Our Never-Ending "Soccer" Embarrassment

[DGS49]

Small point: Soccer (football) is NOT a "great game."

No game that prohibits the use of the players' hands can possibly be a great game. Soccer focuses on the limbs and appendages that are LEAST capable of doing great things (because they must also transport the players during play).

A reasonably-athletic ten-year old can THROW a ball much more accurately than the best soccer player in the world can kick it.

For this reason alone, it is a stupid game.

 

[Unkotare]

UFC? Don't be silly.

25 million Americans have watched a World Cup final. I'm pretty sure a UFC bout hasn't attracted 25 million Americans.

2010 World Cup Final Is Most Watched Soccer Game in U.S. TV History, Draws 24.3 Million - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers

That's like saying that diving is more popular because lots of people watch some of it when the Olympics come around every four years. On a regular basis, the UFC is viewed by far more Americans than soccer.

25 million Americans viewing anything is a big deal, no matter how you spin it.

UFC and MLS revenues are roughly the same, with UFC a bit higher. But add in the revenues generated from the English Premiership, the World Cup, the Gold Cup and the viewership on the Spanish media and soccer easily surpasses UFC.

Ok, are we adding in viewership of UFC, K-1, etc. events that take place in Japan?

 

[Toro]

That's like saying that diving is more popular because lots of people watch some of it when the Olympics come around every four years. On a regular basis, the UFC is viewed by far more Americans than soccer.

25 million Americans viewing anything is a big deal, no matter how you spin it.

UFC and MLS revenues are roughly the same, with UFC a bit higher. But add in the revenues generated from the English Premiership, the World Cup, the Gold Cup and the viewership on the Spanish media and soccer easily surpasses UFC.

Ok, are we adding in viewership of UFC, K-1, etc. events that take place in Japan?

Of course. If we are talking about the popularity of a sport, why would we limit to what happens within the borders. There isn't an F1 race in the US. Do we then conclude there are no F1 fans too?

Remember, American professional soccer isn't tier 1. When big teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United play here, they draw crowds of 60,00-80,000.

UFC isn't more popular than soccer, but if you want to include UFC into a broader category of "fighting" that would include boxing and even WWE, then fighting is more popular than soccer.

 

[Unkotare]

25 million Americans viewing anything is a big deal, no matter how you spin it.

UFC and MLS revenues are roughly the same, with UFC a bit higher. But add in the revenues generated from the English Premiership, the World Cup, the Gold Cup and the viewership on the Spanish media and soccer easily surpasses UFC.

Ok, are we adding in viewership of UFC, K-1, etc. events that take place in Japan?

Of course. If we are talking about the popularity of a sport, why would we limit to what happens within the borders. There isn't an F1 race in the US. Do we then conclude there are no F1 fans too?

Remember, American professional soccer isn't tier 1. When big teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United play here, they draw crowds of 60,00-80,000.

UFC isn't more popular than soccer, but if you want to include UFC into a broader category of "fighting" that would include boxing and even WWE, then fighting is more popular than soccer.

You can't include WWE because it's not real. That would be like including Jet Li movies. In any case, the discussion was about soccer's lack of popularity in the US, among Americans.

 

[Toro]

Ok, are we adding in viewership of UFC, K-1, etc. events that take place in Japan?

Of course. If we are talking about the popularity of a sport, why would we limit to what happens within the borders. There isn't an F1 race in the US. Do we then conclude there are no F1 fans too?

Remember, American professional soccer isn't tier 1. When big teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United play here, they draw crowds of 60,00-80,000.

UFC isn't more popular than soccer, but if you want to include UFC into a broader category of "fighting" that would include boxing and even WWE, then fighting is more popular than soccer.

You can't include WWE because it's not real. That would be like including Jet Li movies. In any case, the discussion was about soccer's lack of popularity in the US, among Americans.

And that popularity is growing. World Cup rights went for $425 million for two tournaments. EPL rights were sold to NBC for $100 million. That's serious coin. Media companies aren't stupid. They wouldn't be paying that if it weren't growing.

 

[Unkotare]

"Growing" is a relative term.

 

[thanatos144]

Who did we lose to last week? Costa Fucking Rica, for God's sake? You gotta be shittin' me.

With gazillions of American kids now playing football (the game we perversely call, "Soccer") and with even more promising to play "soccer" in the future - what with the concussion paranoia - when will we ever be able to field a competent "soccer" team internationally?

Unfortunately, never.

Our approach to this sport (and to all sports) puts us at an insurmountable disadvantage against international competition. The same is true in tennis, and would be true in basketball, but for our large population of genetically advantaged, so-called "African-Americans." The unfortunate fact is that a gifted European basketball player has a better chance of making it in the NBA than a gifted "white" kid from Boston.

