IMPACT OF HOSTING A SOCCER WORLD CUP IN US

Impact of Hosting a Soccer World Cup in US

Impact of Hosting a Soccer World Cup in US

Introduction

Traditionally, soccer has always been identified as the “world's game” because of its universal popularity, recognition, and access. Soccer is also known as the people's game because it is the only game that can be commonly found in a large arena being watched by thousands of cheering fans, as well as on local parks and recreation fields being played by 5-year-old children. The popularity of Soccer can be estimated by the fact that around 6 billion people watch the Olympics which is pale in comparison to the 26 billion who are estimated to watch the FIFA World Cup.

Soccer, typically referred to by the rest of the world as football, is a sport that crosses national borders and cultural differences. Its global popularity is apparent with the burgeoning rate of expansion of football sport clubs, national teams, and affiliated organizations/associations. One such thriving association is the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), known as the official watchdog of soccer.

The FIFA core mission entails the continued advancement of soccer as a global sport; today FIFA oversees at least 16 global tournaments including the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA Confederations Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA Interactive World Cup, and FIFA and Youth Olympic Football Tournament. Not only have their tournaments increased, but the amount of revenue generated from the sport has reached record heights. In 2007, for example, FIFA generated $882 million in revenue and $49 million in net profit. By the next year, these figures were tremendously surpassed, with $957 million in revenue and $184 million in net income. A year later, FIFA fortunes had again risen, to $1.059 billion in revenue and $196 million in net income.

This paper will address the impact of hosting Soccer World Cup in United States. First, the paper will address the reasons as to why Soccer is not popular in US and later it will include the advantages and disadvantages of hosting the World Cup in US.

Discussion

Background

Organized by the Federation International de Football Associations (FIFA), soccer's administrative association, the World Cup is a worldwide soccer competition hosted every four years, giving men and women an opportunity to represent their nation and demonstrate their skills on a worldwide stage. It is one of the most widely watched sporting events, surpassing the Olympic Games, with cumulative audiences exceeding 25 billion viewers. The World Cup boasts a unique format to determine the champion. The competition also undergoes a selection process to determine which country will host the tournament. Meanwhile, despite the countless number of nations that have competed, a select few have dominated the competition in both the men's and women's World Cup.

The first soccer World Cup Finals tournament was hosted by Uruguay in 1930 and has also been held quadrennially ever since (the only break being between 1938 and 1950 ...