2010 World Cup discussion

[GRT]

Here's some concrete information.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/12/man...ble-teams.html

ticket sales is not that good of an indicator for popularity, particularly because of availability and pricing

reading comprehension dude, reading comprehension

found your 6th grade grade sheet yet?

[Gadritan]

That's not ticket sales. Take a minute, actually read it.

[Judai]

According to the Nielson TV ratings

In the US, order of popularity is determined by numbers of TVs watching a particular event. Average ranks as follows:


NFL (National Football League)
NBA (National Basketball Association)
MLB (Major League Baseball)
NCAA football (college football)
NCAA basketball (college basketball)
NASCAR (stock car racing)
WWE (professional wrestling)
NHL (National Hockey League)
AFL (Arena Football League)
WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association)
MLS (Major League Soccer)

I don't really feel like searching to find exact numbers but Baseball is not first, which it shouldbe according to your logic. MLS is beneath the fucking WNBA...

[Bregor]

http://knowyourmeme.com/i/000/052/33...jpg?1275480637

This thread, lol.

[Cephius]

The whole NBA v NFL v MLB is a stupid argument because it highly depends on what region of the country you're talking about. Each league is successful and doing well from all indications. If you asked someone in New York City if the NBA is more popular than the MLB you'd get laughed at. The opposite is true in LA. The NFL is America's sport and is moderately to insanely popular almost everywhere.

But uh, yeah, serious derails going on here, can we stick to the Cup in this thread? Feel free to make another thread to discuss other stuff...

[GRT]

nobody said exposure wasn't a reason but you are saying it is the only reason.

i said it was the No.1 reason, in response to someone saying rules and flopping were the main reasons

huh?

the number one reason Americans can't get into soccer is because the cast can't cut into commercials once every 3 minutes

btw, you said exposure wasn't a reason, the very next post

Americans don't give a shit about commercials, only the TV stations do. No commercials is why we don't get more soccer on TV but it's not why Americans don't like the sport. There are plenty of live soccer games on internet feeds and shit, if people liked the sport they could watch games.

the interwebs saves every stupid shit we say dude, no use trying to lie out of it

[Judai]

my comment was directly related to your idiotic comment about commercials. Again, exposure is not the number one reason, there is a solid amount of exposure but the US doesn't care about soccer so they don't go looking for it. Our top athletes play every other sport imaginable and it's hard to care about a sport where the best athletes are playing in Europe or S.America.

And you have tried to state exposure is the end all be all reason multiple times, otherwise you are just a troll arguing something nobody else is arguing.

[wagon]

Need more Mexican's in the US for Soccer to become popular. Lol.

Your wish will be granted, gradually, as Hispanics will be the majority by 2050. And you think the vuvuzela is bad now, in the year of 2050, it will be a permanent fixture on the landscape of American sport that you won't be able to ignore.

[Maaglin]

FIFA was teasing me last week when they said they were considering banning the vuvuzela's for the knock out rounds. One can only hope.

[Aksannyi]

Came home from work and caught up on this thread, and I'm thrilled to find out that the US won the group.

[sruon]

They gave up on the idea.
Ghana - Germany match was really cool and I'm sad they lost but I guess the hierarchy is reestablished. Aussies got their first win on a EU country so not a bad ending for them.

1. Netherlands
2. Japan

1. Paraguay
2. Italy

Calling it now.

[Cephius]

FIFA was teasing me last week when they said they were considering banning the vuvuzela's for the knock out rounds. One can only hope.

It's a shame really, the crowd noise/chanting/songs are a huge part of the atmosphere of the WC. Other than honoring (I guess?) the south african culture I really don't see the advantage of having them around anymore.

[Gadritan]

Other than honoring (I guess?) the south african culture I really don't see the advantage of having them around anymore.

They cost about $1 to make and they're selling them for about $13. Makes perfect sense.

[Not not Mattaru]

1. Netherlands
2. Japan

1. Paraguay
2. Italy

Calling it now.

I'd like it if Japan makes it in, then my three teams I am watching would clear, but it will be a tough match for Japan.

[Tagus]

Your wish will be granted, gradually, as Hispanics will be the majority by 2050. And you think the vuvuzela is bad now, in the year of 2050, it will be a permanent fixture on the landscape of American sport that you won't be able to ignore.

Is it really that big of a fixture in Mexican fandom? Honest question. I've been to probably 20 MLS games in the past two years and have yet to see one... and Mexicans make up a pretty solid percentage of the fans at the games.

[volcanicweather]

I'm kinda' curious as to how they promote over seas as far as star power vs team lore. Let me explain.

The NBA promotes the players first, then the NBA really. There's a lot more of a focus on star power and star rivalries (Bird-Jordan etc), to sell the sport.

The NFL promotes the league/teams first, then players. There's more of a focus on league lore and team rivalries (Bears-Packers etc) to sell the sport.

