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(USA Today) Obvious Soccer is really catching on in the states   (content.usatoday.com) divider line 162
More: Obvious, Major League Soccer, MLS Cup, Landon Donovan, soccer, media market, valuations  
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3623 clicks; posted to Sports » on 22 Nov 2011 at 3:47 AM   |  Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook   more»   |    Get this fabulous T-Shirt and impress the methane out of your friends! shirt it!



162 Comments   (+0 »)
   

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2011-11-22 12:19:55 AM
there are a lot of american soccer fans who are elitists and think that just because the MLS isn't the best league on the planet it isn't worth watching. what they refuse to see is that they're shiatting where they eat, and the longer they keep up this bullshiat the loner it takes for the league to grow.

that being said the league is growing slowly and healthily in a managed fashion. next year there will be 40K seats available for every Sounders home match - we sold out every home match this year with 36k seats available every match. for two regular season matches they opened up the entire stadium just to see how many we got - 45k.
 
2011-11-22 12:38:10 AM
That, or 9pm ET on Sunday night is a really stupid time to hold your championship match.
 
2011-11-22 12:50:00 AM
Kazan: there are a lot of american soccer fans who are elitists and think that just because the MLS isn't the best league on the planet it isn't worth watching. what they refuse to see is that they're shiatting where they eat, and the longer they keep up this bullshiat the loner it takes for the league to grow.

wanting to watch the highest quality competition(s) of a sport you have played and loved for years isn't elitist, it's smart.
 
2011-11-22 02:39:05 AM
socalnewwaver: Kazan: there are a lot of american soccer fans who are elitists and think that just because the MLS isn't the best league on the planet it isn't worth watching. what they refuse to see is that they're shiatting where they eat, and the longer they keep up this bullshiat the loner it takes for the league to grow.

wanting to watch the highest quality competition(s) of a sport you have played and loved for years isn't elitist, it's smart.


i should have made it clear that they refuse to watch MLS (their home league) in favor of foreign leagues because "MLS is boring" (it mos assuredly is not)

RminusQ: That, or 9pm ET on Sunday night is a really stupid time to hold your championship match.

the sunday before thanksgiving no less.
 
2011-11-22 04:12:59 AM
Interestingly enough, MLS has the 10th highest attendance among professional soccer leagues worldwide. Also, its attendance figures have eclipsed the NBA (pre-lockout and NHL making it the 3rd most watched sport in the US.
 
2011-11-22 04:13:37 AM
Watching the Premier League makes us feel all British-y and cultured, without having to watch PBS.
 
2011-11-22 04:16:37 AM
At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.
 
2011-11-22 04:28:30 AM
Snapper Carr: Interestingly enough, MLS has the 10th highest attendance among professional soccer leagues worldwide. Also, its attendance figures have eclipsed the NBA (pre-lockout and NHL making it the 3rd most watched sport in the US.

Asinine. Stadiums have higher capacities than arenas so it is ridiculous to compare the NHL and NBA with the MLS, MLB, or NFL in terms of attendence. Also, to say it is the 3rd most watched sport in the US based on attendence is also strange to me, since that really doesn't speak to its actual popularity. The Stanley Cup and NBA Finals destroy the MLS in terms of ratings and relevance. Soccer is growing in the United States and may soon be considered relevant to the average American but it isn't right now. Good luck getting ahead of football, baseball, basketball, hockey, MMA, NASCAR, tennis, and golf.
 
2011-11-22 04:30:16 AM
I am trying to find the article but the ratings for MLS Cup were up 60 percent from last year.
 
2011-11-22 05:00:26 AM
TheJoe03: Snapper Carr: Interestingly enough, MLS has the 10th highest attendance among professional soccer leagues worldwide. Also, its attendance figures have eclipsed the NBA (pre-lockout and NHL making it the 3rd most watched sport in the US.

