Is soccer becoming Canada's second favorite sport?

[pc4th]

Is soccer becoming Canada's second favorite sport?

How does it fair compare to baseball and basketball?

[divingisgay]

I still think that baseball is 2nd, but soccer is most definately third.

Basketball is losing a lot of momentum from the Sydney Olympics and Nash's mvps

[SweetOwnGoal]

Is soccer becoming Canada's second favorite sport?

How does it fair compare to baseball and basketball?

*ducking*

If you are talking about soccer as a spectator sport then...no. It's not Canada's second favourite sport. And if by Canada you mean the vast amount of space that isn't in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, then soccer is no where near the second most popular sport.


Based on my observations as a sports writer (albeit for a smaller paper), TV rantings that have been published and my experience of living in five different provinces in both rural and urban environments:

1 - NHL hockey
2 - International hockey
3 - Junior hockey
4 - women's hockey...

OK, you get the point.

Jokes aside:

1 - Hockey (not even close to the rest)
2 - Football (NFL in the urban markets, CFL in the west and rural markets)
3 - Baseball (it has likely slipped below football in the last few years)

Then a drop

4 - Basketball (Interest in the NCAA tournament gives it a slight edge over the fifth spot. If you were just looking at NBA basketball I'd suggest it would fall a bit below...)
5 - Soccer/curling (Yes, you are reading that right. Curling is massive in the west and in rural areas. When the CBC moved some of the preliminary rounds of the women's and men's national championship off the main network and onto a digital channel the blue rinse crowd nearly rioted. The decision was quickly reconsidered. If you are talking about the nation as a whole, curling is far more popular than soccer. However, if you are talking about pure numbers, soccer is likely its equal. Soccer has a massive following in the urban areas, particularly Toronto. Because of the multi-cultural aspect of T.O. the World Cup is a month long party (it's truly one of the best cities in the world for a neutral to be during the WC, IMO). With a few exceptions (there are always exceptions) Curling doesn't play at all in Toronto. With those same exceptions, Soccer doesn't play in the hinterland.)

[justink]

baseball isn't second

football (pointy kind) is 2nd.

basketball & baseball are interchangeably 3rd or 4th. But going forward, basketball should be 3rd as younger generation and changing demographics are more into basketball. Baseball still gets higher tv ratings from boomer generation. And spurt from Blue Jays winning World Series is nearing its end as kids born in the 90s have never seen Jays at the top.

The only other team sport that poses a challenge for soccer is curling; but it's facing the changing demographic challenge a la baseball. So, I see a reasonable chance of soccer battling it out with basketball for 3rd in future years. If Canada makes it to the WC and puts in a reasonable performance and add in a couple more MLS Canadian teams, it should be a solid 3rd.

[Azuran]

baseball isn't second

football (pointy kind) is 2nd.

basketball & baseball are interchangeably 3rd or 4th. But going forward, basketball should be 3rd as younger generation and changing demographics are more into basketball. Baseball still gets higher tv ratings from boomer generation. And spurt from Blue Jays winning World Series is nearing its end as kids born in the 90s have never seen Jays at the top.

The only other team sport that poses a challenge for soccer is curling; but it's facing the changing demographic challenge a la baseball. So, I see a reasonable chance of soccer battling it out with basketball for 3rd in future years. If Canada makes it to the WC and puts in a reasonable performance and add in a couple more MLS Canadian teams, it should be a solid 3rd.

Soccer is never going to be third. Maybe you people should get out of Ontario for once in your lifetime.

Oh, excuse. Southern Ontario. Northern Ontario doesn't care about anything except hockey like 85% of Canada.

[FC_HRV]

Soccer is never going to be third. Maybe you people should get out of Ontario for once in your lifetime.

Oh, excuse. Southern Ontario. Northern Ontario doesn't care about anything except hockey like 85% of Canada.

There is like 9-10 million people in S.O. and only about 2 million in Northern Ontario.

You do the math.

[Wangy]

baseball isn't second

football (pointy kind) is 2nd.

basketball & baseball are interchangeably 3rd or 4th. But going forward, basketball should be 3rd as younger generation and changing demographics are more into basketball. Baseball still gets higher tv ratings from boomer generation. And spurt from Blue Jays winning World Series is nearing its end as kids born in the 90s have never seen Jays at the top.

