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Americans not catching world cup fever


losing our opening game didnt help matters. But, then again, even winning it probably wouldnt have sparked too much interest from people who are not already fans of the game.

OK let me interpret this a bit for everyone. It was written by yet another anti-soccer Guy.

Think about it, 3 million households watch England vs Paraguay. A game with no US player/team interest. Sounds minimal ?

Compare it to the massive 610 thousand (80% less) households that watched the first game of the Stanley cup finals and there is a team from the USA in it !!

Also ompare it to the final of the World Baseball Classic at 2 million (50% less).

They even quoted the lowest viewed game rather than the 10% higher viewership for the Sweden vs Trinidad game the same day and in the same Nielson report. AM I making my point ?

It was also 65% higher than in 2002 for the opening weekend games.

The stats were used with specific inuendo to justify the writers required outcome and not compared to like events or against previous data. Just typical US sportswriter B.S. and local papers everywhere, picked it up and reinforced it.

3 million to watch England is a better number than the final of Americas sport. Soccer is building it just takes time, and Baseballs excuse for the World Baseball Classic Final is ???

I saw this "Letter to the Editor" in The State (Columbia) paper earlier this week.

6/14/06

Watching paint dry preferable to soccer

We as a nation keep being told that we have our collective heads in the ground concerning the World Cup and soccer in general. It is without a doubt the most popular sport in the rest of the world, so we should shape up and embrace it, shouldn’t we?

Well, no. There is one word to describe soccer as viewed by the vast majority of American sports fans — boooooring! It is the only athletic event that I have ever attended and fallen asleep at.

Soccer is a great school-yard sport and a wonderful first organized sport for young children because at that level it allows kids to run around and be as involved as they care to be, and poor play will largely go unnoticed.

I firmly believe that the Pilgrims came to America to escape the ennui of soccer, and we proceeded to invent our own sports: baseball, basketball and football.

The great philosopher Archie Bunker said that any sport where you don’t use your hands is un-American. I say, “Amen!”

Perhaps some day soccer will be as popular as football. When that happens, I will revert to watching paint-drying contests on ESPN.

GEORGE W. LEWIS
Cayce

6/14/06
Soccer in the U.S.: A history of apathy
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/14812359.htm
Norman "Couch Slouch" Chad

I'm so sick of this whole issue/topic..

It's complete crap!

I'm so bored with sports media in regards to soccer..I wish someone would step up and actually write about the game. They all just wuss out and talk about how they can't understand the game and that that's okay. It's so old.

Yet another reason to turn off your tube when the match is over and burn your paper.

Some more disgruntled 'journalists'.

6/17/06

Soccer in U.S. went way of metric system
http://www.independentmail.com/and/sports/article/0,1886,AND_8215_4783247,00.html
John Brasier, Independent-Mail (Anderson)

Who do these people think they're writing to?!

These people write these articles because:

1) All the senior writers get the NBA Finals, College World Series, etc...

2) They know nothing about the sport..so can't ACTUALLY write about the sport/match.

..having said that..

WHO READS THESE ARTICLES?!

Who wants to read that same article over and over and over.. are there non-soccer people that would actually read that entire thing? Why write that or than the fact you can't muster anything else?!

AHH!

sure, nearly all established american sports writers...old, gray, wrinkled, demented....american sports writers, make the claim that soccer has no chance in the US, but has anyone ever expected any different? the growth of soccer isn't geared towards senile writers and reporters...it's geared towards the youth! my love for the game came from the first time i touched a soccer ball. i played basketball and baseball...those were fun too, and i was good at them, but they never compared to my love for soccer, "The Beautiful Game." let's not be confused by the traditional AMERICAN; soccer has made it's way here, and the only direction to go is up.

My U.S. World Cup Championship Prediction: 2010-2014

I think it bothers me more as an aspiring journalist than a devoted soccer fan. I know that all I really need is my own little soccer bubble, but I can't stand when sh** like this passes on an institutional level. Just..gets me.

Can't wait for the day when I'm an Editor or Production Manager and some chump writer/reporter comes to me with one of these file articles.

not sure if it was here or another board, but I read theat the US v. Czech game had the highest ratings on the Duece this year.

World Cup TV Ratings Rise 20%
http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=7&key=2006061505

World Cup TV ratings doubled
http://www.dispatch.com/sports-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/17/20060617-E9-03.html

By the numbers -- Gauging World Cup interest through TV viewership

28 billion -- Cumulative number of fans who watched the 2002 World Cup tournament
1.1 billion -- Worldwide viewers for the 2002 final between Germany and Brazil
3.9 million -- J.S. viewers for the 2002 final
106,000 -- Viewers in the Columbus market for the 2002 final
86.8 million -- Viewers for the 2002 Super Bowl, between the New England Patriots and the St. Louis Rams