Other sports came and went after that, but he never lost interest in soccer. I like the excitement, too, and the stimulation you get out of the game. It's a game that American audiences haven't fully embraced yet. It's so different than other sports Americans stereotypically enjoy, but it really is a beautiful game. Waldorf says other popular American sports provide viewers with frequent, visible signs of achievement or progress.
Soccer can involve long periods of play without a goal.
Once someone grows to know the game, however, he or she can learn to appreciate great plays, passes and saves - the elements that make up the game. A fan also learns to appreciate the skill and mental accomplishment that a good player exhibits, Waldorf said. It's just a matter of time before soccer finds a broader audience in the United States, Waldorf said. The children of today will be the fans of tomorrow, and today soccer is second only to baseball in youth participation. As much as Waldorf enjoyed soccer as a boy and teen-ager growing up in Buffalo, N.Y. and Raleigh, N.C., it wasn't until he got on the team at Gannon University in Erie, Penn. that he considered professional play.