My 7 ways Soccer can work in the US

[BigDGarciaFan]

Keith Olbermann explained his 7 ways on his program on ESPN, now i explain my 7 ways soccer can work. before i explain my seven ways, i want to say this; Soccer is a great and interesting sport, and america's interest in the sport is on an all-time high during this World Cup season. so here it goes from 7 to 1. read real sharp!

7. KNOW the HISTORY; its great to know the history of the game, so know it. the more you know, the more youll love soccer.
6. SHARE SOCCER POSTINGs and TALK ABOUT IT at dinner table, break room, birthday party. print flyers, share soccer related postings on FB, twitter, etc. no sharing about "going to the club", or "having a few beers talking about ga-ga." or "watching the big boxing match". call a friend, convince them about a major soccer event on TV or near your area. get them hooked. it can be a major topic of discussion, better that talking about "a purse you saw at Old Navy."
5. WATCH IT IF YOUR OTHER TEAMS(NFL, NHL, college, NBA) ARENT PLAYING. if you live in a city with a major pro sports team, or college team, and theyre not playing. meaning if theres a soccer game(olympics, barclays league, MLS, etc) on TV, switch to any channel that has soccer and watch.
4. EURO CUP FINAL AS GREAT SOCCER EVENT EVERY YEAR. the UEFA Champions league final is the biggest annual pro soccer event of the year, airs a day before the indy 500. treat it as if it were the super bowl(the same for the world cup which ill explain in 1)
3. SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL TEAM. if the US team(or women) are ever on TV, you tune in and watch. they are our team, and we watch them. have your kids watch with you
2. SKIP THE NIGHTLIFE, SOCCER IS BETTER THAN NIGHTLIFE SOCIALIZING. "no going to nightclubs"(that hasnt have TVs airing soccer games), "no more listening to techno music" in the mornings or evenings, and "no concerts" on days of a world cup game, US national team game, your local pro soccer team game(MLS, NASL, etc)
unless theres a good reason to miss it(jury duty, death in family, kid's sports game, work, etc)
1. WORLD CUP AS BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT. Treat the World Cup Final as if it was Super Bowl sunday. you bring your friends over, set up the drinks and bbq pit, watch every minute of it.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

I think soccer is pretty popular in the US.

I don't understand some of the rules but I can sit & watch a game & find it entertaining.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

I should have added in my previous post that soccer players are amazingly athletic.

If for that reason alone it is fun to watch. It's tiring watching them.

 

[TheCowboy]

I hate soccer. Running around and barely scoring one goal for 90+ minutes is extremely boring.

My two cents.

 

[BigDGarciaFan]

I hate soccer. Running around and barely scoring one goal for 90+ minutes is extremely boring.

My two cents.

if u hate soccer, how come you have the FC Dallas logo as your signature?

 

[Risen Star]

I hate soccer. Running around and barely scoring one goal for 90+ minutes is extremely boring.

My two cents.

IMO, it's the single worst thing I've ever watched on TV. All this media forced soccer craze that's going on right now has me baffled. I literally couldn't invent a worse sport.

 

[daschoo]

I was born and raised in a country that is obsessed with the sport, it's pretty much a religion here (Celtic Rangers rivalry even has its roots based in religious, social and political divides)
I had a season ticket for 6 and a half years, have been to at least one game every year since 1987 and have travelled from Scotland to Germany and Spain (via England and Portugal) to watch my team as well as travelling the length and breadth of Scotland itself.
Despite this I must admit I have found the time to watch the odd boxing match, I've been known to turn off games between teams I have no interest in favour of other TV and even frequented nightclubs in my younger days.

 

[Craig]

If the situation was "the US wants to like soccer, but they don't know the process for getting into a sport", those steps would be great.

 

[burmafrd]

just like the Olympics every four years. No real difference

 

[TheCowboy]

if u hate soccer, how come you have the FC Dallas logo as your signature?

I found it online and it was just on it for some reason lol

 

[jterrell]

My rules would be far simpler.

1. Pick a Euro team. Can be based on just about anything --uni, name, fave player, coach et al.
2. Watch said Euro team.
3. Profit.

