With Beckham on his way to Real Madrid now the folks at MLS have a chance to take a punch at the Champions World tour that pretty much left MLS out of the loop (doubleheaders, matchups, etc.) Beckham's departure from Man U just prior to the US tour probably hurts the tour with the casual soccer fan because of Beckham's popularity. The talk has been that the MLS All Star game will feature a quality foreign club. If MLS can pull off bringing Real Madrid in for the All star game that would be huge, you don't even need Real to bring their full squad, as long as they bring Beckham and one more of their big stars it would be pretty big. And if Real brought their full squad it would be off the hook. Will it happen? Probably about a 3% chance but you can cross your fingers right? Don't count MLS out just yet, sponsors could come in and help pay an appearance fee I'm sure. I like this qoute from Nike CEO Phil Knight on the rise of soccer in the US after being asked about giving a 14 year old soccer player a million dollar deal -- Any given Saturday morning you can fly a plane over the state of Oregon and see a large number of kids playing soccer, one day they are all going to grow up. translation: Soccer will overtake hockey as the fourth major sport in the US in the near future.
He forgot the part about when those kids are in high school and their friends start making fun of soccer and questioning their "manhood" and worrying about what the girls will think and then never go to see a MLS match or talk about soccer again. Sad but true to a large degree. Without the media on soccer's side, things will not change in our lifetimes.
Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World I really meant in the area of turning all the former players into fans. Things have improved but to reach a point of a flourishing and "safe" league and where soccer is a major sport here, the media must come on board without waiting for it to become a major sport before they do. It will be decades of work without their help in a major way, despite the recent gains. I guess the fact I grew up on NASL colors my worries. And also that as an adult I get ridicule from my friends in the media when I bring up soccer. If they will talk about it at all.
I thought I read some posts a couple of weeks ago that a combined MLS team will be playing Chivas from Mexico. The sponsor is Pepsi and the game is already being advertised on their site. Has this been changed?
Now it's been said that it will be a double header and Boca will play Chivas and MLS will play ?????. I have not see varifacation. If they sell a gazillion tickets to Chivas fans, as I suspect they will, a double header is asking for trouble IMO as they will vacate for the MLS game if they play first and show late the other way around. UNLESS, the MLS matchup is really really good.
Re: Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World Do you work in sports media? What do they say about soccer when you bring it up?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World I've been working in televison news most of the last 12 years or so and have contact with sports media in that work, before that I worked in media in Latin America and I have yet to run into anyone here in my work who cares at all. Just the ex-pats in the office or tech crew, etc. but no one else. NBC mostly but CNN also and a few jobs for ABC. I even get a very blunt and simple "I don't want to hear about soccer." THEY FEAR IT.. They fear it because they don't know it and it makes them feel stupid and they have big egos. They spent their lives learning about the big sports here and don't want to spend the time to feel "pro" in regards to soccer so they would rather ignore it as much as possible.
According to ManU websites ALL MAN U games in the states are sold out! That's Champions World - 5 MLS- 0
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World I'm talking about things as simple as making a comment around a group of TV people such as "The Galaxy's stadium is starting to look great." Then getting. "I don't want to hear about soccer" followed by chuckles, then the issue left alone by me. Sorry if mentioning the S word is a sin and makes me a whiny soccer fan.
Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World It has, a lot... BUT, not where it counts and not to the degree that's necessary for it to count.
Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World Is that why at my local High School there were 98 freshman boys try out for the soccer team, but not enough for a Frosh pointyball team? Is that why the Chicago Public Schools have some varsity pointyball teams now play 7v7?
So let me get this right...Beckham leaving ManU and going to Real Madrid now means that MLS can get Real Madrid to play for the an All-Star game, which obviously means that MLS will become a major world league?? No offense, but I fail to see the logic.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World Sorry but the sports editors and anchors I've talked to in my years all have had the fear I speak of despite how they may convey themselves to you and others. The only exception ever that I did not mention (for good reason) are former employees of Hispanic market stations. But they have people above them who could care less about soccer. One hope here in LA at NBC is that there is now a combined newsroom with the hispanic TV newsroom (telemundo) combined.
Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World I don't know where you went to school but soccer players were the most fought over guys by the ladies in CA.
Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World It's the logic that leads some fans to want investors and sponsers to waste their money to fulfull our dreams. To me, it looks like a variation of the "get rid of the salary cap and sign famous superstars, then the league would grow" approach. Of course, it was worth it since it gave rise to Segrove's "Vagisil, STAT" line.
Re: Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World It's actually possible to have friends in the media? That must be like finding vegetarians among the cannibals. Rare, indeed. As a famous, blond once said, "Why should I be nice, the camera isn't on!"
Well, I'm pretty sure we'll see the name "Beckham" on the back of more white jerseys instead of red ones at MLS stadiums next year (if not next month) -- so that will change. As far as doing anything substantive... no way in hell this will affect us. Unless there's an alternate universe Real Madrid that plays exhibition games for free, of course.
haha, exactly. See ya Becks...here's to hoping your replacement is as good and as fast a dribbler as you.
Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World Is that why my son(in 8th grade), a devout soccer fan and player in the school's team, has started noticing sneering remarks and ridiculing comments made by some of the older students, directed towards him and his friends whenever a soccer discussion ensues? They are made to feel as outsiders. Last season, my nephew has already fallen prey to this. Just so he can feel "accepted" and be "part of the group" in school, he had to gradually give up his soccer-following pastime(it wasn't "cool" discussing soccer plays & game statistics anymore) and had to become acquainted with baseball & basketball statistics. He says he has no interest at all for these two sports, but hey... he feels more "accepted" now.
It's been said before and I'll say it again: Get them to go to a game. That's even more vital in LA, because the new crib is spectacular; it's tells the unknowing and unwashed that it is a big time sport. I actually the new woman to the LA/KC game last Saturday. Her comment: I always thought soccer was boring, but that was great! When are we coming back?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World Funny you should mention NBC. I watch CNBC daily for hours, and for a business & financial channel, I notice they put out more soccer-related news tidbits than most of the main-stream sports channels. For example, just a half-hour ago they mentioned Beckham's move to Real. Probably one of the NBC higher-ups must be an ardent soccer fan.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: MLS can out do Champions World The entire newsroom works in a cooperation mode. The Spanish lanquage team helps the English and visa versa, to a large degree. It was also mentioned on CNN today.