Soccer will never become big in the US

[k13]

Just getting bigger and bigger and bigger..
Baseball is dying and boring too.
Hockey stagnating and boring.

Average attendance is already higher for the MLS than the NBA/NHL....yes stadiums bigger but so what...
Imagine if the premier league was here from the start...baseball would be passed by

[jjgold]

Just getting bigger and bigger and bigger..
Baseball is dying and boring too.
Hockey stagnating and boring.

Average attendance is already higher for the MLS than the NBA/NHL....yes stadiums bigger but so what...
Imagine if the premier league was here from the start...baseball would be passed by

good points..hard to dispute facts

[indio]

We have been hearing since 1994 how Soccer is the next big thing in the US. 22 years. Then in 2002 when the US Men made the World Cup quarterfinals we heard how soccer was about to explode. And again in 2010. And after the Womens Team won in 1999 and last year we heard its just a matter of time before soccer becomes huge.

And it has never happened.

Go to ESPN.com and they are always trying to shove soccer down your throat. Lots of front page headlines about soccer and a large soccer site staff.

Yet no one cares.

I live in Seattle and the Sounders soccer team actually draws well. But that's because this city is filled with a bunch of liberals who wish we were more like Europe. The people who like soccer tend to be white liberal men who think we should be more sophisticated, like Europe. That's why soccer is big in this city, lots of white liberal men.

But sports viewership overall is driven by white middle American men who tend to be more blue collar and conservative, and therefore more likely to dislike soccer.

This is why ESPN and the liberal media want soccer so badly to succeed, because it would piss off the white conservative men who hate soccer. And soccer succeeding would mean liberalism succeeding. The two are synonymous.

But it will never happen.

Actually, the opposite is true. Most leagues in Europe are dominated by right-wing ultras that give fascist salutes during the games. I like soccer and I'm as opposed to socialism and progressives as anyone on Earth. Soccer is more popular than ever in the US because the top leagues are more readily available to watch now with expanded broadcasting and the internet. MLS will never be huge because it's not in even in the top 10 leagues in the World as far as quality. But actually, that's part of its charm. How much D-League basketball does anyone watch? How well do you think a pro football league would do without the top 300 players available?

Soccer's good points is that you know how long it will last. The first half is 45 minutes long, halftime is 15 minutes, and the second half is 45 minutes long and after you add a few minutes for stoppage time, it's over (exception being the occasional big game that has 30 minutes of OT, and then penalties). No commercials. Soccer will often be dreadfully boring, but you watch hoping for a few moments of brilliance. Once in a while, you get rewarded with a great game with a lot of action and drama. The main selling point about soccer is for gambling. It's a great game to bet on, and there are literally thousands of matches every day that run almost 24 hours around the world that you can bet on.

Soccer is already huge in the US, as all one has to do is look at the money NBC gave the Premiere League, and FOX gave to offer European leagues and international tournaments. Football will always be king in the US, and basketball will be a solid #2, but Soccer will be #3 in the US for team sports viewership, as baseballs fan base gets older and hockey will always be a specialty market.

Why would anyone give a shit if a sport gets popular or not anyway? If you don't like soccer, fine, don't watch it. Who cares what people find entertaining. There are 100+ reality shows on every week, and I'll never watch a minute of any of them, but if other people enjoy them, who cares?

[Ralphie Halves]

I'll try and take bits and pieces from this....

- Soccer expanding at a rapid rate in the US. MLS expanding everywhere. But don't let facts get in your way.

- The flopping thing is an epidemic, and it is spreading to the US. I'm quoting a podcast here: "In light-brown countries, flopping is celebrated, and the athletes that do it get all the women and respect. After awhile, it becomes your culture." You can put the NFL vid up, but don't compare it to soccer. However, you almost never ever saw that shit in the NFL or NBA 30 years ago. Then along came Vlade Divac.

- The main way to stop flopping is to penalize it it early and often, but nobody does that. FIFA, NFL, NBA, nobody. They just sit there and allow it.

