Good question but take it easy...how many even know where South Africa is? "The Soccer World Series...in Africa in two ten" as they might well refer to it in Americanese as opposed to English. Won't mean much as you've hinted so less than your estimate of 5% I'd guess
Percentage wise, probably not that many. But i know alot of Americans who are very excited by the fact they are playing England. I have had alot of banter with old uni pals already.
Hope we spank them....theres nothing better than bragging rights!
There was about a dozen of them a few rows in front of me today. One with a red Budwieser leather jacket on who kept holding up his CAFC scarf. He disappeared at half time and didn't come until only 10 mins left! Another stood up and cheered "CORNER" late on. You can spot them a mile off. I do remember an American colleague of mine saying once after they'd made the 1/4's in 2002 - "Imagine if we took it seriously"
[cite]Posted By: Chirpy Red[/cite]"Imagine if we took it seriously"
Thats a fair point - 308 million people, you would expect them to find 11 decent players if colleges, coaches and the media didnt drive talented kids into other sports. The average MLS player earns $30,000 a year.
Why would you drink Budweiser let alone wear a jacket?
Times are changing. The bars and pubs in downtown Washington, DC were packed at lunchtime with people watching the World Cup draw which was broadcast on ESPN. We found seats only after hitting a few places that were entirely full.
It may be that only 5% seriously care (or give a sh*t), but it is probably more like 10% care and 25% are aware of the draw, but even if one accepts the five percent figure it is the equivalent of one-quarter of your countrymen.
Really, really happy with the draw. Whatever stereotypes can be posted about Americans here (I doubt any of you could have picked me out at The Valley), we've got 'em in spades about y'all on this side of the Atlantic as well. And when, ten years ago, people stopped allowing English hacks to force boring football down the throats of the kids developing the sport, the quality of our game has improved markedly. I, like most soccer fans in the States, can't believe our luck.
Now I just have to figure out where Slovenia is on a map and whether we've bombed it recently.
Strong words from someone who spent a Saturday evening watching Ben Affleck.
Tough to believe Pearl Harbor would contain historical inaccuracies. Next, you'll tell me that you're watching the Governor of the great state of California providing distortions of Central American politics in Commando...
[cite]Posted By: Medders[/cite]They don't care about 'soccer' - they're too busy concentrating on winning the World Series for sports that only yank teams can take part in!
I happen to be in Florida at present swapping the Midlands rain for the Florida rain (just 24 hours solid then back to sun) and it is a reasonably big item on the next to last page of the St Petersburgh Chronicle Sports section (there are eight sections on Saturday) and it also mentions the 1950 World Cup win by the USA over England in Brazil. However it was the Saturday when the Gators were playing Alabama Elephaants in th SEC final!
Coincidentally (and this perhaps illuminates the sadness in my life) I was in Books a Million today and in the sports section the only "soccer" books were 2 coacing books aimed at coaching kids and girls and a book of the film made about the 1950 World Cup "Triumph". All the American heroes were named and given biographies and the English were referred to as "Finney" and "Mortensen".
However I wonder if the coaching of kids in "Soccer" may lead to a real expansion of the game in the US. I don't know whether to hope it does or not!?
[cite]Posted By: Medders[/cite]They don't care about 'soccer' - they're too busy concentrating on winning the World Series for sports that only yank teams can take part in!
Although I am not the yanks biggest fans, the only reason they play in a world series is because it is the name (the world) of the newspaper that sponsered the tournament. I think!
Didnt someone like Mexico beat them in the olyimpics at rounders?
I only made the originally comment because I sent an American business associate an email at the beginning of the last World Cup wishing his country well. His reply "So, we're in the soccer World Cup Finals, that's cool."
Having popped over the pond a few times in the past 15 years, I have noticed the game at school level expand tremendously (ChicagoAddick will probably also have noticed). When I first visited Chicago and St Louis in the 90's you rarely saw any goal posts at the schools - now you see that most schools are playing. Therefore, I suspect the younger generation will be fully aware of the finals and who they have been drawn with. Whether they even know which continent they are being held is a different point entirely !
[cite]Posted By: collegeparkaddick[/cite]Times are changing. The bars and pubs in downtown Washington, DC were packed at lunchtime with people watching the World Cup draw which was broadcast on ESPN. We found seats only after hitting a few places that were entirely full.
