Why America Sucks in Soccer: In Photographs (football, popularity, league)
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I hate to keep stating the obvious here. But even if you were the biggest fan of soccer in the country, you'd have to acknowledge that soccer is just a distant also-ran in terms of team sports in the United States. Football, baseball, basketball, and even hockey way outdraw it. Given that people have been trying to make a go of professional soccer in the United States for decades and are still rewarded with miserable viewership and attendance should say everything. And that is not going to change. Not in our lifetime. Not in our grandchildren's.
And if soccer doesn't occupy sufficient share of mind in our sporting imagination that means it doesn't occupy a similar place in that of our athletes.
Except when a European team or another national team comes to the US to play a friendly. Then, even the average dumbass American falls all over themselves to get to one of those games! And they fork over big bucks to see it too! Just goes to show you what well played soccer and real soccer players could do for the sport if we had that on a regular basis.
Yeah, but I think the rapid rises of football and basketball stem from a unique historical event: The introduction of television. Both are sports that are tailor-made for television in a way that baseball or even soccer are not. I realize we could argue this point all day, but both are just more telegenic sports in the opinion of viewing audiences. That would explain why, comparatively speaking, football and basketball enjoy good Nielsen ratings while soccer does not.
That's true. But I guess my broader point was that perceptions can change radically in a relatively short period of time. When I was growing up, I never considered basketball a "black" sport per se. My first basketball goal was a "Larry Bird Jammer" LOL. It was a game of short, tight shorts that had a large number of black players, but not the overwhelming cultural influence in the black community that it has today. Even Kirk Hinrich says it's a "black" sport. He said he listened to Biggie and Tupac during layup drills in high school LOL.
If basketball can capture the imagination of so many people in a couple of decades, I don't see why soccer can't do the same.
William Rhoden, a columnist for the New York Times, wrote about the cultural shift in sports in his book "40 Million Dollar Slaves." It's an interesting read.
Yes, seriously. And most of the WORLDS most highly paid athletes play soccer in Europe, hello. The point of this thread is kind of WHY soccer sucks in the US. Beckham and a HANDFULL of designated players are recruited from Europe to come and play in the US. Yes, they are paid pretty well. They have come from Europe, played there and trained there. That's why they are so good! The two cultures are DIFFERENT, that is the point.
I'm not sure what's so laughable about my statement. It's true, the majority, or at least MANY, MANY people in the US do not appreciate soccer or think that it is an acceptable sport for their kids to play. Or, they are just not familiar with it and don't take the time or interest in learning about it. Thus their children are pushed in the direction of the sports that are typically American. This is the premise of the thread: why America sucks at soccer, which is twofold. It is not appreciated and encouraged, and there are really no good training programs in this country.
Don't get all touchy because I think soccer is superior to other sports. I know, the truth hurts....
beckham was brought over because of the glam factor he brings , beckham is a brand , im not sure what americans think of him but while he was a good player , he was nowhere near a great player , were he not so good looking or married to a spice girl , he would not have the success he does , i can think of plenty of english players let alone international ones who are much more talented
More than likely fewer as instead of playing on sand and concrete in their neighbourhoods with their t-shirts down as goalposts and ''fooling around'' and working on their skill and not taking it seriously they would probably have leagues and be concentrating on winning ''at any means necessary'' and lose some of their technique they gained from just playing for fun this is the problem my country had. I take you back to my earlier post -
Since we have started to make our youth concentrate on winning instead of expressing themselves and playing for fun, even at under 12 games parents and coaches shout, swear and fight all for a bunch of kids playing football.
In the 60s/70s and 80s before this win at all costs attitude came along Scotland produced great, skillful players because the youth played like the Brazilians, Argentines and Spainairds - on the street having a laugh and seeing who can do the best skill moves and beat the most players.
im begining to wonder if scotland has suffered for the same reasons as ireland this past twenty years , in the eighties , thier were any amount of scottish players in the liverpool , arsenal and other top teams , ireland to a lesser degree had players playing at the top end of the top flight aswell , the advent of the premeir league saw a huge increase in foreign players and all of a sudden , scouts placed less emphasis on travelling to ireland for players , would i be right in saying the same thing happened with scotland
I hate to keep stating the obvious here. But even if you were the biggest fan of soccer in the country, you'd have to acknowledge that soccer is just a distant also-ran in terms of team sports in the United States. Football, baseball, basketball, and even hockey way outdraw it. Given that people have been trying to make a go of professional soccer in the United States for decades and are still rewarded with miserable viewership and attendance should say everything. And that is not going to change. Not in our lifetime. Not in our grandchildren's.
And if soccer doesn't occupy sufficient share of mind in our sporting imagination that means it doesn't occupy a similar place in that of our athletes.
Uh, you do realize that Major League Soccer has a higher attendance average than both the NBA and NHL?
"Average attendance for the 18 clubs rose 7.2 percent to 17,872 spectators a game this season, surpassing the league’s previous record of 17,406, which was set during its inaugural season in 1996. The league’s lowest attendance came in 2000 when it averaged just 13,756 fans. Since 2007, its average has consistently stayed between 16,000 and 17,000. The strong showing at the gate brought MLS’s average above the most recent seasons for both the NHL (17,132) and NBA (17,323)."
Miserable attendance? Several MLS teams sell out every single game and several others have a season ticket holder waiting list. My team has an attendance average higher than stadium capacity. If you want tickets to a game, you have to buy them several weeks in advance. The few teams struggling and holding the attendance average from being up to 20k are because they do not have their own stadium yet or poor ownership.
Major League Soccer is the fastest growing sports league in the history of the United States. Not only does all MLS teams have a local contract as well but many have a second local contract for Spanish versions of the broadcast. On top of that they have contracts with ABC/ESPN, CBS/CBS Sports, Telefutura, Fox Soccer, and Galavision for national broadcast.
You should really learn a few facts before posting such non-sense. I find it funny you say my lifetime yet it has already happened.
Several networks are already putting together large bids to get the top TV contract when those contracts mentioned before end in 2014. The money received is expected to be up around what the NBA and NHL are receiving per game.
Except when a European team or another national team comes to the US to play a friendly. Then, even the average dumbass American falls all over themselves to get to one of those games! And they fork over big bucks to see it too! Just goes to show you what well played soccer and real soccer players could do for the sport if we had that on a regular basis.
Have you ever thought that it isnt necessarily the level of soccer but the fact that it may be the only opportunity for those people to see that team play?
For example, let's say Pink Floyd were to re-unite. Wouldnt people be falling all over themselves to get a ticket to see it? Hell, I would shell out a $1000 for that ticket. That doesnt mean that English bands are so much better than American bands but that it is a rare opportunity so it creates higher demand. It's simple economics.
Uh, you do realize that Major League Soccer has a higher attendance average than both the NBA and NHL?
Let's put this in context. A full house of 18,000 fans at Madison Square Garden is a bit different from 18,000 soccer fans at Giants Stadium. Basketball has lower average attendance than soccer simply because the venues are smaller.
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