- The pussification of American men theory has legs. You don't have to look far.

[lakerboy]

Why does soccer need to be big in the usa?

[Antibet]

That's how Putin plans to invade the USA: first pussify, then destroy

[thetrinity]

Why does soccer need to be big in the usa?

it doesnt, i actually prefer it being a niche sport, dont need it shoved down my throat like the nfl 365 days a year

[JayLA]

I've said it before. Soccer players in other countries are alpha males, in the US they are nerds who couldnt make the other teams. That's just the way it is..

[CanuckG]

Soccer is getting bigger every year in the US

[CanuckG]

Just getting bigger and bigger and bigger..
Baseball is dying and boring too.
Hockey stagnating and boring.

Average attendance is already higher for the MLS than the NBA/NHL....yes stadiums bigger but so what...
Imagine if the premier league was here from the start...baseball would be passed by

Lol well yeah it does matter if stadiums are bigger. Also MLS tickets are quite cheap. Season tix to the Whitecaps up here is $300 behind the net.

[pavyracer]

I'll try and take bits and pieces from this....

- Soccer expanding at a rapid rate in the US. MLS expanding everywhere. But don't let facts get in your way.

- The flopping thing is an epidemic, and it is spreading to the US. I'm quoting a podcast here: "In light-brown countries, flopping is celebrated, and the athletes that do it get all the women and respect. After awhile, it becomes your culture." You can put the NFL vid up, but don't compare it to soccer. However, you almost never ever saw that shit in the NFL or NBA 30 years ago. Then along came Vlade Divac.

- The main way to stop flopping is to penalize it it early and often, but nobody does that. FIFA, NFL, NBA, nobody. They just sit there and allow it.

- The pussification of American men theory has legs. You don't have to look far.

Ref of Mexico-Uruguay showed 4 yellow cards ans 2 red cards for dangerous and hard fouls. I do need see any flopping. All I see is players playing hard and trying to kill each other.

[opie1988]

Soccer is getting bigger every year in the US

LOL. I've literally been hearing this same thing since I was 6. I'm 46 now, and very little has changed.

Frogs is 1000% correct....Soccer will NEVER be big here. It's just not happening. I know little kids do it, but no one literally gives a fukk about soccer once kids get past about 10. Think about it...do you see or hear much about high school or even college soccer?? For fukks sakes...even softball gets tons more air time than soccer. The softball and baseball college tourneys are all over ESPN right now. I don't know anyone who could even tell you when college soccer even fukkin plays??

Sorry, but it's simply never happening.

[packerd_00]

I'll try and take bits and pieces from this....

- Soccer expanding at a rapid rate in the US. MLS expanding everywhere. But don't let facts get in your way.

- The flopping thing is an epidemic, and it is spreading to the US. I'm quoting a podcast here: "In light-brown countries, flopping is celebrated, and the athletes that do it get all the women and respect. After awhile, it becomes your culture." You can put the NFL vid up, but don't compare it to soccer. However, you almost never ever saw that shit in the NFL or NBA 30 years ago. Then along came Vlade Divac.

- The main way to stop flopping is to penalize it it early and often, but nobody does that. FIFA, NFL, NBA, nobody. They just sit there and allow it.

- The pussification of American men theory has legs. You don't have to look far.

In Western Europe,flopping is frowned upon,so perhaps their is hope for Footie in the States.

[pavyracer]

LOL. I've literally been hearing this same thing since I was 6. I'm 46 now, and very little has changed.

Frogs is 1000% correct....Soccer will NEVER be big here. It's just not happening. I know little kids do it, but no one literally gives a fukk about soccer once kids get past about 10. Think about it...do you see or hear much about high school or even college soccer?? For fukks sakes...even softball gets tons more air time than soccer. The softball and baseball college tourneys are all over ESPN right now. I don't know anyone who could even tell you when college soccer even fukkin plays??

Sorry, but it's simply never happening.

