Perhaps Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s hunch is best backed up by the sport’s sudden, meteoric rise in American media coverage since the beginning of the year. In early January, there was Beckham of course, then came George Gillett and Tom Hicks buying Liverpool, and now most recently there’s the Colorado-Arsenal deal.
Greg Lalas writing for si.com says this is proof positive that some Americans “get it”-“it” being the game’s global reach and potential in the U.S. Cue sweeping pronouncements like: “it’s more than just a sport,” etc, etc. However, what’s particularly interesting about today’s connected world is the fact that soccer, as a global network, should become an even tighter-knit community in the years to come. There’s no doubt we will all one day be able to watch broadcasts of every soccer game in many languages. Add the capabilities of real-time chat and online video sharing and you have one hell of a passionate, connected force to be reckoned with.
Soccer can only become more globalized, which is exactly what the new American soccer barons want-after all, they’re massive fortunes indicate they have a penchant for smart sports investments. This is all good for the game in America, too. “As the global network grows stronger, the game here will have no choice but to improve,” Lalas says.