World Cup drives economic boom, inspires future American soccer talent
Brian Kilmeade presents data on the World Cup boom, showing record viewing figures and significant economic increases in the host cities. Alan Rothenberg, founder of Major League Soccer, emphasizes the success of the tournament and the new young talent in American soccer. Rothenberg believes that this momentum will inspire a new generation of players, fueling the sport’s growth and competitive future in the United States.
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The World Cup didn’t go exactly as the US men’s national team expected, but the sport was the talk of the land this summer.
Almost 7 million people flooded stadiums in North America to catch the World Cup action, and the final between Spain and Argentina peaked at 52 million viewers, with an average of around 38 million.
Landon Donovan was an analyst for FOX throughout the event and said this year’s World Cup was an unforgettable memory.
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Landon Donovan attends an AT&T event in Charlotte ahead of the MLS All-Star Game. (AT&T)
“I’m sad it’s over now. It really went by so fast. Maybe for people back home, not so fast. But for us it was just travel, play, work, play, travel, look, travel, meet-and-greet, travel, play. It was honestly the time of my life and I’m sad it’s over,” Donovan told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview.
“The superstars turned up and scored goals. The fans were incredible. The infrastructure and the stadiums are of course amazing in this country. The fans filled the stadiums. It broke records in every way on TV and socially. It was a phenomenal World Cup and I’m really just sad it’s over.”
It remains to be seen what kind of growth will happen in the United States after the World Cup, but if it’s anything like what happened in 1994, the sport is in a good place — just in time for Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game in Charlotte on Wednesday.
Donovan partnered with longtime MLS sponsor AT&T for the festivities to bring fans closer to the action.
“They’ve been our supporters for a long time. Soccer, for most people, is relatively new, but I’ve been in this game for a long time. So when you have people and companies that want to support in a real way and not just throw money at it, but actually be involved, it means a lot to us because we’ve been ambassadors for this game forever,” Donovan said. “They help us connect people to this game that we love, and that means a lot. They’re great with our podcast with me and Tim Howard. Great for me personally, individually, all the All-Star Games. They love the sport. They really do, and it’s been really great to have them.”
Landon Donovan celebrates his team’s second goal during the FIFA Confederations Cup Final between USA and Brazil at Ellis Park Stadium on June 28, 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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Donovan recalled the ovation he received when he returned to MLS after the 2002 World Cup.
“I lived it, didn’t I? At the end of these tournaments, there’s so much energy and excitement around football and sports, so you’ll see an increase in viewership. You’ll see an increase in the stadiums. People now know these guys’ names and it’s a really, really great opportunity to grow as a player but also to grow your brand,” he said.
“When I came back in 2002, I literally got off the plane from Korea and went straight to the stadium at noon, maybe 2 o’clock. We had a game that night and I got to play for 10 minutes at the end of the game. The excitement in the stadium for the fans to see someone who had been on the field 24 hours earlier in Korea, so this guy league came back to a week before the game was amazing. and so many of them for the All-Star Game, it’s a really great opportunity to be recognized and appreciated it’s really cool.
While a deeper USMNT run would have done wonders for the sport, Donovan is done talking about when soccer is coming — because he believes “soccer is here.”
“There’s been survey after survey asking people to name their favorite sport. The NFL was one, the NBA was two and soccer was three — soccer in general, right? So people love this sport in this country,” he said. “I know anecdotally that I drop my kids off at school every day. I don’t see NFL jerseys. I don’t see baseball jerseys. I see football jerseys. The kids are all wearing football jerseys. They’re all in. So football is here.
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan (26) in action against Orlando City FC during the second half at StubHub Center on September 11, 2016. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)
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“Now, how you quantify that in a real way via Major League Soccer or US Soccer, I don’t know. That’s harder to do. But this sport is mainstream now. When you turned on the TV this summer, people were talking about soccer. . . . So here it is. It’s not where we all want it to be yet, but it takes time, man. These other sports haven’t had an edge in decades. soccer. So we’re just going to keep going.”