Asinine. Stadiums have higher capacities than arenas so it is ridiculous to compare the NHL and NBA with the MLS, MLB, or NFL in terms of attendence. Also, to say it is the 3rd most watched sport in the US based on attendence is also strange to me, since that really doesn't speak to its actual popularity. The Stanley Cup and NBA Finals destroy the MLS in terms of ratings and relevance. Soccer is growing in the United States and may soon be considered relevant to the average American but it isn't right now. Good luck getting ahead of football, baseball, basketball, hockey, MMA, NASCAR, tennis, and golf.


Most really aren't that much bigger. Sure, some like the Sounders and DC United play in football stadiums, which obviously are, but everybody who has built a purpose-built soccer stadium has made it quite a bit smaller. For comparison

Toyota Park (Chicago Fire) holds 22,000, vs the United Center which holds 20,916 for the Bulls and 19,717 for the Blackhawks
Columbus Crew Stadium holds 22,000, vs the Quicken Loans Arena which holds 20,562 for the Cavaliers and 20,056 for Cleveland's AHL team
The planned Dynamo Stadium in Houston will hold also 22,000, vs the Rocket's Toyota Center which holds 18,043 and 17,800 for hockey
The one I found that was noticeably bigger was the Home Depot Center for the LA Galaxy, which holds 27,000 compared to the Staples Center for any sport.

So yes, they are bigger, but not by much. It's not like every team is playing in a football stadium.
 
2011-11-22 05:12:29 AM
I am a huge soccer fan and I didn't watch the MLS final. It's not because I dislike the MLS, I just had no emotional stake in either team winning and at that point didn't care a whole lot. Frankly, the Sounders FC were not playing and I couldn't watch the Timbers lose, so I was sort of "meh". I had to work anyways.

Besides, i'm not surprised Chelsea vs. Liverpool managed to attract more viewers. There's a bit of a rivalry growing between the two, and when two of the top teams in what is probably the most watched league in the world clash, people are going to watch.
 
2011-11-22 05:14:37 AM
TheJoe03: Snapper Carr: Interestingly enough, MLS has the 10th highest attendance among professional soccer leagues worldwide. Also, its attendance figures have eclipsed the NBA (pre-lockout and NHL making it the 3rd most watched sport in the US.

Asinine. Stadiums have higher capacities than arenas so it is ridiculous to compare the NHL and NBA with the MLS, MLB, or NFL in terms of attendence. Also, to say it is the 3rd most watched sport in the US based on attendence is also strange to me, since that really doesn't speak to its actual popularity. The Stanley Cup and NBA Finals destroy the MLS in terms of ratings and relevance. Soccer is growing in the United States and may soon be considered relevant to the average American but it isn't right now. Good luck getting ahead of football, baseball, basketball, hockey, MMA, NASCAR, tennis, and golf.



Shorter version:
profile.ak.fbcdn.net
Stop liking things I don't like!

Listen, I don't know where you're from, but I do know where you're not from. There are parts of this country that are passionate about this game, far beyond what you're imagining. And you know what? You don't have to defend yourself against that. It's okay. You can like what you like, and we'll like what we like, and all's well.

RCTID

www.wweek.com
 
2011-11-22 05:18:49 AM
Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.


No, and it's farking obnoxious to attempt to dictate to people which clubs they are and are not permitted to support.
 
2011-11-22 06:07:18 AM
Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.


So what? Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, we can watch any farking league we want, and frankly, the Premier League interests me more than MLS.

In short, go fark yourself you xenophobic twat.

/Go Arsenal and go RVP
 
2011-11-22 06:17:51 AM
It's funny watching people who failed to evolve past tribalism.

/the secret is to bang those rocks together, guys!
 
2011-11-22 06:52:23 AM
I can understand getting all provincial about a team that was filled with players from the area they represent. But when I watch Premier League the sequence of play is usually "Black dude from Africa passes to Mulatto dude from South America, etc.."

If you want to get all bossy about "your" sport, don't allow people from other parts of the world to play it. (and watch your revenues go down the sharthole)
 
2011-11-22 07:15:30 AM
Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.


