Great question. If you were an American kid growing up in the US in the 1970's and '80's, football was considered an exotic import (unlike American college and

Great question. If you were an American kid growing up in the US in the 1970's and '80's, football was considered an exotic import (unlike American college and NFL "football"). Youth leagues were a completely new thing, underfunded, and not that popular. It was even less popular as a sport among adults at the time, so very little advertising dollars Stateside. The big three in the US are baseball, NFL football, and basketball, with hockey coming in second. Soccer is still playing catch-up in the States. It's still nowhere near as popular as it is in Europe or South America. I can remember putting on our Adidas jerseys and shin guards and boots (or maybe Sambas) and practicing "soccer skills" in my yard with friends, and people would actually stop on the street and ask "what game are you playing?" Many adult Americans had never seen a black and white classic Adidas Telstar ball before! Things are a lot better today, of course, with a dramatic increase in youth leagues and FIFA and Premier League viewership. Pelé was a huge part of that popularization because he was the first recognized football superstar in America for those interested in the game.