The only other team sport that poses a challenge for soccer is curling; but it's facing the changing demographic challenge a la baseball. So, I see a reasonable chance of soccer battling it out with basketball for 3rd in future years. If Canada makes it to the WC and puts in a reasonable performance and add in a couple more MLS Canadian teams, it should be a solid 3rd.

Nah, I honestly believe baseball has a HUGE advantage over basketball at the moment. In the east coast, Boston Redsox are THE team. In Ontario, the Blue Jays and the Yankees are popular. In the praries, I think the Twins rule the town and in the Pacific, Mariners are the king. All those teams are part of their supporting culture. In comparison, there is no such support for any NBA team outside of Toronto and its support for the Raptors.

[CanuckFan]

Nah, I honestly believe baseball has a HUGE advantage over basketball at the moment. In the east coast, Boston Redsox are THE team. In Ontario, the Blue Jays and the Yankees are popular. In the praries, I think the Twins rule the town and in the Pacific, Mariners are the king. All those teams are part of their supporting culture. In comparison, there is no such support for any NBA team outside of Toronto and its support for the Raptors.
I think you are pulling facts out of yer arse on the baseball scene. Haven't seen a Twins jersey or hat on the prairies since I moved out here 20 yrs ago.
Cdn football is the NUMBER 2 sport out here hands down. Followed likely by baseball. Curling would be more popular than basketball or soccer, from a TV share pt of view.

[FC_HRV]

Curling would be more popular than basketball or soccer, from a TV share pt of view.
Can't go by this number. The main networks don't pick up soccer. TSN picks up Champ League and the numbers are huge. As well as Sportsnet's EPL.
People get their fix of the beautiful game from specialty channels and satellite tv. Comparing this to national network on reg. tv serves no purpose and no conclusions can be drawn.

[justink]

on a seasonal basis, baseball can be more popular than basketball. But on a secular basis, baseball is facing some steep hills to climb in Canada as I mentioned above.

And you're seeing the trend already with the younger set - especially in the major cities. In Toronto, more cricket teams are being launched in high schools - not baseball; soccer fields are replacing baseball fields; all surveys of Cdn young adults consistently show hockey first, football second, basketball or soccer third.

In smaller cities, minor league baseball is dying as teams have folded up or left Canada. From Howard Bloom of Sports Business News:

By the time the 2008 baseball season begins organized (not independent league teams alive in Winnipeg, Quebec City, Calgary and Edmonton) baseball will be dead in Canada except for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Vancouver Canadians a Class-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics.

[FC_HRV]

By the time the 2008 baseball season begins organized (not independent league teams alive in Winnipeg, Quebec City, Calgary and Edmonton) baseball will be dead in Canada except for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Vancouver Canadians ...
Good. I can't wait til the Jays pack up and leave town.

[divingisgay]

In smaller cities, minor league baseball is dying as teams have folded up or left Canada. From Howard Bloom of Sports Business News:

By the time the 2008 baseball season begins organized (not independent league teams alive in Winnipeg, Quebec City, Calgary and Edmonton) baseball will be dead in Canada except for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Vancouver Canadians a Class-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics.
That's just the professional league teams
Semi-Pro leagues are doing well, in terms of expected attendance

[Samsonite]

Can't go by this number. The main networks don't pick up soccer. TSN picks up Champ League and the numbers are huge. As well as Sportsnet's EPL.
People get their fix of the beautiful game from specialty channels and satellite tv. Comparing this to national network on reg. tv serves no purpose and no conclusions can be drawn.

Are you implying that Champions League has huge numbers on TSN? If that's the case why are they always pre-emting it for curling?

The numbers point aside I've always been puzzled as to why TSN would show curling who's demographic is rural and over 50 to soccer who's demographic is urban, male and generally 16-35. It's no secret that the 16-35 male demographic is the one advertisers crave as they have the most spending power and disposable income.

[Wangy]

I think you are pulling facts out of yer arse on the baseball scene. Haven't seen a Twins jersey or hat on the prairies since I moved out here 20 yrs ago.
Cdn football is the NUMBER 2 sport out here hands down. Followed likely by baseball. Curling would be more popular than basketball or soccer, from a TV share pt of view.

I've been to Winnipeg on numerous occasions and trust me, Twins are quite popular there.

[Moaca]

I think there are a lot of posts here about what people wish to see, not what is the reality, and there hasn't been any evidence to back up their claims. Below is some evidence from a post I made a while back when the Bibby study first came out.

