Man, I really cannot stand soccer. Maybe it’s fun to play, but it’s God-awful to watch. I’ve given it so many attempts, between World Cup matches and Olympic matches, and it’s just the most boring sport I’ve ever tried.

I won’t deny that the players are amazing athletes. They do things with their feet that I can’t do with my hands. They run a lot and have to be both quick and have the endurance to make it through a whole match.

Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today that FC Cincinnati will be an expansion team in their league starting in 2019. FC Cincinnati has been around for a couple years now and regularly outdraws the Cincinnati Reds. There are bars here in town almost wholely dedicated to them, and many bars open early in the mornings for fans of European soccer to go party. I really do see as many people where the FC blue and orange attire as I do Bengals or Reds gear. It’s shocking.

None of this should be a surprise. Youth soccer has been popular for at least 30 years. Parents today don’t want their baby boys to get their heads busted playing football, so they opt for soccer. Baseball participation has become built upon travel select teams with kids playing year round, which basically forces it to be a middle-class game only.

So now we have a 3rd major professional team here in the city. I still doubt I’ll ever go to a game, unless someone hands me a free ticket. Good for the city and the fans, but I’ll spend my money at the Reds games.