This article was originally posted a while ago, but with the recent Beckham criticism and the new light shown on international futbol by ESPN, I thought it relevantThe 2006 World Cup garnered 17 million viewers in the US.
Soccer, or as I prefer to name it, futbol is the 2nd most popular sport in the United States. Stop! Before you go anywhere, just hear me out. Futbol is the 2nd most popular sport in the US, followed by Basketball. How you ask? Well, let me ask you the question. What would you rather do, play a pick-up game of basketball with friends or watch the current Chicago Bulls team at the family themed United Center? Would you rather play a game of flag football on Turkey Day, or watch an Indiana/Minnesota college football game? Well if you are anything like me (as in awesome), and are 35 and under, you would rather play the game than watch it. And that’s the same criteria used for my argument above. According to some random book I’ve read, Basketball and futbol are the most popularly played sports in the US. That’s pretty convincing reasoning to me that futbol is actually a widely appreciated and popular sport in the U.S.
As we know, this doesn’t necessarily lead to high TV ratings for MLS or even the NBA for that matter. More people watch and support their NFL teams than their MLS teams, including me. But that doesn’t mean that Americans are not interested in futbol. It just means they are not interested in MLS futbol. And I don’t blame them.
Popular opinion suggests that futbol will never take off in the US because fans are more dedicated to baseball, football, basketball, hockey and unfortunately, even NASCAR. Popular opinion is wrong. And so to it appears is the mindset of people running US Soccer and MLS franchises. The main competition isn’t MLB or the NFL, it’s the English Premier League, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy, the Mexican leagues, and whatever they call the league in Egypt. The millions of futbol playing people in the US would rather watch a Manchester United/Chelsea game than a Chicago Fire/LA Galaxy game.
Still don’t get my point? Well, what would you rather watch: an NBDL game or an NBA game; the Arena League or the NFL; a minor league game or the Cubs’ game? Likewise, MLS is the developmental league of the futbol world. And not even a good one at that. The real feeder leagues are located in South America, Africa, the Tier 2 leagues in England, Spain, and Italy, and the youth squads of AC Milan, Arsenal and the like. The MLS is more like the Div. 3 School where maybe two or four guys make it to the big stage (playing in England, Spain or Italy). Basically, the MLS is Louisiana Lafayette and maybe, just maybe a team sitting in England might draft the Daniel Mannings and Charles Tillmans of the MLS world.
And this, more than anything that baseball or football can throw at futbol, is the reason that the MLS will always have a difficult time competing for US viewers’ attention. Still don’t believe me? The last World Cup Final (2006) garnered 17 million viewers in the United States. And that game was played between France and Italy. In contrast, according to the Baseball Almanac, the 2006 World Series had 15.6 Million viewers in games played by the Cardinals and Tigers. NBA you ask? The 2006 Finals between the Heat and Mavs garnered 13 million viewers. This isn’t to argue that soccer is more popular than Baseball or Basketball, it is not, just that futbol is actually a pretty popular sport in the US. Moreover, that the US futbol viewer is enlightened and would rather watch great futbol than MLS’s Div. 3 version.
And these figures shouldn’t be too surprising. The US is a melting pot. Almost everyone’s family at some point came from a foreign country where futbol dominated the sporting landscape. By no coincidence, the recent Mexican immigrant would rather watch Chivas play; the recent Scottish immigrant, Celtic; the recent Turkish immigrant, Galatasarey, or the recent Egyptian immigrant, Al Ahly. They may be living in the US, but satellites and sports bars allow them to see their team play even if those teams are playing thousands of miles away. Want further evidence that futbol is alive and kicking in the US? Go to Fado in Chicago on any Saturday morning and you’ll see it packed with American, English, African, and (insert nationality here) fans all watching their favorite English Premier League team. (While you are at it, grab a pint or tea and order some good Irish breakfast). Don’t even bother going to Fado during a major futbol sporting competition. During Euro 2008 (Think European World Cup, Spain vs. Germany) you couldn’t even get into Fado because it was filled to capacity.
In the end, like most people who grew up playing futbol in the States, I wish I could support a local futbol team like the Chicago Fire. But for now and the foreseeable future, I’ll stick to following Arsenal in England.
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2 comments:
"I wish I could support a local futbol team like the Chicago Fire..."
Ignoring your local futbol club is not the answer. While the English Premier League it is not, quite a good time can be had by going to these games. I suggest you take the time to learn about the Fire's players and head out to catch a game or two first-hand, see if you can take anything positive out of it.
I understand your reasoning for saying MLS is not your cup of tea right now, but the league is improving each year and will continue to do so as more new fans are drawn to it each year. If people like you would accept the quality of MLS for what it's worth and actually shell out a few bucks to catch a handful of games each year, that money could be put toward keeping young U.S. stars from going overseas and for also luring exciting international players to America.
I was of the same mindset as you; that is until I went with a few of my buddies to a Galaxy game in 2005, just because we had nothing better to do. I got so wrapped up in the experience that I bought season tickets in 2007 and continue to enjoy each game I watch, despite the Galaxy not having a winning team since the first year I began following them.
I know it won't happen overnight, but if Major League Soccer can convert you and others who have similar feelings into being at least casual fans of your local club, the sport would grow 10x faster in the U.S.
Give it a shot. What do you have to lose?
I think you make a good point, I shouldn't totally write off the MLS. There are some good players. And maybe if the Fire actually played games like it used to at Soldier Field, I would go watch more games live (They have a nice stadium now in the burbs, but it's too inconvenient for me). But regardless, why would I watch a developmental league, when I can watch Pros in England? Especially, since TV and local pubs carry all of their games. I respect your point, but I'd rather watch Arsenal than any MLS team. Until that changes, I have no reason to switch to the MLS. Now if the Chicago Fire fielded a team with Fabregas, Walcot, Nasri, Arshavin and Glichy, that would change my mind.
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