Yep, another ESPN thread (MOD: Soccer popularity)

[JerseyGuy276]

wow i dont even know where to begin, obviously you never grew up watching baseball because if you did you would never make a comment like that. Baseball is the ultimate strategy sport. Maybe you should learn a thing or two about baseball before you post something like this.

I watch baseball. Its the most boring ****ing thing ever. You call it a strategy sport. Does that mean I have to say chess isn't boring either?

 

[bigplay41*]

I watch baseball. Its the most boring ****ing thing ever. You call it a strategy sport. Does that mean I have to say chess isn't boring either?

your right what was i thinking, watching the New Jersey Devils run the Neutral zone trap is a lot more exciting then baseball my bad

 

[JerseyGuy276]

your right what was i thinking, watching the New Jersey Devils run the Neutral zone trap is a lot more exciting then baseball my bad

Ah ha, how cute. A trap post. Tell me, what team have you been a fan of?

 

[Winnipeg Jet]

your right what was i thinking, watching the New Jersey Devils run the Neutral zone trap is a lot more exciting then baseball my bad

The closest I've ever gotten to enjoying a baseball game was watching a movie, about a baseball player. Major League for example. Moneyball seems like it might be interesting. And For Love of the Game might have at least given me an idea why baseball fans like baseball, though I still fail to appreciate it myself.

 

[bigplay41*]

Ah ha, how cute. A trap post. Tell me, what team have you been a fan of?

Jets 1.0, then when they left i stopped watching hockey and started to watch baseball/football, now that Jets 2.0 are here so im back!

 

[Winnipeg Jet]

Ah ha, how cute. A trap post. Tell me, what team have you been a fan of?

I'm a season ticket holder to the Vancouver Whitecaps. I was wondering what you might have heard about the possibility of MLS expanding to New York with the Cosmos? Isn't Eric Cantona supposed to be heading that up?

 

[TML g u n n e R s*]

lol i hate it when hf debates about hockey and soccer! dont know which side to go for... both FAV sports

 

[JerseyGuy276]

Jets 1.0, then when they left i stopped watching hockey and started to watch baseball/football, now that Jets 2.0 are here so im back!

Oh thats cool...your bashing me for watching "boring hockey" when you weren't even watching. Nice.

 

[JerseyGuy276]

I'm a season ticket holder to the Vancouver Whitecaps. I was wondering what you might have heard about the possibility of MLS expanding to New York with the Cosmos? Isn't Eric Cantona supposed to be heading that up?

There have been rumblings for a couple years. I think it was last year they started a youth program under the Cosmos name, but otherwise just a small thing here or there about them potentially being a team far into the future.

 

[Machinehead]

I watch baseball. Its the most boring ****ing thing ever. You call it a strategy sport. Does that mean I have to say chess isn't boring either?

**** that, I like chess

 

[Ogrezilla]

All depends on where you grew up. Soccer isn't a blip on Pittsburgh's radar. I didn't play it, nor did any of my friends. We all played baseball and street hockey when growing up.


I wish I'd played as a kid now, but I was raised when the general consensus in this country was that soccer was for *******. It took me actually trying to watch games in the past 4-5 years for me to actually gain an appreciation for the sport. Before the 2006 World Cup I'd never actually watched a game in it's entirety. The mindset in this country has slowly been changing...it's definitely far more popular than it was when I was a kid...but it's still got a long way to go. Like any sport here it's going to be more popular in certain pockets/populations than it will in others. I hold no hope of soccer ever gaining a following in my hometown, or in my current town, but the west coast...oh yeah.

Seriously as soon as you get out of the city soccer starts to become the most played sport in the area. Football has more at the high school level I'm sure (twice as many starters helps that) but youth soccer leagues were huge when I was a kid.

Playing and watching arent the same thing. More kids may play it, but itll never translate well to tv. It's so ****ing boring to watch, coming from someone who play 10+ years.

And to the soccer humpers, yes there are exciting moments... so don't start talking about a handful of events that were exciting. In general the game is not exciting.