The reason: Basically it is interscholastic sports. The prominence and dominance of interscholastic sports in this country, from K through Kollege, dictates that all meaningful competition in most sports is basically, BY AGE GROUP. This is a stupid way to educate children, and a disastrous way to develop top athletic talent.

In more "advanced" countries, they DO NOT HAVE INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS(!). There is no High School basketball team, football team, or any other team. Their schools are inexplicably focused on educating children and young adults, and do not provide the untold advantages of these athletic extracurricular activities.

In Europe and elsewhere, sports are organized at the "club" and community level, independent of the schools, and independent of the perverse paradigm that limits competition to kids of approximately the same age. If you are an outstanding player, in any sport, you are competing against other players AT THE SAME SKILL LEVEL, regardless of age. Dirk Nowitski was playing basketball against adults when he was a teenager, as Rafa Nadal was doing in tennis, and all the European football players were doing in football. Thus the most outstanding athletes are progressing as rapidly as possible, and are not constrained by forced competition with their mediocre contemporaries.

We have a hint of this in the U.S., with AAU basketball, club tennis, "traveling" "soccer," and Nick Bolletieri's tennis academy, but these are a mere shadow of the opportunities that exist for outstanding athletes outside the U.S. And they are generally only available to kids from families with significant resources, thus limiting the "pool."

To be clear, I am not a fan of "soccer." I think it is perverse and boring. But it is embarrassing to see our national football team exchanging High Fives when we happen to beat a national team from Pago Pago, or some other fucking outpost of a hell-hole. I also wouldn't mind having another World Number One in Men's tennis, the lack of which is another embarrassment. (Parenthetically, the reason why Serena Williams developed so significantly better than anyone else was that her father completely rejected the dictates of the American tennis community, and brought his daughters along ACCORDING TO their CAPABILITIES as they progressed, and not according to their age).

I have seen the enemy, and it is us.

Its soccer not a real sport.

 

[Toro]

"Growing" is a relative term.

20 years ago, World Cup rights went for $20-$25 million, and EPL went for a few million, not to mention there wasn't even a professional league I'm the US.

So the relative term is "significantly."

 

[Unkotare]

And in another 20 years, soccer will still be at the bottom of that list.

 

[Toro]

And in another 20 years, soccer will still be at the bottom of that list.

Soccer will never challenge football, baseball or basketball. But it might challenge hockey.

 

[thanatos144]

And in another 20 years, soccer will still be at the bottom of that list.

Soccer will never challenge football, baseball or basketball. But it might challenge hockey.

only if you dont like sports.

 

[Montrovant]

And in another 20 years, soccer will still be at the bottom of that list.

Soccer will never challenge football, baseball or basketball. But it might challenge hockey.

It makes me sad that I think that could be true.

Fuck you, non-hockey fans!

 

[Montrovant]

UFC? Don't be silly.

25 million Americans have watched a World Cup final. I'm pretty sure a UFC bout hasn't attracted 25 million Americans.

2010 World Cup Final Is Most Watched Soccer Game in U.S. TV History, Draws 24.3 Million - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers

That's like saying that diving is more popular because lots of people watch some of it when the Olympics come around every four years. On a regular basis, the UFC is viewed by far more Americans than soccer.

25 million Americans viewing anything is a big deal, no matter how you spin it.

UFC and MLS revenues are roughly the same, with UFC a bit higher. But add in the revenues generated from the English Premiership, the World Cup, the Gold Cup and the viewership on the Spanish media and soccer easily surpasses UFC.

Wait, if you add in revenue from other leagues in the sport, it's greater than the revenue from one league of another sport? That's an odd comparison.

More, the big UFC fights are shown on pay-per-view. That is bound to lower viewership numbers. (I really wish they were on regular broadcast!)

And while soccer has been a huge sport internationally for years and years and had a long time to build a fanbase in the US, MMA is a relatively new sport which has gone from fringe contest to a fairly major spectator sport.

So, while there certainly may be more soccer fans than MMA fans in the US, it's not exactly a strong bit of evidence for soccer becoming a big sport on the level of the big 4 in the US.

 

[Toro]

That's like saying that diving is more popular because lots of people watch some of it when the Olympics come around every four years. On a regular basis, the UFC is viewed by far more Americans than soccer.

25 million Americans viewing anything is a big deal, no matter how you spin it.

UFC and MLS revenues are roughly the same, with UFC a bit higher. But add in the revenues generated from the English Premiership, the World Cup, the Gold Cup and the viewership on the Spanish media and soccer easily surpasses UFC.

Wait, if you add in revenue from other leagues in the sport, it's greater than the revenue from one league of another sport? That's an odd comparison.

More, the big UFC fights are shown on pay-per-view. That is bound to lower viewership numbers. (I really wish they were on regular broadcast!)

