ESPN - Conspiracy Against Soccer Promotion in the U.S.

[MiamiAce]

You wouldn't know it from the coverage in the media, but the United States has a first-division professional soccer league that plays past an opening day. Ten teams, including some of America's finest, are battling it out.

But do you see the scores on ESPN's sports ticker? No.

Do you see the highlights on the evening news? No.

Most newspapers don't even provide a score the day after an MLS match. They usually will only run a standings table on late week editions, but no results.

The Houston Chronicle has barely acknowledged that the league exists. In three weeks of play, there has been one article, written by an Associated Press staffer who doesn't like soccer. (Only soccer gets this treatment. Would they send a writer who hates baseball to cover a baseball game?)

Worst of all, even the U.S. National Team gets covered by someone who has no idea what's going on in the game.

Why does soccer get such treatment? Is it because it's boring? No. Golf gets plenty of ink, and color pictures to boot.

It's because of the fans' acceptance of this type of treatment, although unbeknown to them. We sit back with the notion that soccer will now be around forever in this country simply because it is the world's most popular sport, and therefore all things are okay.

There are lots of people who call themselves soccer fans in this country. Maybe they played as kids, or maybe they enjoyed the World Cup. But they don't watch games, or go to games, because they never know when they're on. They don't know because the media never tell them. ESPN and the ABC Network do not promote nor inform its viewers when and if MLS games will be shown. They promptly and zestfully buy the rights to show these soccer competitions.. but do they appreciate that right? Absolutely not.

Certainly, there are plenty of people in the media who want soccer to fail because they're scared they'll have to write about it and won't know what to say. But mostly it's because they think nobody cares.

It'd sure be nice to be able to sit back like fans of the "big four sports" and just get really excited when the championships come around. Soccer fans don't have that luxury.

The next three years are crucial to American soccer. Major League Soccer is very well-financed, but simply won't survive without definitive fan support.

It's crucial that the league survive, so that America will have a training ground for the National Team. Certainly the world's greatest country should have at least a fighting chance to win the World Cup.

That means you, the soccer fans, need to write, call and pester the Chronicle, ESPN, Prime Sports and everyone else. Then, bug bars until they show the games without being charged $20 a pop. Someday, we'll be able to relax with the knowledge that National Team games will be hyped in the media like they should be. But only if we demand proper coverage NOW.

[AndyMead]

:rolleyes:

[Caesar]

:rolleyes:
I second that.

[Offside2]

They can start by calling it the ORIGINAL name: football. It's hard to comprehend why they changed it into soccer and adapted a 'rugby-like' game into 'american football'. Perhaps they needed to identify with a sport they excelled in and 'soccer' clearly wasn't it. The other sports like baseball, icehockey, 'american football', etc are more popular and bring in more money. That's one reason. The second is that they don't like the fact they'll be blending themselves with European influences. (misguided pride) It's a shame this is the way they see it.

[Pints]

[QUOTE=MiamiAce]...
It's crucial that the league survive, so that America will have a training ground for the National Team. Certainly the world's greatest country should have at least a fighting chance to win the World Cup.QUOTE]

2002 World Cup standings
1)Brazil
2)Germany
3)USA
4)South Korea

I'd say that was a fighting chance and we lost respectively to Germany. I enjoyed making it to the semi-finals and letting Germany beat us, I was proud to be beaten by Germany. 3rd is a remarkable feat. And not ALL of our best MNT players play MLS currently. But yes I agree we need to continue to promote Soccer (Futbol) in this country as much as possible.

[BocaFan]

2002 World Cup standings
1)Brazil
2)Germany
3)USA
4)South Korea



You must have been given your nickname ("Pints") during WC 2002!!?? ;)

[SoFla Metro]

:rolleyes:
I was going to rebut the specific points of the first post, but Andy was much more concise.

[Fevernova99]

We lost to Germany in the Quarter Finals not the semis...

