Soccer Fans?

[Nick Williams]

Wow, I had heard that about the Premier league! That's freakin awesomen

[ollie]

Hey Nick and on the fly, if you haven't seen this yet you will get a laugh or two. I thought it was funny.

http://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/premier-league/coach-ted-lasso-full-film

[Nick Williams]

Hahaha! That's awesome

[On The Fly 6]

Yeah I've seen that. I'm a big "Cowboy" fan, as my avatar shows. It was a good sketch. Ties and no playoffs? Why do you even do this?

[joeD]

Ollie, If stats prove me wrong, then why doesn't the US have a viable professional soccer league? A league that people want to watch in person, and watch on TV?

You guys miss my point.

Look at the last few or so posts. Nothing to do with professional soccer in the US.

Football. Baseball, Basketball. Hockey.

Soccer is an afterthought in pro sports in America.. Passion is there. Just not enough to move the public money needle.

[On The Fly 6]

Ollie, If stats prove me wrong, then why doesn't the US have a viable professional soccer league? A league that people want to watch in person, and watch on TV?

You guys miss my point.

Look at the last few or so posts. Nothing to do with professional soccer in the US.

Football. Baseball, Basketball. Hockey.

Soccer is an afterthought in pro sports in America.. Passion is there. Just not enough to move the public money needle.

Pretty sure I just posted stats that PROVED that people are into soccer. There are US based fan clubs for nearly every major European team on top of fan clubs and supporters for all 18 of the Major League Soccer clubs that are based in the US and Canada (and the league is still growing). I'm not saying that baseball, basketball, football, and even hockey aren't more popular right now, but to say that soccer has no place or is just an after thought is asinine. That seems to be a big waste of time, money, and airway for a sport that's just an afterthought.

Oh, there's even a professional women's league too. Diss soccer all you want, but I'd rather watch 22 in shape women chase a ball around in short shorts than watch golf, NASCAR or the NFL.

[joeD]

As I wrote, you miss my point. I am not "dissing" soccer. Good grief. I am saying that, despite our passions, a professional soccer league in the US cannot compete with the NFL, NBA, NHL, PGA and baseball in terms of viewership and advertising dollars. Also, and I repeat, if the American public wanted to watch, and support, a professional soccer league, in the US, it would have already happened. Your statistics say so, right? As it stands, we watch the European Soccer League.

Note: My wife and daughter are on a road trip visiting colleges that want my daughter to play soccer for them.Bragging? Yes. Point being, my opinions are not made in a vacuum.

[On The Fly 6]

The NBA, MLB, and of course the NFL are the biggest sporting franchises in the US. No doubt, but there is room for a professional soccer league. If there wasn't support and viewership the league would have folded, just like the NASL did back in the 70's when they had some of the greatest players ever like Pele, Beckenbauer, and George Best playing. The MLS isn't declining in viewers or spectators in the stands it is, in every way shape and form, GROWING. As are the endorsements, promotion, of the sport, and the validity of the league itself. It will probably never make the status of the big leagues in Europe, but those leagues have nothing to compete against except maybe rugby and cricket! As the promotion of the sport, viewership, and expansion of the domestic league increases, as will the popularity. It's simple math. Right now a lot of people look at the MLS as a place to get a paycheck and retire for a lot of big names in Europe.

On a side note, good luck to your daughter! If she wants it bad enough, she can go pro in soccer because we have a professional women's league and that's TOTALLY POSSIBLE! (since there's a market for it)

[ollie]

Can't compete with the NFL or MLB at this point, but when you look at some of the home attendance you will see more people are going to the games then say NBA, NHL. Seattle last night had a sell out crowd of over 40,000. Don't tell me the Super Sonics had that many people ever to a game! lol Shoot, when the EPL put on an exhibition game in St. Louis they had more people turn out for that event than any other sporting event ever held at Busch Stadium. In KC the soccer team outdraws the Royals every time they play. Not sure what you are thinking JoeD. If I had cable I would be watching the game of the week on ESPN every week if I could. NBC just picked up the rights to EPL games and are going to start showing them over here now. It is just a tie in for the MLS to get more people introduced to the game. I know it will take a long time and the journey has been slow, but what do you think all of these kids growing up now will watch in the future? Soccer will be up there with the rest of them eventually.

[On The Fly 6]

Guinness International Club Championship final tonight. All but one game of the tournament has been played in the US. Clubs from England, Italy, Spain, and the US competed. Attendance for the final in Miami: between 50-60,000.