I am still not sure what that matters. The football is not good. Americans are not going to pay to sit and watch an inferior product. Period. End of Story. That is all. If you have a point you want to make so we can continue this discussion about why I think it is a viable market in the USA for Everton and you do not think it is worth the blues time, then make it. I am not going to do your leg work.
I'm waiting to see Yakubu again on ESPN's "Top 10 Plays of the Day." Couldn't believe it when I saw that a few years back when he had the hat trick against Brann Bergen. An Everton player, on Sportscenter no less.
Oh so you were talking about soccer. I think Americans approach soccer the same way they do with other sports. They'll attend the games when the team does well and attendance will drop off when they're not. Take RBNY for example. Last year they were last in the league and their attendance fell (also partly due to the economy). Soccer teams are subject to the same market forces paper towel makers face. You have some brand loyalty but when you put out a bad product, there's going to be less sales. So I think you're wrong on that part.
FINALLY SOMEONE THAT IS MAKING SOME SENSE IN THIS THREAD!!! The fact that there is low attendance or what appears to be a "lack of support for soccer as a whole" most Americans see the MLS as an inferior league. Americans are used to their champions being "World Series Champs" & "Super Bowl Champs". I get frustrated by friends of mine that watch the EPL but don't go to MLS matchs. But really I don't blame them any more than a fan of a crappy MLB team or a constantly crappy NFL squad. It isn't about apples v oranges. It is apples v rotten apples v rotten oranges. If it is rotten americans are not going to spend their money on it. Bring in top tier talent (the right way) like the NASL of the 70s and just as it happened then people will show up. Hell even take Becks. He alone caused a flock of americans to come to his matches. It is all about talent and the lack their of. So get Everton in front of americans. Show them the talent of the beautiful game at a high level and they will flock. Might as well get them to wear Royal Blue as opposed to the rs of the other side of 'pool.
It is almost like he doesn't want Americans to be fans/spend money/support the squad so they can afford better players/challenge for hardware/win the league. How depressing to live your life like that. Not living up to the clubs moto. By the way I am planning a trip to Goodison sometime next season. Hope to see you there Sticky. COYB!
We might able to afford Marcus Bent back on loan with the funds you Yanks will generate! LOL Drop me a line and we can go for a beeer or ale or whatever you lot call it
It's not a silly comment. You said "see you there...oh wait your not going and never will" That to me, implies you are having a dig because he is an American fan rather than a local one.
You obviously have missed his post before mine, so i will repeat read before you make a silly comment
Arteta's Girl, are you simple enough to understand this guy? I don't get where he is coming from or where he is going. I must not have been dropped on my head enough as an infant. Sticky if you are going to say something then grow a pair and say it or just keep what you are doing and have a word with yourself. No one here understands the thoughts you keep in your head. Now back to the thread. Everton would be greatly rewarded to try and get a corner of the US soccer market. Maybe even set up some camps for youngsters and teach them the Everton WAY!! What? An American knows about the Everton Way? Noooooooo. Quick Hide all of the rope and shape objects. Sticky Might try suicide! What a waste of skin. Grow up. Quit being a troll. Stop creating threads on forums if you don't want to hear other peoples opinions about the topics you raise. If you don't agree with my counterpoints do some research present facts. State your opinions. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa uh oh I hear the Waaaaaambulance. Looks like Sticky found just enough shoelace....
I didn't read through the whole pissing match, but my thoughts are: A. Donovan was brought into the Everton squad given that he is a good player that was available on loan (you didn't have to pay for him) and had relative low wages. It was a little risk, high upside move. I think Moyes would have pursued Donovan regardless of whether he was American or Angolan. B. There are approximately 25 million people that play soccer in the States. There are many more that like the sport or watch it casually. That's more than half of the entire population of England. Also, given the expected demographic shifts towards more Americans of latin heritage, this number will likely increase. When you add the relative wealth in the States, you shouldn't be surprised that most clubs are trying to market in the States. C. Many Americans don't support the local league given that the level isn't high. It's as simple as that. If the league were stronger, you'd have more support. It's a young, growing league, and attendance is growing steadily.
