Now, I'm probably going to ruffles some feathers with this post with at least one regular reader (sorry, Mary!), but I thought these numbers were worth mentioning light of our previous conversation on the the subject of the Rassumussen will do my talking here:
Despite a high level of media coverage for the World Cup soccer tournament, three-fourths of Americans (78%) are not following the action very closely if at all. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 adults found that just 6% are following the tournament very closely.Now, a quarter of Americans (at least according to this survey) say they aren't interested in any sports championships. The Super Bowl captures the most interest of Americans (35%) while the only other double-digit major championship draw is the World Series (14%).
Nine percent (9%) of men are paying close attention along with 3% of women.
14% of Americans have ever played organized soccer in their lives and only 52% believe that there is a professional soccer league in the United States.
Is soccer underappreciated in this country? Maybe. But I don't see the professional soccer establishment doing a whole lot about marketing it in such a way that more people would tune in... On the other hand, Americans have a LOT of alternatives for entertainment.
Feel free to flame away now, Mary...I won't take it personally. :)
