Soccer

[mgom27]

It's is growing in the USA and that's is good.
We need more MLS Farm Teams here in USA.
Wizards are going to the MLS Cup this year.

[Chaddeus Maximus]

That's is an astute observation on your part; thanks for sharing it's with us.

[canadiancreed]

And people say I spam.

[LFC1892]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

And people say I spam.

+1

[bababui]

What they really need is promotion and relegation, but it likely wont happen because of the franchise fees. A relegation race can make for an exciting end to the season for those teams on the bottom.

[LFC1892]

What they need is Becks and Tom to buy a team....oh wait......

[boilermaker]

There's a ridiculous discussion going on in the letters/blog section of yahoo.sports.com/mls as to whether or not the MLS compares favorably to the English Premier League. The MLS isn't even the best league in CONCACAF, to which the honor goes to the Mexican League whose teams regularly smash MLS teams in continental competitions.

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by bababui

What they really need is promotion and relegation, but it likely wont happen because of the franchise fees. A relegation race can make for an exciting end to the season for those teams on the bottom.

It wouldnt work because this is America. The only way it would have a chance is if MLS ran a first and second division and perhaps had a League Cup of some kind...and I wouldnt even think about doing that for another 10 years.

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by boilermaker

There's a ridiculous discussion going on in the letters/blog section of yahoo.sports.com/mls as to whether or not the MLS compares favorably to the English Premier League. The MLS isn't even the best league in CONCACAF, to which the honor goes to the Mexican League whose teams regularly smash MLS teams in continental competitions.

any comparison like that is about competitiveness between teams, not quality of teams

[boilermaker]

Originally Posted by theasfl

any comparison like that is about competitiveness between teams, not quality of teams

Well, I don't know. There is a theme noting how MLS teams defeat English Premier League teams in friendlies. The obvious reply is that there's nothing at stake for the teams with bigger payrolls and they're less likely to bring an A-game.

[eriqjaffe]

Soccer: The Sport Of The Future Since 1974!

[boilermaker]

I believe soccer does better with television ratings than, say, the NBA.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by boilermaker

I believe soccer does better with television ratings than, say, the NBA.

At least they can make networks that people can actually get, unlike a certain "top four" league with Versus.

Ugh.

[andjbock]

None of my friends who are into the footie watch the MLS they only watch Premier League.

[boilermaker]

Originally Posted by boilermaker

I believe soccer does better with television ratings than, say, the NBA.

I need to take that back. The top rated pro-soccer matches do a 2.5 share while the average NBA game on network TV does a 1.1 share, but that's cherry picking. I can pick out soccer games that outdo NBA games, but you can pick out a lot of NBA games that outdo soccer broadcasts.

Still, I would say that this country is far more a soccer country than people give it credit for. When people crack jokes about the sport's popularity, they're being willfully ignorant.

[andjbock]

Originally Posted by boilermaker

I need to take that back. The top rated pro-soccer matches do a 2.5 share while the average NBA game on network TV does a 1.1 share, but that's cherry picking. I can pick out soccer games that outdo NBA games, but you can pick out a lot of NBA games that outdo soccer broadcasts.

Still, I would say that this country is far more a soccer country than people give it credit for. When people crack jokes about the sport's popularity, they're being willfully ignorant.

Yeah but that's only because San Antonio & Detroit are always on.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by boilermaker

Still, I would say that this country is far more a soccer country than people give it credit for. When people crack jokes about the sport's popularity, they're being willfully ignorant.

Sounds very much like hockey as well.

[eriqjaffe]

Originally Posted by boilermaker

Still, I would say that this country is far more a soccer country than people give it credit for. When people crack jokes about the sport's popularity, they're being willfully ignorant.

Soccer (and, to a lesser extent, hockey) are still predominantly niche sports. Basketball may not be much more popular, but it's decidedly higher profile.

[boilermaker]

Originally Posted by eriqjaffe

Soccer (and, to a lesser extent, hockey) are still predominantly niche sports. Basketball may not be much more popular, but it's decidedly higher profile.

Soccer has the advantage of accessibility over ice hockey (and a head start in this nation). Like baseball, basketball, or football, any kid can have makeshift equipment and literally play it anywhere they want to. And it's pretty much free to play. Ice hockey doesn't have that and it costs 5 times as much for a nosebleed seat at an NHL game than for the same seat in a NBA arena. It costs me $8 to see my local minor league baseball team. It costs me $20 to see my local minor league hockey team. The entire country has a "soccer mom" youth system that's been in place for over 20 years. Youth hockey is just barely starting in this country on the broadest levels and it suffers from the accessibility issues I've mentioned.

And when people account for the popularity (or alleged lack thereof) of soccer in this country, they completely fail to account for the Spanish speaking population, for which there is no question of its viability as a popular sport. I'm not sure why they don't count when people measure up the popularity and commercial viability of sports in this country.

[ctorg]

I think the MLB World Series should be soccer instead of baseball. Imagine the fun of seeing baseball's best duke it out in a soccer competition. It would show who the true athletes are.