With the the US roster officially set, the kickoff to the World Cup seems that much closer and the overall excitement for it seems to have heightened even more than a day ago. It’s crazy that four years has passed since the last one in Germany, and as the build up continues, it’s amazing to see the growth of the sport and the amount of excitement surrounding soccer and the US team in general.
Over the last few months there has been an onslaught of World Cup related commercials, ad campaigns, themed product releases, discussions of players / rosters, etc. The amount of content that is being created for the World Cup has been astonishing. It seems that almost everyday there is something new being released that only ups the excitement for the World Cup.
With so much World Cup inspired goodness being thrown at us, it’s easy to get caught up in it all and lose sight of how amazing this really is for American soccer. The buildup to the 2010 World Cup has been an amazing experience as an American soccer fan. At least it has for me. I remember not that long ago when the pre World Cup excitement was muted at best. There would be a few commercials and some discussion about the American team. But beyond that… the content, discussions, the coverage, the products, etc was fairly minimal. All of that has changed this year. And it hasn’t just changed a little bit, the scope of change is pretty dramatic. Kind of like the mini movie / ad below.
The big brands have been very proactive about their releases. Even brands that have nothing to do with the sport have been getting in on the action. ESPN has promoted the World Cup like only they can. Magazines like GQ and Vanity Fair have been producing WC content, and the Interwebs have been buzzing with an endless amount of soccer related content. And let’s not forget that before the US team leaves for South Africa, they will be meeting with the current President of the United States, while being escorted by a former President of the United States. And to take this a step further, the former President is actively involved with trying to win the bid for the US to host another World Cup.
At times I have gotten caught up in this all and have forgotten about how far things really have come for the sport in the United States. It’s an amazing time to be a soccer fan in the US. I can honestly say that I have been hopeful to see the sport I love being so recognized, and dare I say it – embraced – by the United States.
This isn’t to say that there still isn’t a long way to go, or that the sport is where I would like to see it in the US. But let’s be honest, it’s been pretty cool to see the sport getting so much interest, and being the focal point of so many conversations. Seeing ESPN use the term “Breaking News” and cutting to Bob Ley when the US roster was announced…never thought I would see the day.
We still have a long ways to go, but if you ask me, things are looking very bright for the sport going forward. This is a perfect time for American soccer fans to enjoy the slew of soccer content, the abundance of games that will be taking place over the next six weeks and the overall attention that our sport will be receiving.