Brazil, Germany, Turkey, Korea, then tied 5-8: Spain, USA, Senegal, England

And no you cant complain to get soccer popular. You say houston newspaper has one article, then why dont you or local soccer fans write an article and submit it to the newspaper, have a weekly column, just like world soccer weekly, a weekly radio show. When the mass media sees soccer articles in newspapers draw large viewing groups, soccer radio draw large listening groups then they will put the sport into the spotlight more. Complaining wont get you anywhere since corporated media outlets are all about the $$$. Once they see the large market, soccer will become more popular.

[noudont]

I live in Miami, where we have the 4 majors, although I can't consider hockey a major anymore. We had MLS with the Miami Fusion, who played in Ft. Lauderdale (big mistake), but we are known as the Banana Republic so I won't go into that long story.

Miami Ace are you in Houston or Miami? Because I will throw it back at you if you are in Houston, I'll ask you, how much hockey coverage is there? There can't be much because they don't have a team. There are only 10 MLS teams, 10! 2 have already folded. I want to see MLS succeed as much as the next football fan, but until it expands to more cities and the level of play increases I just don't see it happening. If the teams in Miami aren't winning they get a blurb and a "how soon before the coach is fired" article and that's it.

As for the tv thing, as a fan I know that every Saturday afternoon there is a game on ESPN2 and another Saturday night on HDNet (which has spectacular coverage).

[odg78]

--Anti-soccer conspiracy and the football/soccer dispute all in one thread. If we can work up promotion/relegation and somehow getting all games on NBC or Fox then I believe we will have hit for the cycle.

[Mobile]

Certainly the world's greatest country should have at least a fighting chance to win the World Cup.


Oh, I think we'll have a decent chance in Germany. Sven's built a solid team unit and we have world-class players like Beckham, Owen, Gerrard, Ferdinand as well as emerging young talent. Better than a 'fighting chance', in fact.

[MiamiAce]

Oh, I think we'll have a decent chance in Germany. Sven's built a solid team unit and we have world-class players like Beckham, Owen, Gerrard, Ferdinand as well as emerging young talent. Better than a 'fighting chance', in fact.

:) Thats funny. But in all seriousness, I don't think England have a great chance to win Euro2004 or WC2006. Personally, I would like to see England have a little more success in World Cups than history as shown. But English-native players don't match up with the finesse and talent with the likes of Brazil, France, Argentina, Portugual, Spain off the top of my head. Owen is probably an exception of English players who has that modern-day football 'rhythm' in him. The English defense is usually very strong, but then again.. it's defense. Most of the rest of the squad I would consider very good as opposed to great. Aside from that, soccer promotion is still being oppressed in America.

[SirManchester]

I'm sick and tired of it being called soccer over here, I hate myself for having to use soccer instead of football because no one would understand that I'm talking about the beautiful game. This country and it's dumbass sport fans and stupid networks and big corporations will never allow football to grow through the different medias. There is simply no hope. Everyone who lives in the "United" states and is a football fan is pretty much screwed.

Cris N.

[Caesar]

You wouldn't know it from the coverage in the media, but the United States has a first-division professional soccer league that plays past an opening day. Ten teams, including some of America's finest, are battling it out.

But do you see the scores on ESPN's sports ticker? No.

Do you see the highlights on the evening news? No.

Most newspapers don't even provide a score the day after an MLS match. They usually will only run a standings table on late week editions, but no results.

The Houston Chronicle has barely acknowledged that the league exists. In three weeks of play, there has been one article, written by an Associated Press staffer who doesn't like soccer. (Only soccer gets this treatment. Would they send a writer who hates baseball to cover a baseball game?)

Worst of all, even the U.S. National Team gets covered by someone who has no idea what's going on in the game.

Why does soccer get such treatment? Is it because it's boring? No. Golf gets plenty of ink, and color pictures to boot.

It's because of the fans' acceptance of this type of treatment, although unbeknown to them. We sit back with the notion that soccer will now be around forever in this country simply because it is the world's most popular sport, and therefore all things are okay.

