It's Ok to admit you hate what you don't understand.
There are many professional athletes who credit soccer as the reason for their success in other sports. One I see all the time is the reigning (soon to be 2-time) NBA MVP, Steve Nash. Many of the foreign born baseball players also credit soccer for their improved footwork.
It's the most played game for the under-18 age group in the US and the most watched and played sport in the world. The World Cup is also the most watched sporting event in the world.
As for communist, I seem to think that Castro's favorite game is baseball and the Chinese and Former Soviet Union were not even players on the soccer scene.