I saw a little kid accurately dressed as Aaron Judge with the haircut for Halloween tonight and it was a bit moving as a baseball fan. It was more an excuse for dressing up as his idol vs a costume.

I think soccer is a great sport, but there's just not a lot of room for it the US' media, attention span, and/or hearts. It doesn't get nearly as much coverage to grow in that respect either, sadly. It's a healthy sport though and great challenge for stamina, speed and agility.

As you said, it seems to be much more popular and rewarded around the world, as many of those countries don't have anywhere near the baseball / football / basketball / hockey presence combined... or even many of those sports at all. The US is oversaturated and kids are raised to play the more common sports (while I feel that they try soccer out and then probably get conflicted with other sports to give it up, or just hating all of the running).

I've been to a few MLS games and enjoy the energy, but I'll admit that it's just not the same for me. It's also hard to follow the game at a stadium unless you've got a seat that has a high enough vantage point. You need depth perception to appreciate the mastery. I've also played some youth soccer too as a goalie, but never fell in love with the sport. Baseball was everything, and still is.