Retrofluxed
Member
Yeah, my dad is a Liverpool fan and I follow Tottenham.
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Football (Soccer) has so much potential in North America
- Thread starter Realeza
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Yeah, my dad is a Liverpool fan and I follow Tottenham.
[Agent]ZeroNine
Member
Dude. This is the stupidest argument I've had in a long time. Soccer is more popular in Germany than it is in the US. More Germans like Soccer than Americans do. If you can't get your head around that then sorry, I can't really help you out
Try not generalizing and saying something with more substance, then we can talk
Basketball will never become a more important global sport than soccer. One of the things that make soccer so accessible is that everybody can play it, you don't have to be tall (the world's best player is 5'7) and you can play it anywhere.
[Agent]ZeroNine;221315049 said:Try not generalizing and saying something with more substance, then we can talk
Here is another crazy generalization without substance: If you are a human being you are more likely to be a soccer fan than a football fan.
If you are Australian, you are more likely to like Cricket than other sports.
If you are Venezuelan you are more likely to like Baseball than other sports.
If you are Chinese you are more likely to like Table Tennis than other sports.
The wonder of statistics!
Duane Cunningham
Member
I watch PL because it's on Saturday mornings and my kids have never heard of the concept of "Saturday Morning Cartoons" because cartoons are on all the time now. So I usually flip on whatever PL game NBC Sports is showing while I do Saturday morning stuff.
Still haven't picked a team yet, though, and it's been a couple of years now that I've kind of been following them. When I first tuned in, I figured maybe Newcastle since Newcastle beer is good. But it turns out they're not even in it half the time.
Jest Chillin
Member
As much as fans dislike hearing it, the reasoning of "it's boring" is a legitimate reason for many in the US. Golf is similarly less popular than other sports just the same.
This isn't because of a lack of technical knowledge or appreciation but because other sports have more immediate gratification for action.
The one exception to this is baseball but even interest in that sport has waned over time. It really only hangs on due to it's reputation as a national pastime and the tradition of family supporting a team over generations.
There is some incredibly amazing play in Soccer/Futbol that anyone watching would appreciate but it happens too seldom on average. Combine that with rules that are a bit more unique to this sport (Overrage instead of clock stops, intricacy of foul/cards) and the overselling of fouls/injuries and it's hard to grab a US viewer in one or two watches.
This isn't because of a lack of technical knowledge or appreciation but because other sports have more immediate gratification for action.
The one exception to this is baseball but even interest in that sport has waned over time. It really only hangs on due to it's reputation as a national pastime and the tradition of family supporting a team over generations.
There is some incredibly amazing play in Soccer/Futbol that anyone watching would appreciate but it happens too seldom on average. Combine that with rules that are a bit more unique to this sport (Overrage instead of clock stops, intricacy of foul/cards) and the overselling of fouls/injuries and it's hard to grab a US viewer in one or two watches.
Really dude? The American soccer thread is a place to post about things that have to do with North American soccer (US/Canadian national teams and MLS)... its not a "circlejerk"
I get you don't like soccer and that's fine. But no need to be insulting and call us out like that. We talk about both the positive and negative things with the sport here in North America.
edit: Also OP you should come post in our thread! We don't have too many Sounders fans on there surprisingly
truth
Dr Campino
Member
Wow, two multi-page threads about MLS in a matter of days. We really are gaining mindshare.
And soon you'll likely be going to USL games to see them.
Wow. What gripping scenes.
Don't be dense.
If you paid attention to the nuance of the reaction in the gif, it is meant to be reflecting my reaction to the absurd notion that football (Sawkerr) is boring.
How does that League compare to NASL?
FortuneFaded
Member
Oh absolutely. Football is a great game. It's unfortunate that so much about the professional nature of modern football is so... well... shite.
I see it as Central America
DecoReturns
Member
Mexico is North America.
Always has been. Even in Soccer it's recognize as North America.
Dr Campino
Member
It's not bad, decently comparable to NASL. Certainly a more stable foundation than NASL, without the delusions of first division status.
The MLS second teams play there, for example the NY Red Bulls II just won the USL Cup over Swope Park Rangers, the Sporting KC reserve team. You guys beat FC Cincinnati in the US Open Cup, they're in USL. So depending on your roster turnover, you may be a decently positioned side in USL.
You see it wrong.
You haven't been introduced to the lunacy that is "The special one".
Jack Scofield
Member
This stuff is honestly why I don't watch soccer. I get all excited during the big games (like with the World Cup), but the instant a player flops, I'm completely taken out of it. It's completely ridiculous and I wish they implemented some sort of ban. However, it seems to be so deeply ingrained and apparently fans have no problems with it.
