I should start off this piece by stating that the July 12th final between France and Brazil was one of the top three athletic events that I have ever witnessed--and not just because France won. Considering that I started watching sports on TV when I was about 4, and that was about 46 years ago, this assessment is pretty significant.

For sure, the play-by-play was much more exciting on Univision than ABC, so I switched between the two networks. Also, Univision has Andreas Cantor, and DOESN'T have Brent Musberger--possibly the most overrated and overpaid figure in the history of broadcasting. But, I digress.

Just why is soccer not popular in this country?

I dealt with the lack of scoring and no breaks for commercials in another column, but let's expand the discussion. Baseball, formerly America's pastime, is not usually very exciting to watch. Yes, there is scoring, but don't you find it ironic that the most common ways that offense is generated are impossible to defend?

The vast majority of hits drop into the zone between the infield and outfield, and the home run, of course, goes outside the park. Aggressive base running, the only other option, can be exciting, but does not occur very frequently, at all.

Exceptional defensive efforts are rare. Indeed, a double play occurs more as a function of the position of men on base, and where the ball is hit, than by any factor controlled by the players.

Face it. Most of baseball is watching players perform reactive tasks for three hours or more. The only player directly in control of his destiny is the pitcher. Few are the batters who can hit "anything." Most high average hitters have exceptional eyes for what pitch would be called a strike, and pick and choose their targets well. In these cases, they walk often, thus lowering their at bats.

As for football, true excitement happens only when a team is coming from behind, and then usually in the last two minutes. For every break away play, there are 20 dull workmanlike downs. Fans often ask why the entire game can't be played like a two minute drill.

OK. Enough about the successful sports. Back to soccer.

Assuming that commercials could be aired over live continuous play, it comes down to stereotypes and familiarity. For the boomer generation, and beyond, perhaps the most damage that has been done to soccer has been perpetrated by the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), which has done its best to portray soccer as a sort of flower child-it-doesn't-matter-who-wins type of endeavor.

Never mind that soccer ALWAYS produces more injuries than other youth sports, this "genteel" image is devastating as well as completely inaccurate. Whereas soccer is correctly referred to as the gentleman's contact sport, the petticoat variety being peddled by AYSO has done much to turn off most Americans. Worse, a child raised on AYSO is in for a very rude awakening once he starts playing at the high school level.

If televising every World Cup game did only one thing, let's hope it showed AYSO kids that what they have been playing is not soccer.

With any luck, the sport's popularity will finally increase DESPITE AYSO.