It may be that only 5% seriously care (or give a sh*t), but it is probably more like 10% care and 25% are aware of the draw, but even if one accepts the five percent figure it is the equivalent of one-quarter of your countrymen.
Really, really happy with the draw. Whatever stereotypes can be posted about Americans here (I doubt any of you could have picked me out at The Valley), we've got 'em in spades about y'all on this side of the Atlantic as well. And when, ten years ago, people stopped allowing English hacks to force boring football down the throats of the kids developing the sport, the quality of our game has improved markedly. I, like most soccer fans in the States, can't believe our luck.
Now I just have to figure out where Slovenia is on a map and whether we've bombed it recently.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens if football becomes a major sport in America, as there's an awful lot of athletic talent to be harnessed. I'm interested if you think there's any truth in some of the stereotypes that could hinder football's development as a major sport in the states:
1. It is ingrained in the American conciousness that a sport with lots of draws is boring
2. Only one 'break' for half time is not enough for American advertisers, compared to something like NFL
I don't know myself whether these are true, although I would say I've perhaps seen some evidence of the second one in my dabbling with very commercialised American sports.
I've had another look at the St Petersburg Times article and it says that they are happy to be in an easy group and gives the world rankings of the different countries. The USA ranks 14 apparently with England 9th, Algeria 28th and Slovenia 33rd. The article covers about a fifth of the page and gives the full draw, the matches in the US England Group in detail and comments from US Coach Bob Bradley and Fox Soccer man Eric Wynalda a former US international forward. It is similar in size and content to the report alongside of a local high school (Tarpon Springs - the Spongers - really!) losing to Orlando Edgewater, but that also had a picture.
I've been spending considerable time in the Tampa area (including Tarpon Springs... and the sponge docks that they are obviously inordinately proud of) the last three years and have been surprised by the level of interest in the sport. We had a number of choices amongst bars to watch the U.S. - Honduras qualifier that was only broadcast on closed-circuit tv. Last month, a midweek visit to Bush Gardens brought alive the portion of Keith Peacock's memoirs regarding his time in the U.S. as a number of English footballers spent some of the international break on holiday with their families in Florida.
Separately, the explanation most often raised for football's relative unpopularity is the lack of scoring. This has always struck me as wrong. I grew up in Chicago and the best ice hockey matches we watched featured bruising play between the Red Wings and Blackhawks where the puck rarely found netting. The best baseball games I went to were when Greg Maddux dominated on the mound and two hours would shoot by at Wrigley as the Cubs won 1-0 or 2-1. Our American football team was celebrated precisely because they did not allow opponents to score and the ideal score line was 3 - 0. I think draws are similarly a non-issue. It is not a frequent occurrence in American sports generally -- famously demonstrated last year when members of the Philadelphia NFL team failed to understand that American football games could end in a draw and where surprised when a game did -- but Americans are also used to a single match being understood in terms of a longer competition. The best example is, I think, NASCAR, where individual races are understood in terms of the chase of total points leaders.
On advertising, the lack of familiarity with the format is certainly why the sport has not been pushed by American outlets. But this has changed and ESPN is now throwing a lot of resources behind coverage of the world's game. And any television-business would do well to follow suit and attempt innovative strategies to weave advertising into the broadcast of the game itself without relying on commercial breaks. The advent of DVRs has led to a pretty dramatic cultural change in the way people watch television here and allows the viewer to avoid ads altogether. Absent some creative effort to try and integrate the advertised product with the televised event, the future efficacy of televised advertising should be seriously questioned.
The Americans have there own sports to concentrate on. The World Cup is a minor competition to them only because they was not brought up on soccer. Its like the English wasn't brought up on Gridiron or Baseball hence why only a small population give a sh*t about the Super Bowl or the World Series in England. To each their own but its only what each country have been brought up watching since being a nipper so what do you expect?
Comments
"The Soccer World Series...in Africa in two ten" as they might well refer to it in Americanese as opposed to English. Won't mean much as you've hinted so less than your estimate of 5% I'd guess
Hope we spank them....theres nothing better than bragging rights!
