'Soccer'

[Dzeko's Right Boot]

Good thread, and good OP.

The thing America is missing is the thing you can't manufacture, but can't quite put your finger on. For example, come Sunday morning I'm going to be buzzing about finally seeing my team play at Eastlands since we won that historic match with THAT historic goal. We're going to park in our usual spot, cross the road at the same place we've crossed for the last 10 or so years, walk past where The Bradford used to be and hopefully see us beat Southampton in what I see is revenge for them beating us in our last day at Maine Road. This kind of 'tradition', though still young at Eastlands, is something I hope to follow for a long time. A good example of this is Dog Poo Alley at Maine Road. Everyone knew what it was, but the club didn't create it. Nobody can explain why it became colloquially known as Dog Poo Alley, it just was. Just like the 'famous Kop atmosphere', West Ham fans singing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and the almost-fabled idea of walking down Wembley Way. It's a feeling created by the fans, by history. No amount of PR or posters or 'gimmicks' is going to create this kind feeling. Call it a culture clash or whatever, I just can't see football taking off in America.


Are there any club rivalries in the MLS?

There are but the distances between most means that fans do not travel.
The New England Revolution's (based just outside of Boston) nearest teams are New York Red Bulls followed by Montreal!
New York to Boston is the equivalent of London to Manchester. They played each other the other Sunday evening (7.30pm!!) and NY bought 150 fans!

A fair few Revs fans will go to Montreal and make a weekend of it in Canada, but still only taking one hundred odd or so - and a fair few of them living on the Maine / Vermont / Canadian border so not far to travel

To be honest, it is great to go to a game knowing you are not going to get your head kicked in, but then again, sometimes that little edge about the game creates something unique and that is an ingredient missing that you talk about

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to get at. Inter-city rivalries are what make the English game much edgier than a lot of other leagues. Even teams that don't have others occupying the same space beg for enemies (Newcastle and Sunderland). I don't know if you miss it or not Mad Eyed Screamer, but if I ever move to America one day then I know I'd definitely miss seeing my mates on Monday morning, having a little dig at how United did the past weekend then having a long discussion about everything English football-related that happened the past two days. I love it, the rivalry is probably my favourite part about supporting a football team. IMO, it's a shame that a lot of Americans aren't as obsessed as a lot of us back in England. Obviously as you said, there are a fair few who are big, passionate fans of their teams.


Mind you, I'm sure a lot of Americans say the same about us and NFL.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Good thread, and good OP.

The thing America is missing is the thing you can't manufacture, but can't quite put your finger on. For example, come Sunday morning I'm going to be buzzing about finally seeing my team play at Eastlands since we won that historic match with THAT historic goal. We're going to park in our usual spot, cross the road at the same place we've crossed for the last 10 or so years, walk past where The Bradford used to be and hopefully see us beat Southampton in what I see is revenge for them beating us in our last day at Maine Road. This kind of 'tradition', though still young at Eastlands, is something I hope to follow for a long time. A good example of this is Dog Poo Alley at Maine Road. Everyone knew what it was, but the club didn't create it. Nobody can explain why it became colloquially known as Dog Poo Alley, it just was. Just like the 'famous Kop atmosphere', West Ham fans singing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and the almost-fabled idea of walking down Wembley Way. It's a feeling created by the fans, by history. No amount of PR or posters or 'gimmicks' is going to create this kind feeling. Call it a culture clash or whatever, I just can't see football taking off in America.


Are there any club rivalries in the MLS?

There are but the distances between most means that fans do not travel.
The New England Revolution's (based just outside of Boston) nearest teams are New York Red Bulls followed by Montreal!
New York to Boston is the equivalent of London to Manchester. They played each other the other Sunday evening (7.30pm!!) and NY bought 150 fans!

A fair few Revs fans will go to Montreal and make a weekend of it in Canada, but still only taking one hundred odd or so - and a fair few of them living on the Maine / Vermont / Canadian border so not far to travel

To be honest, it is great to go to a game knowing you are not going to get your head kicked in, but then again, sometimes that little edge about the game creates something unique and that is an ingredient missing that you talk about

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to get at. Inter-city rivalries are what make the English game much edgier than a lot of other leagues. Even teams that don't have others occupying the same space beg for enemies (Newcastle and Sunderland). I don't know if you miss it or not Mad Eyed Screamer, but if I ever move to America one day then I know I'd definitely miss seeing my mates on Monday morning, having a little dig at how United did the past weekend then having a long discussion about everything English football-related that happened the past two days. I love it, the rivalry is probably my favourite part about supporting a football team. IMO, it's a shame that a lot of Americans aren't as obsessed as a lot of us back in England. Obviously as you said, there are a fair few who are big, passionate fans of their teams.


Mind you, I'm sure a lot of Americans say the same about us and NFL.

You have hit on a topic I started a thread about a while back about one horse towns like Leeds / Newcastle.
Boston is one of the most sports mad cities going, the locals love their sports be it (their) football / baseball / ice hockey / basketball. Everywhere you go throughout the area, these 4 dominate every day life. yet for all that, I find it ''boring'' (perhaps too strong a word) living here along side that.
If one of the teams win, it's all singing and dancing in the bars. If they lose they all go home and no one says a word. I have tried to explain about having 2 teams in the same city and the ''hatred'' that exists between the two (or more) teams in the same city and they just don't understand the rivalry and have no experience of piss taking banter!