So. If I chose root for any team other than a MLS team, I'd have to root for Dhofar S.C.S.C. or Vissel Kobe because those are the only places I've been able to go ashore abroad in?
 
2011-11-22 07:29:53 AM
KaisertheCoyote: There's a bit of a rivalry growing between the two

Heh, nice understatement. While it isn't as epic as it was under Rafa and Mourinho, the Liverpool-Chelsea matches are almost always guaranteed to be insanely fun to watch.
 
2011-11-22 07:36:41 AM
Snapper Carr: Also, its attendance figures have eclipsed the NBA (pre-lockout and NHL making it the 3rd most watched sport in the US.

Of course, an outdoor sport played in larger stadia with cheaper tickets is going to have a higher per-game attendance than indoor sports played in smaller arenas with much more expensive tickets. It would be shocking if it didn't. It also doesn't tell you anything meaningful about the relative popularity of those sports.

Since the NBA and NHL both play a longer season than the MLS, they both actually have a much higher annual attendance. And since their tickets are more expensive, they have much, much higher ticket revenues.

Moreover, indoor sports are constrained in their attendance. 18 of the 30 NHL teams are at or above 99% capacity so far this season, which suggests that many of those markets could sell many more tickets if they had the seating capacity available to do so.

In short, you're making a bad and meaningless comparison. Indoor sports and outdoor sports are different. If you want to compare MLS to something, compare it to baseball, which is also an outdoor, summer sport.
 
2011-11-22 07:42:52 AM
Not too far from me there is a park which has been a long-time place for kids to play sports.

Current count:
Soccer fields: 10
Baseball diamonds: 0

From my earliest memory to when I graduated HS, if you asked me where the nearest soccer field was, I couldn't have told you. I don't remember there being one in my town of 20,000ish.

Both sports are brutally boring. But at least with soccer, if you are playing, at least you aren't spending 90% of the time watching other people (the pitcher, catcher, batter...and sometimes baserunners and 1st baseman) play while doing nothing.

Suggestions for improvement:
Soccer: get rid of offsides rule. Imagine how boring NBA would be if there was an offsides rules. Hockey should drop this rule too.
Baseball: 2-2 is now full count. Or at very least, pick-off moves count as a pitch.
 
2011-11-22 07:48:55 AM
SevenizGud: Soccer: get rid of offsides rule. Imagine how boring NBA would be if there was an offsides rules. Hockey should drop this rule too.

That's a terrible idea. The offsides rule exists for good reason. It prevents players from cherry-picking in the offensive zone. If you got rid of the offside rule, you would permanently have a sniper parked near the opposition net waiting for a home-run pass. It would be ugly, ugly hockey.
 
2011-11-22 07:50:07 AM
SevenizGud: Not too far from me there is a park which has been a long-time place for kids to play sports.

Current count:
Soccer fields: 10
Baseball diamonds: 0

From my earliest memory to when I graduated HS, if you asked me where the nearest soccer field was, I couldn't have told you. I don't remember there being one in my town of 20,000ish.

Both sports are brutally boring. But at least with soccer, if you are playing, at least you aren't spending 90% of the time watching other people (the pitcher, catcher, batter...and sometimes baserunners and 1st baseman) play while doing nothing.

Suggestions for improvement:
Soccer: get rid of offsides rule. Imagine how boring NBA would be if there was an offsides rules. Hockey should drop this rule too.
Baseball: 2-2 is now full count. Or at very least, pick-off moves count as a pitch.


Additional suggestion for soccer, "make the nets bigger".

Or, "make the nets smaller and lose the goalie".
 
2011-11-22 07:56:42 AM
Wittenberg Dropout: I can understand getting all provincial about a team that was filled with players from the area they represent. But when I watch Premier League the sequence of play is usually "Black dude from Africa passes to Mulatto dude from South America, etc.."

