So I roll out of bed today, and I realize...

[peplaw06]

Odd data. First, the WC is every four years -- any comparison vs. yearly championships compares apples and oranges. Also, the #s they present are so without context that they lack meaning.

For example, how can they say that there is a "lack of interest" when the WC comes out better than the NBA and NHL in their surveys? Those data say that the World Cup is pretty damn popular relative to other sports.

Also, it is hard to trust an article with gramatical errors -- "One-fourth of all Americans (25%) say they don’t want any sports championships"

I didn't check their data. It was posted on Drudge.

 

[AbeBeta]

I didn't say it had to do with "US success." It just has to do with the fact the US is playing. If there's an increase over previous WC's then it's probably because it's marketed a little better.

You know now that I think about it, there was a huge marketing effort for the US team this year. The FIFA rankings came out with the US ranked the #5 team in the world... seems bogus to me, because they definitely didn't play like that... also the Czech Republic was #2... combined the #2 and 5 teams out of the same group, and neither of them made it out of the group, giving way to lower rated Italy and Ghana. I wonder how legit those rankings were. It may have just been a ploy to get the US to have a bigger viewership. I don't have the numbers, but I bet even with our relatively low ratings Nielsen-wise (arguable I know), that we had more televisions tuned in than most coutries in the world.

FIFA rankings are based on a fixed point system. These aren't judged rankings, they are based on wins, strength of schedule, etc. Of course, the US has a natural advantage there as they can bring their best players to every tournament whereas other team are really just sending their B teams. That's an advantage of not having many players with commitments to good European clubs. The USA won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2005 which is what made the rankings so strong. To win this they had to beat Canada, Cuba, Jamacia, Honduras, and Panama.

Put more simply, the USA plays in a weak International "division" -- They pick up a ton of wins because the other teams suck. A team like Italy, they end up playing teams like Germany, Spain, France, etc. So they lose a bit more and have a lower ranking.

The "brackets" aren't like the NCAA tournament either. It isn't the top 64 teams that play -- for example, Turkey was ranked 11th -- they didn't qualify for the cup. Italy was ranked 12th.

Also, FIFA doesn't give a crap about US viewing. The cup gets viewed by up to 75% of the population in some countries -- FIFA doesn't care that more folks in the US are watching. An extra 2 or 3 million viewers is a drop in the hat for an event that is, hands down, the world's most viewed sporting event. If they did, they wouldn't have put the US in such a tough group.

What is true is that ESPN/ABC/Univision (they are all owned by Disney) have a greater commitment to the cup -- having paid 435million last year for the 2007-2014 broadcast rights.

 

[ZeroClub]

Sorry if it is out of place, but just a more general point.

People have different tastes and preferences - and it is a good thing they do. It brings more variety and richness to life.

I don't listen to classical music, but I can appreciate the skill level required.

I'm not a soccer fan. I go years without watching a game, but I usually watch at least a half dozen World Cup games - once every 4 years.

The skill level, competition, atmosphere, .... for folks who like to watch competitive sports, it has something to offer.

Brazil v. France was a great game.

Then again, when I was a kid, I'd watch ABCs Wide World of Sports .... and I'd get excited about weight lifting competitions.

Was I a "weight lifting fan?" No, not really.

Would I argue that weight lifting was the "best" sport? Nope.

I just liked the competition and the chance to see great sports performances.

Vasiliy Alekseyev was a favorite.

 

[jem88]

BTW, soccer ain't popular in Canada or Australia either, but I don't see you lobbing insults at them. Get lost.

It's very popular here. We just suck at it.