That’s Abnormal, It’s Abnormal

By Richard Starnes The Ottawa Citizen

Abnormal that soccer isn’t huge here, too
The last World Cup attracted a television audience of 26.29 billion viewers, proving, without question, that soccer is the most popular sport on the planet.

U.S. estimates put the country’s fan base at 90 million. Here in Canada, close to 900,000 men, women and children are registered to play the game.

So, why has “football” not taken a stronger foothold across North America? Why has it been such a struggle for it to claim a larger share of the sports market? Why is the game treated with such scant respect — derision even — by sports fans who you would expect to know better?

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