Soccer is not developed in high school or college. Messi never went to high school or college. He was playing for Barcelona at the age of 16. That's like Lebron playing for Cavs at 16 or Peyton Manning playing for Colts at 16.

People from the US do not understand how world class soccer players are developed. No high school and no college.

Barcelona youth teams are trained by ex world class players and and as they move up the ranks they play with A team.

What is a hillbilly coach in High School in the US going to teach the kids here? Lets run and chase the ball boys..this is the game of soccer..i can't dribble or shoot the ball..but I'm your coach now.

[packerd_00]

Soccer is not developed in high school or college. Messi never went to high school or college. He was playing for Barcelona at the age of 16. That's like Lebron playing for Cavs at 16 or Peyton Manning playing for Colts at 16.

People from the US do not understand how world class soccer players are developed. No high school and no college.

Barcelona youth teams are trained by ex world class players and and as they move up the ranks they play with A team.

What is a hillbilly coach in High School in the US going to teach the kids here? Lets run and chase the ball boys..this is the game of soccer..i can't dribble or shoot the ball..but I'm your coach now.

[smittyallsports]

There is no way the USA will ever become as sophisticated as Europe, unless all rednecks in America turn gay

Do you somehow associate being gay with being sophisticated?

[thetrinity]

What high school sport do you ever hear about aside from football or basketball? Those are really the only 2 where the school acts as the feeder system.

[packerd_00]

LOL. I've literally been hearing this same thing since I was 6. I'm 46 now, and very little has changed.

Frogs is 1000% correct....Soccer will NEVER be big here. It's just not happening. I know little kids do it, but no one literally gives a fukk about soccer once kids get past about 10. Think about it...do you see or hear much about high school or even college soccer?? For fukks sakes...even softball gets tons more air time than soccer. The softball and baseball college tourneys are all over ESPN right now. I don't know anyone who could even tell you when college soccer even fukkin plays??

Sorry, but it's simply never happening.

Softball must be a Southern hotbed mate,I never hear about it on the American Sports shows over here.

[opie1988]

Softball must be a Southern hotbed mate,I never hear about it on the American Sports shows over here.

Not a hotbed, by any means. I was just citing it as an example that compared to soccer at the high school/college level...it's huge.

I realize about the feeder system in international soccer. In my opinion, that only strengthens the argument that it won't happen here in the US. Kids want to go to high school here. Their parents want that too. In the US, high school is a huge part of growing up. I just don't see many kids passing that experience up.

[packerd_00]

Not a hotbed, by any means. I was just citing it as an example that compared to soccer at the high school/college level...it's huge.

I realize about the feeder system in international soccer. In my opinion, that only strengthens the argument that it won't happen here in the US. Kids want to go to high school here. Their parents want that too. In the US, high school is a huge part of growing up. I just don't see many kids passing that experience up.

Oh yeah I hear,your big into the HS Proms in the States right,we dont really have them in England.

[pavyracer]

MLS can start a feeder system. The parents must be willing to part with their children and have tutors after practice. The good players of the feeder system will be send to Europe in big club feeder systems.

It has to start from somewhere. All you need is to develop 20 good players that can play world class soccer to make a good national team.

[daneblazer]

One thing the US has over many other countries is options. Facilities. You can choose between a number of sports at a young age. Ties are another problem. People don't like ties. there's not much money in it or its culturally shunned. Kids want to be Michael Jordan or Lebron. Not Alexei Lalas

[lakerboy]

It is what it is. It's like the nfl trying to grow in Europe. It hasn't worked.

[Ralphie Halves]

Ref of Mexico-Uruguay showed 4 yellow cards ans 2 red cards for dangerous and hard fouls. I do need see any flopping. All I see is players playing hard and trying to kill each other.

So you're the guy who mentions the outliers and tries to make an argument out of it. Got it.

Uruguay is one of, if not the dirtiest soccer teams in the world every year. No surprise. I think they practice with 10 men only.

[Ralphie Halves]

In Western Europe,flopping is frowned upon,so perhaps their is hope for Footie in the States.