If you want to get all bossy about "your" sport, don't allow people from other parts of the world to play it. (and watch your revenues go down the sharthole)


To be fair, if they only allowed Brits to play in the Premier League, it would be far lower quality than MLS.
 
2011-11-22 08:05:13 AM
As somebody who watched both the Liverpool/Chelsea game And the MLS final there is an obvious reason. I watch MLS matches every once in a while but that final match was terrible. I don't care if the groud was slightly wet and slippery. Before the half the players had run out of gas and stopped running and a few even had their hands on their knees.
 
2011-11-22 08:15:46 AM
Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.


That's completely ridiculous. By that logic, I shouldn't be allowed to like bands from England because I've never been there. Sorry Sex Pistols, Beatles, Rolling Stones, I suppose I can't like your product since I'm not from where you are.

Yeah, I'll pass on your recommendation. Thanks, though.
 
2011-11-22 08:22:52 AM
Langston: Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.

That's completely ridiculous. By that logic, I shouldn't be allowed to like bands from England because I've never been there. Sorry Sex Pistols, Beatles, Rolling Stones, I suppose I can't like your product since I'm not from where you are.


Well, for a lot of people, sports fandom has a strong component of civic pride and feeling connected to a local community. "Rooting for the hometown team." It's what causes people to identify with the local team, as part of their community, and create a rooting interest. It's hard to feel a close, personal connection to a city thousands of miles away that you've never been to. Why should I care whether a team from Manchester beats a team from London, if I've never been to either city and have no connection to them? There's no rooting interest.
 
2011-11-22 08:26:12 AM
Doc Daneeka: Langston: Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.

That's completely ridiculous. By that logic, I shouldn't be allowed to like bands from England because I've never been there. Sorry Sex Pistols, Beatles, Rolling Stones, I suppose I can't like your product since I'm not from where you are.

Well, for a lot of people, sports fandom has a strong component of civic pride and feeling connected to a local community. "Rooting for the hometown team." It's what causes people to identify with the local team, as part of their community, and create a rooting interest. It's hard to feel a close, personal connection to a city thousands of miles away that you've never been to. Why should I care whether a team from Manchester beats a team from London, if I've never been to either city and have no connection to them? There's no rooting interest.


90% of Yankees, cowboys, and lakers fans who utd like to disagree....

Okay...I made that number up.

Point still stands.
 
2011-11-22 08:30:11 AM
Hey let's put up the Final against a Prime Time NFC East Matchup that features one of the most discussed players in the NFL, AND the Sprint Cup Final that comes down to winner take all.

I'm sure going up against two deeply rooted sports won't hurt ratings!
 
2011-11-22 08:31:15 AM
www.graphicsdb.comupload.wikimedia.org
upload.wikimedia.org
 
2011-11-22 08:33:49 AM
Also the Mexican Primera had the Liguilla playoffs that night, I know that Pachuca - Tigres ended by then, and Telefutura advertised the hell out of the MLS final. Maybe If they had more Mexicans outside of Omar Bravo and Marquez more of us would give a damn. I mean given the choice between watching the league of a country I have little to no connection with outside of them having the worlds best players, a kick-ass league in a country to the south which I'm ethnically connected to, or the league of my home country which while not as terrible as years past has a lot of growing room, I always choose FMF. I'm interested in the EPL and MLS but due to a complete lack of time FMF monopolizes my soccer/futbol time. Also doesn't help that EPL and MLS games are pretty much only on cable, when any TV with a digital tuner (I was going to type rabbit ears, lol, the past) can pick up FMF games every Saturday.
 
2011-11-22 08:38:12 AM
Kazan: because "MLS is boring" (it mos assuredly is not)

Yes it is. And I watched some of the MLS final while waiting for the Eagles to collapse.

The MLS is stupid for playing their final vs Sunday Night Football.

They're also stupid for having their schedule run counter to most every other league in the world.


The MLS is like watching the US Men's Team vs the US Men's Team. Awkward defense, no midfield play, no finishing.
 
