Americans still don’t get it. Soccer is the #1 sport in the world, and yet it is treated with less respect than beach paddle ball. It is the fastest growing sport in the country and you’ll be lucky if you can find an MLS game on TV (NBC might help with that). It is played by more kids than ANY other sport, yet the ones in positions of power to help make it more accepted are drinking Green Tea, singing campfire songs, and relegating it to the level of hopscotch.

I came across a letter (courtesy of Barstool Sports) where a father was complaining about his child’s rec soccer league. The league doesn’t keep score for 4-, 5-, 6-, or even 7-year-olds. Wait, what? Find me a rec basketball league that turns off its scoreboard when the 7-year-olds play. Or a t-ball league where there isn’t some obsessed t-ball-mom with one of those big score books that nobody understands.

If this sport is EVER going to become accepted we have to stop treating it like some magical team game where score doesn’t matter. In other sports you keep score. In other sports you talk to the referee (this rec league also banned talking to the ref – even if it was a compliment). I am not suggesting we yell things that are usually totally wrong, but c’mon. Let the kids hear a little jabber and learn to accept it. Let them learn about winning or losing (it teaches character right?).

If they aren’t going to keep score, at least make it somewhat interesting by playing on the field above. At least the kids will quit soccer sooner. Why drag it out?