This newsletter comes out every other Thursday and hopefully provides you with thought-provoking content about the mundane, wacky, and weird. I will be writing until the 75th edition. If you know someone who may enjoy the newsletter, share it with them here.
I hear a scream from the living room. It’s 7am and I had just finished making a round of waffles. I scamper to the living room to catch replays of a 2nd minute missed shot from the top US men’s national player, Christian Pulisic. I have played soccer since I was four but have caught the World Cup frenzy like never before.
Here is a map of the most popular spectator sport in each country.
Soccer is by far and away the most popular sport in the world. The 2022 World Cup final is expected to draw 5 billion viewers. For context, the most recent Super Bowl had 112 million viewers. Meanwhile, soccer is gaining momentum in the states.
📈 Demographics
Soccer is the 4th most popular sport in the US behind football, basketball, and baseball and ahead of ice hockey. Soccer will soon become the 3rd most popular sport in America ahead of baseball. This graphic shows the sports gaining the most traction in the US.
Soccer and basketball are the only major sports that have an inherent media advantage. Put simply, their star players faces aren’t covered up while they play. That’s one reason that soccer and basketball athletes are the most followed on social media.
Roughly half of soccer fans in America are Millennials. Coupled with Gen Z, you get nearly 70% of soccer fans in American are younger than 40 years old. This is a great sign for the continued growth and interest the sport here in the U.S. Compare that with baseball, where half of the fans are over the age of 55 and white.
Also, 57% of Hispanics (the fastest growing demographic) in the US consider themselves fans of soccer. Among Hispanic fans polled, having their country win the World Cup ranks second in important life events, ahead of getting married or landing a dream job. Only falling short to the birth of a child. US soccer fans are young and diverse. With the internet people can now access content anytime, anywhere, and the “world’s game” is making its way to Americans.
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the main US soccer league and has grown significantly in the past 25+ years. On the left is the founding 10 teams in 1996. On the right are the current 28 teams.
MLS used to be seen as a joke of a league, but is now the 6th most popular league in the world, ahead of the French and Italian leagues. It also has 3 straight years of record breaking attendance.
It’s not just the domestic teams that people are watching, but the big European leagues. According to Paul Tenorio from The Athletic, “We can turn on games on a Saturday morning and watch games from the Premier league, the Bundesliga, and La Liga and aren’t subject to blackout periods” where locals can’t watch the game on the television. Plus, social media makes it easy to stay up to date on all of the highlights and storylines from abroad.
Television and e-sports plays an important role in the growth of soccer. The FIFA video game has provided an important gateway and is the second most popular sports game in the US behind Football’s Madden video game series.
In 2013, NBC paid $250 million for the right to air England’s Premier League (EPL). In 2021, NBC paid the EPL $2.7 billion for another 6 years. Apple and MLS recently agreed to a 10-year $2.5 billion agreement to stream all MLS games through Apple TV+.
This deal is a big win for MLS. They can invest in development and pay more to lure the best players. It also makes it easier for fans to follow along for the entire season. Historically, the games have been fragmented across various regional and national broadcasts. Now with Apple streaming all of the games, I can follow my local San Jose Earthquakes and the new Charlotte FC team.
NBC and Apple are seeing the writing on the wall. Soccer content is a growing business and a lot of that growth is coming from the USA. Americans love our sports and spend more than any other country, playing, betting and watching sports. As more eyeballs turn to soccer, so do our wallets and investments in the game.
World Cup
While national soccer leagues keep us entertained throughout the year, the World Cup is the biggest party with frenzied, passionate, and mostly heartbroken fans. The match between The USA and England a few weeks ago drew over 15 million viewers and that didn’t include people watching at bars or large viewing parties. Here’s Jenny and I getting ready to watch the game at a local pub.
For context, that’s 2.5 million more people than watched the NBA finals last year. Globally, the 2022 World Cup will bring in 5 billion viewers and 2026 is expected to beat that number. The World Cup ignites many people’s interest in soccer. Here’s a group of US fans cheering at this year’s World Cup.
In 2026, the World Cup will be hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with most of the games taking place on American soil. In 1994, America hosted the World Cup with high expectations for converting Americans into soccer fans. Headlines like the NYT’s “World Cup ’94 Awake, America! Let Soccer ring” and others pegged it as a coming out party, but 1994 was a very different world for American soccer. For instance, there was no legitimate professional league. The US Women’s team hadn’t yet arrived on the world stage and there was no way for Americans to watch the best European teams play. American players would have to watch the Premier League by buying season reviews on VHS.
I am excited for the final 10 days of the World Cup and will be sad when it’s over. Let me know if you want to coordinate a party trip for the 2026 world cup on American soil.
Timeless hacks
Sahil Bloom has emerged as one of my favorite writers on business, relationships, and health. He created an e-book with his 50 timeless “hacks”. Here are a few of my favorites:
“Learn one funny or good dance move. When the moment calls, you will be ready for it.”
“Send a physical letter to your future self, once each year on your birthday. You can write it, seal it up and have a loved one put it in the mail a few days before your birthday. Reflect on the present, changes you want to make, and goals for the future”. I had a manager do this once and found it remarkably clarifying. This is a good reminder to do it again.
“When you think something nice about someone, let them know. It’s a shame we often wait until a person’s funeral to say all of the nice things we thought about them.”
Quote I’m considering
“Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.”
-Mike Tyson
How to become a truly excellent gift giver
With gift-giving season upon us, here are 3 questions to ask:
“Can I introduce someone to something they might not otherwise know about?
Can I get them a nicer version of something than they would buy for themselves?
Or can I make them feel seen?”
Pics of the Week
Jenny and I spent Thanksgiving in the Santa Cruz mountains at this magical airbnb. It was one of the first Airbnb’s listed and the owner, Kitty (pictured), is an old-school California hippie. The trails behind the dome and the small town nearby made it the perfect relaxing break.