What's the focus with soccer over there? Is it the star power and individual rivalries they focus on? Or is it the rich history and rivalries of the teams that they use to try to draw crowds in?

Soccer is sort of a blind mix over here. We don't many stars (Donovan and Howard? lol) to showcase, and our teams are still infants, so there's not much lore or rivalries there.

I wonder if they tried to focus a bit more on some of the teams and players from la liga and such if they wouldn't get a better response (since they did finally start showing these games here).

it definitely extends beyond the player and to the team, like the NFL. Shit like Barcelona - Real Madrid or Man United - Liverpool is insane, even moreso than Bears - Packers or Giants - Eagles.

In regards to the vuvuzelas, they aren't Mexican lol. Mexicans like to cheer and do the wave (hence why ESPN keeps say the MEXICAN wave). Can't do the wave and act like a retard blowing into your vuvuzela at the same time...

[Mugekuge]

Fuck Vuvuzelas, hope FIFA ban them now since South Africa is out, i want to hear people sing.

[Cadsuane]

I'm kinda' curious as to how they promote over seas as far as star power vs team lore. Let me explain.

The NBA promotes the players first, then the NBA really. There's a lot more of a focus on star power and star rivalries (Bird-Jordan etc), to sell the sport.

The NFL promotes the league/teams first, then players. There's more of a focus on league lore and team rivalries (Bears-Packers etc) to sell the sport.

What's the focus with soccer over there? Is it the star power and individual rivalries they focus on? Or is it the rich history and rivalries of the teams that they use to try to draw crowds in?

Soccer is sort of a blind mix over here. We don't many stars (Donovan and Howard? lol) to showcase, and our teams are still infants, so there's not much lore or rivalries there.

I wonder if they tried to focus a bit more on some of the teams and players from la liga and such if they wouldn't get a better response (since they did finally start showing these games here).

The teams are so old and have so much history behind them that being a fan of one is usually something you inherit from family. In Portugal for example, you have the big 3, Sporting/Benfica/Porto, of which the largest in terms of fanbase is Benfica, which actually has its own cable TV sports channel to promote not just football but its indoor football, roller skate hockey, volleyball, etc. teams. They're also responsible for discovering and developing talent; Sporting in particular is famous for forming the biggest stars in European football. It all happens under one roof, so to speak. Those teams, and all the other lesser teams, have been around since the dawn of time as far as anyone is concerned, which is a pretty stark contrast from American and Canadian teams that frequently start up, shut down, pick up camp and move elsewhere. And they scout talent, but the amateur leagues are where the athletes are produced. In contrast an athletes career in European football is professional almost start to finish.

It isn't really... promoted. Not in the sense that sports are in North America. It's so thoroughly grafted to the culture here and in the rest of Europe that it ends up being something organic and difficult to pin down. The whole paradigm of high school/college sports teams for example is something that doesn't exist in Europe.

[Gadritan]

And they scout talent, but the amateur leagues are where the athletes are produced. An athletes career in European football is professional almost start to finish.

Neat. So they have sort of a "farming," system. Is it similar to MLB in that the amateur teams are associated with professional teams? Or is it different altogether?

It isn't really... promoted. Not in the sense that sports are in North America. It's so thoroughly grafted to the culture here and in the rest of Europe that it ends up being something organic and difficult to pin down. The whole paradigm of high school/college sports teams for example is something that doesn't exist in Europe.

Cool insight. The lack of HS/College teams just blew my mind. Seriously. I always wondered why I never heard about any "university," teams, but I never even questioned it or thought to ask. I can't believe I never knew that as old as I am, and as many people as I know over seas, lol.

[Cadsuane]

Neat. So they have sort of a "farming," system. Is it similar to MLB in that the amateur teams are associated with professional teams? Or is it different altogether?

Cool insight. The lack of HS/College teams just blew my mind. Seriously. I always wondered why I never heard about any "university," teams, but I never even questioned it or thought to ask. I can't believe I never knew that as old as I am, and as many people as I know over seas, lol.

Sorry, what I wrote was a bit ambiguous. I meant to say that the professional teams in Canadian hockey for example don't really form their players from start to finish when they just scout talent from amateur leagues, whereas here the clubs hold tryouts for entry into youth systems and training camps, so called "soccer academies"; which is, give them a small contract to train, play in u-20/21 leagues (still professional), loan them out to lower division teams, and if they pan out bring them onto the international main squad (or sell them to another club).

The clubs field u-16, u-18, u-20, and u-21 teams and a B squad, which all play in different leagues, so in a way yeah I suppose it's like the MLB except none of those teams are amateur. It doesn't really make for nationwide entertainment but it's where the next generation of athletes comes from, and it supplants the need for HS/college sports. Seriously, if I asked people here what sport they played for their high school I'd get funny looks. Physical education in school is gymnastics and swimming, etc., you know, general fitness, not competition.