ok, I'm back. I may not post too often, but it will be fun to discuss sports again with you guys. I'm going to start by delivering Kevin with his soccer post I promised over a year ago.
Stadium Experience
I have a much better perspective on the subject now, as I have actually gone to a live soccer game. The experience seemed much more intimate since you can sit closer to the field (for less money). I really enjoyed the die hards that were chanting and drumming. I did not enjoy the people throwing streamers at the opposing goalie -while it was funny, it took 3-4 times before security kicked the person out. What was worse, every time the Crew scored, the team launched confetti that blew over the entire opposing goal. That kind of overcelebration and indirect taunting doesn't belong in sports. The final aspect of the stadium experience - the "promo squad" - was dull. They halftime dance team's routine doesn't come off well when done in the middle of a wide open field and the fan contest lacked imagination.
Game Play
They don't score much. There's two sides to it - boring because of the low scores and frequent ties, exciting when someone actually scores. I don't mind the low scoring so much, but I don't like the 1-0 games or the ties. What I do like is that the game will end after 90 minutes, plus an extra minute or two of "stoppage time", which in my opinion is handed out arbitratily. It seemed like the perfect amount of soccer. Baseball can drag on for over 3 hours too frequently. Plus, the running clock avoids the lull that baseball has between innings and during pitching changes. I can't go much deeper into the game, because I don't understand it enough myself. Put the ball in the net, but don't crowd around it like every 5 year old's game.
Intangibles
To really enjoy soccer, you can't limit yourself to MLS. You have to look at EPL (impressed that I used the acronym?) or at the World Cup. As I said before, the deep rooted rivalries among countries is still alive in soccer, unlike in the Olympics. There's a reason why it's one of the most popular sports among kids. The problem in America with the sport is that there aren't enough people that stay attached to the sport and continue that interest into watching it professionally. It is possible that, slowly, the MLS will give kids athletes to be awed by and will gradually peak more and more people's interest. Much like Jose Canseco both gave birth to and temporarily destroyed my interest in baseball. Sadly, hockey is leaving that door open for them to creep into the #4 slot in America's sports pasttimes.
13 comments:
HOORAY! I finally get my soccer post!
The confetti and the streamers are part of the tradition in soccer. Professional players learn to live with it, and unless the fans start throwing hard things (like the fan who threw a lit road flare at a goalie) they can accept the paper. I have to admit though, I don't like it either. If you watch some of the USA World Cup qualifiers when they play in Guatemala and Costa Rica, the field is COVERED in streamers (mostly toilet paper streamers I think) I think it effects the quality of play, and makes "the beautiful game" ugly.
Overcelebration and indirect taunting is part of every sport. I don't see a difference between firing confetti after a goal and shooting off fireworks after a homerun or touchdown. I agree that it doesn't belong, but it's not limited to soccer.
When your favorite part of the experience is that it gets over quickly, that's probably a sign that soccer isn't for you. Because there is so little scoring, to enjoy watching soccer you have to be entertained by the subtlties and nuances of the game. But to be able to see those nuances, you have to have either played at a high level, or grown-up watching the sport. Which is why the majority of Americans today will never be fans of the game, I don't care how popular or how talented David Beckham is and will be. In fact, it doesn't matter if everyone in the EPL (I am impressed with the acronym) came over to the US. Soccer will only be popular with people who know the game.
I'm most curious about what you touched on in your "Intangibles" section. Why is it that soccer is so popular in the U.S. amongst kids, but not popular with adults (or more adults)? What makes them go from 'attatched' to 'unattatched' to the sport? You would think that the same adults that were taking their kids to soccer practice and games would be as enthused as their kids about the sport.
I agree with Kevin about soccer not being popular until people understand it, but don't you think more people are playing soccer in the U.S. now more than ever? I guess what I'm wondering is, what numbers do we need to reach in terms of understanding before soccer takes over that 4th slot vacated by hockey?
I can't give a specific number, but I think a lot of it is tied up in the MLS. MLS was growing rapidly in the first few years of its existence, but now the ticket sales have started to plateau. In my opinion, the next ten years will be crucial. MLS needs to expand, but it can't expand too fast. I'm really interested to see how well the expansion teams like Chivas USA, Salt Lake, and Toronto do. If MLS can grow the league, it will grow the sport as well.