That's like, your opinion, man. I love watching smart ball control in soccer like I enjoy watching smart puck control and cycling in hockey. Having less goals is not a bad thing in my mind either. Every goal in soccer is super exciting because they are so hard to score. Soccer goals are typically much better plays than hockey goals at this point. How many hockey goals do you think get described as 'garbage' goals compared to soccer goals? I appreciate the garbage goals in hockey too, but if I don't have a cheering interest I really don't find a puck bouncing between 6 guys and eventually being jabbed in to be exciting. Soccer goals more often require very precise passing or shooting.

Hockey is still my favorite sport to watch, but Soccer is right there.

Hell the Europeans that love soccer just dance around and sing in the stands, barely even watch the game cause theres not much happening.

Just like the Europeans that love Hockey do?

Right, except for less offense, more passing back and forth, and a much less exciting game.

Hardly the same thing.

I love the fact that it is so hard to score. The offense that is there is more exciting in my opinion because it has to be almost perfect to work. And there's nothing wrong with passing back and forth if you actually know what they are trying to do. It's a more controlled pace than hockey, but that doesn't make it less exciting for me.

 

[Pentothal]

One thing I never understood is how transfers work in the MLS. It's a closed franchise system, but how do they buy / sign players from abroad? Seems like most deals you hear of (like Frank Rost to the NY Red Bulls just now) are free transfers. Also when Henry and Beckham went over I don't think there was a transfer fee involved.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

I've got to see a source on this. MLS beating MLB in ratings? Too hard to believe.

I never said that. I said the Women's World Cup was.

Women's sports beating pro baseball.

 

[hoss75]

I thought the article was lame, but that's the whole ESPN MO. Otherwise I was apathetic to the whole thing. Soccer is not my thing, but unless someone's one of those soccer snobs (you know the type "Soccer is supposed to be called football and if you don't like it there is something wrong with you...") I don't care who watches what.
Then I had to order some food for dinner. It takes a while because I have my choice of Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Burgers, pizza, pasta, Indian, another Thai place, another Indian place, Argentinian, Brazilian, Afghani(?), Sushi, another Indian place, Mediterranean, Mexican, Caribbean, French, Deli, Greek, Turkish, and Ethiopian... In the end I went with a falafel wrap.
So I was thinking, I've been to major cities in foreign countries, and though all major cities have variety, I've never encountered variety like this anywhere but North America. I suddenly felt that it was important for the MLS to grow. Not because I'd ever watch, but because it's important to have that variety and grow the market and revenue tied with the sport. Once that happens all the best players will play for the MLS, and that will anger the French. Then we can move on to rubgy.

 

[Sevanston]

I never said that. I said the Women's World Cup was.

Women's sports beating pro baseball.

Let's be fair to both sides.

This women's team is playing in the World Cup. People will watch any world sporting championship. That's why Michael Phelps was so popular for all of a month in 2008, and no one has seen him on TV since then. Also, I don't see why it being a women's sporting event should make any difference.

Baseball is currently dead in the middle of their season. The games still don't have as much weight as they will going down the home stretch, or into the playoffs. I'd be more interested in comparing the ratings for the Women's World Cup with the World Series later this year (or even last year).

 

[Overkamp]

And this is why its the world sport. All you need is 4 big rocks for goals and something round that rolls. The poorest of the poor can play. You think people from ghana are going to be able to play hockey...

And on the flip side of that coin it's natural to think that (beyond lack of ice) the cost of playing hockey as a kid is the biggest reason why a lot of kids do not play (I mean even when I bought my equipment from Play it Again Sports my mother was still spending $500-$700 per year to outfit me).

On another note with regards to baseball; if you want insight into strategy, "Three nights in August" is an excellent read. Even for you non-baseball fans it contains great insight into the game and it's ins and outs.

 

[JerseyGuy276]

One thing I never understood is how transfers work in the MLS. It's a closed franchise system, but how do they buy / sign players from abroad? Seems like most deals you hear of (like Frank Rost to the NY Red Bulls just now) are free transfers. Also when Henry and Beckham went over I don't think there was a transfer fee involved.

Henry and Beckham's deals with their other teams had expired. They chose to sign in the MLS instead of with a team in Europe. Frost left his team in Germany to find a new team.