Central America includes very few countries.
If this is the sole reason why you don't watch then honestly, you're missing out because there are rules against simulation. The above gif occurred during the celebration of a goal and as embarrassing as it is for those players, throwing objects is stupid of the Valencia fans.
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
Honestly, I think a big (but not sole) reason soccer is so unwatched to Americans is that that the game never got popular at the college level.
Ignoring MLB (which grew on its own even if the college game I'd midly popular in its own respect), one of the big reasons the NBA and NFL are even popular is because the college game popularized the sport so much. I think some people like talk about point ti the atmosphere and rivalries of pro European and Latin American soccer and that American pro sports are mild in comparison, but they forget that those same viscous rivalries exist at the college level, which in the case of college football is way more popular than the NFL, instead.
Then look at the smallest of the Big Four of American sports: the NHL. Hockey's collegiate game is basically non-existant popularity wise. Again, I'm not saying that's the sole reason, but collegiate sports are incredibly integral to the popularity of sports in the US. Collegiate soccer is really, really bad, so until that improves, the MLS is never gonna have a dearth of talent or eyeballs, imo.
Ignoring MLB (which grew on its own even if the college game I'd midly popular in its own respect), one of the big reasons the NBA and NFL are even popular is because the college game popularized the sport so much. I think some people like talk about point ti the atmosphere and rivalries of pro European and Latin American soccer and that American pro sports are mild in comparison, but they forget that those same viscous rivalries exist at the college level, which in the case of college football is way more popular than the NFL, instead.
Then look at the smallest of the Big Four of American sports: the NHL. Hockey's collegiate game is basically non-existant popularity wise. Again, I'm not saying that's the sole reason, but collegiate sports are incredibly integral to the popularity of sports in the US. Collegiate soccer is really, really bad, so until that improves, the MLS is never gonna have a dearth of talent or eyeballs, imo.
I learned something today. Thanks for pointing it out.
Ah I see. Now that i look up the news I saw the Rowdies owner had invited officials from USL to one of the games.
Also, some simulations are just too funny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sivjWuybfrY
Or this beauty
makingmusic476
Member
I grew to like soccer as I developed a better understanding of the physicality, strategy, and rules of it all.
I feel like a lot of the people that shrug and say it's boring might not understand much of that, and probably don't realize how much properly understanding the rules and appreciating the strategies of other sports plays into their liking of those sports, because it's something they grew up with.
I think younger generations of Americans that grew up playing soccer won't think it's "boring" like their elders, and I think that's a trend that can be seen in the demographics that watching MLS.
I feel like a lot of the people that shrug and say it's boring might not understand much of that, and probably don't realize how much properly understanding the rules and appreciating the strategies of other sports plays into their liking of those sports, because it's something they grew up with.
I think younger generations of Americans that grew up playing soccer won't think it's "boring" like their elders, and I think that's a trend that can be seen in the demographics that watching MLS.
I can't take a sport seriously when people are constantly pretending to flop around on the ground in pain after someone breaths on them. That bullshit should get people fined and/or suspended. It's embarrassing.
The majority of kids I grew up with played soccer, including myself. The premise is extremely simple to understand, so that's why most kids start with soccer. But most end up in other sports later on.
The majority of kids I grew up with played soccer, including myself. The premise is extremely simple to understand, so that's why most kids start with soccer. But most end up in other sports later on.
Dr Campino
Member
I would wager that a focus on college soccer would hinder development of American talent if we want to produce world-class players. By the time players graduate, they're getting their first professional minutes where others have 5 years of pro experience under their belts.
More MLS clubs are forming academies, and that's the ticket. Find young talent and give them meaningful minutes, and then you get bigger clubs noticing these kids, like Alphonso Davies (15 years old in Vancouver) getting looks from Europe. With a proven pipeline, then kids can work into MLS rosters and who knows where else. Then this strengthens the national team as well.
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
Sure that can absolutely improve the talent pool, but I don't see soccer academies doing much to bring the sport into the American sport psyche the way college rivalries could.
I think it also ignores that high school > college > pros is not necessarily an inherently ineffective pipeline either for talent in other sports.
Jest Chillin
Member
I don't think this really affects popularity. Every major sport in every country has fans that understand the intricacy and strategy but also have a great chunk of fans that have a relatively superficial understanding of the sport. The Casual to the Enthusiast, if you will.
The issue of popularity in the US is that the sport hasn't grabbed a large enough amount of that casual viewerbase.