I'd llike to add another viewpoint on why some Americans will support EPL teams and not MLS teams. That reason is exposure. I live in a US city without a local MLS team. So there is no coverage in the local newspapers or other news media about MLS. There is also no coverage of EPL in the local media, either. So that is tie. But on the television, I can see 3-5 EPL matches each weekend. And some FA cup matches on the occasional weekend. That's from ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel. At best I will be able to catch 2 MLS matches. The MLS has just not done that well with their TV deals. In addition to the EPL matches, I can also get Champions League and Europa League matches that often include EPL teams. It's just easier to see your team in action when that team is in the EPL as opposed to MLS. It is easier for me to follow Everton than it is to follow the KC Wizards. That is something that needs to be fixed by MLS if they are to really grow.
Oh the irony You cant even answer a simple question about your local side, ask your carer she might able to tell you after she has wiped the slobber from your mouth
I feel bad for you man. I'm glad I have a home team. I think that has something to do with it. I know folks in Indy, St. Louis, Miami etc all looking for a piece of the MLS pie. Sure there's former USL and USL2 sides but their leagues don't seem to have a long term goal. I think Garber has done a pretty good job with the expansion so far (even during a recession). Anyway going back to your point on media coverage, we have 1-2 articles a day from Brian Lewis of the New York Post on the Red Bulls (depending on the timing). We'll get more if it's right before the start of the season. There's always Ives (SBI) and folks all know it ain't about print media anymore. Metro Fanatic covers the Red Bulls really well. MSG/MSG Plus carried the majority of RBNY games last year. Every game was available on either MSG networks or ESPN 2 or FSC or MLS Directkick. I know most folks don't subscribe to that unless they're out of market or really love more than just their team (even then the package doesn't cover a lot of games). I remember a couple years back we'd have to go to the bar to watch it on HDNet. So for New Yorkers, it's relatively easy to find a game (depending on your cable package and how much you like the Knicks and the Rangers). I don't get many EFC games and end up looking for them online. I watched my first Everton game on FSC.
Interesting thread and I can only offer anecdotal information being a member of the target audience for why Donovan was supposed to have been signed. My explanation may be long winded so I apologize, you may want to just skip the post. I became an Everton fan in 2004, yes I know, please hold your derision for a fan who has only been following Everton for six years. I live in Houston and Everton came into town in 2004 to play in what was billed as the Copa de Tejas - where they played a couple of Mexican league teams, one being Club America. My son who has been playing soccer since he was three, was nine in 2004 and he loved soccer so I bought tickets to see a real professional match to encourage him in a sport he has passion for. Well, by the end of the match I was hooked and I have been an Everton fan ever since and a professional soccer, sorry football, fan. Anyway, I spend money every year in the Everton online store and I watch every game I can find, even watching some of the terrible quality internet streamed games. So, in my case Everton has a loyal fan who spends money that goes to the bottom line of the club. I guess my point is that they do make inroads into the American market, whether by signing American players (Howard/Donovan) or by playing exhibition matches in the US during their offseason. I became such a fan of the sport that when the MLS Dynamo came to Houston I was the 5th person to buy season tickets and have been a season ticket holder since their first season. So in order to beat Sticky to the punch here is the Dynamo attendance thread . Yes, the average attendance in no way approaches NFL or EPL attendance - however it is growing. So it is not a bad business decision to try and influence or get into a market that has tremendous growth potential. All the points have already been made - soccer/football is a growing market in the US fueled by youth soccer, an active immigrant fan base, and people like me who have become fans. Also, not all fans are MLS fans, so trying to measure MLS attendance as an argument for or against trying to get into the American market is flawed. I was already a fan before they signed Howard or Donovan so it had no impact on my decision to support the team - my personal opinion was that they signed Donovan more for his talent than they did for any American audience draw. If trying to get an American audience draw was part of it - who cares? I think it was a win-win anyway you look at it. Regardless, whether they have an American on the team or not I will always be a fan
Bringing Landon Donovan to EPL got me interested in football/soccer. This is my first year as a football fan. Most Americans aren't interested in football because they don't give it a chance. With baseball, basketball, and football all well-established in America, many don't see any use in taking out the time to learn a new sport/players/coaches/teams/rules/etc... Bottom line, people are just lazy. Whenever USA beat Spain, I was hooked. Ever since I have been studying the game, and watching games as often as possible. When Donovan went to Everton, it gave me a reason to root for a specific team... So..I think if Americans would take out the time and try to like it.. many people would love it. Even though it took me a while to get here, and I'm still learning..I'm glad I gave the great sport of football a chance.