For the most part, I would say that I am a fan of sports in general.  I'm a die hard football fan, follower of baseball as well as basketball, love college football, and watch NHL on occasion.  

There are some sports that just don't make the cut, or I'm just a casual fan of.  I used to be crazy about wrestling, going back to the WWF days with Hulk Hogan, Junkyard Dog, Macho Man Randy Savage and Andre the Giant.  And following behind it was G.L.O.W. (Y'all remember that?  Tina Ferrari used to kick ####!).  But then, I learned it was staged.  Big disappointment.  I also tried to get into NASCAR racing, but I just don't see it as a sport (another time for that topic), and tennis is okay, but only when the people I like play, like Andy Roddick.

But then there's the one sport I just can't seem to really follow at all.  Soccer.  Or football, as everyone else in the world calls it.  Each year, I try to sharpen my sports skills by following a sport that I wasn't too big on watching.  I started early with  basketball, and I eventualy fell in love with NCAA football, but soccer is just one of those sports that you have to learn to love, being an American.

But has anyone asked, why is it that Americans don't follow football...er, soccer, the way the rest of the world does?  What is it about the sport that has not gotten this country to grasp at it and fall in love the way the rest of the world has?  Better yet, why did we Americans have our own football, one that is a totally different from the "other" sport.  And last but not least, why didn't we get the memo?

They way I see it, Americans like the following sports, in the order I think is most popular:  Football, Basketball, College Football, College Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Tennis.  Soccer seems to be somewhere down the bottom with lacrosse and fishing.  Now, I'm sure there are some of you that actually follow soccer and would disagree.  I respect that.  But how many other Americans feel the same way?

We as Americans love the contact sports.  Football and Basketball are so popular, and a big part of it is probably because of the physical style of play involved.  Baseball is ranked high, simply because at one point, it was America's pasttime, where Football and Basketball were more like social events.

As Americans, we are usually brought into this world, with our parents raising us to root for whoever their favorite team is (or if your my poor child, you have 2 parents who are fans of division rivals. "You're a Ravens fan." "No, you're a Steelers fan.").  You knew by the 3rd grade that the Colts, or the Mariners, or the 76ers were your favorite team.  By high school, you knew just about everyone on the active roster, along with some famous old schoolers.  But how many of you grew up knowing that the DC United, KC Wizards or the Metrostars were your favorite teams?

We are the minority of the world when it comes to Soccer.  We are the only country that hasn't embraced it, woke up to it, died for it, prayed at night for it, or wanted to play it.  How could one sport be so powerful everywhere else, except the richest and most powerful country in the world?

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, did you get the memo?  Cause I sure didn't get it.