So, is this board up to the challenge?

[Patrck_Hruby]

Hey all --

Patrick Hruby with the Washington Times here. I'm working on a story about internet sports message boards -- the good, the bad and the ugly. And this board seems pretty lively.

So, here's what I want to know: Is this a place for United fans to get together, make plans and engage in healthy discussion and debate? Is it place to get the news before it hits the papers? Is it a place to carp, complain and vent? A place for the latest and juciest team gossip?

I'd like to get the thoughts of those of you who are board regulars. Better still, I'd like to talk to you. Preferably for attribution in the paper ... but even if you're not comfortable with that, I'd still like to hear what you have to say.

FYI: These boards came to my attention when I was working on an aborted Gazza feature. Perhaps some of you recall that whole episode ...

You can drop me a line at phrub@yahoo.com if you're interested. Thanks.

Cheers,
Patrick

[shawn12011]

Read some of the threads and then step up to the plate with questions. Every question is going to get at least 20 differnet answers.

[CHICO13]

Originally posted by Patrck_Hruby


So, here's what I want to know: Is this a place for United fans to get together, make plans and engage in healthy discussion and debate? Is it place to get the news before it hits the papers? Is it a place to carp, complain and vent? A place for the latest and juciest team gossip?


As a fairly regular poster, I'd have to say the answer to most of your questions is yes. I found this board quite by accident as I used to frequent another un-moderated board. The fact that it was un-moderated helped degrade that board in to racist, xenophobic, homophobic etc.....ramblings. Finding BigSoccer was like a breath of fresh air. People (with the guidance of the mods) actually stay on topic and discuss futbol or whatever the thread may be.

I'd also like to point out that I've made many new friends thanks to this board who meet with us regularly at the stadium and other DC United events.

[Bill-DC]

Definitely. You have spirited discussions, practice reports and every now and then a United official checks in with answers to our questions.

If you need Screaming Eagle information, let's say you want to go on a road trip with them or find places to watch games with fellow fans, there's up to date info here.

Knave, revelation and Meridian DC do a very good job moderating this forum so things do not get out of hand.

Also check www.unitedmania.com as they have a good site for info as well.

[Knave]

Patrick Hruby with the Washington Times here. I'm working on a story about internet sports message boards -- the good, the bad and the ugly. And this board seems pretty lively.
This is the good. (Indeed, the best ... but I'm one of the mods so I'm biased.) Yahoo is the bad. The ugly ... well, some of the old BigSoccer.com color schemes were pretty ugly.
So, here's what I want to know: Is this a place for United fans to get together, make plans and engage in healthy discussion and debate? Is it place to get the news before it hits the papers? Is it a place to carp, complain and vent? A place for the latest and juciest team gossip?
All of the above. It's also a good place for expat supporters to keep in touch with what's happening with the team.
I'd like to get the thoughts of those of you who are board regulars. Better still, I'd like to talk to you. Preferably for attribution in the paper ... but even if you're not comfortable with that, I'd still like to hear what you have to say.
The best way to get a feel for this board is to read through some old threads. The pre and post match threads are a good place to start, then all the longer threads. But if I were you I'd go back to around the time of the MLS draft and sample threads chronologically till now. That should give you an idea of how this board operates. Keep and eye out for discussions about Hudson and Etcheverry. Those two seem to spark the best debates. And Convey and Stoichkov too.
FYI: These boards came to my attention when I was working on an aborted Gazza feature. Perhaps some of you recall that whole episode ...
Yes, we're all happy that was aborted - Gazza coming to DC United that is, not so much your feature.

[Patrck_Hruby]

Hey all --

Thanks for the speedy replies. Keep 'em coming, if you're interested. And like I said before, if you'd like to talk, drop me a line.

Oh, and if anyone wants to recommend some specific topics or posts that would warrant my attention, feel free.

Thanks again. I'll check back with you all this evening.

[Lanky134]

Originally posted by CHICO13
As a fairly regular poster, I'd have to say the answer to most of your questions is yes. I found this board quite by accident as I used to frequent another un-moderated board. The fact that it was un-moderated helped degrade that board in to racist, xenophobic, homophobic etc.....ramblings.

You used to post on the Metros board?

[Knave]

I sorted the threads from as far back as this board goes (the last crash) from most to least replies. Here are some highlights from the most replies end.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40525

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17359

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27272

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18045

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33498

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25357

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1867

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21261

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25405

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26120

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27414

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44429

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14743

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27883

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=135

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35746

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43855

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25436

[Chicago1871]

Originally posted by Patrck_Hruby
Hey all --

Patrick Hruby with the Washington Times here. I'm working on a story about internet sports message boards -- the good, the bad and the ugly. And this board seems pretty lively.

So, here's what I want to know: Is this a place for United fans to get together, make plans and engage in healthy discussion and debate? Is it place to get the news before it hits the papers? Is it a place to carp, complain and vent? A place for the latest and juciest team gossip?

Cheers,
Patrick
Yes. :)

A piece on these boards? I smell a several-week-long series coming.

[TEConnor]

Three or four interesting topics to look back through to get the good, bad, and ugly of this here forum:

Santino Quaranta missing a preseason game due to "personal issues"...that was the bad and ugly all rolled into one.