That's why he said "Light brown countries". I'm going to assume he means Latin, southern EU nations. Arabs, I have no idea how they play.

African nations don't seem to flop too often. Asian, not sure, South Korea certainly did at the Cup.

England/Ireland are really good about not rewarding flops. Men are still men there. All of western Europe though? Did Arjen Robben not get the message?

[existential]

MLS is an awful product and just as unwatchable as baseball, which is saying a lot because baseball is beyond awful and unfixable. no one watches or talks about either.

[k13]

One thing the US has over many other countries is options. Facilities. You can choose between a number of sports at a young age. Ties are another problem. People don't like ties. there's not much money in it or its culturally shunned. Kids want to be Michael Jordan or Lebron. Not Alexei Lalas

What kids are realistically trying to be Jordan/Lebron?

99.9999% population is not 6'6 + blacks...

[packerd_00]

That's why he said "Light brown countries". I'm going to assume he means Latin, southern EU nations. Arabs, I have no idea how they play.

African nations don't seem to flop too often. Asian, not sure, South Korea certainly did at the Cup.

England/Ireland are really good about not rewarding flops. Men are still men there. All of western Europe though? Did Arjen Robben not get the message?

Not all of Western Europe,Portugal and Spain are still bad for flopping.

Germany,England,Ireland,France,and Scandinavia all play pretty solid Football,not much flopping at all.

[indio]

That's how Putin plans to invade the USA: first pussify, then destroy

No, that's how the Zionists have invaded Europe and have infected America. Putin is one of the few hopes of saving the world from the Zionist snakes.

[Ralphie Halves]

What kids are realistically trying to be Jordan/Lebron?

99.9999% population is not 6'6 + blacks...

Enter Steph Curry

[jjgold]

when they have games in usa I do see big crowds regardless of matchups

[packerd_00]

Do you guys remember the USA vs England match in the World Cup 2010,that was one of the best matchups I ever saw just because of the significance.

[jjgold]

I wonder how much tickets are for copa?

[Bill Dozer]

I've said it before. Soccer players in other countries are alpha males, in the US they are nerds who couldnt make the other teams. That's just the way it is..

Interesting to hear Klinsmann say the same thing in a round a bout way. Our soccer players are good enough to get on the field in first division but arent killers at the highest level, the national team level.

LOL. I've literally been hearing this same thing since I was 6. I'm 46 now, and very little has changed.

There was supposed to be a group of kids coming up in the last wave. Juian Green, Hyndman, Zalelem. Even Morris. If they were all good enough to be playing now, we'd be interesting in the World Cup. All we got from the kiddie table is Pulisic. Instead we pretty much got an older version of the group that considers making it out of the group stage a success. Its not too late for the kids but doesnt seem like we are getting our Messi in this round.

MLS can start a feeder system. The parents must be willing to part with their children and have tutors after practice. The good players of the feeder system will be send to Europe in big club feeder systems.

It has to start from somewhere. All you need is to develop 20 good players that can play world class soccer to make a good national team.

Agree. Brandenton is trying to be that. But the good players take off overseas.


The only good sign is the MLS growth, specifically the salaries. There is a real chance we get a Ronaldo to come over here before he's using a walker. Beckham broke MLS out of joke status. Then we had the Henrys and wave of over-the-hill-names. Next is actual ballers coming over to create the GS Warriors of the MLS. Then another team will challenge and we are in. There is too much money in the US. Its inevitable IMO.

[CanuckG]

LOL. I've literally been hearing this same thing since I was 6. I'm 46 now, and very little has changed.

Frogs is 1000% correct....Soccer will NEVER be big here. It's just not happening. I know little kids do it, but no one literally gives a fukk about soccer once kids get past about 10. Think about it...do you see or hear much about high school or even college soccer?? For fukks sakes...even softball gets tons more air time than soccer. The softball and baseball college tourneys are all over ESPN right now. I don't know anyone who could even tell you when college soccer even fukkin plays??

Sorry, but it's simply never happening.

You haven't been paying attention if you think little has changed...