Warning: you're about to be told "Americans don't like soccer"

I don’t usually defend soccer – because I just don’t care who likes it and who doesn’t.

Generally, I think life is too short to deal with the negative Nellies and the fearful, who can’t stand when you don’t like what they like. If that describes you, straighten up. Worry about yourself – because you need some work, holmes.

But I have to say something in this moment, as it’s a difficult moment for soccer supporters. Now is the time when the soccer haters in big media will try to protect their place in it all by saying things like, “It’s over! We can all forget about soccer again.” And the old, tired war-horse refrain of, “Nobody cares about soccer.”

This will mostly be the cry of the old-school media types – the guys who are aging and fading, or guys who really aren’t “major market,” but want to be.  It’s like (and I’ve made this analogy before) the guys in high school who really aren’t cute or clever but try desperately to be so.

Generally, they hate the World Cup buzz because they don’t like to talk about soccer. They aren’t experts at it, so better to pretend that no one else likes it than to be anything less than an authority.

So they play to their limited audience.  Sigh.  Again, we should probably just let ‘em.

Or, maybe you can send ‘em this: If you say “Americans don’t like soccer,” then you’re being either obtuse (at best) or racist (at worst). Because there are millions of legal, immigrant Americans who love the sport. Period.

Otherwise, if you say “Americans don’t like soccer,” then you’re also just out of touch (at best) or plain stupid (at worst.) Because 15 million or so will watch the final in the United States in two weeks. That’s pretty salty.

No, it’s not anywhere near NFL-level popularity. It’s not baseball or basketball, either. Not even close.

But it doesn’t need to be. It’s just soccer. The major property here, Major League Soccer, has an ever growing awareness – but miles to go before it gets anywhere close to the three biggies. (Hockey on the other hand …) But that’s fine. Don’t look at MLS and say “Americans don’t like soccer.”  That’s like looking at independent films and their somewhat narrow appeal and declaring “Americans don’t like movies!” Which, of course, would be quite imbecilic.

It’s soccer. It is what it is. It doesn’t need to be bigger than it is now. It’s OK to be Apple in a Microsoft world.

This is just a warning to stay away from the talk radio, the small minded and the ninnies for a couple of days – because they are going to try to tell you otherwise.