Who make up the fans of pro soccer

[csc7]

I think I represent the type of fan that MLS can pick up (I started paying attention again after this World Cup). I played club throughout HS and we watched European games because MLS didn't start until my junior year. Obviously after having been exposed to years of European leagues, the first couple years of MLS looked pretty bad. I stopped paying attention after the second or third year (the fact that I wasn't near a city with a team didn't help). I would occasionally catch a game, but didn't look really closely.

The play of MLS players in this Cup changed my perception of the league. I've started paying more attention (and the fact that I now live in a city with a team has helped, but just because there are more games on TV to watch) and have become a fan. I don't consider myself a 'Eurosnob.' I was just used to a higher standard of play than early MLS offered, so I turned it off. I think there is a potential generation of natural soccer fans about my age (22-26) that could come back to the league now that it's improved. Don't know exactly what MLS can do to get them interested again, but I think there is a big group out there.

[sebakoole]

Originally posted by Paul. A
do players make the best fans? I bet in the UK some of the best soccer fans have never played much.
Players might make the best fans, but if they're the only fans then MLS won't survive. Please don't let soccer become like jazz. Jazz used to be much more popular in the US, but now it seems like the only people who really get into jazz are musicians themselves and so the jazz world comes across to non-musicians as insular, arcane and snobbish. If soccer takes this path I doubt that it will survive in the US.

..hmm, jazz/soccer, hmm...is Freddy Adu a reincarnation of John Coltrane?

[detter7]

I played soccer through my childhood and high school, so understanding the massive talent needed and the rules pertaining to the game was a plus. (It is so hard to explain off-sides to some people!) I helped out with youth soccer stuff in high school, and then slowly I began to discover MLS. Right away I was hooked.

As soccer has progressed and grown, so has TV coverage. For me, that's been the biggest thing to get behind soccer. I don't live in a soccer city, I live three hours away from two soccer cities, though, I didn't really have an opportunity to go to any games. The '99 WWC at least gave more television coverage, and then the MLS fed the new soccer fans for the rest of the summer. But still, inconsistency, and really only one game a week on most of the nation's cable isn't enough to lure a lot of people into soccer. I've taken friends to games who have said that being at the game has made them soccer fans because of the atmosphere, and that it is now more respectable to watch when you compare the skill and size of the field that is often misrepresented on TV. Just simple coverage on the news and/or Sportscenter (HA HA!) would be a major improvement. Hopefully, all the kids who play youth soccer now will/have become pro soccer fans, and they can begin to raise a new soccer movement when they're adults.

As shallow as it is, marketing the players to a female audience would probably help. Look at Landon Donovan's fan club of teenage girls. During the World Cup some entertainment show (I think it was Extra) did a piece on the "hotties" of the World Cup, showcasing Donovan, McBride, and Beckham (yeah, I know, he's English).

[DAKCrew]

The fans that the league want is the fans that will pay to see an MLS team play

[Vampeta]

Originally posted by Godot22
If I knew how to sell MLS to them, I wouldn't be sitting on my butt, procrastinating about writing a paper, and making windy pronouncements with too many adverbs on some Internet message board, I'd be working for MLS and making pretty good money doing so. But off the top of my head I'd suggest emphasizing the following points:

* Watching soccer is fun.
* Watching soccer is a distinctly different experience from what you get at typical American professional sports events.
* Because you watch soccer, you're not actually required to renounce interest in any other sport or become a pseudo-European microbrew-clutching poseur or become a car-smashing Visigoth, despite what the no-neck Sports column disgorger at your local paper seems to think.
* Did we mention that watching soccer is fun?


Hey, now! I like other sports ANDdrink
Eurobeer and 'Merkun microbrews, so put
that in yer pipe and smoke it! :p


Great post as always Godot22.

[Paul. A]

I guess I came from another country so I grew up involved with the sport. Most people on here didn't. When I moved here I got interested in US Soccer from seeing some national team games on tv. I thought they were a pretty good team, mainly because initially I had an attitude that Americans can't play soccer... I was wrong!
I grew up loving Arsenal but now I live here I have no problem supporting the US league. It's not perfect but I hope we are heading in the right direction. Even though I lost my Mutiny and I just moved to Tampa to be nearer the games. I will still support the league even though I don't like all head office decisions.
When I played in teams, like i said earlier I never really supported pro leagues but now I'm older US soccer is getting the benefit of my want to give something back to the game attitude... So I will support MLS as much as I can.

[G Enriquez]

Originally posted by FiredUp
I feel I am the face of Soccer Fans in America. Some of you may hate to hear it.

I have been reading BigSoccer for about a year or so, and havn't registered or posted because I feel I havn't had a lot to add. Besides, you all are so entertaining, I didn't need to add my 2 cents.