2011-11-22 08:38:35 AM
I always love football threads that have Americans who hate the sport chime in on "how to make it better"...Here's an idea, go fark yourself. The sport is fine the way it is. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

Also, as someone who grew up supporting and watching Man United. I'm very pleased at how the sport, and its supporters, have grown in this country. Yes, I understand a lot of American United supporters are considered "bandwagon jumpers", but the ones I see regularly have stuck through and still come out to the pub at 7:30 in the morning in the middle of winter to support United. I think it's great that we have access to international leagues and that more and more people are getting into them. This is what will grow the sport in the country.

Since the fall of the NASL, Americans, and in particular, American kids, never really had a professional league to look up to. Sure they may have heard of teams in England, Italy, Argentina, etc. but they never had a chance to really watch them on a regular basis. When the MLS came around, people didn't know most of the players other than the ones that were on the US national team and the few Latin players from Central American countries.

I moved here in 1994, I couldn't even watch United unless I went to my mate's place 'cause he had a satellite dish, other than that, I would just read the match reports from online news groups. Now, it's all over the place. Everywhere I go, I see kids wearing United, Chelsea, Barca, Milan shirts. These kids have footballing idols to look up to. They can watch players at the top level play week in, week out.

So yes, yes you can support a team of which you've never been to. However, I highly urge you to plan a trip to that city and try to take a game in live. If you have kids who are interested, take them some time. You'll never regret it.

/sorry for the rant
//csb
 
2011-11-22 08:47:56 AM
PullItOut: TheJoe03: Snapper Carr: Interestingly enough, MLS has the 10th highest attendance among professional soccer leagues worldwide. Also, its attendance figures have eclipsed the NBA (pre-lockout and NHL making it the 3rd most watched sport in the US.

Asinine. Stadiums have higher capacities than arenas so it is ridiculous to compare the NHL and NBA with the MLS, MLB, or NFL in terms of attendence. Also, to say it is the 3rd most watched sport in the US based on attendence is also strange to me, since that really doesn't speak to its actual popularity. The Stanley Cup and NBA Finals destroy the MLS in terms of ratings and relevance. Soccer is growing in the United States and may soon be considered relevant to the average American but it isn't right now. Good luck getting ahead of football, baseball, basketball, hockey, MMA, NASCAR, tennis, and golf.


Shorter version:
[profile.ak.fbcdn.net image 180x107]
Stop liking things I don't like!

Listen, I don't know where you're from, but I do know where you're not from. There are parts of this country that are passionate about this game, far beyond what you're imagining. And you know what? You don't have to defend yourself against that. It's okay. You can like what you like, and we'll like what we like, and all's well.

RCTID

[www.wweek.com image 622x455]


Yeah, parts of the country that lack professional teams from the other major sports. He also never said he liked them better, he said America does. He's right. You can't fairly compare them based on counting heads at the stadium because not all of those sports play the same amount of games, play in same sized venues, or charge the same price for tickets. The league minimum salary is probably a better metric in knowing how well received the professional sport is across the country (assuming the powers that be aren't overpaying by a ton like the NBA, or tossing them peanuts like UFC).
 
2011-11-22 09:05:17 AM
Doc Daneeka: Well, for a lot of people, sports fandom has a strong component of civic pride and feeling connected to a local community. "Rooting for the hometown team." It's what causes people to identify with the local team, as part of their community, and create a rooting interest. It's hard to feel a close, personal connection to a city thousands of miles away that you've never been to. Why should I care whether a team from Manchester beats a team from London, if I've never been to either city and have no connection to them? There's no rooting interest.

I donno, I've followed some pretty random teams just because a player I liked was sold off to some shiat Netherlands club.

Also, since we're being told who we can and cannot follow, can I say football? My favorite club says fotbal right there in the title...
 