USA Today
Another stood up and cheered "CORNER" late on. You can spot them a mile off.
I do remember an American colleague of mine saying once after they'd made the 1/4's in 2002 - "Imagine if we took it seriously"
News must still come by horse and carraiage down the muddy lanes of soggy Cornwall.
Thats a fair point - 308 million people, you would expect them to find 11 decent players if colleges, coaches and the media didnt drive talented kids into other sports. The average MLS player earns $30,000 a year.
Why would you drink Budweiser let alone wear a jacket?
It may be that only 5% seriously care (or give a sh*t), but it is probably more like 10% care and 25% are aware of the draw, but even if one accepts the five percent figure it is the equivalent of one-quarter of your countrymen.
Really, really happy with the draw. Whatever stereotypes can be posted about Americans here (I doubt any of you could have picked me out at The Valley), we've got 'em in spades about y'all on this side of the Atlantic as well. And when, ten years ago, people stopped allowing English hacks to force boring football down the throats of the kids developing the sport, the quality of our game has improved markedly. I, like most soccer fans in the States, can't believe our luck.
Now I just have to figure out where Slovenia is on a map and whether we've bombed it recently.
No mate, that was years earlier.
Yanks, I sh*t 'em!
Tough to believe Pearl Harbor would contain historical inaccuracies. Next, you'll tell me that you're watching the Governor of the great state of California providing distortions of Central American politics in Commando...
That's not fair. Canadians are also included.
Coincidentally (and this perhaps illuminates the sadness in my life) I was in Books a Million today and in the sports section the only "soccer" books were 2 coacing books aimed at coaching kids and girls and a book of the film made about the 1950 World Cup "Triumph". All the American heroes were named and given biographies and the English were referred to as "Finney" and "Mortensen".
However I wonder if the coaching of kids in "Soccer" may lead to a real expansion of the game in the US. I don't know whether to hope it does or not!?
Although I am not the yanks biggest fans, the only reason they play in a world series is because it is the name (the world) of the newspaper that sponsered the tournament. I think!
Didnt someone like Mexico beat them in the olyimpics at rounders?
Whether they even know which continent they are being held is a different point entirely !
One of the best comments I have ever read on here. Almost made me spurt out my coffee!!!!
It's going to be interesting to see what happens if football becomes a major sport in America, as there's an awful lot of athletic talent to be harnessed. I'm interested if you think there's any truth in some of the stereotypes that could hinder football's development as a major sport in the states:
1. It is ingrained in the American conciousness that a sport with lots of draws is boring
2. Only one 'break' for half time is not enough for American advertisers, compared to something like NFL
I don't know myself whether these are true, although I would say I've perhaps seen some evidence of the second one in my dabbling with very commercialised American sports.
Separately, the explanation most often raised for football's relative unpopularity is the lack of scoring. This has always struck me as wrong. I grew up in Chicago and the best ice hockey matches we watched featured bruising play between the Red Wings and Blackhawks where the puck rarely found netting. The best baseball games I went to were when Greg Maddux dominated on the mound and two hours would shoot by at Wrigley as the Cubs won 1-0 or 2-1. Our American football team was celebrated precisely because they did not allow opponents to score and the ideal score line was 3 - 0. I think draws are similarly a non-issue. It is not a frequent occurrence in American sports generally -- famously demonstrated last year when members of the Philadelphia NFL team failed to understand that American football games could end in a draw and where surprised when a game did -- but Americans are also used to a single match being understood in terms of a longer competition. The best example is, I think, NASCAR, where individual races are understood in terms of the chase of total points leaders.
On advertising, the lack of familiarity with the format is certainly why the sport has not been pushed by American outlets. But this has changed and ESPN is now throwing a lot of resources behind coverage of the world's game. And any television-business would do well to follow suit and attempt innovative strategies to weave advertising into the broadcast of the game itself without relying on commercial breaks. The advent of DVRs has led to a pretty dramatic cultural change in the way people watch television here and allows the viewer to avoid ads altogether. Absent some creative effort to try and integrate the advertised product with the televised event, the future efficacy of televised advertising should be seriously questioned.
They will be WELL up for it while our lot will probably be holding back to save themselves for the knock-out phase.
Caught me out as well. Comment of the year for me.