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One player leaving the MLS makes it a lot less interesting?
I was saying less interesting personalities make it less interesting. Donovan leaving may hurt momentum in a league that has no other household names. Like him or not, most people recognize Brett Favre or at least his name. Chad Ocho Cinco (say no more)... LeBron James - hasn't even won a championship yet. Manny being Manny, Mannywood...
If you want to settle for mediocrity, that's cool. But don't complain about slow or lack of growth and little exposure.
The crowds at MLS games all over the country and mostly Caucasian by a large margin.
Dare I start this argument... It's reasonable... I think that's another big issue with soccer. I'm not seeing many people that look like me out there. That makes it tougher to watch. That's part of why I struggle watching baseball as well. 9% of the rosters are African American. The crowds at the stadium are definitely less than that. Basketball and football are more appealing to African Americans because there are more of us playing it. The NFL and NBA really reach out to those kids. Baseball is trying to, but they ignored it for a long time. And they'd probably rather go for the Latin communities anyway.
Back on soccer, soccer season competes in many areas (at least I know it does in the northeast) with football season. Most African American kids are gonna choose football. So there's a significant number of good athletes not playing soccer. They're on the football track and won't get off. They could play club or winter leagues, but then costs can come into play again...
I've been following soccer since the 1994 world cup, and I can honestly say that I've never seen so many people into the sport like they are now. Even my former soccer basher friends are calling me on a regular basis asking me various questions about the sport; about MLS, the Champions Leage, Premier League, etc... The tv ratings are remarkable to say the least...nearly 70 percent higher than the previous world cup.
So...my question is, are we witnessing a soccer revolution here? Do you think the popularity of MLS and soccer in general is going to be bolstered because of the massive popularity of the world cup? Or, is this just another case of American bandwagonism???
It is this, although I disagree with the way you put it. Look, Americans took a great deal of pride when Spitz and Phelps both dominated at their respective Olympic games. Americans went totally nuts when we beat the Russkies in hockey in 1980. And when some American gymnast wins gold, she is practically guaranteed a lifetime income in endorsements.
However, those didn't translate into a sport becoming popular. I mean, your local swim meet isn't thronged by anything but kids and bored parents. Ice hockey practically needs a bake sale to keep going. And gymnastics is almost never anywhere on the sports radar.
However, I think your use of the word 'bandwagon' reveals a lot about your opinions of your fellow citizens. Just because Americans want to support the national team once every four years doesn't make them shallow or capricious. They just have other sports in their imagination such as football, baseball, basketball, or even hockey--and the World Cup just happens to fall when nothing of much importance is going on elsewhere in the sporting world. Otherwise, asking them to make room in their already sated sports calendar for soccer is a bit much to ask.
However, I think your use of the word 'bandwagon' reveals a lot about your opinions of your fellow citizens. Just because Americans want to support the national team once every four years doesn't make them shallow or capricious. They just have other sports in their imagination such as football, baseball, basketball, or even hockey--and the World Cup just happens to fall when nothing of much importance is going on elsewhere in the sporting world. Otherwise, asking them to make room in their already sated sports calendar for soccer is a bit much to ask.
For some reason, Americans think that other countries only play soccer. That they dont have other sports like we do and that is false. Other countries have plenty of other options but most choose soccer.
Basketball is huge in South America and is played in both Brazil and Argentina.
Basketball is also really big in Italy, reasonably well developed in Spain, France and a few eastern european countries. Even then, the teams are usually offshoots of football clubs.
In the countries where soccer is huge there's really not that many resources put into the development of other sports and when there is it's because it's an offshoot of the local soccer club. FC Barcelona has a basketball team and a baseball team.
In countries where a lot of resources are put into some other sport(s) soccer is on a level playing field or less popular. Think cricket in India, baseball in Japan, hockey in Sweden, football in Australia, etc.
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Other sports that are played worldwide that are more popular than football and baseball: rugby, volleyball, cricket, and others that kids play in other countries.
Since football isn't really played outside of the US and Canada that makes sense. It doesn't make sense when compared to baseball. With the exception of France rugby doesn't have much popularity outside of former British colonies. Cricket even more so. The only reason cricket is remotely big is because India has 1 billion people.
You do realize that we have a large number of legal immigrants from that part of the world? Many illegal immigrants cannot afford tickets to games, cable television, or gear. They arent contributing to the popularity of the sport.
The crowds at MLS games all over the country and mostly Caucasian by a large margin.
