The 1978 World Cup Match in Buenos Aires was viewed by a television audience which numbered in excess of 1 billion people (Soar & Tyler iii). This represented the greatest gathering of an audience for any single event in the history of Man. It also generated more column inches of advertising, emotion, excitement commitment, and general "interest" than any other sporting event. Clearly, soccer has a predominant role in the world.
The game, in its organized form, originated in Great Britain's private school system during the 19th century. The game itself however, has been played in the United States for over 200 years having been brought from England by the early colonial settlers. Once the game became codified, it spread rapidly in popularity in all parts of the world except in North America (Yannis 39).
Officially soccer arrived in the United States on Father's Day (June 19) in 1977. On that day, the New York Cosmos, a team that had once played an exhibition ball game in front of 98 fans, attracted for this event a crowd of over 62,000 people. During that year, this type of turnout would be repeated.
Professional soccer has succeeded in the United States because it appeals to a new generation. It has an innovative marketing plan that places emphasis on the family. It has been guided by a commission and management structure which has learned from the mistakes made by other sports and other soccer unions. But, the sport has also benefitted from having a very strong and well-liked international spokesman--Edson Arantes do Nascimento--better known to the world as Pele.
Throughout the world, Pele is better known than Joe Namath, Wilt Chamberlain or Pete Rose. The game is still often referred to as Pele's game. Pele has truly become a synonym for soccer (Ibid. 54).
The "baby-boom generation" has taken to natural foods and to soccer with the same intensity. This generation has looked for a sport to call its o...