Will soccer league ever be big in North America?

MLS seems to be amounting to something here in central North America.

From what I've gathered, they're expanding this year, adding two teams to the league: Chivas USA, based in L.A., and Real Salt Lake, based in Utah. Chivas USA has a sponsorship deal with Chivas de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; and Real Salt Lake has a sponsorship deal with Real Madrid, Spain.

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No, America loves violences and there is not enough in soccer.

You got football in the fall, Basketball/Hockey in the winter, Basebell in the spring and summer.

Thats 4 seasons and 4 spots. Nascar is trying to get its place in there. Golf has a place in the ranking. Poker gets more attention than soccer. And soccer comes last. It'll be hard for soccer to get more attention. Adu helped a bit but you haven't heard much about him since he got in have you? I'm afraid the only thing us soccer fans in the US can do is get cable and watch EUFA on FOX world sports. EUFA > MLS

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Quote:

MLS seems to be amounting to something here in central North America.

From what I've gathered, they're expanding this year, adding two teams to the league: Chivas USA, based in L.A., and Real Salt Lake, based in Utah. Chivas USA has a sponsorship deal with Chivas de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; and Real Salt Lake has a sponsorship deal with Real Madrid, Spain.

Cool. I certainly hope they do amount to something.

Quote:

You got football in the fall, Basketball/Hockey in the winter, Basebell in the spring and summer.

Thats 4 seasons and 4 spots. Nascar is trying to get its place in there. Golf has a place in the ranking. Poker gets more attention than soccer. And soccer comes last. It'll be hard for soccer to get more attention. Adu helped a bit but you haven't heard much about him since he got in have you? I'm afraid the only thing us soccer fans in the US can do is get cable and watch EUFA on FOX world sports. EUFA > MLS

Well I can't blame poker people since I know some of them, but it's a real shame that it's not big in North America. I mean, I think lots of people in the U.S. and Canada play soccer, but yet there's little option in professional development at home.

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I don't think it's exactly the violence of the sport that's the biggest problem. Soccer can certainly be every bit as violent as basketball or baseball. You try to dribble the ball by me where I can get a slide tackle in, and I'll show you some "violence." Laughing

I think the biggest problem with "American" fans is that a large percentage simply don't understand the game, and thus don't appreciate the many subtle things that happen during a game. They don't see the beauty of a well-placed pass, a great run, or a perfectly timed tackle. They don't understand how amazing a 0-0 game can be.

MLS has made a lot of inroads into capturing some fan base. Hopefully it will continue, and educating the fans about the game is important. Soccer is a very popular game with youth, for a lot of reasons, and as the number of US soccer playing youth continues to increase, these players will become adult soccer fans, and I think we will, in time, see a greater demand for soccer in the US.

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I live in the UK and the English league is constantly getting bigger and bigger. Personally I have no idea why Football (Soccer) isn't bigger in the USA and is big everywhere else in the world, the USA have talent in this area if they just realised it. Baseball, American Football and Basketball are the big sports in America but (no offence to any Americans out there) aren't general sports fan material for a good day out. In Baseball they have the World Series, when it isn't played any where else in the World, so how can it be a WORLD series?
Anyway, more money should be ploughed into Soccer and it will be bigger, better and the US team will do better. Just look at the 2002 World Cup- America did well in that considering that they haven't been playing for a long while.
Hopefully in 10 years time the North (and South) America will be challenging Europe for the popularity and play of Soccer.

Indie

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indie: No offense taken, but I assure you that to Americans, American Football, Baseball and Basketball are great sports to watch "for a good day out." Taking in a baseball or football game at a stadium is a great event here.

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that's fine. But those sort of games havent got the atmosphere that a soccer (football) match can give you.

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indie wrote:

that's fine. But those sort of games havent got the atmosphere that a soccer (football) match can give you.

I certainly wouldn't equate the atmosphere of an English league match to anything over here. I give you that. We aren't that rabid about our sport.

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Never been to a Raiders game, eh Tico?

http://sportsmed.starwave.com/i/magazine/new/raider_fans_1.jpg

I hope that they can at least bring back the WUSA, the women't soccer league that folded a year or so ago. That sucks. There's an awful lot of disappointed young women out there.

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NO!

Because soccer doesn't translate well to the tube.

There's no way to stop or break the action up into ad-sized chunks.

Sad, but true.

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cjhsa wrote:

Never been to a Raiders game, eh Tico?

I hope that they can at least bring back the WUSA, the women't soccer league that folded a year or so ago. That sucks. There's an awful lot of disappointed young women out there.

No, but I know they have nice costumes at a lot of NFL games.

Ever seen the fans at an English soccer match? We like our sports here in the US, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking we are more rabid than the soccer-fans elsewhere. We have some rabid fans to be sure, but these folks are completely into it.

I hope so too, about the WUSA. Really a shame.

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English fans are into it, i agree.

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Tico:

No fans could be crazier than the Norwegians I saw watching the Winter Games a few years back.

Well--maybe the Aussies!

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What was up with the norweigans?

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I doubt if I will ever be much of a soccer fan personally, but I am surpised it hasn't become more popular than it is by now, given that the last generation of kids has grown up playing it.

I think Neoguin's point about the lack of suitability for television ads is a factor.

Also the full calendar of professional sports already, although if soccer could be played in the winter hockey might have provided a window of opportunity.

It could have something to do with the fact that, unlike basketball, baseball, and football, Americans neither invented nor refined soccer.

I don't expect it has much chance to grow an audience until it is more firmly established on the high school and college level --and American players become better known.

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Indy:

They just seemed to be a lively bunch, now I admit that the olympics may have been why.

Grey:

Thanks, and as people like Frankie Adu and other younger people become more visible, you never know--NASCAR was supposedly doomed to be a niche sport too.

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Quote:

basketball

Basketball was invented in Canada. :wink:

Yeah, lots of people play soccer in North America but doesn't really play it professionally.

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Ray wrote:

Quote:
basketball

Basketball was invented in Canada. :wink:

Yeah, lots of people play soccer in North America but doesn't really play it professionally.

In 1891, the sport of basketball was invented in Massachusetts, USA, by Canadian minister Dr. James Naismith, future first basketball head coach at the University of Kansas. :wink:

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Soccer is becoming huge in Canada, mainly because hockey is getting too expensive to outfit and play. In a generation or two, soccer will be just as big here as it is worldwide.

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Will soccer league ever be big in North America?

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