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, Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:36:19
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Part of the issue is tv coverage. Look at the popular sports here in the US and you will see that most of the game presentation is designed for advertising revenue. TV stoppage is a part of football, basketball and other sports. Heck, many Super Bowl fans tune in for the commercials just as much as to watch the game. We need time for our ads and without ads there is not much tv time. The nature of "association football" does not allow for that kind of advertising and you won't make much money with green screens in the background versus commercials.
So, without enough tv coverage to increase and help with the popularity of the sport, you won't have enough fans to attend games and buy merchandise to bring money to the teams. Without money, teams cannot pay the big bucks to attract and retain top tier talent and our MLS is basically stocked with tier 5 talent with a few exceptions. Most of our best players are playing in leagues overseas (yes, Donovan plays for the Galaxy now, but he was with the English Premier League before that). Therefore, there are few stars in the US that are able to transcend beyond the sport to create a lasting sensation. Millions of US children play the sport, but once they are done playing as kids few move on with the game to adulthood. Around my town (soccer is very popular with the kids) if they wear shirts of players, they wear jerseys from Man U, Real Madrid, etc. Not New England Revolution, DC United, LA Galaxy, etc.
Every four years those of us in the US as a whole get to see how the game is played at the highest level and this spikes the interest of fans and non-fans alike. This sport is not boring when you see games like the US-Algeria game. I could feel the excitement and tension throughout the game on tv. And it still ended 1-0. You won't get that with MLS on any consistant basis. So of course, to many, the sport is "boring" to watch. After the World Cup is over, there is not enough momentum to carry the sport for four more years and interest dies out, only to be ignited again in four years.
In my very humble opinion, that's the way it is and that's the way it will be unless the media can look beyond the money and the US teams can afford to bring in top talent to create our soccer heros. I love the sport and I enjoy it periodically when I can tune into the English Premier League or European Champion on my satellite in order to watch truely how the game is played by great players. I can only hope that one day we can have that level of play here at home. Think I'll take my son to a Revolution game, spend some money....
posted by 144.230.19...
, Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:36:19
, Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:01:51, Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:09:37
, Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:03:32
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