I grew up a Bears, Bulls, and Cubs fan. True blue Chicago sports fan. I played 1 year of very confused youth soccer in the 5th grade. I didn't even understand offsides until I got to college.

I never had a chance to watch soccer. Anywhere, anytime.

I went to Wheaton College, a traditionally stong Division III soccer power. Because they were the best team going on campus, I began to watch their home games. Found I enjoyed them very much. I liked the atmosphere, the fan support, and the way the game held my attention. It also happened that after my freshman year the World Cup was held in the US. I watched, and I enjoyed, and I still remember the Brazil game - the fourth of July, the Balboa bicycle kick, how agonizingly close (so it seemed to me) we were to having had a shot of upsetting Brazil. (At the time - it seemed reasonable to me - I didn't realize how far behind them we really were).

After that, I spent some summers in Europe, and got a grasp of how the game grips the world. I sat in hostels and watched some euro 96 games, and WC qualifiers in 97.

All of that led me to feel intruiged enough to visit Soldier Field when the Fire came in 98. I loved it! I loved how accessible it was to get to games. I really enjoyed watching games, and have been hooked ever since. I purchased cable for the first time ever just to watch the world cup this year.

Bottom line is, I am joe-american sports fan. I love american football, still love the bulls and bears, and now prefer the Fire over the Cubs. I was never a big baseball fan (especially on TV), but what else did I have to choose from? I still don't understand a lot of the nuances and details of the game. I'm sure there are some rules that I don't yet know. But it is a simple enough game I can watch it and not be confused. I don't have time to keep up with the rest of the world. I like to know who won the champions league, and wish I had the ability/time to see more, but it is unrealistic with the life I lead. I can, though, trot on down to Naperville, and catch an affordable game, watch players I know, and feel excited about introducing my friends to MLS.

I agree with other posters - don't try to convince the haters. Find people who like to spend time with you, invite them to a game. They will enjoy it. One person at a time. All the marketing things that they are already doing won't hurt. But introducing one fan to another is how it will grow.

Sorry for such a rediculously long post on my first time out, but this has been stewing in me as I've been reading through BigSoccer for a while. The biggest thing right now is to get teams their own stadiums so the games look good. Get good owners, and let the thing grow naturally. Get the World Cup back in the US as soon as possible. I don't ever see soccer supplanting the other sports. But I do see it succeding. Especially as a summer sport going head to head against baseball. Good attitude, Fired Up.

[jamesf24]

I still go on the crusade, and I feel I have made a difference. One thing I have going for me, in the idea of changing the minds of others, is that I am knowledgable about MLB, NFL, NBA, Major College Sports, NHL, etc. I usually start by chatting up these topics, and then, they find out that MLS & soccer in general is hands down my favorite thing.

I give them this BS line about, ya man, I went to a game in 96 and was hooked, I used to think it would suck, etc. That part isnt true, but they can relate to it.

Back in 2000, I was shocked one day that one of the guys I chatted it up with, that was a sports fan, but not an athlete, joined our conversation. I was being ridiculed by a baseball guy in the cafeteria at work, and this "respected" guy said to my opponent, "anythings better than baseball, I watched some of that "MSL" yesterday and that was some good ************", he was referring to a game in 2000 between the Revs & Crew on a Soccer Saturday and actually remembered a couple of goal sequences. The baseball guy just shut up. I was surprised, that this guy, who always sat with us, was actually listening to me preach the past several weeks, and while surfing, stopped on soccer, and stayed there, something he otherwise would not have done.

Too many soccer fans stay in the closet because of Jim Rome's, Mike Wilbons, etc. Come out and show your colors man, we need you.

You don't work for the USSF, or MLS, and will never make a dime, but do it anyway. Your still needed. The results will come slow, but they are coming.

James

[seahawkdad]

Originally posted by monster
After yesterday I am convinced that drunk crazy people make up the soccer fan base. :D

Not exactly. Drunk sane people are also allowed.

Seriously, though, think to teams of any sport that you are (or have been) a rabid fan of. What drew you to them was some sense of affiliation. A school you went to (how many college grads still follow their school's sports--most), a team that represents your geographical location, a team whose personality you identify with (the over-the-hill-gang Redskins for me), a team stocked with local heros (my boys of summer Dodgers)--unfortunately a less and less likely attraction in this era of free agency and salary caps.

Having played the game isn't probably one of the draws. That's the big disappointment of soccer--all those players and so few of them paying fans. I played little football, but follow the NFL. I played little baseball, but learned to be a fan by going to games with my grandfather. I played basketball through college and am not at all interested in watching it unless it's my college team playing.

So what does your own fan experience say for building soccer fandom?

The need for more local teams. No local MLS team--fine. There are plenty of A league teams. These should be promoted by MLS and USSF. How many of us who grew up loving baseball never went to a big league game but loved our local minor league team--and followed its players into the bigs? How many of us follow US players in Europe?

