Why is soccer not more popular in the us?

As a child, up through my first year of college, I played a lot of soccer (to the rest of the world, it's football). Why is soccer not more popular in the US? Honestly, I don't get it.

There are two reasons I see as being potentially the issue:
1) Soccer doesn't have time outs - therefor, it's harder to make money for advertising, and in the world's largest advertising market, this means that the sport will never take off.
2) Americans by & large have a problem with sports not invented here. We, culturally, want to invent it & make up the rules, child like, to have a temporary advantage to things while the rest of the world learns our games.

Other ideas, or is one of my two theories correct? Are we all "children" here, who want to make up the rules so we can win - or does the media control things so tightly that if what you do doesn't enable them to make money, it will never "work" on a massive scale?

I think it's simply soccer is 'the new kid on the block' here...it doesn't have established traditions/hero's like our other sports...if it continues to grow, someday it may reach that popularity level...more emergence of superstars like Mia Hamm (now retired) might accelerate that growth

u think its just because not many people like sovver...I for example dont like soccer but LOVE badminton and badminton isnt popular either because people dont really like it and also there isnt a big audience that shout and stuff in badminton hope I helped

I just don't think it can hold a candle to football here in the states. Football practically rules the US. Go Cowboys. lol

No offense to the soccer players out there, just stating facts.

I think its because Americans are not really good at football and thats why they don't play it... I think that americans want to create everything, like they changed the nmame to soccer which is stupid

the 1 word answer to this question is "Brazil" .

I think things like american football (everyone else's soccer), are contact sports as is hockey in a sene and I think people honestly enjoy watching the fights and baseball is america's game honestly and basketball has become popular with stars like michael jordan, magic johnson, and movies like space jam making american kids more interested in it, whereas you dont see a lot of that with soccer (football) and soccer is one of those sports kids play when theyre young then give up when theyre older. I played soccer (football) for eight years and loved it, but I had to quit becaue the local league fell apart. I think it is also like amblessed said, newer.

You know ringleader8 I happen to know a ton about soccer and I know a lot of people who play soccer and theay are not kids. And any ways not to be mean or any thing but I dont think that what you said is true. I love soccer its like my life. In fact me as an american I play for edina soccer club and we have so many good players that we need to have 2 C1 team. Ok awnsering the quition sorry if I was kinda being mean.
I think that it is just because in like Minisota it snows so we have less time to practice unlike brazil its always hot there. And for other states American's like high scoring sport, soccer is very low scoring and here is a good website http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_soccer_not_more_popular_in_the_US Thanks

I think that Americans don't like it when they cant physically see the progress being made. In football you gain or loose yards or you get a score. In basketball there is a lot of scoring, and in baseball you can see the progress being made in the ball strikes and runs. In football (soccer) there can be a lot of great passing, great chances, and great skill and you could still get a score of 0-0 or 1-0. Unless you understand and accept that great play doesn't always lead to a score your bound to find soccer boring, which most Americans do.