Thursday, April 06, 2006
Soccer Fever or Delusions of Grandeur
I love our blog but I freely admit that I monitor the goings-on over at bigsoccer.com pretty closely. I see this blog as a good place to synthesize the hot topics from all the available sources.
Well, the hot topic this week seems to be the big "up" arrow being given to soccer in this country. If we were a song, we'd have a bullet next to us. If we were a tech product, Wired magazine would put us in the "Wired" instead of "Tired" category. Or would we....
Here's the reason for so many people are getting bent out of shape about the prospects for soccer in this country. Gee, you would have thought we just let the evil empire's operating system run on our ultra cool iMacs!
1) Red Bull comes to NY, throws real money at the league for the woebegone MetroStars and CONTINUES to throw money in every imaginable place, including confirmed overtures to Ronaldo.
2) The league posts a successful opening week...lots of goals, average attendance over 20,000 and no stinker games in sight. Okay, Columbus and Kansas City gets a pass here because they at least had the courtesy to score four goals.
3) The World Cup is getting closer and closer every day and so soccer fever naturally is overflowing for the usual suspects.
4) Soccer Specific Stadiums (SSS) are suddenly coming out the ears in our country.,...
In Use: LA (by two teams), Columbus (the original) and Dallas (last year's entry)
On Line This Year: Chicago (looks to be a real winner with its brick theme), Rochester (Yes, and they don't even play in MLS!)
Broken Ground: Toronto (for next year, better hurry up guys), Colorado (that team needs a real boost, hopefully this will help
Will Break Ground Shortly: NJ x2 (One for the north and one for the south - makes this NJ native oh so proud but I won't believe it until I see the shovels in the ground)
The Best Intentions: Salt Lake City (though there's a determined effort to kill the project) and Washington DC (hopeful that recent legislation will speed the process)
The point is that we have lots of SSS and they just keep coming. What if Mark Cuban buys the Houston Dynamo asks delirious bloggers who see no reason that smart folks wouldn't want a piece of this action.
So those who think they're in the know are now talking about a "tipping point" for MLS. They cite the new money in NY, the groundwork of the stadiums and count the 200 million that's been lost in the last 10 years as money well spent. And they have further reason to be optimistic as adidas committed well over a 100 million in 2004 that has helped build an MLS reserve league and helped the league land a new broadcast deal for 2007 where MLS actually gets paid for their product.
Sports management is not for the feint of heart. Contrarians rightly point to the possible split in the league of clubs with cash in the bigger markets and clubs with prospects about as bright as the Kansas City Royals. And any Ronaldo or Beckham signing can only bring in so many new fans after the news wears off and the salaries could cripple the league which has grown precisely because it doesn't focus on stars.
I personally think MLS has made the biggest strides they are capable of the last two years. I just hope they continue to realize that this is a marathon and not a sprint for publicity. Soccer is an acquired taste for many and the best way to serve it is in small doses along with a smile on our faces. So if Ronaldo wants to come and take a pay cut, that's great. But even Pele showed that one man won't make a league in this country. (Bostrom)
Well, the hot topic this week seems to be the big "up" arrow being given to soccer in this country. If we were a song, we'd have a bullet next to us. If we were a tech product, Wired magazine would put us in the "Wired" instead of "Tired" category. Or would we....
Here's the reason for so many people are getting bent out of shape about the prospects for soccer in this country. Gee, you would have thought we just let the evil empire's operating system run on our ultra cool iMacs!
1) Red Bull comes to NY, throws real money at the league for the woebegone MetroStars and CONTINUES to throw money in every imaginable place, including confirmed overtures to Ronaldo.
2) The league posts a successful opening week...lots of goals, average attendance over 20,000 and no stinker games in sight. Okay, Columbus and Kansas City gets a pass here because they at least had the courtesy to score four goals.
3) The World Cup is getting closer and closer every day and so soccer fever naturally is overflowing for the usual suspects.
4) Soccer Specific Stadiums (SSS) are suddenly coming out the ears in our country.,...
In Use: LA (by two teams), Columbus (the original) and Dallas (last year's entry)
On Line This Year: Chicago (looks to be a real winner with its brick theme), Rochester (Yes, and they don't even play in MLS!)
