Sound Off: Is Football (Finally) on the Rise in America?

[KG]

Quote: Originally Posted by TimLawNYC

These attendance numbers don't show what you think they show. Average attendance isn't a reliable indicator because that can vary so much based on arena/stadium size (i.e., NBA arenas generally hold 17,000-20,000 fans, while football stadiums can hold around 70,000), relative ticket prices, and number of games per season. To really evaluate a sport's popularity you need to look at TOTAL attendance--and by that measure, soccer's tiny 6,000,000 number is a drop in the bucket compared to the major sports in the USA. By contrast, over 41,000,000 attended MINOR LEAGUE baseball games in 2013 (see http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp..._milb&sid=milb). I realize that there are many more minor league baseball clubs in the U.S. than there are MLS teams, but it's difficult for you to make a case that soccer is somehow super popular here when nearly SEVEN TIMES more people annually attend minor league baseball. Sure, soccer is "growing" in popularity here, because it has a relatively new league and it really has nowhere to go but up. But even the attendance numbers you cite show only a 935 person increase in attendance per game year to year, which I wouldn't exactly call explosive growth. Bottom line, everybody always gets excited about the World Cup (because it is a legitimately great sporting event), but as soon as it's over (or if the U.S. doesn't advance out of the group stage), everybody will forget about it like they always do and soccer will go back to its rightful place in the U.S. as a third-tier sport. Nobody cares about competitive bobsledding except during the Winter Olympics, either.

Only 4 MLS clubs play in stadiums that also host NFL/CFL teams (Seattle, NE Revolution, DC United, and Vancouver) and no one plays in RFK (DC United) anymore so the stadium has reduced its overall capacity. The other 3 clubs reduce their maximum capacity as well.

[TimLawNYC]

If soccer ever wants a large fanbase in the USA, major changes need to be made to make the game more exciting. Start by reducing the size of the pitch by like 40% and giving each team 6 players at a time. Then maybe something exciting could happen and you'd see more than 2 goals in 90 minutes.

[KG]

Quote: Originally Posted by TimLawNYC

If soccer ever wants a large fanbase in the USA, major changes need to be made to make the game more exciting. Start by reducing the size of the pitch by like 40% and giving each team 6 players at a time. Then maybe something exciting could happen and you'd see more than 2 goals in 90 minutes.

I hate this line of thinking. I'm not a huge baseball fan per se but I can see the beauty in a 1-0 game. I'm not a hockey fan but I can appreciate a tight 1-0 playoff game. Goals/Scoring does not automatically equate to excitement. Watch the Brazil-Mexico replay and tell me that wasn't an exciting game. How would your ideas benefit the sport of soccer, especially in International competitions? We play by one set rules while the rest of the world plays by another? Yeah, that makes sense.

[TimLawNYC]

Quote: Originally Posted by KG

I hate this line of thinking. I'm not a huge baseball fan per se but I can see the beauty in a 1-0 game. I'm not a hockey fan but I can appreciate a tight 1-0 playoff game. Goals/Scoring does not automatically equate to excitement. Watch the Brazil-Mexico replay and tell me that wasn't an exciting game. How would your ideas benefit the sport of soccer, especially in International competitions? We play by one set rules while the rest of the world plays by another? Yeah, that makes sense.

All I'm saying is that any sport in which contests routinely end in a scoreless tie cannot be taken seriously.

[areobee401]

This old, tired debate is exactly that.

[fugazi]

Quote: Originally Posted by TimLawNYC

If soccer ever wants a large fanbase in the USA, major changes need to be made to make the game more exciting. Start by reducing the size of the pitch by like 40% and giving each team 6 players at a time. Then maybe something exciting could happen and you'd see more than 2 goals in 90 minutes.

....just....wow....this guy...

40% smaller? is that a joke?

believe me...soccer fans are doing just fine by not catering to your "sensibilities", and the sport is doing just fine as is.

Thank god people like this aren't allowed to make decisions.

[Chip Douglass]

Probably already mentioned, but short of a) one of the three major sports suffering a massive, terminal decline in popularity or b) the US finding itself a Michael Jordan/Leo Messi-type soccer prospect who consistently leads the US deep into the World Cup, soccer will never be a mainstream sport.

The US routinely qualifying for World Cups and making some noise in those World Cups has established a baseline for support though. And demographic change via immigration from soccer-crazy Latin American countries will only grow that baseline.

[TimLawNYC]

Quote: Originally Posted by KG

I hate this line of thinking. I'm not a huge baseball fan per se but I can see the beauty in a 1-0 game. I'm not a hockey fan but I can appreciate a tight 1-0 playoff game. Goals/Scoring does not automatically equate to excitement. Watch the Brazil-Mexico replay and tell me that wasn't an exciting game. How would your ideas benefit the sport of soccer, especially in International competitions? We play by one set rules while the rest of the world plays by another? Yeah, that makes sense.

Let the rest of the world play their boring old game, while we get something awesome! 'MURICA!