I think a good deal of that has to do with how those sports operate at the youth level, and how accessible they are.
Let’s break down those series’ respective sports:
Kuroko and Slam Dunk: Basketball
ES21: American Football
Captain Tsubasa: Soccer
Haikyuu: Volleyball
The first 3 are sports that have strong youth competitions and a lot of pipelines to a professional career. That’s what makes them very popular in the west, because any kid can try out those sports even when you don’t have a lot of money. All you need is a ball, toss them around with your friends, and see if you’ve got a knack for it. Then you try out your luck in youth competitions and see where it takes you.
Volleyball might not be quite as popular the other 3, but it’s still got its following at the University level, at least to my knowledge. Lately though, I’m detecting a uptick of interest in the sport. Perhaps Haikyuu has contributed to that however minimal. But most of all, it’s also as accessible as the other 3.
Another important thing to note is, those sports have strong infrastructures in place in the west, with professional teams often offering youths a chance to join their youth teams through scouting. That strong infrastructure in place is also why those sports are attractive to youths in the west, as it provides them a chance at a professional career doing what they love.
Aside from all that, it also boils down to one thing: Money. It doesn’t cost a lot of money in equipment and logistics for people to dive into those sports. One interesting exception to note is Soccer. In the U.S. In other parts of the world, you’d see kids around the corner playing the game, regardless of their socioeconomic status. But Soccer in the U.S. is an exception to that. (It’s also why their Men’s team haven’t had a lot of luck at the W.C.)
I suggest reading this article from Henry Bushnell to learn why that is the case in the U.S. It’s pretty eye-opening, mind you:
Soccer, in its purest form, is the most accessible and racially diverse team sport in the world. But American soccer is not. It’s disproportionately white and upper-middle-class.
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