And while soccer has been a huge sport internationally for years and years and had a long time to build a fanbase in the US, MMA is a relatively new sport which has gone from fringe contest to a fairly major spectator sport.

So, while there certainly may be more soccer fans than MMA fans in the US, it's not exactly a strong bit of evidence for soccer becoming a big sport on the level of the big 4 in the US.

It's not a big 4 sport. But, lets face it, neither is hockey. Hockey is a regional, almost cult like sport in the US with a small but passionately dedicated fan base. The NHL was paying the networks for exposure a decade ago. It's not a national sport in the same sense as the other three. And I love hockey. I'm Canadian!

MMA is filling a vacuum that exists from the collapse of boxing and peaking of WWE. Boxing used to be huge, with fights being global events. UFC will never be that because its too violent. But governance of boxing became a farce in this country. UFC toned down its act and filled that void.

 

[Unkotare]

MMA is filling a vacuum that exists from the collapse of boxing and peaking of WWE. Boxing used to be huge, with fights being global events. UFC will never be that because its too violent. But governance of boxing became a farce in this country. UFC toned down its act and filled that void.

You really shouldn't even be including WWE in any such discussion.

 

[Unkotare]

MMA is filling a vacuum that exists from the collapse of boxing .

It could be argued that MMA didn't fill a vacuum so much as elbow out (so to speak) boxing to a significant degree.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Small point: Soccer (football) is NOT a "great game."

No game that prohibits the use of the players' hands can possibly be a great game. Soccer focuses on the limbs and appendages that are LEAST capable of doing great things (because they must also transport the players during play).

A reasonably-athletic ten-year old can THROW a ball much more accurately than the best soccer player in the world can kick it.

For this reason alone, it is a stupid game.

THIS is a perfect example of how anti-soccer propaganda in the sports media works upon the typical American dumb ass. He's just parroting idiots like Jim Rome. Soccer is a game of great skill, fitness and strategy. Most the out of shape gimps who criticize soccer should go try playing a serious pick-up game of soccer sometime. Then they'll find a real respect for the game when their gasping on fumes.

 

[Unkotare]

Small point: Soccer (football) is NOT a "great game."

No game that prohibits the use of the players' hands can possibly be a great game. Soccer focuses on the limbs and appendages that are LEAST capable of doing great things (because they must also transport the players during play).

A reasonably-athletic ten-year old can THROW a ball much more accurately than the best soccer player in the world can kick it.

For this reason alone, it is a stupid game.

THIS is a perfect example of how anti-soccer propaganda in the sports media works upon the typical American dumb ass. He's just parroting idiots like Jim Rome. Soccer is a game of great skill, fitness and strategy. Most the out of shape gimps who criticize soccer should go try playing a serious pick-up game of soccer sometime. Then they'll find a real respect for the game when their gasping on fumes.

Or, they could go take an aerobics class.

 

[rightwinger]

Small point: Soccer (football) is NOT a "great game."

No game that prohibits the use of the players' hands can possibly be a great game. Soccer focuses on the limbs and appendages that are LEAST capable of doing great things (because they must also transport the players during play).

A reasonably-athletic ten-year old can THROW a ball much more accurately than the best soccer player in the world can kick it.

For this reason alone, it is a stupid game.

THIS is a perfect example of how anti-soccer propaganda in the sports media works upon the typical American dumb ass. He's just parroting idiots like Jim Rome. Soccer is a game of great skill, fitness and strategy. Most the out of shape gimps who criticize soccer should go try playing a serious pick-up game of soccer sometime. Then they'll find a real respect for the game when their gasping on fumes.

The media has tried to hype soccer and it hasn't caught on. It is not the medias fault. They had full World Cup coverage and the US gave a collective yawn.

It's just not our sport

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Let Soccer stand or fail on its own merits

If it is a great game, Americans will flock to it for entertainment. As it is, Soccer sits behind Football, Baseball, Basketball, NASCAR, Golf, Tennis, UFC, Hockey in American sports

UFC? Don't be silly.

25 million Americans have watched a World Cup final. I'm pretty sure a UFC bout hasn't attracted 25 million Americans.

2010 World Cup Final Is Most Watched Soccer Game in U.S. TV History, Draws 24.3 Million - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers

That's like saying that diving is more popular because lots of people watch some of it when the Olympics come around every four years. On a regular basis, the UFC is viewed by far more Americans than soccer.

Probably. But, then what's ticket, merchandise, food sales differences between the sports? The average MLS attendance is 18,000. What's the average UFC attendance? 600? And although the World Cup.

And Fox/Telemundo just spent a billion dollars for the rights to broadcast the 2018, 2022 World Cups. No events in UFC even coming close to that kind of cheese.