Barca vs Madrid is a dream match-up for FOX... It will pull the best rating to date for Champions League Final. The game will be hyped by showcasing on two of the iconic faces in the global Football world: Messi vs. Ronaldo. This will bring the casual fans who know about Messi and Ronaldo. FOX doesn't have to try that hard...The game will sell itself...Yes, they will pump-up their marketing efforts 2-3 weeks before the Final. Here is my prediction: 1.7-2.0 on FOX (meaning we will see something like 2.5 million viewers-3.0 million viewers) FOX Deportes will pull an additional 1.5 million-1.8 million viewers... We should break last year's number. The cumulative number could reach somewhere around 4.5 million viewers This match-up is for the ages...The two powerhouses in the global football world...
^i disagree. I think the ratings will be disappointing. It's kinda like the subway world series a decade or so ago. A dream matchup for a certain group of fans, but it leaves another huge set of fans with no rooting interest. When Man Utd played Barca it engaged all EPL fans which is the more popular league in the USA.
Dude you are comparing apples and oranges. Baseball is very regional, soccer was, but as you can see, everybody around the planet is following this event. Nonetheless, in this country due to lack of history, I can see why Americans will not turn out in bunches. Hey we now celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and maybe with due time, we may start celebrating big football matches in this country, but we are not there yet.
I think people will tune in because you are watching the 2 best slug it out and the rivalry could be a script for a movie. On a global scale I feel it will be the most viewed television event ever. Also I think the thing with all EPL fans watching last years final was because they all wanted United to lose.
Don't underestimate mental toughness and willpower in winning a match. It is not simply about having the best talent. If the games are close (especially in the second leg), I think Bayern has the mental/willpower edge that may very well put them in the final.
If any team on Earth has the focus and mental willpower it is a Mourinho team. The final being Munich could very well prove to be a hindrance because Bayern have an obsession to advance at all costs or it will be a complete failure.
Don't know if I totally agree with this. I've seen them lose their composure this year when things are not going their way (i.e., against Barcelona and Villarreal a few days back). German teams usually don't beat themselves and their mentality is second to none.
There are many exceptions to the rule, but Talent trumps Willpower must of the time. And when the teams are equal in talent, is when we see that willpower take over the game. Nonetheless, R. Madrid has too much talent. Bayer will leave everything in the field, but talent will prevail.
We'll see, I guess that is why they play the game, right? Plus Bayern does in fact have talented players as well. Just mentioning all this to point out that a Real Madrid-Barcelona final is not a given.
Nothing in life is given, but if I was in Vegas, I will be putting my money on Barcelona vs. Real Madrid in the Final. God knows anything can happen, but the odds are in favor of el Classico Final.
Agreed. While I think an El Clasico final would be great, I still think the best matchup ratingswise is a cross-country matchup of two top-5-brand teams
While i do agree with you, I think there is one very important variable that needs to be considered and that is the classico that will take place between the 2 Bayern matches. If the score is close after the first leg, we might see a tired Real in the 2nd leg. Also, a loss to Barca could have a negative effect on Madrids mentality. I do think that if there is any club who can handle the busy fixture list and difficult challenges its a Jose lead Real side.
Here are some numbers on why the Champions Final may be of historical proportion. Leo Messi has now 60 goals in all official competitions. If Barcelona reaches the final, he will have 10 games to brake Mueller's record of 67 goals in European Competition. Both Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are fighting for La Liga Pichichi trophy "Golden Boot". By any measure, scoring over 40 goals in any league is ridiculous. Both will finish with over 40 goals, Messi has 38, and Ronaldo has 37 with one match less. They are both capable of scoring 3 goals on any given match so scoring over 40 is more than reachable, but the question is what will be the final number. Anyway, if the final is Barcelona and R. Madrid, you will be seeing the two top scores in the history of modern football. In Brazil they claim Pele has over 1K GOALS, but I am not sure how they came up with those numbers.
I would have to disagree. I am afraid that a clasico final would be full of fakes and dives by both teams. Especially if Real Madrid loses again to Barcelona in their La Liga match. I can see it now, the American sports fan tuning in to FOX for Saturday baseball and seeing a faking/diving fest. It would just reinforce the criticisms of soccer by the average American sports fan.