But then, when they do have 2 teams like in New York where they do have 2 teams in football and baseball, they are placed in different leagues!!!!!!

You bet I miss the banter - after all the years of 35 years etc rammed down me...... but then..... that's what Facebook is for ;)

 

[Frank the Yank]

Everyday the United States becomes more and more ethnic. Football continues to grow slow and steady. Basketball is becoming a farce, baseball is fun to watch but offers little action in a "quick fix" society. It might take 30 years, but it will happen. (At least be ONE OF the most watched sports in America.

We have dabbled in this topic here on BM many times. I ahve watched City from afar for close to 35 years!! imagine trying to follow City in a country where football isnt #1 with 1980's technology! yeah not easy!!!

Football will NEVER be close to # 1 sport in America. There are quite a few reasons for this. The bst we could hope is that it becomes a "niche" sport like hockey. haivng said that, football will never be near top banana as the media ahsnt gown up with the sport and the media know fuck all about it.

As far as I am concerned I couldnt care less as long as the TV coverage is as good as it is nw. We get just as much if not more football in the States as you lot do in Blighty! Long may that continue.

I tend to lsiten to sports talk radio and the mani guy here in New York knows fuck all abotu football and actually hates the game. One reason is that he didnt grow up with football and knows so little about the game but I digress. I wish we had a talk show about footballl. I thin that would be entertaining but I can live with out it. there are some talk radio shows about football but they are on pay radio and I dont subscribe to it.....

-- Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:51 pm --

It would be like Americans saying they could make baseball the biggest in England, it would never ever happen.

Poor example. Football is the most popular sport in the World. Baseball has hardly scratched the surface of what football has achieved in terms of expanding its reach throughout the Globe.

It is the world's most popular sport for a reason. It's better than all the others.

Football will prevail in the States.

No it wont!! Baseball is actually the # 1 sport in more nations that say cricket or rugby.......<br /><br />-- Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:52 pm --<br /><br />

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-15/in-soccer-america-s-team-is-european.html/

Interesting read, if not for the time difference I bet the Prem would be huge over in the states. I for one would embrace football becoming the number one sport in the US, I bet they would produce some quality players.

What's the time difference got to do with it? Do you think games are broadcasting the middle of the night or something?

The Community Shield game kicked off 8.30am on the east coast, so in California it would have been 5.30am (fuck knows what time it was in Hawaii!!! Probably 1.30am!)

A 3pm Saturday kick off (like we have many of them) is 10am east coast, 7am west coast.
For the last derby it was 3pm east coast and noon in California on a Monday. I would have had to taken the afternoon off (fortunately wasn't working at the time) but on the west coast, a day would have been taken off for it (pre game drinks etc ;)

I HIGLY suggest investing in a DVR. You can be at work, DVR the match and watch it at your leisure. But you know it was EASY to avoid the result but nowadays it is becoming a bit more difficult!

 

[Frank the Yank]

I'm still of the opinion that before too long, the US will become a serious power in the international game.

Their resources in numbers are largely unparalleled. It'd only take a freak World Cup run to really accelerate their progress in youth and investment.

Hasn't it taken over hockey as a spectator sport in the US?

The USA does get stoked every four years for the World Cup. Thats only recently as we have gotten better and more competitive. If we got tonked every four years, then no one would give a shit. Because there are people from all over the world, especially in New York, they all get excited over their "home countries' prospets for The World Cup every four years....

 

[jamielowndes]

I was at the US Open Cup final in Kansas City between Sporting KC and Seattle Sounders. Solid 18,000 attendance, which is very good for the US, and the crowd seemed red hot all the way through.


Only thing that bothered me was a lot of people leaving after the match before KC were presented the trophy. Your team just won the cup. Celebrate for fucks sake.

 

[Cakers]

I'd like to also add that there is often a negative stereotype of youth soccer players in the US. In many states, American football and soccer seasons for high school students are concurrent. This causes high school boys to have to make a choice between playing the "real mans sport", American Football or the "sissy sport", soccer. I don't agree with this, and all you have to do is see a legal, hard challenge to realize that characterization of soccer is absurd. The videos of European players faking injuries (something unheard of in American football) doesn't go over to well with Americans who dislike soccer, either.

For soccer to truly become a highly popular sport in the US, American children will have to grow up in a culture that doesn't have these feelings.

P.S. I am 29 and these were the common feelings of my peers in the late 90's. My 27 year old brother (who like myself played American football in high school) still says "soccer is for p******."

 

[acquiesce]

Average MLS attendance has now passed average NBA and NHL attendances. True there are more games for those seasons, but its still an improvement and a step in the right direction.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/...ses-nba-as-third-best-attended-american-sport

 

[Cakers]

Average MLS attendance has now passed average NBA and NHL attendances. True there are more games for those seasons, but its still an improvement and a step in the right direction.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/...ses-nba-as-third-best-attended-american-sport

I don't think this is comparing apples to apples. A few of the MLS stadiums have a much greater seating capacity than the NBA or NHL. NBA and NHL arenas seat 15,000 to 21,000. Seattle (38,000), Galaxy (27,000), and Red Bulls (25,000) have much larger capacity than 21,000.

 

[argyle]

Over the next 30 years it could become one of the biggest sports in the USA.

Many over there struggle with the more subjective calls in football though compared to American Football which has video technology.

 

[Anonymous]

with more mexicans each day moving to america football/soccer will get bigger