I'm in Texas, and this AIN'T Kansas. Here we have way more illegal immigrants. And you answered your own question. Most illegals cannot afford tickets to the games, thus mostly Caucasions are attending. Go to any soccer field in the Dallas area, you will usually find it filled with Mexican men playing (I would venture to say many are illegal). No kids except primarily at schools and on Sat. mornings. The only TV stations around here that carry any regular season games to speak of are the Spanish language stations. Popularity of the sport is not limited to game attendance, since those fans represent a tiny percentage of soccer fans in general.
I'm in Texas, and this AIN'T Kansas. Here we have way more illegal immigrants. And you answered your own question. Most illegals cannot afford tickets to the games, thus mostly Caucasions are attending. Go to any soccer field in the Dallas area, you will usually find it filled with Mexican men playing (I would venture to say many are illegal). No kids except primarily at schools and on Sat. mornings. The only TV stations around here that carry any regular season games to speak of are the Spanish language stations. Popularity of the sport is not limited to game attendance, since those fans represent a tiny percentage of soccer fans in general.
We have a large number of Hispanics in this entire country that are perfectly legal.
By the way, both Dallas and Houston have their regular season games on an English speaking channel. They have to, it is a requirement of MLS. On top of that, the MLS has a National Contract with ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel.
Kids are playing soccer everyday in this country, even in Texas. It has the highest participation in all of youth sports. Dallas is huge in youth soccer.
When I said that games are mostly Caucasian fans, I was trying to make a point that MLS has a primarily white fanbase. Surveys have proven that over and over again. The MLS is slowly gaining more Hispanic fans but they still prefer the Mexican League.
Dare I start this argument... It's reasonable... I think that's another big issue with soccer. I'm not seeing many people that look like me out there. That makes it tougher to watch. That's part of why I struggle watching baseball as well. 9% of the rosters are African American. The crowds at the stadium are definitely less than that. Basketball and football are more appealing to African Americans because there are more of us playing it. The NFL and NBA really reach out to those kids. Baseball is trying to, but they ignored it for a long time. And they'd probably rather go for the Latin communities anyway.
I don't know what games you've been watching but that's not at all what i've seen. Not in the MLS and certainly not in the world cup.
Baseball rosters might be 9% african american but they're also probably 5% asian and 20% latino (not distinguishing the afro-caribbean players) . . . which would be a much better reflection of the demographic reality of this country as opposed to the polarized sports of hockey and basketball and the close to 50/50 black/white split of the NFL.
Kids should play sports that they like and perhaps because they're good at them - not because other people playing it look like them. Playing soccer on the weekends with a bunch of Mexicans and Ecuadorians has never bothered me. Now i can curse in Spanish with the best of them.
I think maybe it's a different can of worms. Until a few months ago we were the only white family on our block in a neighborhood that's maybe 15% white. It's a diverse place that no one ethnic group dominates but people often come to me for what I gather to be "the white perspective" on sports, current events, cultural stuff, etc. A lot of the kids, especially the black kids, have a hard time getting their heads around the idea that black people are only about 12% of the population. I know the reasons why and I understand them but their expectations for leaving the neighborhood or the city - that there will be a lot of people just like them wherever they go - doesn't help them much as they move into adulthood.
I don't know what games you've been watching but that's not at all what i've seen. Not in the MLS and certainly not in the world cup.
Baseball rosters might be 9% african american but they're also probably 5% asian and 20% latino (not distinguishing the afro-caribbean players) . . . which would be a much better reflection of the demographic reality of this country as opposed to the polarized sports of hockey and basketball and the close to 50/50 black/white split of the NFL.
Kids should play sports that they like and perhaps because they're good at them - not because other people playing it look like them. Playing soccer on the weekends with a bunch of Mexicans and Ecuadorians has never bothered me. Now i can curse in Spanish with the best of them.
I think maybe it's a different can of worms. Until a few months ago we were the only white family on our block in a neighborhood that's maybe 15% white. It's a diverse place that no one ethnic group dominates but people often come to me for what I gather to be "the white perspective" on sports, current events, cultural stuff, etc. A lot of the kids, especially the black kids, have a hard time getting their heads around the idea that black people are only about 12% of the population. I know the reasons why and I understand them but their expectations for leaving the neighborhood or the city - that there will be a lot of people just like them wherever they go - doesn't help them much as they move into adulthood.
I'm with RyDizzle23 on this... Soccer doesn't appeal to African American kids... It appeals to black kids of other nations but not the US. Our interest is in Football and Basketball ans possibly baseball. But never soccer. Think about the black kids that play big time soccer. Most of them are immigrant black families... The truth hurts sometimes and the black communities are not buying soccer. So soccer will always lose out on many of the best available athletes. plain and simple...
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