Research Report
Date of Access: 30th January 2018
Last Edited: 29th January 2018
Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_in_the_United_States
Summary of Information from the Article on The Major League Soccer
In the United States, soccer is regulated and governed by the United States Soccer Federation which acts as an oversight authority for the national team, professional leagues, and amateur games excluding high schools and colleges. In 2015, a survey revealed that nearly 24.4 million individuals make it the third most played sport in the U.S. after basketball and baseball. The popularity of soccer in the U.S. has been gained since the 1960s with a significant boost coming after the country hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the Women’s World Cup of 1999.
The Major League Soccer (MLS) represents the highest level of men’s professional soccer. The MLS was inaugurated in 1996 with ten teams registered as participants, but it has eventually expanded to a total of 22 teams. The MLS season runs from March through with the winner of the regular season receiving the supporter’s shield. The post-season winner, on the other hand, receives the MLS Cup. It should be noted that each MLS game is attended by approximately 20,000 people with these figures making MLS one of the most attended soccer leagues worldwide.
The women’s professional soccer league was formulated in the U.S. after the accomplishment of the 1999 Women’s World Cup. The management has undergone a series of alterations, the formation of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) which operated from 2001 till 2003 among those. It was later replaced by the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) which ran from 2009 till 2012. At the moment, the National Women’s Soccer League is in charge of the professional leagues in the U.S. It is important to mention that a significant number of Americans who played soccer in their youth are now active supporters of the game.
Quote from the Article
“The annual ESPN sports poll has shown soccer as the fourth most popular team sport in the United States every year since overtaking hockey in 2006; as of 2011, 8.2% of Americans rank soccer as their favorite sport (compared to 3.8% for hockey). A 2012 Harris Interactive poll showed soccer to be the fifth favorite team sport, with 2% of Americans ranking soccer as their favorite (compared to 5% for hockey). A 2011 ESPN sports poll ranked soccer as the second most popular sport in the country for 12- to 24-year-olds.”
Meaning of Quotation
The identified quotation demonstrates the statistical representation of the popularity of soccer as perceived by various studies. Indeed, one may conclude that soccer is a popular sport amongst Americans, as it has gradually gained its fan base even surpassing such traditional team sports as ice hockey. Moreover, this quotation leads to the assumption that most avid spectators were once soccer players hence the exponential growth in popularity and support of soccer as an important sport in the U.S.
Author: Anonymous
Title: The United States Soccer League System
Date: 26th January 2018
Source of the Article: Wikipedia
Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_soccer_league_system
The article employs a subtle tone that appeals to the target public. It offers insights into the United States’ soccer league system which is comprised of a hierarchy from the amateur leagues all the way to the professional levels. Significant is the fact that the U.S. is not defined by the conventional soccer system of promotion and relegation. Instead, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) categorizes the leagues into divisions, whereby the top three are subjects to sanctions by the body.
Reliability of the Source
The reliability of the source is attributed to the fact that the information provided in the article is extracted from publications and contains no original research. Also, among the references there are articles retrieved from the official websites of the U.S. soccer organizations, such as NISA and United States Soccer Federation. Moreover, the source takes into consideration a neutral point of view hence this balance ascertains that the information embedded therein is free of any bias.