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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,429
hat-trick
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hat-trick
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,429 |
Colin Cowherd doesn't speak for the masses........he speaks to the elite. Satellite radio........a great way to reach folks who can't afford to play club soccer!!
My son's dream is to play professionally in Europe, not get the 4 yr ACC scholarship. That's his moms and my dream.
I would never put North Meck or SCU Academy training at the level of Barca or Real Madrid orMan U. That would be like comparing sc classic play to Academy play.
I would not send my son to Europe or Brasil at 15 or 16 years of age. If a legit opportunity presented itself after high school it would be his .decision.
Honestly.........Jack has some great ideas and obvious passion forthegame. Jack..........would have been a good choice for scysa exec director.
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,429
hat-trick
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hat-trick
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,429 |
Quote:
Again, it's all about image influencing people in their selection. You're absolutely right...there is a media image of soccer in the U.S. that often negatively influences participation. That media image is connected to our lack of a solid "soccer culture" in the U.S.
So we agree...the reputation of a sport--whether truth, half-truth, or misconception--can influence a player's decisions whether to even give a sport a try. True, for many in the U.S., soccer is seen as a "wuss sport." You and I don't think that's true, but how do you convince young people
of that unless they experience it for themselves? Also true--soccer is seen by many in the U.S. as an elitist sport, a middle-to-upper-class sport, a sport for the privileged. Can we address the first perception without addressing the second?
Could they even be connected? I mean, within the bounds of common human nature, how do you deal with people who gain attention by doing things that you don't feel you have access to and feel either practically or implicitly excluded from?
Why, you call 'em wusses and convince yourself they don't hold a candle to the things you DO have access to.
I know some folks think of soccer as an elitist sport, but I don,t think it's that many. I also don,t think that people outside the sport understand the cost of it, which appalls those of us who have to pay the bill.
The whole media thing is interesting too. Does espn set the tone when it mocks the"manliness" of soccer? Or does it merely reflect back to society what it thinks will resonate? Methinks the latter......
Last edited by Big Daddy; 07/02/11 02:47 PM.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659
world cup
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world cup
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659 |
Quote:
Colin Cowherd doesn't speak for the masses........he speaks to the elite. Satellite radio........a great way to reach folks who can't afford to play club soccer!!
I think you are missing my point concerning ESPN and Colin Cowherd. I never stated that Cowherd's audience was low-income minorities. What I am pointing out is guys like him (Jim Rome, etc....) have never professed to like soccer. It could be a career-killer when you speak on the air daily to hardcore American football, basketball and baseball fans.
As for ESPN (and Fox Soccer), they've probably been the biggest factor for the recent surge in soccer's popularity in the US, simply by broadcasting the game at the highest level. Now our kids see Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo, Drogba on TV every week. This is a huge step up from the condensed and tape-delayed showings of Soccer Made in Germany that I watched on UHF stations in my youth.
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,826
world cup
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world cup
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,826 |
Quote:
As for ESPN (and Fox Soccer), they've probably been the biggest factor for the recent surge in soccer's popularity in the US, simply by broadcasting the game at the highest level. Now our kids see Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo, Drogba on TV every week. This is a huge step up from the condensed and tape-delayed showings of Soccer Made in Germany that I watched on UHF stations in my youth.
It's a big step for suburban/middle class America that is shelling out $$$ for clubs that have a "college placement" model. Exposure is definitely an important part of the overall picture, but...
...it has about 0.05% to do with addressing the issue that is keeping us from reaching our full potential: cohesion between the infrastructure/resources, athleticism, discipline, etc... of the high-end club game and the intuitive, dynamic, expressive, etc... of the 30-40 year old minorities playing in the park that go home and kick the ball with their kids 24/7.
If we find the balance between these, we really start maximizing our potential as a soccer nation on every front: player development, viable professional league, success on an international level, etc...
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062
brace
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brace
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062 |
There is a measure of truth to just about everything on this thread so far. Which makes it so hard to reconcile into a single consistent policy or direction.
My general feeling is that, IF WE TRULY WANT TO COMPETE FOR WORLD CUPS ... if THAT is the goal, we must look for and follow a model that is consistently competitive.
Listen to the commentary during the U17 match between Germany and England. Time an again, it's "this player plays for this club/academy." We're only beginning to do that here, with MLS sides sponsoring academies and seeking to identify something "different" than NCAA D-I athletes. Until we do more of that, we'll be mediocre -- if that -- on the global stage.
Another thing about watching the U17 World Cup: The sheer athleticism of participants isn't nearly as impressive as their technical skill and tactical know-how. At some point, U.S. soccer gurus will stop promoting "athletes" and start promoting "soccer players."
I say "at some point" because, right now, it ain't happening.
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 8,421
World Cup
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World Cup
Joined: Dec 2001
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U.S. – MEXICO GOLD CUP FINAL CRUSHES AUDIENCE RECORD ON FOX SOCCERTelecast DOUBLES the network’s previous viewership and ratings recordsLOS ANGELES (June 28, 2011) – FOX Soccer drew the largest audience in its history during Mexico’s decisive 4-2 defeat of the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Saturday, June 25, 2011. According to figures released by Nielsen Media Research, 954,000 viewers watched FOX Soccer’s U.S-Mexico telecast, by far a new FOX Soccer record and the most-watched soccer match on English language cable television since the 2010 World Cup. The telecast more than doubles FOX Soccer’s previous record of 418,000 viewers for this year’s Chelsea vs. Liverpool “Game Before the Game” pre-Super Bowl telecast on February 6, 2011. U.S.- Mexico delivered a 1.43 household coverage area rating, becoming the first FOX Soccer telecast in the network’s history to break a 1.0. The 1.43 nearly doubles FOX Soccer’s previous record HH rating of 0.77 for the 2009 Gold Cup final between the same two countries. “The US-Mexico CONCACAF Gold Cup final was a must see event for American sports fans,” said FOX Soccer General Manager David Nathanson. “Breaking our viewership record twice in one year speaks to not only the growth of soccer in the United States, but also to the destination FOX Soccer has become in carrying the world’s biggest soccer events.” The Gold Cup final also delivered record ratings for FOX Soccer in the coveted M18-49 demo, earning a 1.65/383,000 and in the 18-34 year old demo, earning a 1.64 or 194,000 viewers, making it FOX Soccer’s highest key male audience of all time and beating network competitors ABC, CBS and NBC in impressions in that age group from 8:30 – 11:00 p.m. ET. FOX Soccer looks ahead to the Barclay’s Premier League and UEFA Champions League kick-off on August 13, 2011 at which time FOX Soccer’s new logo, re-designed sets and cutting-edge graphics package officially launch on-air and online at www.FOXSoccer.com.Univision hits record numbers, too - http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06...-history/96783/
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