Joe Rogan has explained why soccer isn't as popular in the USA compared to other sports such as basketball, baseball and American football.
In the past, many have argued that soccer isn't mainstream in America because the continuous clock doesn't allow for much commercial time, which effectively prevents advertising.
The most popular sports in the United States, like basketball and baseball, are heavily commercial-based programming as they are typically convenient based on the amount of breaks taken.
A study from WSN found basketball was the biggest culprit when it comes to commercials. In fact, a typical viewer will spend 32 per cent of the time watching ads vs. 36 per cent watching the game.
Advert
Soccer, on the other hand, has the least amount of ads, with fans spending 86 per cent of the time spent watching the game actually being played.
Soccer fans are forced to spend just seven per cent of their time watching commercials during the half-time break, which brings us onto Rogan's argument.
Rogan believes American television is yet to adapt to a sport that is broadcast without as many commercial breaks.
Speaking on the The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, he explained: “One of the reasons why it’s not good for television in America is because they don’t take breaks.
"It’s not like, you know, you have to stop, ‘we’ll be right back’ or ‘we’re back with commercials’, Pizza Hut, and all that sh**... that’s how you fund television, you need commercials.
He added: "[In other sports] there are timeouts. There are things that happen where you get little breaks, but soccer just goes on and on and on."
Rogan did, however, voice his appreciation for soccer players in the podcast, shortly after he visited his local team in Austin, Texas.
"Soccer is a particularly difficult sport in terms of your cardiovascular function," he said. "Those guys are in insane shape. You have to be. The amount of strain [on your body]. They're sprinting.
"Austin has a soccer league, and I went to see it live. These guys have thoroughbred legs. They are in insane shape. As a person who works out, watching the demand that's required to the body, to be able to perform that way, sprinting constantly... I was really impressed."
Topics: Joe Rogan
Jack Kenmare