Why isn't Soccer popular in America?

Why isn't Soccer popular in America?

  • Too many other sports to watch

    Votes: 46 19.8%

  • The best players play in Europe

    Votes: 23 9.9%

  • Most American's don't understand the game

    Votes: 76 32.8%

  • Most games aren't played during prime time on TV

    Votes: 12 5.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 75 32.3%
  • Total voters
    232
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Straight Shooter

Straight Shooter

shayd said:
Uh, ESPN's coverage of the World Cup did, in fact, break for commercials. I suppose you could objurgate, but Nielson, in releasing the ratings and commercial times for the World Cup, would wonder were the hell you're watching it.



Certainly anecdotally there are. It's all contingent on the length of the game, and baseball tends to be the sport that has the longest lasting contests. I seem to recall something from ESPN a couple of years ago claiming the amount of commercials shown in a baseball game is roughly half that of the NFL. Christ, the NFL has a designated guy who walks onto the field to signal a TV timeout at least 5 times a game.



Look, we get it, you don't like baseball, and because of steroids, or really whatever arbitrary reason, you express it here. The problem is, the numbers don't back your statements, and unless you're watching an Oakland Athletics, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, or Toronto Blue Jays game, people are still coming out to the park. What they do there is really irrelevant, as if they're willing to spend their money to do nothing, chances are they'll do it again.
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I saw almost every World Cup game and ESPN/ABC never went to a commercial during the actual soccer game. I don't care how many commercials were shown during the pre/post game show or halftime, all that matters is that none were shown during the actual game.
 
B

Bloodshot Scott

Well at least we are making some progress in this thread. People are realizing that commercials are orangutang balls stinky, and the NFL has the most, by far, and soccer games really let you enjoy a contest (for those of us who "enjoy" a contest".
 
shayd

shayd

Icecold322 said:
I saw almost every World Cup game and ESPN/ABC never went to a commercial during the actual soccer game. I don't care how many commercials were shown during the pre/post game show or halftime, all that matters is that none were shown during the actual game.
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In what little I saw of it, I did indeed see commercials at approximately 30 minutes into both halves.
 
jvice

jvice

living in southern california my whole life, i would have to say that soccer is probably viewed as more of a "kids" sport. We play it in elementary school, but by the time you reach 6/7/8th grades you don't really play it anymore. Like you outgrow it and play more complicated sports like Football/Baseball/Basketball with more complex scoring systems, etc. Besides if we kept playing even as adults here, would there still be such a thing as a "soccer mom"? I have to argue no. So to save soccer moms everywhere, keep it a kids sport in the USA.
 
shayd

shayd

Icecold322 said:
That's not correct. There were no commercials during the actual game, you must have seen something else.
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Clearly. Additionally, the people whose sole job is to track timing, frequency, and length of said commercials must have really missed something.

Let's assume for a moment that they didn't show a single in game commercial. You're going to tell me it's completely fine to air a commercials at halftime, before and after, but not between innings in baseball? Sounds an awful lot like favoritism. And if it makes you feel any better, the MLS coverage on ESPN features more commercials than the World Cup. But somehow baseball is the bad guy. :dunno:
 
B

Bloodshot Scott

shayd said:
Clearly. Additionally, the people whose sole job is to track timing, frequency, and length of said commercials must have really missed something.

Let's assume for a moment that they didn't show a single in game commercial. You're going to tell me it's completely fine to air a commercials at halftime, before and after, but not between innings in baseball? Sounds an awful lot like favoritism. And if it makes you feel any better, the MLS coverage on ESPN features more commercials than the World Cup. But somehow baseball is the bad guy. :dunno:
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I think he's talking about the fromat more than anything. At least with a soccer game we know when the bulk of commercials are, therefore we don't have to tollerate that rubbish. Baseball innings can be very choppy, and therefore there is no way to guage when a commercial is on.
 
Straight Shooter

Straight Shooter

shayd said:
Clearly. Additionally, the people whose sole job is to track timing, frequency, and length of said commercials must have really missed something.

Let's assume for a moment that they didn't show a single in game commercial. You're going to tell me it's completely fine to air a commercials at halftime, before and after, but not between innings in baseball? Sounds an awful lot like favoritism. And if it makes you feel any better, the MLS coverage on ESPN features more commercials than the World Cup. But somehow baseball is the bad guy. :dunno:
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I would have remembered if there were commercials played when the game was in progress because I would have been up in arms.

It's not wrong to air commercials between innings of a baseball game, I just simply hate when commercials stop the action of a game thats all. I think we're having a breakdown in communication here because I don't care how many commercials ESPN or any other network show during the broadcast of a soccer game. They can show however many commercials before and after a soccer game, it's fine because they aren't interrupting a game in progress. As long as they don't cut to commercials when the game is in progress I'm happy. Frankly, the game of soccer isn't a commercial friendly sport because the clock never stops and there are no timeouts in soccer, so there are no opportunities to break from the game to show a commercial.
 
shayd

shayd

Bloodshot Scott said:
I think he's talking about the fromat more than anything. At least with a soccer game we know when the bulk of commercials are, therefore we don't have to tollerate that rubbish. Baseball innings can be very choppy, and therefore there is no way to guage when a commercial is on.
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Soccer has overage time, yes? Is that not different from the varying length of innings?


Icecold322 said:
Frankly, the game of soccer isn't a commercial friendly sport because the clock never stops and there are no timeouts in soccer, so there are no opportunities to break from the game to show a commercial.
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It'll never float here if it can't be commercialized. That is Sport in America 101.
 
Straight Shooter

Straight Shooter

shayd said:
Soccer has overage time, yes? Is that not different from the varying length of innings?




It'll never float here if it can't be commercialized. That is Sport in America 101.
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Yes, Soccer has stoppage time but I don't see the comparison between that and the length of an inning? At the 90th minute mark the official's announce how much stoppage time will be added on and most of the time it's 2 or 3 minutes. There is no stoppage of play though with stoppage time, they announce how much time will be added on and they play until time is up.

Sadly your right because this is America and everything is about making money.
 
titsrock

titsrock

shayd, perhaps you're misreading the Nielsen or MRI data or they're not bothering to make a distinction when the commercials are broadcast. I watched nearly every WC match--there were no cutaways during the action for commercials. I don't watch a lot of MLS action, I seem to remember MLS will slip in "this action is brought to you by MASTERCARD" or "BUDWEISER" and they'll float a logo on the screen while the game action continues. I don't count that as a commercial pitch even though it will register a viewing impression for the advertiser.

I am not a great baseball fan. I will say that Baseball and American Pro Sports don't junk up uniforms with crass logos as is the norm for Pro Soccer teams in Europe/South America. I have a few Arsenal jerseys and I can't buy the jersey plain, without the crass sponsor logo blared across the chest. I would like our European friends to someday "get with the program" on uni purchases for fans. :mad:
 
xfire

xfire

New Twitter/X @cxffreeman
Soccer isn't popular in America because football, basketball, and baseball are what the athletic kids here are groomed to play. Heck; hockey, track & field, and rodeo are more popular among second-tier athletes here than soccer. Soccer in America is for little girls and really, if you look at the twinkle toed little Europeans that are at the top of the game, they're built more like Mia Hamm than your average American football player. I would like to think I've got some cred on this issue as I've known Clint Dempsey since before he was soccer famous.
 
The Grasshopper

The Grasshopper

was here
Yeah, little to zero commercials during the World Cup, nothing but nonstop vuvuzelas which I honestly sort of miss.

Maybe instead of the WNBA there should be more effort put into women's soccer. Maybe this could help draw an audience from other sports.
 
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