FILLING EMPTY TV HOURS EVEN TURNED UFC AND POKER INTO POPULAR SPORTS:

America Loves $occer: On the eve of the World Cup, soccer is riding a wave of popularity in the U.S. Corporate America is right behind (Brian Finkel, 6/08/10, Business Week)

It's easy to point to Major League Soccer research indicating that 90 million Americans identify themselves as soccer fans, or that the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn. lists soccer as the second-most-played team sport in the country. Or even that bars in Washington, D.C., will open at 7 a.m. so people can watch World Cup matches.

But to really appreciate the growth of soccer in America, follow the money at the Beautiful Game(s).

More than 25 billion sets of eyes worldwide are expected to watch the 64 World Cup matches. No country paid more for the tournament's TV rights than the red, white, and blue. ABC/ESPN and Univision put together a joint bid worth $425 million for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, marking the biggest TV deal in the 106-year history of the sport's governing body, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The bid represented a 120 percent increase from the previous deals the U.S. had made to televise the tournament.

ESPN, the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports," is making the World Cup the network's top priority in 2010. More than 300 staffers are in South Africa geared up to produce 65 hours of live programming, including SportsCenter, the first time ESPN has ever had its flagship show broadcast live from a World Cup site.