2011-11-22 09:12:22 AM
TonnageVT: I always love football threads that have Americans who hate the sport chime in on "how to make it better"...Here's an idea, go fark yourself. The sport is fine the way it is. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

I don't hate soccer, I love it. But there's something downright criminal about awarding a championship based on not-soccer. If I were ruler of all, a final game (of anything) would never go to penalties.

That's really the only thing that makes me angry; the other things that I don't like are stylistic things that I don't feel strongly about.
 
2011-11-22 09:17:23 AM
Probably I just don't understand how the ratings work, but aren't there still households that get FOX and not ESPN?
 
2011-11-22 09:25:16 AM
RminusQ: I don't hate soccer, I love it. But there's something downright criminal about awarding a championship based on not-soccer. If I were ruler of all, a final game (of anything) would never go to penalties.

That's really the only thing that makes me angry; the other things that I don't like are stylistic things that I don't feel strongly about.


There are things about all sports that I hate. In hockey, I hate icing. In NFL, way too many things to mention. I hate basketball and baseball, so I won't even start.

Yet, those are the rules of the game. It's been accepted as the rules, and so deal with it.
 
2011-11-22 09:31:55 AM
Doc Daneeka: Well, for a lot of people, sports fandom has a strong component of civic pride and feeling connected to a local community. "Rooting for the hometown team." It's what causes people to identify with the local team, as part of their community, and create a rooting interest. It's hard to feel a close, personal connection to a city thousands of miles away that you've never been to. Why should I care whether a team from Manchester beats a team from London, if I've never been to either city and have no connection to them? There's no rooting interest.

I'll agree that a lot of fandom is related to a sense of civic pride, but I'll disagree completely that it's the only allowable source of choosing a team to follow. The Boston Red Sox and NY Yankees have fans all over the US and the world, and from more than people that grew up in those two cities. The Lakers and Celtics have fans from all over. Los Angeles hasn't had a local NFL team since 1994 (Raiders) and before that, the Rams left LA proper in 1980.

The reality is that people pick teams to follow in sports they like for more reasons than civic pride. I played soccer as a kid and enjoy watching it when it's played well, and the best soccer in the world right now is being played in England and Spain, with the top five richest clubs in the Premier League and La Liga.

There are more states without NFL teams than there are states with NFL teams. Yet NFL is (and should be) quite popular in those other states without civic pride as a source.
 
2011-11-22 09:36:14 AM
LucklessWonder: [www.graphicsdb.com image 320x480][upload.wikimedia.org image 500x656]
[upload.wikimedia.org image 370x500]


Enjoy your home road trips to Baltimore :) I kid, I kid...

The 2012 Superdraft in January is gonna be a few blocks from my office, so I'll be attending my first ever pro sports draft this year. I'm oddly excited about that given I MAYBE watch half a dozen NCAA games a year. But it's been an excellent season in Kansas City and this is gonna be the longest off season yet.
 
2011-11-22 09:36:41 AM
Soccer is the babysitter of America. It keeps younger kids occupied and out of trouble after school, and mini-van driving moms can pick up 6 children at a time. That leaves 5 other sets of parents to have personal time.

Not saying soccer is a bad sport, but the reality is that is is popular because it is cheap to play (hardly any equipment) and relatively safe compared to most other sports.
 
2011-11-22 09:40:10 AM
TonnageVT: Yet, those are the rules of the game. It's been accepted as the rules, and so deal with it.

Sports rules are changed all of the time. There's no reason to just 'deal with it'.

If that was the case the NBA still wouldn't have a shotclock.

macadamnut: Probably I just don't understand how the ratings work, but aren't there still households that get FOX and not ESPN?

I would be pretty confident in saying anybody who gets Fox Soccer Channel would also have ESPN.
 
2011-11-22 09:44:54 AM
Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.


Seriously. Everyone knows it's cooler to be Liverpool fan.
 
2011-11-22 09:45:23 AM
error 303: But it's been an excellent season in Kansas City and this is gonna be the longest off season yet.