The World Cup is also a big factor. If we can win one, or at least make the final, it will send a signal to the rest of the world that the USA (and the MLS) is starting to come around. Then maybe we can keep some of the stars that have left for Europe in the MLS.
Do you think a World Cup will really have that big of an impact? I don't know. I feel like the same people who watch the World Cup are the ones already interested in soccer and buying the MLS tickets. The others are guys like me who are more rooting for their country and enjoy the pagentry and mystique above the actual gameplay itself.
What I think a World Cup win would do is increase the level of respect that the international community gives the USA (and MLS) in respect to soccer.
IF the MLS wins international respect, Americans can at least believe that American soccer is worth watching. I'm sure there is a percentage of soccer fans who only watch the EPL, Bundeslige, Serie A, or La Liga. If the MLS gets enough respect to be mention in the same breath as those leagues, I have to think that more people would watch.
I'm confused.
Didn't you say, "Which is why the majority of Americans today will never be fans of the game, I don't care how popular or how talented David Beckham is and will be. In fact, it doesn't matter if everyone in the EPL (I am impressed with the acronym) came over to the US. Soccer will only be popular with people who know the game."
So what does it matter if we win a World Cup? If we win a World Cup, the least we get is respect from the international community, and the most we get is respect and EPL players coming over because they feel the MLS is legit. But in your own words you said it doesn't matter if they come over.
Just feels contradicting.
I suppose I did contradict myself.
Here's what I should have said:
Two major reasons why Americans do not watch the MLS are 1) They do not know the game, and 2) They think the MLS is an inferior league and not worth their time and money to watch.
The USA (and by extension the MLS) will address the second problem if they can increase the respect that the league is given both domestically and abroad. Winning a World Cup would increase that respect. And although Beckham cannot do it by himself, a large influx of the world's top players into the MLS would also increase that respect.
Winning a world cup will not make people who don't like soccer at all start watching the MLS.
But it would help with people who don't like the MLS in particular, but do like to watch the better leagues.
Oh okay.
Well I'd be really curious to see the impact of winning a World Cup. Part of me feels like it could just be a Lance Armstrong-Tour de France thing, where Americans get really excited for a couple weeks, and then it all goes away abruptly. See also: 1996 women's gymnastics after stunning the world and winning a gold medal. Even I wanted to do gymnastics- for about a week.
I'm rooting for that not to be the case, but we shall see. How far off are we from actually having a legit chance at winning a Cup?
The more I think about it, the more I think that something culurally has to change before anything else happens. The public first has to accept soccer and understand the ins and outs. But I think that will just have to come with time, with the people who play and love soccer now teaching and showing America how great the sport can be.
Then I think that the World Cups and respect will follow, and soccer could be that fourth major sport.
And if you think about it, the NFL and NBA weren't exactly powerhouse sports when they first started, and the country has fallen in love with both sports. I'm guessing that a lot of fans back then were pretty critical of football and basketball, like people are of soccer now. Maybe all soccer needs is a little time and devotion.
damn... 11 comments. Are you guys just trying to get me to post? ok... to address points:
"Overcelebration and indirect taunting is part of every sport."
Yes, but fireworks don't rain down over the other team.
"When your favorite part of the experience is that it gets over quickly, that's probably a sign that soccer isn't for you."
It's more that the game was the perfect amount of time and the clock guarantees an end time, whereas baseball can drag on forever sometimes.
"2) They think the MLS is an inferior league and not worth their time and money to watch."
I don't think this is necessarily the case. People always love the Cubs. Minor league baseball is extremely popular.
"The more I think about it, the more I think that something culurally has to change before anything else happens."
This point is up to the people marketing the MLS in my opinion. Stern made it his goal to expand NBA's stretch globally. The result... more and more international players in the league and other countries start beating us in the Olympics. Maybe it's the marketer in me, but they have the most pull.
Marketing is part of it...I mean they are trying all sorts of things, like their whole ad campaign of "If you like ____, then you'll like soccer," and hyping the big names they bring in(Beckham...and to an extent Adu). What more can you do really? Or, to direct this question to you the marketer, what would you do???
For me, I still think it's something that time will work out. Winning a Cup and marketing are important parts, but the teaching (and maybe this is just the teacher in me, haha!) and spreading of knowledge of the game is the most important to me.
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