The Question: In Europe a soccer match may draw more than 100,000 people but the game has relatively few fans in the U.S. Why?
G. K. (JOE) GUENNEL
Indiana University
Soccer Coach
"Soccer has to compete with big-time sports. It offers neither money nor glory, so incentive is lacking. As long as there is no college soccer, there'll be no high school soccer. There are few first-rate players; so play is inferior. The game needs more scoring, more action for popular appeal."
BOB HENNESSY
University of Pennsylvania
Soccer Captain
"Football, baseball and basketball have had a strong hold on Americans for many years. Soccer has been regarded as a foreign game. Actually, it is international. The current U.S. trend is to accept soccer at school level. As more schools and colleges play, it will become popular."
MIDSHIPMAN JAMES F. PITNEY
U.S. Naval Academy
Soccer Captain
"American boys grow up playing baseball and football. They seldom hear of soccer until high school days. Then a lack of competent coaching breeds disinterest. This, along with sportswriters' lack of knowledge of the game, has kept soccer out of the public eye."
FRED J. PRIDDLE
Stanford University
Soccer Coach
"Soccer has sustained action with few or no delays. Its play patterns are simple and understandable, but it is a foreign game with basic skills different from most sports. It competes with football and, outside of localities where it's played, little effort has been expended in its promotion."
AUGOSTO COSTA
Purdue University
Soccer Captain
"Soccer is an old foreign game. Football is truly American. They are played in the same season, so football predominates. In addition there is a lack of soccer education and publicity, as there is a lack of qualified coaches to teach soccer properly in the grade, junior high and high schools."
NELSON S. WALKE
Brooklyn College
President Intercollegiate Soccer Assn.
"Soccer has to compete with traditional American sports. At one time only Spring field College included soccer in its teacher training program. Thus there was a lack of coaches. Today many schools teach soccer to students majoring in physical education. It's becoming more popular."
HANK DeVINCENT
LaSalle College
Soccer Captain
"One, it is not a national sport. Two, it is little publicized and is comparatively unknown to the public. Three, there is no soccer emphasis among children to get them to play the game. Four, diversification of sports in the U.S., due to seasonal weather, leads most athletes to other games."
BOB DIGRAZIA
University of California
Soccer Coach
"Because of lack of publicity. People like it, but baseball and football attract the big crowds. Americans are not familiar with soccer at an early age. When a boy is ready for sports competition, he is more interested in baseball, football and other sports he knew about in formative years."
TERRY SPRINGTHORPE
Captain, New York
Americans
"There is no backing from the press. Publicity would build stars and develop public interest. Professionals abroad live on their wages. Here they can't. Higher pay would encourage players and coaches to come from Europe. People with money could give soccer the boost it needs."
JACK FLAMHAFT
President, American
Soccer League
"Soccer suffers from an unsympathetic press. Games are grudgingly covered. Yet it can stir its fans to a 'murder and arson' frenzy. In Uruguay fans burned down the stadium when their team lost. A sport that draws 199,000 to a world series match (Brazil, 1950) must present a thrilling spectacle."
ROY A. STAMBAUGH
Ohio State University
Soccer Co-captain
"Soccer is gaining fast in the U.S. Since 1950 the number of collegiate teams in Ohio has increased from two to perhaps a dozen. However, its growth is seriously hindered by the lack of publicity and by the failure of schools to introduce the game through physical education and athletics."
ILLUSTRATION
ELEVEN PHOTOS
NEXT WEEK:
Which make the best officers, those who finish near the top of their college classes, or athletes?