There are lots of people who call themselves soccer fans in this country. Maybe they played as kids, or maybe they enjoyed the World Cup. But they don't watch games, or go to games, because they never know when they're on. They don't know because the media never tell them. ESPN and the ABC Network do not promote nor inform its viewers when and if MLS games will be shown. They promptly and zestfully buy the rights to show these soccer competitions.. but do they appreciate that right? Absolutely not.

Certainly, there are plenty of people in the media who want soccer to fail because they're scared they'll have to write about it and won't know what to say. But mostly it's because they think nobody cares.

It'd sure be nice to be able to sit back like fans of the "big four sports" and just get really excited when the championships come around. Soccer fans don't have that luxury.

The next three years are crucial to American soccer. Major League Soccer is very well-financed, but simply won't survive without definitive fan support.

It's crucial that the league survive, so that America will have a training ground for the National Team. Certainly the world's greatest country should have at least a fighting chance to win the World Cup.

That means you, the soccer fans, need to write, call and pester the Chronicle, ESPN, Prime Sports and everyone else. Then, bug bars until they show the games without being charged $20 a pop. Someday, we'll be able to relax with the knowledge that National Team games will be hyped in the media like they should be. But only if we demand proper coverage NOW.
http://www.tarwater.net/media/images/whoopdeedoo.gif

[Offside2]

http://www.tarwater.net/media/images/whoopdeedoo.gif
lol.. why is it censored?

[MiamiAce]

I'm sick and tired of it being called soccer over here, I hate myself for having to use soccer instead of football because no one would understand that I'm talking about the beautiful game. This country and it's dumbass sport fans and stupid networks and big corporations will never allow football to grow through the different medias. There is simply no hope. Everyone who lives in the "United" states and is a football fan is pretty much screwed.
Cris N.

Although I don't agree with the words you chose for about 90% of your post, I agree that calling the sport "soccer" and sticking with it to this day is quite dumb. I really wonder why American "football" decided to rob the name of the international game? Supposedly, according to the books, football (American)started from association football (soccer) and Rugby. I don't buy this one bit. I'm buying into the understanding that it did derive from Rugby, but not soccer, and several Americans collectively decided to rob the name "football" because this word was already known to be quite popular (in several languages incl. English) across our waters. I'm a huge Miami Dolphins fan of American football but anyone who can think outside the box knows that "football" is the wrong term for the American sport.

[Justin O]

I really wonder why American "football" decided to rob the name of the international game? Supposedly, according to the books, football (American)started from association football (soccer) and Rugby. I don't buy this one bit. I'm buying into the understanding that it did derive from Rugby, but not soccer, and several Americans collectively decided to rob the name "football" because this word was already known to be quite popular (in several languages incl. English) across our waters.

[why am i even responding to this?] So did they send out a memo to the creators of Canadian, Australian, and Galeic football so that they were in on it too? I love the word soccer and think we need an all out campaign to get the ignorant masses of the world to say "soccer" as they should. [/why am i even responding to this?]

[MiamiAce]

[why am i even responding to this?] I love the word soccer and think we need an all out campaign to get the ignorant masses of the world to say "soccer" as they should. [/why am i even responding to this?]

Are you serious? Please tell me you're joking...? You think we should get the "ignorant masses" of the world to start using "soccer" as the official term? It shouldn't be the other way around, right... the whole world (200+ countries) shouldn't campaign in USA, Canada, and Australia (3 countries) to change "soccer" to football, right??

Ask yourself some easy questions:
1. What is a foot and where is it located?
2. What is a ball?
3. What sport primarily combines the use of a ball with your feet?

You should have your answer.

[kcscsupporter]

there's been other (many other) threads on this topc, although i'm not sure if they're still accessible. to put it simply, football was not named as such because of the use of the foot on the ball. many sports used to be lumped under the title of 'football' back when many sports were played on horseback. because there was no horse - the games were played on your feet - they were called football games. eventually, different names were given to each football game, although the masses continued to call this particular game football. now, there's more to it than that, and i'm sure i've flubbed a few things, but that's the jist. the name soccer came from england.

[Clan]

Oops..;)