Dear american football...

[cliftonparksufan]

I watched about 15 mins of the World Cup: saw the same crap as always (flopping and no scoring). Call me a dinosaur...I'll never watch soccer. Better hope the younger kids like it cuz the typical Native-Born American adult just doesn't get it.

Even if you were more typical and watched more of the American game would you be enthused enough to watch Germany v France at noon tomorrow. Highly doubtful. Americans only want to watch Americans. Even the World Cup final will be very minimal unless absolutely nothing else is on TV at the same time. Even then there will be no rooting interest from the casual fan. I'd like to see Costa Rica to win because I've been there and liked the people. Also Colombia because my old roommate who is from there asked me to root for them. But there is nil chance that I will arrange my schedule to see either or their games.

 

[TheCusian]

I watched about 15 mins of the World Cup: saw the same crap as always (flopping and no scoring). Call me a dinosaur...I'll never watch soccer. Better hope the younger kids like it cuz the typical Native-Born American adult just doesn't get it.

I'm a typical Native-Born American who derided soccer for years until the last World Cup. The flopping kills me too. But the focus on scoring is off - it's like hockey and Lax - it's about the amount if shots on goal. The one-timer and great saves. If you're a Lax fan it shouldn't be that much of a jump to soccer...

 

[Bayside44]

You guys are thinking too linear - it has a cultural impact on the parents of those kids. Soccer is no longer a strange, unfamiliar sport. That has something to do with being open to trying it as a spectator sport.

Come on - neither of us are kids but it was played pretty strong when we were kids. I am old enough to remember the Cosmos, NY Arrows, Pele, Shep Messing, etc...

Frankly it seems like a large group of US soccer posers in DC couldn't pick out a soccer ball from a meatball when they were kids, but since they can be ironic and a tad Euro with the World Cup it's been the daydrinking rage. I wouldn't place the future of the sport on those shoulders.

 

[Bayside44]

Really, Scooch, you're being a little know-it-all-y in this thread without posting any numbers to back it up.

Here are current MLB ratings:

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/09/30/Media/MLB-ratings.aspx

The Yankees are drawing about 200,000 viewers per game, and the Mets, Cubs, White Sox and Phillies - big market teams - are all well below that number.

MLS on NBC last year drew 300,000 viewers per game. MLS on ESPN has been drawing around 200,000 per game, plus another 250,000 on Univision's sports channel. Premier League on ESPN is doing around 1 million for their game of the week.

http://www.sbnation.com/mls/2014/2/12/5402024/mls-tv-ratings-nielsen-sports-report

The World Cup just topped the World Series. Now, the MLS playoffs only did about 500,000 English speaking audience (maybe 1M total), so the baseball playoffs are still much bigger than our domestic league. But baseball is already on the ropes. Baseball started losing its younger fans when they moved the World Series games to night time. They are reaping the impact of that decision now, as their audience continues to skew older.

Again - I am a season ticket holder for a MLB team (Nats)...frankly I am astounded on the crow being younger, and so family oriented, as compared to say the NBA and especially the NFL.

A lot of the teams you mentioned up top are having down seasons. Not a lot of job watching a 440 baseball team play out the string.

 

[saltine44]

I'd be a bit worried if I were you. This wasn't some "oh, how cute a soccer game is on" moment for the american sports fan. This was a "holy cow, this is freaking great" tournament.

Add this to the concussion issue and I think there's legit reason for concern.

Some 10 year old future Bo Jackson might choose soccer with a nudge from mom and dad.

 

[Millhouse]

The American sports calendar is a very crowded elevator to find room in for something that to most of us is "new", especially if that sport is dominated by defense.

That said, I've never been bored watching a soccer game, just a bit frustrated. I agree that if you can watch hockey and lacrosse, (or even basketball), you can watch soccer. It's the same idea. Some guys would like to put a round thing in a net and some other guys don't want them to. One of the guys who doesn't want them to gets to stand in front of the net. I wonder sometimes what it would be like without that guy. Basketball seems to get along without him. But then, without that guy, the US wouldn't have even been in this tournament and nobody here would care about it.

I would like to go to the bathroom without thinking I might miss the winning goal. But knowing that winning goal could come at any time is part of the fun. And it would be nice to know precisely when the game is going to end. Not knowing that is lame. And give me "the golden goal" over penalty kicks any day.

