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The Final Frontier: Soccer's Quest Into USA Pop Culture
U.S. finds a band-wagon and drives it full steam ahead during World Cup.
Jul 2, 2010 7:45:00 PM
By J.R. Eskilson
Hate it or love it: U.S. media love to have an opinion about the World Cup. The New York Post was the perfect example of the emotions American media was conveying in their newspapers, on their websites, and on television.
One day, the Post had a picture of star Landon Donovan on the cover; two days later, it displayed a picture of a dejected American player laying on the field with the title, "This Sport Is Stupid Anyways."
The media was engulfed in the world's game. Groups blamed ESPN for the incessant soccer coverage in the news, claiming if they didn't cover the event to such an extent, no one would even know it was going on. (I am sure ESPN is fine with the criticism, their TV numbers have them laughing all the way to the bank.)
Regardless of elderly sports writers' refusal to believe, the World Cup is popular in America. To put a perspective behind just how popular the Cup has been: Game 7 of the NBA Finals (mind you, this was between the two most storied franchises in NBA history -- Boston and Los Angeles) drew an average TV rating of 18.7 million viewers.
That was a game played during prime time on a Thursday night, the equivalent of gold in commissioner David Stern's eyes.
The Round of 16 game between USA and Ghana drew an average of 14.9 million viewers. Ghana is not one of the people's teams (like Brazil, England, Germany or Argentina) so the majority of that number is American soccer fans. In comparison to four years ago, numbers are up over 50%.
The circus doesn't end with TV rating number mumbo-jumbo. America's new darling, Landon Donovan, is making the rounds on any television show that has a free slot. From the stock market exchange to trying to explain soccer to David Letterman, Donovan's mug is all over the tube 24/7.
Don't forget, the United States sent more fans to the World Cup than any other country.
In possibly the biggest indication of just how popular the World Cup has become, the internet is buzzing with World Cup chatter. The popular social media site, Twitter, has been leading the way. Even in a summer NBA has hyped as one of its biggest ever, the World Cup has dominated Twitter trending topics in U.S. cities nearly every day.
After Landon Donovan's game-winning goal over Algeria, Internet traffic spiked to all-new highs (global and domestic). These are unheralded accomplishments in the internet age for any sport.
The Internet is the medium of the younger generations, indicating that the significance of such events are not lost on the golden demographic of twenty-somethings.
What does this all mean? Can the USA sustain the soccer fans and continue to grow in this country?
Obviously, going forward, coverage of soccer will dwindle after the World Cup and casual sports fans will return to baseball or gear up for pre-season in American football. However, there was a moment on June 23, 2010 when Donovan broke the Internet and became the star of a viral youtube clip. (The youtube clip of fans reacting to his goal has 2.5 million views.)
Soccer finally had a moment to remember forever. It was a moment when casual fans realized there was something special in this sport. A moment when the whole nation's imagination was captured. A moment when everyone realized this was OUR team.
Soccer's niche in the American sports scheme is patriotism. It is that sliver of hope every four years, when rooting for the underdog against Brazil, England, Italy, France, or Germany. It is flying your flag, wearing a jersey with a sash, and standing up in your living room to sing the national anthem at 7:00 am. It is everything Americans want to rally behind.
It is a joy that can't be matched by the big three American sports. Basketball has the Dream Team, but they are expected to win. There is no drama in that. Baseball has an international competition but there is no history, and Americans care more about their domestic teams than their national team in that sport. And most other countries don't care about American football.
The World Cup offers that perfect blend of a sport popular enough to warrant major news coverage but still relatively unknown to the majority of American sports fans, to the point that it it is a novel, intriguing cultural experience.
Is there any other sporting event that teaches you so much about a culture? Before 2010, how many people knew the word 'vuvuzela'?
Even with all the hype and excitement, there probably won't be a huge increase in soccer support during the European club season from American sports fans. Most American sports fans don't grasp the concept of great players being in different leagues across Europe.
But this World Cup has introduced fans to the characters in the stories, which is another step in the right direction for soccer's conquest of the American market.
On the domestic front, don't expect MLS to all-of-the-sudden burst into national prominence. That is not how it works. Major leagues have never experienced popularity in its infancy. Now, heading toward year 15, MLS is making palpable strides in terms of television, ticket sales, and marketing relative to its age.
However, it took 30 years for basketball to really reach the level of greatness among American sports.
Even if MLS doesn't burst into the spotlight and join the elite status as a top sport in America, the USA will have the World Cup. It will have that month-long journey every four years when cheering on your country is something every sports fan can be proud to do.
Whether you were at a bar, airport, movie theater, living room, or outdoor viewing area, this World Cup was an amazing experience where fellow soccer fans realized just how big this game has become. And American sports fans started to put their head around what all the fuss has been about.