Any of the pre- and post-game threads can be indicative of the best discussions game related.

As for social organization, community...I'd say that is a tougher one to focus into just one thread. However, there is this fledgling "community" thread here abouts. I would say that generally the interaction in most every thread has more to say about the social community than any one thread.

Finally, there has to be something said about the humor on these boards. The "song for United" thread is an example. Others abound. I log on most off-days just to get a laugh or two...rarely does the board disappoint.

Cheers,
Tim

[uniteo]

Originally posted by Chicago1871
Yes. :)

A piece on these boards? I smell a several-week-long series coming.

You think anybody will discuss it after it is published?

[johnaldo9]

Originally posted by Patrck_Hruby

So, here's what I want to know: Is this a place for United fans to get together, make plans and engage in healthy discussion and debate? Is it place to get the news before it hits the papers? Is it a place to carp, complain and vent? A place for the latest and juciest team gossip?


Yeah I would say its all of the above. Im from Northern Virginia but I go to school at Clemson, so I don't get to see a lot of the early season games. This board is a good way to hear rumors, fan reactions, and game reports that would be harder to get if you're not in the DC area.

I'd say one of the biggest reasons people post on this board is that everyone on this board likes debating and discussing soccer with other people who follow DC United and MLS so closely. Right now soccer is still fighting to beat out the big four in the US (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL). All the sport talk shows spend there focus on these 4 sports and occasionally golf and NASCAR. Soccer is an after thought after the World cup. MLS just signed a contract with ESPN and they still will not show game highlights on sportscenter even though they show the WNBA which has a smaller fan base. The people on this board enjoy talking about DC United and without this board, and some other boards like it, this would not be possible

[Serie Zed]

In general this board (and many of the others on Big Soccer, especially Yanks Abroad, Business and Media, and the US Men and MLS "News and Analysis" threads) are THE best way to get info on US soccer.

I can't count the number of times I've either seen new info or a link to a story here that I would have missed otherwise.

And while you have to might sift through junk for awhile to find them, there are a handful of posters here who are also worth reading for their original analysis and insight -- easily as good as anything in the paid press, and in many cases better.

[seahawkdad]

And there is a story line in jonaldo9's response. What drives a board like this? Particularly for those who live outside the DC area and thus don't have The Times' and The Post's coverage.

An interesting question: any research on the ratio of fans of a sport who engage in this type of on-line interchange and the size of the overall hard-core fan group? I'm thinking here that if it indicates that there actually are a large number of hard-core sports fans interested in soccer, then what explains ESPN's sports center's continued avoidance of coverage? Isn't that their audience?

[JoeW]

Patrick,

Absolutely there's a community here (in the true meaning of the word). People coordinate trips to away games. Atouk attended the CCC match in Guatemala last year (where the refs attempted to see how many DCU players they could card) and then posted his experience on here for all of us unfortunate (or perhaps that was fortunate) enough not to have attended in person.

We get information sometimes ahead of media publication. I don't want to make it sound like BS is the equivalent of the Trilateral Commission or the CIA (all knowing and controlling everything) but some posters socialize with players, administrators, agents, talk to people overseas.

That Jeff Bradley posts regularly on the Metro BS boards, that Peter Wilt (the Chicago GM) posts regularly on the Chicago Fire boards, that Steve Zack from DCU will post with updates on team matters--all of that tells you that there's an audience here online.

Last point--if you really want to see how pervasive the internet soccer community is, do a little bit of historical research. Read (online--USA Today's Beau Dure wrote about it as well as others) about what happened to soccer internet websites the day of the 2003 MLS draft and that will tell you a just a little about the interest level and volume.

[Knave]

Don't forget "The Plane" ... all organized from this board.

[seahawkdad]

And Patrick, if you want to see some of the variety that we discuss, check out this thread: http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=48357
The subject is whether the failure of WUSA wouldn't be a good thing for MLS. With over 130 posts so far, you'll see the breadth of both sports and societal themes here--coming from all over the country.

[andylovesoccer]

Being a United fan in NC used to be a pain. When I found bigsoccer, my search for info and updates became a breeze. I don't get to see all the matches, so it is very helpful to know, in so much depth, what happened at the game, on and off the field. It also helps when I make the trip up for a match. A lot of times there are special events involving the team that I wouldn't know about otherwise. I think this site is very important to those of us who support DC United from afar.

You can probably find more game info here than in any of the papers, or even on DC's site. I am talking about happenings at the game (pre and post match) as well as analytical discussion about the match. If I am looking for the latest breaking news on anything soccer related, I usually come here first, because even if the info isn't here, there is usually a link.

[Eastern Bear]

As another poster mentioned, I really like how certain soccer terms are born on these boards. I don't know who started it, but Richie Williams' nickname -- ABMOD (Ankle Biting Munchkin of Death) got it's start in this forum. Now days, soccer announcers on TV refer to him as ABMOD every-so-often. Because soccer is ignored in the mainstream press, this is really the only place to go for significant information and opinion on American soccer.

[Knave]

In other words, what talk radio is for other sports, this board is for soccer.