Broken Ground: Toronto (for next year, better hurry up guys), Colorado (that team needs a real boost, hopefully this will help
Will Break Ground Shortly: NJ x2 (One for the north and one for the south - makes this NJ native oh so proud but I won't believe it until I see the shovels in the ground)
The Best Intentions: Salt Lake City (though there's a determined effort to kill the project) and Washington DC (hopeful that recent legislation will speed the process)
The point is that we have lots of SSS and they just keep coming. What if Mark Cuban buys the Houston Dynamo asks delirious bloggers who see no reason that smart folks wouldn't want a piece of this action.
So those who think they're in the know are now talking about a "tipping point" for MLS. They cite the new money in NY, the groundwork of the stadiums and count the 200 million that's been lost in the last 10 years as money well spent. And they have further reason to be optimistic as adidas committed well over a 100 million in 2004 that has helped build an MLS reserve league and helped the league land a new broadcast deal for 2007 where MLS actually gets paid for their product.
Sports management is not for the feint of heart. Contrarians rightly point to the possible split in the league of clubs with cash in the bigger markets and clubs with prospects about as bright as the Kansas City Royals. And any Ronaldo or Beckham signing can only bring in so many new fans after the news wears off and the salaries could cripple the league which has grown precisely because it doesn't focus on stars.
I personally think MLS has made the biggest strides they are capable of the last two years. I just hope they continue to realize that this is a marathon and not a sprint for publicity. Soccer is an acquired taste for many and the best way to serve it is in small doses along with a smile on our faces. So if Ronaldo wants to come and take a pay cut, that's great. But even Pele showed that one man won't make a league in this country. (Bostrom)
Comments:
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You make a great point, I had noticed things over the last 45 days which made me feel the same way, but I wasn’t sure if it was a movement or just my hope/impression that soccer was becoming more prevalent in the U.S. Here are a few things that made me feel this way:
1) The wild reactions from fans and press alike after the Germany friendly. Depending on what you read, Gregg Berhalter was either a total clueless buffoon or merely the victim of a poor defending midfield. While I didn’t agree with either assessment, I was somewhat heartened to read so many different responses from people, simply because these types of reactions come from fanatics rather than passive observers. Just like the German fans who were calling for the head of Klinsmann after their 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Italy, our irrational and emotional reactions to the game showed a passion for the beautiful game that I’ve never seen before.
2) Because of my job, I walk through a lot of office space throughout the eastern part of the US and some of the things that I’ve seen over the last few weeks in people’s work areas have included a US Soccer scarf, several pictures of Michael Owen, a Tottenham screen saver and an aerial photo of Anfield. While some of these things may be the work of British expats working in the US, it shows that people are proud to let others know that they are fans of soccer.
3) I’m up visiting my in-laws this weekend in suburban Boston and was pleased to find out that they now have Fox Soccer Channel on their cable system. When I was up here last during Christmas, that was not the case. Now if they can get GolTV up here next, then I’ll be really impressed.
4) Do you realize that if you have Sirius or access to high-speed internet, you can listen to three straight hours of soccer talk between the Two G’s and World Soccer Daily? That wasn’t always the case and from listening to it over the last few months, they have many more callers into their shows.
Hopefully, this is not just caused by World Cup fever and will continue through the MLS season.
1) The wild reactions from fans and press alike after the Germany friendly. Depending on what you read, Gregg Berhalter was either a total clueless buffoon or merely the victim of a poor defending midfield. While I didn’t agree with either assessment, I was somewhat heartened to read so many different responses from people, simply because these types of reactions come from fanatics rather than passive observers. Just like the German fans who were calling for the head of Klinsmann after their 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Italy, our irrational and emotional reactions to the game showed a passion for the beautiful game that I’ve never seen before.
2) Because of my job, I walk through a lot of office space throughout the eastern part of the US and some of the things that I’ve seen over the last few weeks in people’s work areas have included a US Soccer scarf, several pictures of Michael Owen, a Tottenham screen saver and an aerial photo of Anfield. While some of these things may be the work of British expats working in the US, it shows that people are proud to let others know that they are fans of soccer.
3) I’m up visiting my in-laws this weekend in suburban Boston and was pleased to find out that they now have Fox Soccer Channel on their cable system. When I was up here last during Christmas, that was not the case. Now if they can get GolTV up here next, then I’ll be really impressed.
4) Do you realize that if you have Sirius or access to high-speed internet, you can listen to three straight hours of soccer talk between the Two G’s and World Soccer Daily? That wasn’t always the case and from listening to it over the last few months, they have many more callers into their shows.
Hopefully, this is not just caused by World Cup fever and will continue through the MLS season.
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