The need to build the team as the representative of a region. This requires conscious affiliation marketing on the part of MLS. I'm not sure they get it. It also requires using the joint love of the game and the team to bridge cultural gaps among fans so that there is more mutuality and less mistrust in the stadium. Fan groups such as Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles working together, and La Norte with its open invitation for all to join help a lot. Team support of such groups is a start.

The need for local heros. I don't, for instance, see United pushing it's star players (I know--don't even say it). How many other MLS teams consciously build their players into local heros? Baseball, basketball and the NFL have figured that out. Of course, keeping them around has been a problem and, as we found out in DC, can backfire when they leave. But think of an Aikman for Dallas or a Jergenson for Washington.

There is a lot more that can be done. I wish I could say I see it happening.

[Paul. A]

You are correct. I can relate that to where I came from. There were some semi-professional soccer teams so people followed their local teams more than some of the bigger clubs out of their area.
It takes work though and it isn't easy for teams to survive.

[notebook]

Originally posted by seahawkdad

Having played the game isn't probably one of the draws. That's the big disappointment of soccer--all those players and so few of them paying fans.

I think the problem here is the way player is often defined. Basically anyone who kicked the ball around for a year in recreational soccer league. I think if we define a player as anyone who played for at least a high school or serious youth team we would find these players are significantly more likely to follow professional soccer than non players. I do not have statistical evidence, but anecdotally I have found that true. That's why I think a number of today's serious youth players will become professional soccer fans unlike the rec team players of the 70s and 80s.


The need to build the team as the representative of a region. This requires conscious affiliation marketing on the part of MLS. I'm not sure they get it.
I agree and I think MLS is pretty weak here. I think having one guy own six teams and the single entity structure lead to this. And before I get flamed I do recognize that one guy is the biggest reason we even have a league. I think through there efforts to build a team, owners do a lot to build local interest. Take Mark Cuban as an example. Before him, few gave a damn about the Dallas Mavericks. Now they have an avid following.

[kenntomasch]

I don't know who make up the fan base, but the people who are watching MLS on ESPN2 as of 2001 were:

Predominantly male (66.3%)
Between 35-54 (34.2%)
Household income of $75,000+ (33.1%)
College Educated (44%)
Children in household (44.4%)
Median age 37.5
HH Income Median $58,734

I would find it hard to believe that the people who would watch MLS on ESPN2 would be substantially different in makeup from the people who would go to games, except in extreme demographic cases, which might include Los Angeles.

[FiredUp]

Originally posted by Northside Rovers
Damn Fired Up: Best First Post Ever.

Your story is the way most of us became soccer fans. We weren't born into it. We found it or it found us and there is no going back.

Thanks for the high praise Northside Rovers! I'm thinking I should stop now before I say something I regret :D

I agree with the sentiment that we need local color and local heroes.

I think that this has already begun. Part of what has kept me coming to Fire games is that I know the players. I enjoy watching Nowak, and Stoichkov (mostly on the sidelines). Wolff, Beasley, Razov, Kovalenko, Brown, etc. I love all those guys. I was genuinely bummed when Razov left for Europe, and excited when he returned. I think this world cup has started to build the noise around Donovan, Beasley, McBride (regardless of how much some love and hate him), and Mathis. These are all good starts. It will happen naturally as long as the product offered is quality and exciting.

[evilcrossbar]

The problem for professional soccer in this country is twofold:

First is that most Americans who know little about soccer (potential fans) only really know about the World Cup. The most common question I'm usually asked is "yeah, when is the world cup its soon isn't it?" To these people club football, which is the norm (the World Cup is very much a special event), doesn't exist. Some people are even surprised to learn that such as professional club football exists at all.

Second, those Americans who do have rudimentary knowledge about club football are spoiled. Understand that the US leads the world in its popular sport leagues: MLB is the best baseball league in the world; NFL (by default since nobody else really plays the game); NBA is obviously tops; as is the NHL (the fact that the best players are all Canadians doesn't bother people since the teams are in the States).They know, however, that when they watch MLS, its not even among the top ten leagues in the world, which is something to which many Americans aren't accustomed.

That's why in conversations when someone asks, "Well, what about the MLS?" the response is often "Yeah, but thats a sucky league." Its not like these people are Eurosnobs since they probably know little or nothing about European club football, they just know that the best teams and players are not here.

[Paul. A]

Well, maybe people could make an effort to come and then we can continue to work toward being one of the best leagues in the world. Maybe too many people want instant gratification. I don't know anything about marketing but maybe something along the lines of join us on the road to American soccer success kind of thing!

