Mr. Yoder II: Okay Y1, so we’ve seen a lot of coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team in the last couple days with their miraculous qualification into the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup, a highly contrived warm-up for next year’s World Cup in South Africa. I think now would be a good time to once again look at the popularity of the game and if, for the 300th time, the game is finally ready to permanently explode on the national scene.
Mr. Yoder I: I think we’ve already seen an explosion onto the national scene when David Beckham signed with the LA Galaxy. While that transfer may not have worked out for Becks or the MLS, the impact on soccer in the states has been huge. Since that move, soccer has been legitimized here and I think you have to look no further than the coverage from ESPN. There was extensive coverage of the last World Cup and even the Euro 2008 was broadcasted in its entirety. Throughout WC Qualifying and during the Confed Cup, Alexi Lalas has been a mainstay on SportsCenter covering the USMNT; whether that’s actually good for soccer or not is another story.
Mr. Yoder I: MLS is actually in fairly good shape in my opinion. The ratings aren’t great but each club has a fairly good following and attendance at most games is consistently around 12-15k. Look at Seattle and Toronto where they draw over 20k per contest.. The league is expanding and the quality of play has gone up as well with solid international players like Schelotto along with young American stars showing their stuff in South Africa. MLS has more than gained a foothold in the US; it’s here to stay.
Mr. Yoder II: I don’t even know where to begin to set you straight. First, attendance is not that great; you and I watched Columbus play at Dallas Saturday in front of 2,000 people, 1/4 of what would have paid to see two high-school football teams scrimmage. Come talk to me when MLS on ESPN gets better ratings than poker reruns. Until MLS approaches the level of play in Europe, soccer will never take off in the U.S. Just look at the USMNT…all of the guys who made an impact in the big 3-0 win against Egypt either ply their trade in Europe (Davies, Dempsey, Bradley, DeMerit, Altidore), or have tried and failed (Donovon). Because our best athletes are pushed towards more “American” sports (football, baseball, and basketball), soccer will never be more than a novelty act on the national stage.
Mr. Yoder I: Okay Two, we can agree that MLS may never reach the quality of soccer in the big Euro leagues, but I don’t think MLS needs to be the EPL to succeed. I think that soccer in the US is growing steadily, think of all the kids playing right now that may be the next Freddy Adu, errr maybe a bad example. Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take many years for MLS to be top league. But, I think that as long as MLS continues to show signs of growth AND the Nat’l Team finds success then the popularity of soccer will continue to rise here in the states. For now, soccer is a part of the national conversation, and that is certainly more than can be said in a long time.
What are your thoughts? We here at RSS want your opinion on if one or neither of us is right so let us know what you think in the comments…oh and since I think soccer is a part of the sports conversation, look for my commentary on the US/Spain Confed Cup game here at RSS coming soon!
3 comments:
I agree completely in this debate with Mr. Yoder II. Soccer never has, isn't and will never be a stable sport in this nation that way in which football, baseball and basketball are. Soccer may be in better shape in this nation if the greatest stars wouldn't be playing in nations separated by an ocean (the EU) or by the swine flu (South America). In football, you have talk about Manning, Brady, Tomlinson. In baseball, you have Pujols, Rodriguez, Griffey Jr. In basketball, you have Bryant, james, Garnett. In soccer, you have Ronaldo, Ronaldinho (sp?), Henry. You won't find any of those three on a Wheaties box or Gatorade commercial anytime soon. Soccer has yet to receive the necessary exposure it so desperately needs to thrive in this country. Until the plant that is soccer gets the necessary water and nutrients it needs to thrive and sustain, it will just be another withering, dying plant amongst the garden that is American Sporting Lexicon.
Thanks anonymous for your comment. If I can defend myself for a moment you are right about the biggest names in soccer, but in truth these are big names in the states. Henry has been in a Gillette commercial with Federer and Tiger, Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid was the lead on SportsCenter, and the Champions League Final of Europe was also heavily covered. Heck, just the fact that you can list those guys off as the best in the game alongside Pujols, Bryant, etc says something. Of course I'm not saying soccer is #1 in the States, but it is certainly growing not withering.
Mr. Yoder 1, I did not exactly put Henry, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in the same exact class as the others I named in different sports. I was merely showing a contrast in the star power in the United States as it relates to the sports. The names are more recognizable outside of the United States. As a wise person told me earlier today, there is an issue with FIFA wanting the United States to get on the same schedule as the international games. That will be the greatest hinderance because they'd have to deal with football. Now, though, they have baseball and the beginning of football to deal with. Maybe if they went up against hockey they would have a better chance of success. Anonymous, out!
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