Is soccer gaining ground in America?

The conclusion of the Euro 2008 soccer tournament was televised on national TV in the U.S. this weekend, broadcasting on ABC at 2:30 eastern time. With the world's largest sports network, ESPN, beginning to not only broadcast Major League Soccer (U.S.) games but many European league games and international matches, it is looking more and more like the world's most popular sport is gaining a foothold here in the United States.

Certainly your average sports fan is paying more attention than ever to the sport, but this doesn't necessarily mean much. Soccer has long been an afterthought for Americans due to its generally slow pace and low-scoring games, not to mention the dreaded ties. All of these aspects are things that American sports have been fighting to avoid for years, from the strict defensive rules imposed in the early '90s by the NBA to allow for more free-flowing, 1-on-1 basketball leading to more scoring, to the NFL's continuing rules changes this decade making it more difficult for defensive backs to hang with speedy receivers, to the NHL's numerous rules changes following the devastating lockout, all aimed at increasing scoring. These rules changes really started, one could argue, in the late 1960s in Major League Baseball when the pitchers' mound was lowered and the strike zone shrunk following a season with record-low scoring totals and the remarkable seasons of starting pitchers Denny McClain of the Tigers (31 wins) and Bob Gibson of the Cardinals (1.12 ERA).

Scoring didn't truly reach the point of mass appeal until the 1990's and the Michael Jordan era in the NBA. In order to further promote the league, Commissioner David Stern decided to take the approach of promoting the game's stars to draw more attention to the sport. While the Larry Birds and Magic Johnsons of the previous decade had drawn significant attention to the sport, it was Jordan that drew in even the most casual of sports fans, the same way Tiger Woods draw even casual sports fans to golf, a game with a history of not connecting particularly well with the average Joe. Jordan brought both national and global attention to the league because of his high-scoring ability and flair for the dramatic, and the other leagues began to take notice.

Further evidence of the U.S.'s desire for scoring and offense came in 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa engaged in a home run duel that lasted throughout the summer with both chasing, and each surpassing, the MLB home run record previously held by Roger Maris. This summer saw what many call the rebirth of the sport that was still reeling from a player strike and the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. This event is also what many believe is the beginning of the Steriod Era in baseball, but the fans flocked to the sport, happy to ignore the signs of cheating to watch the offensive juggernauts at work.

Why am I going through all of this? It allows me to present a simple question: Will soccer ever gain a significant foothold in this country, moreso than just the niche sport that it currently is, without some change that provides for more offense? For years I've thought this sport would gain significant appeal and would increase scoring if it simply removed the offsides rule (or perhaps changed it so that players can only be offsides if they are beyond the goal box). Despite the fact that the 1-0 Spain victory on Sunday was an entertaining game, there is something to be said for the idea that a 1 goal lead is not sufficient for a team to just sit on and expect a victory, or at worst a tie. Yes there will be games where a team may overcome a 2 goal lead, but those instances are so rare, it is difficult for a fan to want to continue watching a game if either team takes a 2 or more goal lead.

So what do you think? Does soccer need to consider rules changes to gain more popularity in one of the world's largest economic markets, or should the game remain as it is and be content to be an afterthought in the U.S. while being number 1 nearly everywhere else?