[Pauncho]

I've made both of these points many times before on these boards, but here we go again:

(1) Soccer bashing DOES matter. Being a sports fan is a communal, not solitary, activity. The only thing that stands between where we are now and professional soccer becoming the fifth major professional team sport in the United States is the certain knowledge of anyone who might be curious about becoming an entry-level soccer fan that he will be subjected to being treated like a nerd by a lot of other guys, probably including his outer circle of friends.

(2) Ticket-buyers is a very special subgroup of fans. Season tickets to NBA, NHL and MLB teams are beyond the pocketbooks of even hardcore middle class fans. Crummy seats may be within the pocketbooks of hardcore upper middle class fans. Apart from baseball, tickets are hard to come by for decent teams unless you have access to season tickets. Most NFL, NBA or NHL fans, including probably most fairly serious ones, only go to games (not talk about, read about, watch on TV, but go to games) once a year or so when somebody else gives them a ticket. The ultimate source of those tickets is mostly businesses shmoosing clients and getting rid of the leftovers with employees. Businesses buy those tickets (and not, for example, season tickets to the opera) because they know that typical clients will be impressed and appreciative of something that is popular enough that people know they're supposed to want it. MLS will have hit the big time when half of the people in the expensive seats can't tell the difference between a corner kick and an offside trap, the way that half the people in NFL skyboxes don't know the difference between a strong safety and an intentional safety. Acceptance, like non-acceptance, feeds upon itself.

[Elninho]

Originally posted by Pauncho
I've made both of these points many times before on these boards, but here we go again:

(1) Soccer bashing DOES matter. Being a sports fan is a communal, not solitary, activity. The only thing that stands between where we are now and professional soccer becoming the fifth major professional team sport in the United States is the certain knowledge of anyone who might be curious about becoming an entry-level soccer fan that he will be subjected to being treated like a nerd by a lot of other guys, probably including his outer circle of friends.

(2) Ticket-buyers is a very special subgroup of fans. Season tickets to NBA, NHL and MLB teams are beyond the pocketbooks of even hardcore middle class fans. Crummy seats may be within the pocketbooks of hardcore upper middle class fans. Apart from baseball, tickets are hard to come by for decent teams unless you have access to season tickets. Most NFL, NBA or NHL fans, including probably most fairly serious ones, only go to games (not talk about, read about, watch on TV, but go to games) once a year or so when somebody else gives them a ticket. The ultimate source of those tickets is mostly businesses shmoosing clients and getting rid of the leftovers with employees. Businesses buy those tickets (and not, for example, season tickets to the opera) because they know that typical clients will be impressed and appreciative of something that is popular enough that people know they're supposed to want it. MLS will have hit the big time when half of the people in the expensive seats can't tell the difference between a corner kick and an offside trap, the way that half the people in NFL skyboxes don't know the difference between a strong safety and an intentional safety. Acceptance, like non-acceptance, feeds upon itself.

Prawn sandwiches, so to speak...

[sydtheeagle]

Originally posted by 442
Here's my two cents:

I say screw that. If I was D. Garber I would tell anti-soccer media and fans they could bite me if they don't like soccer.

Definitive proof of intelligent life in genus Soccericus Americanus. Best post on this subject ever. Give the man a shandy.

[seahawkdad]

Originally posted by notebook

I think the problem here is the way player is often defined. Basically anyone who kicked the ball around for a year in recreational soccer league. I think if we define a player as anyone who played for at least a high school or serious youth team we would find these players are significantly more likely to follow professional soccer than non players. I do not have statistical evidence, but anecdotally I have found that true. That's why I think a number of today's serious youth players will become professional soccer fans unlike the rec team players of the 70s and 80s.


I hope you're right, but I wonder. I have four children. The oldest two were leaving high school as DC United started. Therefore it was the youngest two who went with me to United games. All played travel and, of course high school. One of the two oldest still plays in adult leagues, yet doesn't like to watch soccer, saying it's boring.

The two youngest (one of whom plays in college), who I took to games, are fans.

This parallels my own experience with basketball (played through college yet not a fan) and with a study done recently by a university of what builds fans. They found three factors: identification of the team with the community; local sports heros on the team; and fathers who took their kids to games before the kids reached their mid-teens (yes, they specified fathers, not 'soccer' moms).

I think there's validity to this study. I think that the kids who are playing also need to learn to be fans. Just because I like to play a sport doesn't mean I will follow it. As others have said, almost 100% of NASCAR fans have never driven a race car. Rabid female fans of the NFL have never played football. The one doesn't necessarily lead to the other.

[kenntomasch]

I think there's validity to that study as well.

I also believe in the notion that there is a finite amount of sports "space", not only in our country, but in a given market. It's hard to break in (or fall out) once you're entrenched. There may be some defectors within the community, who replace going to Sox games with going to Fire games for whatever reason, but it's always going to be tough for the Fire to command the kind of respect and sports consciousness that the Bears, Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, and Hawks have. Contrast that with how Columbus treats the Crew. I think that's part of it too.