Insisting that Americans must learn to like it because the rest of the world does is silly but deciding not to like it because the rest of the world wants us to is even sillier.

Boeheim's been playing a goalie for a hundred years now!

 

[Millhouse]

I really can't comment specifically on it. Sorry about that.

I will just say that the methodology is sound (calling it an "opinion" poll devalues it) and that "avidity" manifests itself in much different behavior among teens than it does among other age groups.

Here's a fun fact that might make my point... Teens are proportionally the most avid sports fans, but also watch the least amount of sports on TV (compared to every other age segment).

that's because the networks put on all the games after their parents make them go to bed!

 

[DeGrozz]

US/Belgium out drew every single regular season College Football game this year and all but two bowl games:

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...ge-football-games-topped-usa-belgium-ratings/

The game also occurred on a week day during working hours. If people aren't seeing the progress, they aren't paying attention.

 

[Millhouse]

US/Belgium out drew every single regular season College Football game this year and all but two bowl games:

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...ge-football-games-topped-usa-belgium-ratings/

The game also occurred on a week day during working hours. If people aren't seeing the progress, they aren't paying attention.

everyone agrees the world cup is popular. please try to listen to the other side. the disagreement is over whether it's the game or whether it's national teams in an every 4 year special event.

 

[longtimefan]

4) What happens next World Cup when it is in Russia with a 6 hour time difference and Fox has the rights? I think part of the appeal was that the game times in Brazil mirrored most of the US.

That understates the problem--London is 5 hours, Paris 6, Moscow 9.
Which means that a game beginning 1PM in Russia will be on at 4 AM on the East Coast.

 

[IthacaMatt]

That understates the problem--London is 5 hours, Paris 6, Moscow 9.
Which means that a game beginning 1PM in Russia will be on at 4 AM on the East Coast.

Yes, this will have an impact, but start times in Brazil were Noon, 3 PM and 6 PM. That would place the 2nd and 3rd games of the day (in the Group stages) at 7 AM and 10 AM. That's not horrible. It's not as bad as when they held it in Japan and South Korea in 2002. And of course, there's always the DVR.

 

[DeGrozz]

everyone agrees the world cup is popular. please try to listen to the other side. the disagreement is over whether it's the game or whether it's national teams in an every 4 year special event.

It's just another example of the sports growth. How much information is needed to show that the sport is growing exponentially in this country? There's:

1 - Increased attendance in the domestic leagues
2 - Increased TV exposure of both domestic and foreign leagues
3 - Increased or steady youth participation, while nearly all other major sports are seeing drop-offs
4 - Demographic shifts in this country that are favoring soccer
5 - Increased foreign investments in the MLS including partnerships with some of the largest clubs in the work (MCFC/RM)
6 - More players in our domestic leagues playing in the World Cup than ever before
7 - Huge investments being made in youth development that will only improve the quality of the domestic league going forward
8 - The sport is growing fastest amongst young adults and youth

It's all right there. I almost think that if people aren't recognizing the enormous strides that the sport has made over the past two decades and don't see the trajectory that the sport is currently on, then they aren't paying attention.

 

[Pyle]

I'm surprised that you left out baseball. You know, that exciting game where two guys play catch, sometimes another tries to hit the ball and he occasionally makes contact... and once in a while that results in the ball actually being put in the field of play.

It wasn't on purpose lol, I don't watch baseball either. Maybe a couple of playoff games but that's it.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Yes, this will have an impact, but start times in Brazil were Noon, 3 PM and 6 PM. That would place the 2nd and 3rd games of the day (in the Group stages) at 7 AM and 10 AM. That's not horrible. It's not as bad as when they held it in Japan and South Korea in 2002. And of course, there's always the DVR.

How is that not horrible. Most people have to work for a living. Most Americans only want to watch live and in primetime.

 

[Pyle]

Did you watch the US play this year? Every game was freaking unbelievable.

It was easily in the NFL Playoff, March Madness level. Not quite regular season SU Football, but hey...

I watched some of the Germany game and some of the Belgium game. I wasn't impressed.

 

[TheCusian]

I watched some of the Germany game and some of the Belgium game. I wasn't impressed.