That it has been. Keep LiveStrong at at least 75% of its excitement level this year and I really don't care if the rest of the nation cares or we ever get on SportsCenter.
 
2011-11-22 09:56:20 AM
Lets see...

LFC Chelsea was on broadcast TV, MLS was on cable

LFC Chelsea was on Sunday afternoon, MLS was on Sunday night

LFC Chelsea was on against an NFL game I didn't care about, MLS was on against Eagles Giants and Boardwalk Empire and Walking Dead

I surfed onto LFC Chelsea to see if there was another NFL game on and left it there. I had no idea the MLS final was on. They didn't exactly push it.
 
2011-11-22 10:04:46 AM
Lawnchair: That it has been. Keep LiveStrong at at least 75% of its excitement level this year and I really don't care if the rest of the nation cares or we ever get on SportsCenter.

But, if you're not on SportsCenter, and your choice of sport isn't popular with most of the country, you should feel bad about watching it and having fun!

I live in San Antonio. We're getting a pro soccer team next year. A big chunk (maybe all, can't remember) of the team's profits are going to support Morgan's Wonderland, which is an amusement park for special needs children. I don't particularly care what the media coverage looks like, I'm going to go to matches, yell, chant, sing, and generally enjoy myself. If others don't want to do that... their loss.
 
2011-11-22 10:05:00 AM
RminusQ: I don't hate soccer, I love it. But there's something downright criminal about awarding a championship based on not-soccer. If I were ruler of all, a final game (of anything) would never go to penalties.

After 90 minutes of normal time and another 30 of extra time, the players are absolutely knackered. That's a long time to be doing what is essentially a series of sprints interspersed with non-stop jogging. Golden goals were trialled and they were worse. I don't like penalties (I'm an England fan, we're terrible at them!) but I can't really see how to replace them without turning all players in to marathon runners which will impact the physical side of the game.
 
2011-11-22 10:06:27 AM
Also if they're talking about the rebroadcast Liverpool Chelsea match, it wasnt on FSC, it was broadcast over the air on local Fox affiliates. So a much larger potential audience.

But I'd believe the live match on FSC beat the MLS Cup game as well. Was a pretty boring final, and Liverpool and Chelsea was always going to be a huge match.
 
2011-11-22 10:11:44 AM
MugzyBrown: macadamnut: Probably I just don't understand how the ratings work, but aren't there still households that get FOX and not ESPN?

I would be pretty confident in saying anybody who gets Fox Soccer Channel would also have ESPN.


The game wasn't on Fox Soccer Channel, it was on Fox.

The Envoy: RminusQ: I don't hate soccer, I love it. But there's something downright criminal about awarding a championship based on not-soccer. If I were ruler of all, a final game (of anything) would never go to penalties.

After 90 minutes of normal time and another 30 of extra time, the players are absolutely knackered. That's a long time to be doing what is essentially a series of sprints interspersed with non-stop jogging. Golden goals were trialled and they were worse. I don't like penalties (I'm an England fan, we're terrible at them!) but I can't really see how to replace them without turning all players in to marathon runners which will impact the physical side of the game.


The only argument I've heard for why golden goal was worse was "teams played for penalties". (1) Many teams already play for penalties (lookin' at you, Switzerland). (2) If there's no penalties to play for, teams will know the only way to win the game is to score a goddamn goal. If that's because one team tires out before the other, so be it.
 
2011-11-22 10:12:45 AM
Foxxinnia: At least, I think we can all agree that people need to stop rooting for teams that are on continents they've never even been to.

"Manchester United is my favorite team. No, I've never been to England."
This needs to stop.


Try telling that to Ghanaians or Nigerians. CHELSEA 4 LIFE
 
2011-11-22 10:13:59 AM
More important than all that is this question: a 1.5 for the tape delay means that a decent percentage of you Neanderthals don't have Fox Soccer Channel or were too lazy to watch it live. What the hell is wrong with you people?
 
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