ESPN finally changing its mind about soccer?

[bignasty]

I read online somehwere that ESPN was going to be airing every World Cup match live this summer. That got me wondering, are they finally realizing what a massive market soccer has even in the football dominated country of America? ( I find the fact that many American football supporters despise soccer very amusing since football only started because some rich soccer players couldn't hack it on the soccer field.) Or is this just sort of a time filler for them? I can't really tell these days. I see some big shots on ESPN giving great support for soccer, but then the majority of their announcers make it seem like it's an after thought. I don't know too much about how it's going down, but I'm interested in hearing the opinion of anyone who does.

[GUEST]

Sorry Big Nasty, Football derived because Walter Camp couldn't hack playing Rugby. But I do agree with you that the only reason ESPN would air soccer is because of the global market for it and the growing attention from american sports manufacturers i.e. Nike USA. There is a lot of ignorance with announcers because they just don't know nothing about soccer. Great topic of discussion. I would love to see what other people's opinions are.

[ronaldo11]

Agreed. American annoucers never ever have their finger on the pulse of the game. I think it does make a difference....

However, credit to the American TV company - biggest ever TV deal that FIFA have ever been associated with.

[deridderforward#23]

yes i agree with you guys aswell but if it does go on espn i will be the happiest bloody person on this planet

[usasoccerboy]

Guys, I feel I can write a novel about this topic.

First off, I would like to know about who I am talking to.

I am 36, how old are you?

The reason I am ask is that I want to talk about this so called american perception of soccer, where it came from, and how it existed at different times, so I would like to know your ages so I can speak to you and maybe inform about what you may not know in terms of this topic or as someone who may remember what it was like back in those days and guage your memory and to hear your stories about the perception of soccer.

A few quick points.

Soccer in television is at an all time high, but still not to the level of other sports prominently watched on television( i.e. NHL hockey - before the strike).

ESPN as a network has played a cautious approach to soccer, but they have shown every world cup game since 1986, when NBC still showed the game. I am pretty sure NBC covered the world cup in 86, but they didn't show every game. Back then, if your cable company didn't carry a spanish channel, and chances are it didn't - you had to watch it from a giant satellite dish. Not everyone had one of those in 86.

Soccer is the 2nd oldest professional sport in the USA, next to baseball.

The enthusiasm for soccer through the early days and till now had regioal differences of enthusiasm for soccer across america. And as time passed that variance of enthusiasm changed, but vary slowly and gradually. \

Many local club teams existed in the Northeast and to a lesser extent the urban midwest during the WW1 and 2 eras as well into the 50s and 60s.

Now, enthusiasm for soccer in a modern world is higher than ever, but this growth is just part of the slow gradual trend in increasing popularity. It has not been a steep climb in enthusiasm, but instead without regressing built up slowly over time. A good gauge of this is to compare world cups and into blocks of four years and look at the way america perceived soccer.

MLS is now going into its 11th season.

A major part of the history of USA soccer must delve into the days of the NASL. I think we should remember the days of the Cosmos, and the Sting, and Tornadoes, and Rowdies. The NASL played a vital part of bringing soccer into the realm of american consciousness.

As equally important as the NASL, but also the days between the demise of the NASL and before the USA qualified for the World Cup in 1990.

And last for some quick points, do not forget the USA beat England 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup. In terms of consciousness, no body cared. The american media sent only one representative to cover the 1950 USA world cup team in Belo Horizante, Brazil.

[bignasty]

GUEST said:

Sorry Big Nasty, Football derived because Walter Camp couldn't hack playing Rugby. But I do agree with you that the only reason ESPN would air soccer is because of the global market for it and the growing attention from american sports manufacturers i.e. Nike USA. There is a lot of ignorance with announcers because they just don't know nothing about soccer. Great topic of discussion. I would love to see what other people's opinions are.

my bad, I did a report on the history of soccer in like 4th grade, and I thought that is something I found, I guess I remembered it wrong. Or it was just a bad source.

[bignasty]

usasoccerboy makes good points. I didn't realize they carried every game since 1986. I just remember some of the games last World Cup being on ABC? I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong about that too. And it may be the second oldest professional sport, but it hasn't been continuous as long as baseball. The NASL shutdown. Now the MLS is fortunately here and appears to be on the rise. I have a feeling that when my generation become parents (I'm 18), soccer will be ranked up there with football and basketball. And when my generation's kids' gereration are parents, soccer will be #1 in America. If that made sense?

Right now there is definite prejudice against soccer though. At my school (LHS), all the baseball and football coaches went crazy that we were using the game field for practice at the beginning of the season. So now we have to practice in Carencro because our school doesn't have an adequate practice field. (Looks like Holly Beach) But now we're in the playoffs, and we went to the field to do some free kicks, and we find the same coaches laughing on the track next to the field while some kids are messing around playing football on one half, and the javelin throwers are tossing javelins on the other half. I don't want comments on that because I know how wrong that is, I just wanted to give a recent example of the prejudice that still exists.