Fair enough. To each his own.

I got hooked this year. My 1st thought after the loss was: what's next?

 

[IthacaMatt]

How is that not horrible. Most people have to work for a living. Most Americans only want to watch live and in primetime.

Some games are on the weekend. Games were played during the workday for 3 out of 4 of the US games during this World Cup and we still surpassed the ratings from South Africa by about 50%.

 

[Millhouse]

It's just another example of the sports growth. How much information is needed to show that the sport is growing exponentially in this country? There's:

1 - Increased attendance in the domestic leagues
2 - Increased TV exposure of both domestic and foreign leagues
3 - Increased or steady youth participation, while nearly all other major sports are seeing drop-offs
4 - Demographic shifts in this country that are favoring soccer
5 - Increased foreign investments in the MLS including partnerships with some of the largest clubs in the work (MCFC/RM)
6 - More players in our domestic leagues playing in the World Cup than ever before
7 - Huge investments being made in youth development that will only improve the quality of the domestic league going forward
8 - The sport is growing fastest amongst young adults and youth

It's all right there. I almost think that if people aren't recognizing the enormous strides that the sport has made over the past two decades and don't see the trajectory that the sport is currently on, then they aren't paying attention.

I'm 39. Mike Gundy has made me look forward to being 40. I'M A MAN... I'M FORTY!

If soccer's growth was exponential , we'd be further a long by now because most of those things are not new.

It's the overheated hyperbole of the zealots that make the rest of us want to pat you on the head and so OK OK.

 

[Scooch]

FYI, for those throwing around TV numbers... the data you see is represented as the amount of viewers in the average minute of a telecast. Not the amount of viewers that tune in across the entire telecast.

So using the Super Bowl as an example (since I saw someone reference that earlier) if you see a figure of 111 million quoted that means 111 million people were watching the average minute of the telecast. Of course the telecast runs for 3-4 hours. Over the entire telecast there might be upwards of 175 million people who tuned in at some point.

At the same time, most online audiences are represented as the total audience over the course of a program (or who visit a site over a day, week or month). There are often comparisons between online audiences and TV ratings, and they are almost always apples-and-oranges because almost all media writers (and definitely all general writers) do not realize that the TV numbers are a per minute average.

 

[Scooch]

Did you not read the statistical point? MLS already outdraws the regular broadcasts of nearly all of the biggest market teams!

Yes, one nationally broadcast game outdraws one team on a regional channel.

The point is that if you add up ALL the viewing to those 100+ MLB games every week and compare it to the aggregate viewing to all MLS and International soccer games that are telecast the MLB audience is substantially higher.

 

[TexanMark]

Fair enough. To each his own.

I got hooked this year. My 1st thought after the loss was: what's next?

Camping at the lake, drinking beer, mowing the lawn and waiting until Labor Day for Football to kickoff.

 

[rrlbees]

Again - I am a season ticket holder for a MLB team (Nats)...

Please send my Chiefs another pitcher.

 

[TexanMark]

Please send my Chiefs another pitcher.

They take and take and take...you almost think the Chiefs exist to feed the Nationals. Give me the Yankees AAA franchise.

 

[TheCusian]

FYI, for those throwing around TV numbers... the data you see is represented as the amount of viewers in the average minute of a telecast. Not the amount of viewers that tune in across the entire telecast. So using the Super Bowl as an example (since I saw someone reference that earlier) if you see a figure of 111 million quoted that means 111 million people were watching the average minute of the telecast. Of course the telecast runs for 3-4 hours. Over the entire telecast there might be upwards of 175 million people who tuned in at some point. At the same time, most online audiences are represented as the total audience over the course of a program (or who visit a site over a day, week or month). There are often comparisons between online audiences and TV ratings, and they are almost always apples-and-oranges because almost all media writers (and definitely all general writers) do not realize that the TV numbers are a per minute average.

I could see how that would affect the SuperBowl's number. I'd bet more people watch whole soccer matches due to it's tidy 2 hour block with no breaks but halftime. Scores tend towards non-blowouts too.

 

[TheCusian]

Camping at the lake, drinking beer, mowing the lawn and waiting until Labor Day for Football to kickoff.

Ahh... Best sporting event there is.