 

[THE HOFF]

With the states being a new destination for stars to end their careers , and with more and more americans leaving for top clubs in europe... I don't see why soccer wouldn't grow here. There are a lot of people watching the MLS on tv, like there are many people watching NHL on TV. The thing is, soccer fans will watch all games ... how many hockey fans consistently watch games in the opposite conference (not talking about hf members here, but the average fan) ? Most soccer fans here follow the EPL, la liga, serie A and the bundesliga... but there ARE a lot of soccer fans here...and they all start to peak and watch a little bit of MLS... which is why they are hopefull I guess. And if Im not mistaken, there are what ? above 10 channels getting rights for MLS games in north america only? with the number of soccer players largely superior to the number of hockey players in north america , the real question is this : will the MLS ever be good enough to be more attractive than a midtable game in the EPL ?

 

[Rhodes 81]

why do hockey fans constantly feel the need to put down other sports?

it's like it's blasphemy to even consider the fact that any sport could possibly be interesting. i just don't get it.

 

[Mihairokov]

If i'm a hockey fan that also enjoys watching Euro Football, Cricket, Handball, and F1, am I in the minority?

Soccer (*sigh*) is an awesome sport to watch, so long as you know what's going on. That is what's most important when watching a sport. If you understand what's going on and what things mean, they are a lot more enjoyable to watch. That's why I prefer Cricket over Baseball and Handball over Basketball. They're just more exciting to me. It all comes down to a personal preference thing.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because, as people have said before, anyone can play it. Kids in Africa or South America or Central Asia can't grab a pair of skates and find some ice, but they can ball up some garbage and kick it around. Really easy stuff.

Hockey chauvinists need to understand that there are other sports in the world and people like those sports. Same goes for any other sporting fan, really. Watch it and enjoy it, and try not to worry so much about what others think of your preference.

Edit: As a note, the amount of ignorance that goes on towards other sports, not only in America but also in Canada and everywhere else, is unbelievable.

 

[Pentothal]

Henry and Beckham's deals with their other teams had expired. They chose to sign in the MLS instead of with a team in Europe. Frost left his team in Germany to find a new team.

Yes I know. I wondered how other signings involving a transfer fee are handled in a franchise system like the MLS. Are there any?

 

[SirQuacksALot]

Let's be fair to both sides.

This women's team is playing in the World Cup. People will watch any world sporting championship. That's why Michael Phelps was so popular for all of a month in 2008, and no one has seen him on TV since then. Also, I don't see why it being a women's sporting event should make any difference.

Baseball is currently dead in the middle of their season. The games still don't have as much weight as they will going down the home stretch, or into the playoffs. I'd be more interested in comparing the ratings for the Women's World Cup with the World Series later this year (or even last year).

I couldn't find the women's world cup (probably because it isn't over, so the official figures aren't in yet), but the Men's world cup final (which the U.S. wasn't in) had 24.4 million Americans watch. The 2010 world series had an average 8.4 rating. 1 ratings point = 1,096,000 households, so the World series averaged 9,206,400 viewers.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

If you noticed I also pointed out its much more exciting then football as well, by far. There are few sports besides maybe hockey and basketball that are as or close too as exciting as soccer.

No, it's not. Not by a long shot.

 

[JerseyGuy276]

Yes I know. I wondered how other signings involving a transfer fee are handled in a franchise system like the MLS. Are there any?

I can't say really then. I know Beckham was loaned out during the MLS offseasons twice but I don't know how.

No, it's not. Not by a long shot.

Yes it is. I love football, but I can't say its exciting to watch guys run around for 10 seconds every 30-40 seconds and then with even longer gaps often thrown in there. Whats your reason for football being more exciting?

 

[MayDay]

I can't say really then. I know Beckham was loaned out during the MLS offseasons twice but I don't know how.


Yes it is. I love football, but I can't say its exciting to watch guys run around for 10 seconds every 30-40 seconds and then with even longer gaps often thrown in there. Whats your reason for football being more exciting?

Excitement is in the eye of the beholder.

One person can say that football is more exciting and another person can say that soccer is more exciting, and they can both be right, because they are describing their own subjective experience.

Some people find golf exciting. Some people find curling exciting. Who are we to say they are wrong?