It's a moot point if there aren't many fans who follow it. College soccer is okay, women's soccer is excellent at the college level but outside of a couple of programs you hardly see anyone out there supporting the team. It simply is not part of the American culture/college experience. Hopefully this will change with time.
StanleyStutters
Member
I could never really get into the sport. I watch the World Cup and try a New England Revolution game every now and then, but it just never sticks with me. Just not my cup of tea, I suppose.
I admit the sport seems to be growing here in the states in recent years. Though, I think some posters raised some good points about ad revenue. I never looked at it that way, but most networks aren't gonna broadcast a sport where they can't milk it for all the commercial cash they can.
I admit the sport seems to be growing here in the states in recent years. Though, I think some posters raised some good points about ad revenue. I never looked at it that way, but most networks aren't gonna broadcast a sport where they can't milk it for all the commercial cash they can.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
Is that from the maker of this legend?
Still the only good one of these. The rest are mostly overdone effects to hide the bad looking flash animations.
Dr Campino
Member
High school > college > pros is an established and solid pipeline for other sports, but they're not playing catch-up with the rest of the world in those sports. That puts the Americans at a disadvantage on the world stage if everyone else gets a head start.
People will watch top talent, however it comes about. If that's through a college program, great. But I think there's a better chance of an "American Messi" through youth academies than the college game, and if there's a few of those produced, then people will want to watch. Maybe even as an "us against the world" kind of thing, too.
I don't care about MLS in the slightest but I do enjoy watching some of the world cup matches. Not sure what MLS would need to do in order to convert me from a barely a soccer fan into watching MLS. My cousin gets free tickets to Galaxy games so I might take her up on the offer and see where that goes.
MLS under its current pay structure would have an incredibly tough time developing and keeping world class talent.
Really annoying entering a thread and seeing smarmy people trying to derail it.
To that one guy arguing against SilentRob that not all German people like football, the number of attendees at Bundesliga matches in 2015/6 was higher than 10% of the population of Germanyhttp://www.worldfootball.net/attendance/bundesliga-2015-2016/1/ Is that enough evidence to prove that Germans generally like football? And this is only one of the football leagues in Germany, although admittedly the top one.
Back to the topic at hand, I think the MLS needs more leagues with more teams and leagues plus promotion and relegation. This could be achieved by making leagues with the college teams that could be promoted to the MLS. The franchises would hate it, but imagine a college/uni team of youngsters getting promoted to the MLS and playing LA Galaxy. That's a great fairytale story potentially in the making!
To that one guy arguing against SilentRob that not all German people like football, the number of attendees at Bundesliga matches in 2015/6 was higher than 10% of the population of Germanyhttp://www.worldfootball.net/attendance/bundesliga-2015-2016/1/ Is that enough evidence to prove that Germans generally like football? And this is only one of the football leagues in Germany, although admittedly the top one.
Back to the topic at hand, I think the MLS needs more leagues with more teams and leagues plus promotion and relegation. This could be achieved by making leagues with the college teams that could be promoted to the MLS. The franchises would hate it, but imagine a college/uni team of youngsters getting promoted to the MLS and playing LA Galaxy. That's a great fairytale story potentially in the making!
You can't be that dumb. The best baseball players in the world play in the MLB, not for Team USA.
TV ratings say otherwise. And that's where we know the money is made.
I mean, you've seen American Football, right?
Dr Campino
Member
For sure, fortunately it's always evolving. Geoff Cameron, for example, went to college, was drafted into MLS and went from Houston to Stoke City, and has over 130 appearances since 2012 there.
Then there's DeAndre Yedlin, as a more recent example. He played two years in college and then went to Seattle for MLS, signed as a homegrown and not drafted. He caught the attention of Tottenham and now plays for Newcastle, after a loan to Sunderland where he helped keep them in the Premier League.
Dallas has the right idea, they signed their 15th homegrown player in September. They're also the top team in the league this year.
I'm also not calling Yedlin world class, but I would say he wouldn't be where he is without playing in MLS. And I do believe he was a fan favourite in Seattle.
I think players like Yedlin making a move over to good European clubs will help raise the profile of MLS, including with the American viewing public.
GifGafIsTheBestGaf
Member
when the WC happens in the USA i bet shit is gonna grow even more (specially if the team does a good job)
Jest Chillin
Member
I don't think that Youth Academies vs College Teams is that different developmentally. After all the US sees uniquely gifted youths in other sports that use the High School>College pipeline. I think the key x factor is emulation of superstars from an early level. This is most apparent in US sports with Basketball but is probably true of Hockey as well (I'm not familiar enough to say for certain).
But this would require Soccer's popularity to increase so visibility in the US increases. Then you'll have kids emulating Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldiño, etc...
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