[usasoccerboy]

So, I am twice your age.


Let me tell you, when I was 18, soccer was not even on the map very much in America.

What happened since?

Well lets see, the USA in 1988 made the Seoul Olympics and this was the first giant step of climbing out of the grave of american soccer between the demise of the NASL in 1982 and miraculous resurgence of soccer in america in an envioronment that was very anti soccer.

At that time Louisiana soccer was in its early years and only the perennial soccer schools of today had programs. I remember when St. Martin and Vandebilt were the easy teams to beat. This was comparable to the rest of the country. All around america, kids were starting to play soccer. The club systems were archaic, but at least the kids were starting to play, and leagues were forming. In Louisiana, soccer was limited to the bigger cities and fewer suburb areas. Across the rest of america, the Northeast, California and upper midwest were the hotbeds of soccer. There was more isolated regional parts of the country where people were playing soccer. Now it is more diverse, but still not where it needs to be.

A player at that time could only go as far college soccer, which was the only grounds for finding prospects for the national team. When the USA miraculously qualified for 90, it finally started making soccer slowly cement itself in the sporting conscious of america. After each successive world cup, the enthusiasm grew a bit more each time. Then the MLS came and gave the american game its legitimacy world wide and help groom the next generation of team players. Now it is in its 11th season, and there are players playing for the national team who developed with that professional league.

Soccer was and is flourishing, and well that it should, for players like yourself were born and ready to play soccer, whereas guys like myself, didn't get to start playing in decent leagues till 12 years of age. As the years go by, the talent has improved in depth, and likewise the national product has gotten better the same way. The underlying reason is that americans are slowly assimilating the game. It is still not at the level of the big three sports, and other sports like golf, tennis, and nascar dwarf soccer in terms of appeal of the american sports preference. But every four years we seem to be a step father.

To think that 18 years ago, we still had not been to the world cup in 38 years, we had no professional league, and tv coverage for soccer was almost non existent, unless you considered the MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) as a viable option. Maybe it was, as that was the stomping ground of USA international and MLS veteran Preki.

There are more soccer parks in america today, and that is another reason for the success in america. But the main reason is that kids are playing pick up games more than ever. There is nothing better for the development of soccer and a national team than this.

[Guest]

PAT, You have far too much time on your hands. Write a book and send me a copy.

Sincerly,
Dad

[LafayetteDad]

Sorry Guest, Rugby is derived from Association Football: worldsoccer.about.com/cs/historyandstats/a/sochist.htm
"In 1815, the famous English School, Eton College, established a set of rules which other schools, colleges and Universities began to use. Later, these were standardised and a version, known as the Cambridge Rules, was adopted by most of England's Universities and Colleges in 1848.

But now, football was divided into two separate camps. Some colleges and schools preferred to follow rules drawn up by Rugby School - rules which permitted tripping, shin-kicking and carrying the ball - all forbidden by the Cambridge rules.

On 26 October 1863, eleven London clubs and schools sent their representatives to a meeting in the Freemason's Tavern to establish a single set of fundamental rules to govern the matches played amongst them.

This meeting created The Football Association.

The supporters of the Rugby School rules walked out - and on 8 December 1863, Association Football and Rugby Football finally split."

[GUEST]

Sorry Lafayette Dad, but the way I read it was Big Nasty meant Football Americano i.e. steelers. I am true saying with Football (American) being derived from rugby and yes Rugby was derived from Football (soccer). Do you know the first American Football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton. Furthermore, the real name given to rugby is Rugby Football. It's amazing how soccer has influenced so many other sports. Who would have thought that the ancient chinese who cut the heads off their enemies and kicked them around would turn in to the game we all love.

[deridderforward#23]

actually mate the ancient chines cut there heads off and kicked it up using there hips and feet to each other. in victorian england a group of people made a ball out of a pigs bladder which is still what soccer balls are made of today and made 2 posts on either side of the fields, and had local competitions until it got really big and english people set sale and introduced them to other countries like spain and france and had more competition they did this with cricket in india aswell. i learnt this on a research paper i did so u learn stuff everyday huh

[deridderforward#23]

and king henry the eighth was the person who called it football and his brother made the field, and the starting rules of football.

[hideki]

is that the henry that also had 6 wives and created his own church?

[LafayetteDad]

Oh, OK. My bad. I misread the first post. And I had no idea who Walter Camp was until I googled him. Thanks for the info.

[takeitdowntown1]

Technical Question: Will they be in High Definition. It is like night and day watching a game in HD compared to regular TV.

Also, does anyone have tickets to a game. I scored a ticket in the lottery and will be making the trip. I attended the cup in 94 but I imagine this will be much different.

[rpiresofarsenal]

soccer is not too big now but it is growing a large rate and will soon be even bigger than it is now

[toolshed2]

ESPN needs to start carrying English or Spanish league games on a regular basis. Considering the vast majority of Americans don't watch soccer regularly, this might be difficult.

[usasoccerboy]

Soccer has been bigger than it ever has been in the USA.