Also if anyone can prove to me that soccer ratings are anywhere close to curling ratings, I would love to see it (and that means both broadcasts on cable not one on a national network). Curling is not, as someone posted above, the domain of the blue rinse crowd. Lots of kids taking up the game with the added bonus of Olympic glory, that wasn't there before.

I have found that many soccer fans cannot seem to allow themselves to follow another sport and have a perverse jealousy of some sports, most notably baseball (rabid hatred from some) and to a lesser extent curling. In fact, after following many sports websites, forums etc, I've found soccer fans to be some of the most immature, ill informed "fans". I have no evidence to back that up, JMO.


http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8642512&postcount=1

Survey shows Canadian interest in pro football is on the rise nationally
By DAN RALPH
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/C...621302-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - Hockey remains king in Canada but a national survey shows pro football is the No. 2 sport among Canadians and the CFL is favoured by more people than the NFL.

Reginald Bibby, a professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge, conducted the survey that was completed in November 2005. It showed 30 per cent of Canadians follow the NHL - unchanged from 2000 but a drop from just under 40 per cent in the 1990s. Interest in professional football, however, was at 24 per cent, an increase of four per cent over the past five years.

Nineteen per cent of Canadians said they follow the CFL, compared to 13 per cent for the NFL. That's a surprising finding, considering the CFL has routinely found ways to shoot itself in the foot over the years while expanding television coverage has resulted in more NFL games being broadcast, thus making it easier for Canadian fans to tune in.

"I think we underestimate the extent which the CFL is imbedded in Canadian culture," Bibby said. "The thing that has really surprised me has been that one would simply expect the CFL to be overrun by the NFL.

"The fact that it has been able to hang in there I think goes back to having really underestimated the extent to which the CFL is much more than football. The interest was still there even when the league was floundering in the 1990s."

Increased interest in pro football has been due primarily a significant jump in the number of CFL fans in Quebec - from four per cent in 1990 when the city was minus a pro franchise - to 17 per cent presently. While the relocation of the Baltimore Stallions to Montreal in 1996 has helped boost football interest in Quebec, the province has also experienced a real boon at the grassroots level, meaning more youngsters are playing the sport and developing a love for it.

Bibby doesn't expect football will ever overtake hockey as the sport of preference among Canadians. But he said another reason for its popularity nationwide is accessibility. Fans have a much easier time getting tickets to CFL games than they do for NHL contests.

"In cities like Calgary, the NHL games are sold out and it creates the sense that people are more interested than they ever were," Bibby said. "But the reality is unless you have a corporate ticket coming your way, you really can't afford to get to many games.

"The fact of the matter is hockey has become much more of an exclusive sport than we really thought, whereas the CFL is something people can readily access. Someone who has a couple of kids who wants to go to a Calgary or Edmonton (CFL) game out here has no problem doing that."

Bibby's survey also found interest in major league baseball - at just under 30 per cent when the Toronto Blue Jays were winning World Series titles in the early 1990s - has dropped to just 13 per cent. Even figure skating, long a sport with a strong national following, has seen its fan base drop to 13 per cent from 20 per cent in 2000.

Canadian interest in the NBA is currently at seven per cent nationally and six per cent in B.C., down from 12 per cent in 1995 when the Vancouver Grizzlies were in operation. In Ontario, where the Toronto Raptors are based, 10 per cent say they follow the NBA, unchanged from 2000.

The survey was conducted by mail with 2,400 Canadians participating. The sample provided results that are accurate within approximately three percentage points of the population figures, 19 times in 20.

Bibby, an Edmonton native, has been monitoring Canadian social trends since the mid-1970s. He has written 10 books with his most recent, titled The Boomer Factor: What Canada's Most Famous Generation is Leaving Behind, due to be released later this summer.

The decline in interest in the NHL has been most pronounced in Quebec and western Canada, with Bibby suggesting that's a reflection of the departure of both the Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets. However, interest remains very high in Calgary and Edmonton (around 40 per cent) as well as Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa (over 30 per cent each).

The survey provided a surprising revelation that the NHL's fan base in Montreal is the lowest of the six Canadian-based NHL cities at around 20 per cent.

