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Commentary: The World Cup Bump for Soccer in America is Gone - And That's OK
Soccer's popularity in the United States isn't worth worrying about anymore.
Jul 12, 2010 1:05:00 PM
By Ramin Majd
Now that the World Cup is over, soccer will retake its usual position on the sidelines of the American sports landscape. Soccer fans will bemoan this, and soccer haters will rejoice.
But I will do neither. I just don’t care. I’m perfectly happy with the game’s position in America right now. Here are a few reasons why:
MLS is doing fine:
As American soccer fans, we’re supposed to fret about whether MLS teams are making money. Why? I don’t know about you, but Don Garber doesn’t cut me a check every two weeks. If the Sounders sell out or sell 12 tickets, it doesn’t make a difference to me. As long as clubs are profitable, why should I care?
The folks who run MLS are smart. The folks who invest in the clubs are smart. Some of them love the game, but all of them expect returns on their investments. Everyone who owns a piece of an MLS franchise is either a) making money now, b) expecting the value of their franchises to rise, or c) both.
The boys at AEG and their peers are making money off soccer in America. If they weren’t, they’d be putting their capital elsewhere. We don’t need to evangelize the game to keep rich people in the black.
Invaders in the clubhouse:
Let’s face it: Part of the reason we enjoy following this sport is that it’s a little bit underground. It’s our secret. We’re following a great little indie band before they hit the big time. It’s not hard to get a ticket and we can still afford to sit close to the stage.
Do we really want to let the masses in on the party? We say we want the popularity of soccer to expand exponentially, but do we mean it? Do we really want to listen to self-styled “experts” on sports radio yammer about Manchester United instead of the Yankees? Do we really want PSLs and thousand-dollar seats at MLS stadiums?
The ESPN effect:
The Worldwide Leader has been shoving soccer down sports fans throats lately. Now, just because ESPN promotes something doesn’t mean it’s going to be popular (remember Arena Football?). But there’s no denying ESPN’s power and influence on the sports landscape.
So just imagine for a moment if the Boys from Bristol succeed and soccer takes off. Mike and Mike will awkwardly try to discuss the Prem in the morning. SportsCenter anchors will make lame jokes about Brek Shea’s hair. The buffoons from Around the Horn will scream at each other about why Messi can’t play for country the way he plays for club.
And I’m terrified to even write this, but . . . imagine “Landon Donovon: The Decision.”
ESPN’s hype machine has made the mainstream sports in this country less fun to follow. I’d rather they not give soccer the same treatment.
The Internet:
It used to make sense for soccer fans to want the game to be more popular in the U.S. As recently as ten years ago, it was hard to follow the game here. It wasn’t that long ago that people had to subscribe to overseas publications, seek out European expatriate cafes and bars, and watch games on the Spanish channels.
Now? We all have the websites of our favorite clubs bookmarked. There are a plethora of excellent soccer news sites, blogs, and online communities. A quick check of our Twitter followers gives us an instantaneous pulse on all the soccer issues we care about.
The bottom line is we don’t need no stinkin’ mainstream sports media coverage. Everything is just fine the way it is. Let the pundits worry about the popularity of the game. Let the MLS worry about making money off the game.
I’ll just watch the game.
Talk all things soccer with the rest of our readers in the Goal.com Forums and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
But I will do neither. I just don’t care. I’m perfectly happy with the game’s position in America right now. Here are a few reasons why:
MLS is doing fine:
As American soccer fans, we’re supposed to fret about whether MLS teams are making money. Why? I don’t know about you, but Don Garber doesn’t cut me a check every two weeks. If the Sounders sell out or sell 12 tickets, it doesn’t make a difference to me. As long as clubs are profitable, why should I care?
The folks who run MLS are smart. The folks who invest in the clubs are smart. Some of them love the game, but all of them expect returns on their investments. Everyone who owns a piece of an MLS franchise is either a) making money now, b) expecting the value of their franchises to rise, or c) both.
The boys at AEG and their peers are making money off soccer in America. If they weren’t, they’d be putting their capital elsewhere. We don’t need to evangelize the game to keep rich people in the black.
Invaders in the clubhouse:
Let’s face it: Part of the reason we enjoy following this sport is that it’s a little bit underground. It’s our secret. We’re following a great little indie band before they hit the big time. It’s not hard to get a ticket and we can still afford to sit close to the stage.
Do we really want to let the masses in on the party? We say we want the popularity of soccer to expand exponentially, but do we mean it? Do we really want to listen to self-styled “experts” on sports radio yammer about Manchester United instead of the Yankees? Do we really want PSLs and thousand-dollar seats at MLS stadiums?
The ESPN effect:
The Worldwide Leader has been shoving soccer down sports fans throats lately. Now, just because ESPN promotes something doesn’t mean it’s going to be popular (remember Arena Football?). But there’s no denying ESPN’s power and influence on the sports landscape.
So just imagine for a moment if the Boys from Bristol succeed and soccer takes off. Mike and Mike will awkwardly try to discuss the Prem in the morning. SportsCenter anchors will make lame jokes about Brek Shea’s hair. The buffoons from Around the Horn will scream at each other about why Messi can’t play for country the way he plays for club.
And I’m terrified to even write this, but . . . imagine “Landon Donovon: The Decision.”
ESPN’s hype machine has made the mainstream sports in this country less fun to follow. I’d rather they not give soccer the same treatment.
The Internet:
It used to make sense for soccer fans to want the game to be more popular in the U.S. As recently as ten years ago, it was hard to follow the game here. It wasn’t that long ago that people had to subscribe to overseas publications, seek out European expatriate cafes and bars, and watch games on the Spanish channels.
Now? We all have the websites of our favorite clubs bookmarked. There are a plethora of excellent soccer news sites, blogs, and online communities. A quick check of our Twitter followers gives us an instantaneous pulse on all the soccer issues we care about.
The bottom line is we don’t need no stinkin’ mainstream sports media coverage. Everything is just fine the way it is. Let the pundits worry about the popularity of the game. Let the MLS worry about making money off the game.
I’ll just watch the game.
Talk all things soccer with the rest of our readers in the Goal.com Forums and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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