The real reason why the USA will never be big on soccer, is money and the media/networks. You can't have commercials every 10 minutes in soccer, so that loses networks money.
Why USA isn't a world power in soccer (yet)
- Thread starter Bewilderme
- Start date
- Mar 27, 2006
- 42,714
- 33,677
- 113
I don't think I ever said there wasn't any excitement or drama in soccer (other than a hopefully obviously sarcastic domestic violence jab), only that football has an increased opportunity for it because of scoring values.
Hmmmm...where have I heard this before, close game, one team loses yet their team and fans still say they are "better" than the other team.
Soccer isn't unlike any other sport in this regard. The team that wins was better that day. Better at luck, better at skill, better at technique. Another day and everything might be different.
Last edited:
No, but you have made the most basic of evaluations and determined that you're writing soccer off because of how important the luck factor is. Don't you think it's kind of ridiculous for someone who doesn't know much about the sport to make a definitive statement like that?
Just for reference, the last 3 years of premier league champs. Depends on how you count the ties but these records are pretty similar to the NBA, and NFL regular season leaders.
Manchester City 27-5-6
Manchester United 28-5-5
Manchester City 28-5-5
Hold on, Denver just spent a second timeout trying to ice Sebastian Janikowski. Commercial. 32 yard field goal. Good. The kicker wins another game all by himself. Woohoo.
Honestly - Americans are not built to accept ties in sports. Our entire culture goes against ties as an acceptable score. Get rid of ties and I know more people will watch or follow soccer.
I'm putting "lucky" in quotation marks because I recognize that there is a high level of skill involved. These guys are doing incredibly athletic things that almost no one else can do. However, the same level of skill that results in these winning shots seems to result in almost no scoring through the rest of the game. So, either there are "unlucky" defensive breakdowns or somewhat "lucky" offensive shots on the few actual scores. The skill is a constant. The scoring isn't.
They can easily monetize it. Split-screen ads are already in use with some soccer matches as well as other events like NASCAR.
You can't honestly believe this. Do you think the reason why soccer is so popular in other parts of the world is because they take TV timeouts? (PS they don't.)
So is that like saying every score in the NFL is lucky? I mean an elite level cornerback vs an elite level wide receiver, if the receiver scores it must have been an unlucky defensive breakdown right?
A big reason that I don't think I saw mentioned here is the quality of the professional athletes in America. The MLS is not a very good soccer league when compared to its counterparts worldwide.
American soccer fans cannot go to their local stadium and see the sport being played at its highest level. But they can with football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, which have the best leagues in the world for their respective sports right here in the USA.
As soccer grows in popularity, the MLS needs to find a way to better focus that attention on itself rather than European soccer. I have a number of friends that are soccer crazy and watch the Premier League, La Liga, and the Bundesliga and may have never watched an MLS match. If the MLS can gain those fans, and find a way to make money off of them, they can afford to pay better athletes, grow the quality of their league, and ultimately grow the size of their fan base.
American soccer fans cannot go to their local stadium and see the sport being played at its highest level. But they can with football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, which have the best leagues in the world for their respective sports right here in the USA.
As soccer grows in popularity, the MLS needs to find a way to better focus that attention on itself rather than European soccer. I have a number of friends that are soccer crazy and watch the Premier League, La Liga, and the Bundesliga and may have never watched an MLS match. If the MLS can gain those fans, and find a way to make money off of them, they can afford to pay better athletes, grow the quality of their league, and ultimately grow the size of their fan base.
How many drives end in nothing in football though? I assume they're all still using the same high level of skill for drives that end in punts.
Actually, I think it was the NHL playoffs that really helped me understand what I personally (just me, no judgment on anyone else) find unsatisfying about hockey and soccer. There is great action and teamwork for almost the entire game. However, the final result so often comes down to a split second combination of the same skills that have been used all game and a moment of good/bad fortune. I think most hockey fans really like that excitement and consider it an asset, but I find the split second good/bad fortune to be too much of a factor too often.
I know they don't. And they're ok not doing commercials overseas. But that doesn't fly as well here in the states. Everything is about the dollars. I do think lack of commercials in US Soccer plays a role. Most non-world cup and non-olympic soccer is typically not on one of the big time networks.
you're mistaking a moment of luck and good/bad fortune with a moment of heightened individual/team skill for a short period of time or on the flipside a mental/physical lowering of one side. They call it "switching off" in soccer. Hockey and Soccer are very mental sports, football is memorization more than it is a mental game.
I get your point, but the same could be said about soccer scoring. It takes a lot of strategy in soccer. Look at the Swiss game on Sunday. Ecuador had a chance to win the game with about a minute left. The Swiss defense stepped up and stole the ball. A series of passes ensued that took the ball all the way up the field in 30 seconds where the Swiss put in a goal to win it.
A lot has to go perfect for that play to happen. Positioning at all times is important. If one of the Swiss players was out of position or the forward made a different run/touch/etc, that could have completely changed the outcome.
I view that as increased strategy or drama. To see a ball travel 100+ yards, in between 11 defenders, with 1-2 touches per pass is magical to me.
Honestly if they got rid of offsides. I think I would be more into soccer. I just can't compute in my head why you get penalized for beating the other person to a spot. That is just me. I hate that rule. Also, if they got rid of it the scores would be higher and I think more Americans would buy in. BTW every time the world cup comes around the same discusion is had. Soccer people think this is the one that is gonna make Amercians like soccer. It never is. Until the NFL folds. America is a football country.
