posted 07-12-99 02:23 PM ET         

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About 20 million US kids play soccer every weekend (all at Joyce Park where I fly). Either one of two things will happen: One day these kids will grow up and soccer will be much more popular in the US. One day these kids will grow up and outgrow kids games in which case soccer will remain as popular as it is now!

Seriously though, IMHO it is mainly because Baseball, Basketball and US football are already so firmly entrenched in the USA. That is what the media mostly shows on TV and they always go with the money. Look at the obscene network contracts to carry those sports on TV!

posted 07-12-99 04:53 PM ET            

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Especially when you consider that you also have the NHL as a well-entrenched 'alternative' pro sport.

In the NYC market, for example, you have two American Football teams(Jets and Giants), 2 baseball teams(Yankees and Mets), 2 basketball teams(Knicks and Nets, and 2 hockey teams(Rangers and Islanders). Not sure how much room there is for MLS there.

Or Chicago -- 1 American Football(Bears), 2 baseball(White Sox and Cubs), 1 basketball(Bulls), and 1 hockey(Blackhawks).

You have similar situations with pro sports in most major US markets.

posted 07-12-99 10:49 PM ET            

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I liked playing soccer when I was young.

As I said in another post, watching Soccer requires something Americans lack: An attention span. Even in the highest scoring and most active soccer games, there are extended lulls where nothing much happens. But it isn't slow-paced enough to appeal to Golf fans.

posted 07-13-99 07:35 AM ET            

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Lulls where nothing happens? Even MLS isn't that bad normally although it is pretty terrible. Do they make the defenses that bad on purpose to encourage more goals? Anyway what about American football, there you get lulls where adverts happen, 8 times an hour or something ridiculous.

Any of the Americans see Argentina Brazil last night? I'd like to see someone complain that there were boring bits in that match. Not all soccer games are amazing, nor are all American Football or Basketball games or anything else. People watch the sport they understand best.

posted 07-13-99 09:49 AM ET            

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Yes but remember the US want to be the world champions at everything so they invent three sports to have "World" Series/Bowls in and win them. Wow. Then the excuse for being bad is that it's a game with no strategy.

That'll be why the US mens team are so good then right? They understand the basic strategy but don't have enough talented athletes to have a good team. If anyone here from Europe has watched any MLS you'll be amazed at the tactical naievity. Some of the defensive movement is unbelieveable. The forward play is better, more like Spanish football than English, slow, passing game not much pressure on the ball. It's a strange blend of styles really. Like none of the teams really have a well known pattern. They don't tend to play flat 4s at the back which is strange. It's a good easy system, they normally have a sweeper and I haven't seen any really good ones (or even an average one) playing there. A good sweeper is hard to find in world football. Basically I found MLS dull so I'm not too surprised Americans do.

posted 07-13-99 09:55 AM ET            

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MikeH your completly right How many EUropean teams have taken part in the world seris?????? hmmmmmmmm not many i dont think how about USA hosting the world cup there crap at it and they should have not been allowed to host it.

P.s. WestHam United 4 the primership
Any yanks wanna know who Westham are just ask

MangoBreeder

posted 07-13-99 11:03 AM ET         

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Soccer(I guess its best to use that term as an American to avoid the confusion to myself and some others with football)won't make it in the United States until a majority of the sports watching population becomes familiar with the nuances of the game. When someone talks about all the great plays and strategies in a 0-0 game making it an exciting game you have to have some knowledge as to why that is so. Right now Americans have a much better understanding of the little things that make the sports we like to watch, baseball, football etc., so that even when something doesn't appear to be happening we know something is going on. That's the problem with soccer in the US, there are long stretches when, to the ignorant observer, nothing seems to be happening. We don't have an appreciation for the action because we simply don't know the game well enough to understand what is going on. This may change as more kids grow up playing soccer, but then again they said that would happen in the 70's when soccer fever hit the US with Pele, and it didn't. I enjoy watching soccer, but I only watch the World Cup. I grew up playing baseball, etc. and I appreciate those games more because I understand them more. I know their history, the nuances of good play, the strategy, all the little things that the vast majority of Americans don't know about soccer. It's probably for the best, do you really want the US being GOOD at the game?

Your humble and obedient servant

posted 07-13-99 12:45 PM ET            

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ISTR someone else posting in another thread that the 'World' in 'World Series' is merely the name of the newspaper that sponsored the first one. As such, it would be similar to a French only championship sponsored by Le Monde.

Of the four first tier US championships, I think the Stanley Cup is the only one that's come close to being a 'World' championship -- though not lately; it used to be open to amateur, as well as professional, teams. Heh. It's even Canadian in origin, named after Lord Stanley, the Earl of Preston and Governor General of Canada. The first team to win was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association in 1893.

My biggest problem with the NHL of late has been the change of conference names; I liked the Campbell and Wales conferences and the Patrick, Norris, Adams, and Smythe divisions better than the East and West conferences, etc. The old names held much more flavor, to me.

posted 07-13-99 02:07 PM ET            

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Spoe, wasn't that guy corrected?

"In the NYC market, for example, you have two American Football teams"
London football teams: too many to count

John III

posted 07-14-99 12:54 AM ET            

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MikeH: Yes, death to the sweeper system! The only people who seem to play that well is the Germans (more power to them!). The flat back 4 with a zonal defence should be/is much easier and more efficient to implement.

JohnIII: London Premier League/Football League clubs: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham United, Wimbledon, Millwall, Charlton Athletic, Queen's Park Rangers, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Brentford, Leyton Orient, Barnet(?). Some of these are lower division clubs, though, but that could change (Another wonderful and exiting thing about our league systems: promotion and relegation of clubs between divisions).

posted 07-14-99 05:16 AM ET            

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Valtyr : dont forget the non-legue teams eg. Dagenham and redbridge etc.

Are u British by and chance?

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

posted 07-14-99 01:39 PM ET            

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John III:
"...wasn't that guy corrected?"
Could be. My memory of the thread is somewhat hazy anyway.

"London football teams: too many to count "

Well, yes. But for soccer to come in and be successful it needs to compete with these 8 established teams, in 4 sports, for ticket sales and media time. The important part is the established bit. They already have a loyal following and TV/radio deals. With the advent of cable the TV end of it is easier, but still, it's a pretty up-hill battle.

posted 07-14-99 04:06 PM ET         

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They tried that using computer graphics to produce a logo or emblem in the middle of the field. It was computer generated so it only showed up on TV. I think they used it during the World Cup in 1996 for some matches. It didn't really seem to matter.
Soccer won't make it here in the US because it's only played as an organized sport for kids. There aren't spontaneous games, everything is through leagues. You can't develop a love and feel for any game unless your willing to play when you don't have to.

Your humble and obedient servant

posted 07-14-99 05:11 PM ET            

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In 92 it was the European Championships in Sweden. I think the year you�re looking for is 94 when (mighty) Sweden took bronze

Valtyr is not only a Norwegian he is also a walking, breathing (sometimes) encyclop�dia of football/soccer knowledge! I personally think that he plays too much CM3 for his own good

Ambro2000