It's not even over yet. Time for the rest of the world to recognize: When international soccer is involved, American soccer fans are here, and we are here in numbers.
The 2010 World Cup is finally here, so keep up to date with all the news at Goal.com's World Cup homepage and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
One day, the Post had a picture of star Landon Donovan on the cover; two days later, it displayed a picture of a dejected American player laying on the field with the title, "This Sport Is Stupid Anyways."
The media was engulfed in the world's game. Groups blamed ESPN for the incessant soccer coverage in the news, claiming if they didn't cover the event to such an extent, no one would even know it was going on. (I am sure ESPN is fine with the criticism, their TV numbers have them laughing all the way to the bank.)
Regardless of elderly sports writers' refusal to believe, the World Cup is popular in America. To put a perspective behind just how popular the Cup has been: Game 7 of the NBA Finals (mind you, this was between the two most storied franchises in NBA history -- Boston and Los Angeles) drew an average TV rating of 18.7 million viewers.
That was a game played during prime time on a Thursday night, the equivalent of gold in commissioner David Stern's eyes.
The Round of 16 game between USA and Ghana drew an average of 14.9 million viewers. Ghana is not one of the people's teams (like Brazil, England, Germany or Argentina) so the majority of that number is American soccer fans. In comparison to four years ago, numbers are up over 50%.
The circus doesn't end with TV rating number mumbo-jumbo. America's new darling, Landon Donovan, is making the rounds on any television show that has a free slot. From the stock market exchange to trying to explain soccer to David Letterman, Donovan's mug is all over the tube 24/7.
Don't forget, the United States sent more fans to the World Cup than any other country.
In possibly the biggest indication of just how popular the World Cup has become, the internet is buzzing with World Cup chatter. The popular social media site, Twitter, has been leading the way. Even in a summer NBA has hyped as one of its biggest ever, the World Cup has dominated Twitter trending topics in U.S. cities nearly every day.
After Landon Donovan's game-winning goal over Algeria, Internet traffic spiked to all-new highs (global and domestic). These are unheralded accomplishments in the internet age for any sport.
The Internet is the medium of the younger generations, indicating that the significance of such events are not lost on the golden demographic of twenty-somethings.
What does this all mean? Can the USA sustain the soccer fans and continue to grow in this country?
Obviously, going forward, coverage of soccer will dwindle after the World Cup and casual sports fans will return to baseball or gear up for pre-season in American football. However, there was a moment on June 23, 2010 when Donovan broke the Internet and became the star of a viral youtube clip. (The youtube clip of fans reacting to his goal has 2.5 million views.)
Soccer finally had a moment to remember forever. It was a moment when casual fans realized there was something special in this sport. A moment when the whole nation's imagination was captured. A moment when everyone realized this was OUR team.
Soccer's niche in the American sports scheme is patriotism. It is that sliver of hope every four years, when rooting for the underdog against Brazil, England, Italy, France, or Germany. It is flying your flag, wearing a jersey with a sash, and standing up in your living room to sing the national anthem at 7:00 am. It is everything Americans want to rally behind.
It is a joy that can't be matched by the big three American sports. Basketball has the Dream Team, but they are expected to win. There is no drama in that. Baseball has an international competition but there is no history, and Americans care more about their domestic teams than their national team in that sport. And most other countries don't care about American football.
The World Cup offers that perfect blend of a sport popular enough to warrant major news coverage but still relatively unknown to the majority of American sports fans, to the point that it it is a novel, intriguing cultural experience.
Is there any other sporting event that teaches you so much about a culture? Before 2010, how many people knew the word 'vuvuzela'?
Even with all the hype and excitement, there probably won't be a huge increase in soccer support during the European club season from American sports fans. Most American sports fans don't grasp the concept of great players being in different leagues across Europe.
But this World Cup has introduced fans to the characters in the stories, which is another step in the right direction for soccer's conquest of the American market.
On the domestic front, don't expect MLS to all-of-the-sudden burst into national prominence. That is not how it works. Major leagues have never experienced popularity in its infancy. Now, heading toward year 15, MLS is making palpable strides in terms of television, ticket sales, and marketing relative to its age.
However, it took 30 years for basketball to really reach the level of greatness among American sports.
Even if MLS doesn't burst into the spotlight and join the elite status as a top sport in America, the USA will have the World Cup. It will have that month-long journey every four years when cheering on your country is something every sports fan can be proud to do.
Whether you were at a bar, airport, movie theater, living room, or outdoor viewing area, this World Cup was an amazing experience where fellow soccer fans realized just how big this game has become. And American sports fans started to put their head around what all the fuss has been about.
It's not even over yet. Time for the rest of the world to recognize: When international soccer is involved, American soccer fans are here, and we are here in numbers.
The 2010 World Cup is finally here, so keep up to date with all the news at Goal.com's World Cup homepage and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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