If there is a nice way to call people stupid assume I do so here with regards to anyone who truly believes the sport only matters every 4 years to a group of people beyond themselves. Ratings for Euro league games are ascending almost weekly and definitely each season. Games now being shown on broadcast TV not just cable. Companies are bidding for the rights to games and not charging to air them. MLS has fairly soft TV ratings but EPL, Gold Cup, Confed and other quality soccer has ratings in line with any major sports leagues other than the NFL.
And MLS games have done a great job of drawing attendance.
The ratings and crowd attendance points to a younger, hipper crowd than any sport except MMA which is a boon for the future.
It is also rated much more highly in the Spanish speaking community which is also by far the fastest rising population in the country.

 

[DFWJC]

#2 on that list is baffling....especially if that is being asked of a single, 20-something (which I am neither).
I wouldn't ask that of anyone in that age group for any sport, let alone soccer.

 

[casmith07]

People need to get with it. The momentum and growth is there. 50% increase in viewership and growth since the last World Cup, and MLS teams in small markets are out-drawing MLB teams.

The simple reason to fix soccer in America is to reverse the course of it being an affluent, white people's sport. It's too expensive for young kids who don't come from wealthy families to get into. Travel soccer teams have paid coaches for 8 and 9 year olds, etc.

It's going to become more popular over time. The younger generations are into it, and with them the interest will grow.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

People need to get with it. The momentum and growth is there. 50% increase in viewership and growth since the last World Cup, and MLS teams in small markets are out-drawing MLB teams.

The simple reason to fix soccer in America is to reverse the course of it being an affluent, white people's sport. It's too expensive for young kids who don't come from wealthy families to get into. Travel soccer teams have paid coaches for 8 and 9 year olds, etc.

It's going to become more popular over time. The younger generations are into it, and with them the interest will grow.

JMO, but a similar soccer euphoria sweeps the nation every four or so years and the momentum rarely carries over beyond the world cup.

 

[MC KAos]

I bet 80% of the "I hate soccer, boring, yaya yada" crowd is over the age of 40. Soccer will become more popular in the usa over time. HD wide screens are helping the sport tremendously, so is fifa (the video game). It will only continue to grow

 

[RastaRocket]

#2 on that list is baffling....especially if that is being asked of a single, 20-something (which I am neither).
I wouldn't ask that of anyone in that age group for any sport, let alone soccer.

lol pretty much my thoughts...

I'm a huge soccer fan and I can manage both.

 

[RastaRocket]

JMO, but a similar soccer euphoria sweeps the nation every four or so years and the momentum rarely carries over beyond the world cup.

It's been carrying for a while now without the World Cup.

 

[Sarge]

If they allowed fighting like hockey, I might watch it..........might.

 

[casmith07]

JMO, but a similar soccer euphoria sweeps the nation every four or so years and the momentum rarely carries over beyond the world cup.

The first time I noticed it was in 2006. It was still a niche sport...MLS wasn't that big outside of DC United (which they finally broke up because it was unfair how much they were winning).

By 2010, international teams and leagues like La Liga and others were televised on ESPN and other sports networks, not just Univision.

Now, in 2014, you've got major networks like ESPN signing TV deals to televise MLS games. The groundswell is happening...but like anything it takes time. Old farts who "hate soccer, its boring, blah blah" will die out, and the younger generation that is actually into the sport (and other sports, too) will take over. Someone above mentioned the FIFA video game, and they're right. The interest is continuing to increase every year.

It's especially fun to watch once you learn the rules, which are really simple. It's also awesome to watch our US men and women play soccer the right way a no-flop, physical style of play.

It has the potential to overtake baseball as the #3 sport in the US...but I think that Bud Selig will be ushered out and hopefully someone with fresh ideas will take over and fix baseball before that happens.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

I hate soccer. Running around and barely scoring one goal for 90+ minutes is extremely boring.

My two cents.

If they do not make it more offensive it will never become popular here in USA.

Need 5-4 games... 7-6...

That penalty kick nonsense is no way to end the game.