RESEARCH IN THE HEADLINES: Dr. Rachel Allison
Why does soccer resonate differently in the U.S.?
As global attention turns to the FIFA World Cup taking place in the U.S., and international soccer reaches new heights of popularity, a Mississippi State University researcher is helping explain why the world’s most popular sport occupies a different place in American culture.
Rachel Allison, associate professor in MSU’s Department of Sociology, studies women in elite sport, with a particular focus on professional women’s soccer, fandom and the changing landscape of women’s athletics.
While soccer has long dominated sports culture across much of the world, Allison says its history in the U.S. followed a different trajectory.
“Historically, soccer has been more popular outside of the U.S. because other sports, like football, were developed earlier and by groups with wealth, privilege and social status,” Allison said. “However, it’s not quite true to say that soccer isn’t popular in the U.S. It has been growing rapidly in popularity and consumption over the past few decades, especially among younger groups.”
Allison’s interest in the subject is personal as well as academic. A soccer player from age seven through college, she has watched the sport evolve dramatically for women during her lifetime.
“I’ve always loved soccer, and seeing the sport change so much for women in my lifetime has been a big motivating factor for my research,” she said.
That passion led Allison to receive a FIFA Research Scholarship in 2019 to study fandom at the Women’s World Cup, providing data that now serves as the foundation for much of her recent scholarship.
Her research comes at a pivotal moment for women’s sports.
“Women’s sports have been growing rapidly in the past decade or so,” Allison said. “But women’s sport is not (and should not) always be exactly like men’s sport, and so understanding the uniqueness of women’s sport and its fans is important to supporting continued growth and stability.”
In a recent study published in Soccer & Society, Allison and collaborators examined Americans’ attitudes toward the U.S. Women’s National Team. Using a national survey of more than 2,000 adults, researchers found that public sentiment toward the team is overwhelmingly positive, with more than half of respondents reporting favorable views.
The findings also showed that education, gender and political orientation shape attitudes toward the team more than race or sexuality, suggesting that support for women’s soccer cuts across many demographic groups.
Allison’s work also explores how fandom develops over time. In a 2025 study published in Sociology of Sport Journal, she and her coauthors followed fans from the 2019 and 2023 Women’s World Cups, finding that while identification with women’s soccer remains strong, participation in fan activities often changes alongside people’s careers, families and life circumstances.
Another recent publication, appearing in Men and Masculinities, examined how supporters perceive the increasing presence of men within women’s soccer fandom. The research found that many fans see growing male engagement as a sign that women’s soccer is gaining broader legitimacy and recognition.
Although men’s professional soccer leagues continue to draw larger average crowds in the United States, Allison notes that women’s soccer has experienced steady growth since the launch of the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013.
“If we look at our national soccer teams, then both men’s and women’s teams have very high popularity and following, especially in World Cup or Women’s World Cup years,” Allison said. “The women have sometimes drawn more fans than men, in part because they have been more successful in major international tournaments.”
As soccer’s popularity continues to expand in the U.S., Allison believes women’s soccer offers important insight into how fandom develops, evolves and reshapes the broader sports landscape.
With another Women’s World Cup approaching in 2027, her research suggests that understanding the experiences of women’s sports fans may be key to understanding the future of soccer in America.
Contact Emma Hardy