If Real Madrid loses the Clasico why would it be a dive fest 1 month after in the Final? Outside of Ronaldo and di Maria no one dives on Real Madrid while Barcelona the majority of the team goes down very easily. Real Madrid is the team known for the physical nature almost to the limit of being legal in the sport while Barcelona is known for the diving and pressuring of the refs.
When I first came to this country, I saw a Hockey game and notice that every other moment there was a big fist fight, and some one told me that that was part of the game. So I sat down and say to my self, than what is the purpose of playing the game if all you are going to do is fight. Later on I learn that in Norther America that was ok, but the true hockey game was about sportsmanship, but hockey was not as popular back them so the fighting became part of the game. Soccer is a tuff game, and if you do not like fake diving nor tuff tackles than, you have no idea how the game is play. Soccer is not a gentleman game and it never was. So those individuals that do not like all the theatrics of the game and yes fake diving has and will always be part of the game, really should not be running in to the game. Just like I turn off my tv when a Hockey game came up. Football, as is know outside this country, is not part of the American culture so many Americans will always find a way to criticize the game and that is the reality.
As long as that idiot Curt Menefee stresses that the winner is champion of Europe, and nothing else, then I don't care who's in the Final. Hopefully, however, Menefee won't be anywhere near Allianz Arena. He knows nothing about football and it was a huge blunder to even have that twat associated with the last 2 UCL Finals.
But the ratings (which I thought was what we were talking about) would be great ... but not as great IMO as a cross nation contest. As I understand it, the reason for the fighting is to keep the aggression away from the players trying to injure each other in worse ways - like with the hockey sticks. It's basically to blow off steam. The example was given of hockey in Europe where the on-ice fights get nastier and more damaging. Who knows ... I don't follow the sport. I suppose it's like pitchers hitting batters. He won't be there. That's why they got Rob Stone.
You're right, my comment has nothing to do with the ratings. But it is a somewhat TV related comment.
and I sorta agree that casual fans will be put off by the Extreme Diving that Barca and Madrid engage in especially if Alves and Busquets are on their game and Pepe and Ramos are out to deliver the street justice they usually do against Barcelona. But I think that it being a one-off game is a lot better situation than if it were a 2 leg affair with 80,000 partisan fans.
You think so? To me, the fact that it is one game for all the marbles makes it more likely that it can turn very ugly. As a soccer fan and a Barcelona fan, I would love a Clasico final. But from the casual American sports fan's perspective watching on FOX, it will just give them another reason to make fun of the sport.
Why does that matter. There is a good chance that must Americans would not tune in to see the game. Must of us who grew up with Football or have either respect or admiration for the game will tune in. And the fact is that Football is not an American sport, and if is not American, they do not have an interest of who or what is going on the Champions final. Dude must Americans do not know what is The Champions, and where is it play and why do they play the tournament. Why, because it is not part of our history. That is a fact, so do not worry if they are going to make fun of the game or they are going to criticized it. They have no understanding on how the game is play and if they do not know much about the game, the best thing to do is to criticized it. My brothers does it all the time and he grew up watching the game.
If the game was tough, wouldn't they play through the injuries and not fall down and spend 2-3 minutes down on the ground calling for the trainer, being stretchered off, and run back into the game two minutes later like nothing happened? (I've seen games where the guy rolls around on the ground, then hops off the stretcher as soon as it leaves the field of play.) I've seen a LOT of faked injuries where the guy gets kicked in the groin (or somewhere) and goes down grabbing his ankle. Meanwhile, the replay clearly shows the guy was hit nowhere near where he's pretending he was hurt. There's also the classic cases of a defender passing in close proximity to the attacker. The attacker will go down like he was kicked in the shin, when there was no contact at all. If someone is rolling around in pain, they'd better be out of the game for a while. If you act like you rolled your ankle, it better be in ice. THAT'S what the Americans want. If they wanted drama and fakery, they'd go to a stage show or movie. You're dead accurate with the third point though. People will still criticize it because it's the "newcomer" and they're scared of it.