Good points about the enthusiasm theory. Really, I think that most people who say they are "fans" of sports really only follow them because other family members or friends at work are watching and talking about it. Its all about feeling part of a group...a bandwagon effect if you will. If football or baseball fell off the face of the earth tomorrow, they really wouldn't care one way or the other. At work I tell people that I play soccer, go to games, watch games on TV...I even have a soccer screen saver on my computer. It seems to peak their interest to some degree.
the ball and chain So what do you do with family and friends who are not even sports fans. All my brothers and sisters played soccer growing up, I don't think it would be hard to convert them to soccer, it's just converting them to spectator sports at all. They don't care. My wife I'd like to convert most of all. It really sucks having to do battle with the likes of 'The Bachelor' and 'Joe Millionaire' to get the opportunity to watch a soccer game. But she's not a sports fan either, like most women I guess. I'm hoping that in a couple of years, when my son starts playing youth league soccer, she'll get into the sport enough to be convinced to come out to a Quakes game with me some time. Anybody found that that strategy works?
Re: the ball and chain Yep. If your kid plays the sport pretty seriously, your wife will learn a lot more about it, and will therefore enjoy watching that sport a lot more. Admittedly, some wives are utterly hopeless and never understand any sport whatsoever, but most of 'em are quite trainable when their own children are participating.
Re: the ball and chain My girlfriend, who is not a sports fan, seemed almost disappointed when I didn't take her to two DC games that I went to in the last couple weeks. I think shes just interested in seeing what its like. Looks like I'll have to wait until next season to take her to her first game.
This not quite a full conversion, more like osmosis. My wife had been tolerant of my obsession for years. Then vaguely interested. Then before this season, I was reading the paper and blurted out, "Hey .... Earnie Stewart's going to D.C. ... " I realized I said that out loud and added, "Earnie Stewart's been a big part of the U.S. National Team and . . ." "I know who Earnie Stewart is," she said. I just quietly smiled to myself. It's the same smile I get when she says "That guy's offside...."
Sure-FIRE female conversion tool: There was a Chicago Magazine fashion shoot last year that featured partially (usually shirtless) pics of Dema Kovalenko, Josh Wolff, Carlos Bocanegra and Jesse Marsh. This thing is 5 for 5 in swaying female friends on the fence into going to a game. All of them have been to 2 or more games since the magazine worked it's magic. You've never seen women rooting so hard for goals (and the subsequent celebration.) (Note: This would currently work for Wizards and DC fans too) On an unrelated note: My 72 year old Aunt who until recently hated all sports and then went to three Fire games with me in the last year, called and asked for a Fire sweatshirt for Christmas. AMEN!!
One of my favorite stories comes from the first season, where my wife (She's Brazilian and wouldn't have made much progress with me if she didn't love soccer too. We just don't watch the US-Brazil matches in the same room....) and I were watching one of the Revs matches in Pizzeria Uno in Cambridge when the Revs scored, and needless to say we whooped and hollered. There were three young women at the next table who glanced up at the TV to see what the fuss was about just at the right moment to catch a close up of Ted Chronopolous (back in his flowing "Antonio Banderas is jealous of me" hair days). In unison: "ooh, he's cute!" I don't know if they ever watched another soccer match, but I like to thing so....
If you're in SoCal, definitely take the non-believers to he Home Depot Center. The stadium and complex alone tell them "Soccer is big-time". I took my girlfriend to her first match in August (The Pescadito Bicycle Kick match). I haven't been to every home game, but I think she has. Now, she's in the stands yelling at refs and wondering how Sigi could possibly know about anything other than pastries!!
Several years ago at RFK, at one of the playoff games, sitting in the expensive mezannine seats courtesy of my employer...a couple of guys who, by their dress and general look of not-quite-fitting-in, looked to be newbies. You know...suits and clearly not knowing the game enough to respond to its subtleties. Probably were there, as was I, on someone else's nickle. Exciting game, with United pulling it off. As everyone was standing and celebrating at the end, they were quietly sitting there. As my son and I started to leave, I heard them quitely singing in unison, "Ole, ole ole ole.." My thought was "Gotcha", and I left smiling at what I took to be a quiet conversion. And the stories above of some womens' reasons for interest in the game reminds me of sitting in the stands down at UVA a couple of years ago for a men's game and listening to the co-eds behind us talking about the respectiive qualities of the 'buns' on the field. And here's the ultimate conversion twist...my wife converted me. I'd grown up in what had been the usual American view of sports...football, baseball and basketball. Played basketball through college. Didn't even know there was something called soccer. Then we had kids, and my wife started coaching a rec team...and I, of course, started watching my kids...and fell in love with the game. So here I am, 20 years later, watching the game every chance I get (hell, when I was reffing---yes, that happened too as part of the conversion--between the games reffed, my kids and DC United I was sometimes part of seven or eight games a week), with a wife who still coaches and who reminds me when Sky Sports is on. There are no fights in our house about what to watch when a game is on television. This is heaven.