referring to what the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver said, but rather my personal opinion, the culture surrounding soccer is different compared to other countries.
You can see it clearly from outside. But enough about my opinion; let’s see what reasons Ochocinco gave Campbell about this scenario and why everyone could agree with him.
“We’re so far away, so far away from the beautiful game being top of these sports to watch here in the States. Culturally, it's different here. When the World Cup ends, they're done. Football season coming up. Everybody's locked in on football season.”
Here’s the key point: the World Cup. Every US fan watched soccer over the past month because of the international tournament and the presence of players they follow or recognize.
Once the World Cup ended, attention shifted to other sports, unlike in the rest of the world, where people continue to watch soccer.
“Would it take 100 years for it to happen? It's never going to happen. Probably longer than that. It'll probably never happen, honestly.”
But wait, wait. Not everything in the interview was a negative point for the MLS. The former NFL star also stated that:
“It's getting better, though. It's getting better. Over the years, as MLS continues to grow and players from Europe come here. Heung Min Son, Thierry Henry, Ibra, obviously Messi playing here in Miami right now, Kaka. I mean, so many have done it.”
And there is another key aspect that MLS should pursue if they want to grow the league. Teams should be able to compete and bring experienced star players from Europe to make the sport more popular.
Cause, who doesn’t want to see Lionel Messi against Heung-Min Son or Thomas Muller against Robert Lewandowski? Those are the types of scenarios people want to see to be attracted to the sport.
