"Soccer" in America

[Matty86]

Quote: Originally Posted by MattyEdgeworth

yeah no one likes a glory hunter, nothing wrong with supporting them I just hear a lot of americans saying thats why they like West Ham haha

It was an interesting look into the culture (although I imagine, and have been told that the hooligan aspect is exaggerated in the movie) to someone who didn't know anything at all about it at the time when I first saw the movie 6 or 7 years ago. I really want to get to Europe and experience a few matches, I don't even care what league or level, I just feel like it would be a great experience compared to a lot of the sporting events I see here at home.

I am going to see Liverpool play Roma at Fenway Park in a friendly in July... and I may get tickets to see AC Milan vs. Cruzeiro at Gillette stadium in a double header... the AC Milan game is before the New England Revolution game against KC Sporting in early August. I've never even been to a MLS game, but 3 professional games in two weeks would be fun!

[MattyEdgeworth]

Quote: Originally Posted by Matty86

It was an interesting look into the culture (although I imagine, and have been told that the hooligan aspect is exaggerated in the movie) to someone who didn't know anything at all about it at the time when I first saw the movie 6 or 7 years ago. I really want to get to Europe and experience a few matches, I don't even care what league or level, I just feel like it would be a great experience compared to a lot of the sporting events I see here at home. I am going to see Liverpool play Roma at Fenway Park in a friendly in July... and I may get tickets to see AC Milan vs. Cruzeiro at Gillette stadium in a double header... the AC Milan game is before the New England Revolution game against KC Sporting in early August. I've never even been to a MLS game, but 3 professional games in two weeks would be fun!

Yeah it is wildly exagerrated.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the matches but you really should go to Europe and watch one someday, there's nothing like the atmosphere at a big match. At a pre-season match, in the USA, it just won't be the same.

[Corey]

Quote: Originally Posted by MattyEdgeworth

Exactly, The Irish League is ****e but I still support my local team in it. It's not about the quality of football it's about the connection you have with a team, you can only really get that connection with a local team. For example, I watch the NFL and support the Redskins and while I am a big fan I wouldn't have the same connection with them that I would with my local teams.

I went to Uni in Boston and so I support all the Boston teams as well as my original hometown Sacramento Kings, they are ways of keeping me close to the two other towns I love. But as an adult I didn't really have a team close by that I could afford season tickets to until I found the Timbers. It's a whole different ball game when you can be there yourself. Besides from one end of the pitch standing and singing and waving flags and just giving all you have for the boys for 90 and knocking back a few pints while you're at it there's only so much of the game you can really take in. Now when I can't make it to an away match and have to watch on the tele and can see all the little things that make it frustrating to follow a ****e team, yeah. But game day at the Jelly, my favorite day of the week.

[Urban Achiever]

Quote: Originally Posted by jyoung

MLS games are just painful to watch. The crowds and overall level of play pale in comparison to the European leagues and events. Maybe I would feel differently if there was a local MLS team, but the league is pretty much unwatchable for me. That said, I follow all the major European games and tournaments that are televised here in the U.S.A. The TV coverage of soccer in America has improved leaps and bounds in the last 5 to 10 years.

Hi! MLS attendance overtook hockey and basketball per average attended per game.

It's everyday attendance ranks it somewhere around 10th in the world.

[sydrogerdavid]

Like I always say, ESPN is the #1 influencing force in the US. What ever they show, we watch, and we think it's cool. They show tons of football highlights, they have tons of football shows, they have tons of football analysts, and they talk about football everyday.

A couple years ago, they never showed NHL or soccer highlights. Now that they are showing more highlights and analyzing the two sports more than ever before. That is why soccer is becoming more popular in the US. Fans are be accustomed to seeing soccer highlights and they are learning the players names and teams throughout the world.

Both sports are still not as popular because you won't see Alexi Lawless or Barry Melrose on the channel in late July. But you see Mark Schlareth almost everyday. Not to mention many of the broadcasters also have a slight preference to extreme bias towards certain sports (Cowherd and Beedle.)

The same thing happened with poker in the last decade. Nobody cared about watching guys hold cards at a table. Then ESPN started to televise it and talk about it on Sportscenter. Many people went crazy over poker and the "sport" grew. Now that ESPN is showing less poker, very few care about it anymore.

[eyeamg0dly]

actually they have been showing nhl highlights alot since i first started watching in the early 90's. but yeah it is more or less NFL year round and everything else is pretty seasonal. its going to get interesting with the olympics coming up.

[Urban Achiever]

Quote: Originally Posted by sydrogerdavid

Both sports are still not as popular because you won't see Alexi Lawless or Barry Melrose on the channel in late July.

Haha I'd argue that soccer becomes more popular the less Alexi Lalas is on tv

[jyoung]

I do like how ESPN has brought more international hosts into the studio for their EURO coverage instead of just the usual all-American team with Julie Foudy, Eric Wynalda, et al.