The decrease of interest in major league baseball since 1990 has been pronounced in both Quebec (six per cent from 36 per cent) and Ontario (16 per cent from 36 per cent). The loss of the Expos and relative mediocrity of the Blue Jays would seem to be obvious contributing factors, according to the survey

[Reacharound]

Soccer is available for wagering on Pro-Line in :

Ontario -Internationals, Serie A, EPL, English Championship and i think French league too, not sure what else

Quebec offers dozens of games every day, from all kinds of leagues, from all over the damn place, even the Intertoto cup tomorrow, and a bunch of friendlys today.

the WCLC (alberta/sask/manitoba) only offers the EPL

BCLC, dont remember, I think EPL + the MLS too and some key internationals.

ACLC, dont remember.

Dunno if this says much about the popularity.

BECAUSE it could mean another thing, the matches in the west, often start at times that makes wagering on them pointless.. so maybe they one day had all these leagues available everywhere, but the numbers showed it was mainly popular out east.. I dont really know.

The major sports are available everywhere of course, except the NBA in ontario because of the deal they made.

When the NHL had a lockout, it was Ontario that suffered the most because ~50% of profits, or revenue or ticket sold (dunno which, only remember the number) was from hockey. on the WCLC it was less than 30%, presumably because the NBA runs at the same time and IMO offers much much better proline betting opportunities (and many more west coast/mountain time games that can be bet on after you leave work or school)

Actually my main point is government lottery gurus in the Western provinces decided soccer wasnt popular enough to add more matches to the tickets, when compared to Ontario and Quebec.

[trueviking]

The numbers point aside I've always been puzzled as to why TSN would show curling who's demographic is rural and over 50 to soccer who's demographic is urban, male and generally 16-35. It's no secret that the 16-35 male demographic is the one advertisers crave as they have the most spending power and disposable income.

curling is not a rural sport in western canada....the reason TSN shows curling is because it gives the network some of its highest ratings, far beyond soccer.

if you want to compare average television audiences as a measure of a sport's popularity, here they are:

Hockey:

1.4 million - HNIC first game average
750 000 - HNIC second game average
2.5 million - Stanley Cup finals
1.6 million - World Jumior Canada games (6)
520 000 - World Championships average
1.4 million - World Championships final

Curling:

450 000 - average viewership TSN
1.2 million - Brier and Scott finals

CFL:

450 000 - average viewership CBC
400 000 - average viewership TSN
4.1 million - Grey Cup

NFL:

340 000 - average viewership
3 million - Super Bowl

Baseball:

320 000 - Blue Jays average viewership

Golf:

314 000 - 4 majors average viewership

Basketball:

200 000 - Raptors average viewership
130 000 - NBA final average viewership
30 000 - March Madness

Tennis:

100 000 - average viewership TSN
400 000 - Wimbeldon Final

Soccer:

77 000 - Champions League average viewership
250 000 - Champions League final
532 000 - Canada v Congo U20 World Cup (overall tournament approx. 250 -300 000)
508 000 - average World Cup viewership (2006)
4 million - World Cup final (2006)
100 000 - TFC average viewership
77 000 - Canada Venezuela friendly in june
80 000 - average EPL viewership on Sportsnet (second game)

[Daniel from Montréal]

It's hard to use most rating for soccer as the games are almost never in primetime in Canada, as opposed to most other examples (or on the weekend).

There also isn't ragular, domestic coverage (except TFC just starting this year and the Impact on SRC), which skews the results.

[football_world]

Many of you realize that soccer's popularity in Canada is dependent upon its success in the U.S., right?

Grid iron football's popularity in Canada is a direct influence from the U.S. Ironically, grid iron football's popularity stops at a dead end at the Mexico border.

Having said that, if MLS succeeds, and Montreal and Vancouver get an MLS team, expect the popularity of soccer to rise in Canada. Toronto FC is just the stepping stone ...

Football World

[Moaca]

Grid iron football's popularity in Canada is a direct influence from the U.S. Huh??? Football was successful in Canada long before there was an NFL. ie Grey Cup 1909/NFL 1920

About MLS succeeding, what do you consider success? IMO it's already a success. Do you expect it to be a big three sport? Not in our lifetime.

Soccer is already popular in Canada as a participation sport, it was popular in the 70s as a participation sport ie most schools had a soccer team. Soccer is just not as popular as a spectator sport, yet.

Geesh where are some of these posters coming from? Anybody here older than 20 and possibly have a little historical perspective?

Why do I get the feeling beast and his err "friends" are frequently posting.