ESPN upsets some by hiring Brits to call World Cup

[DodgerKing]

Yeah, it was funny the first 500 times, but now it's getting old...


Sandra

So you heard someone else say this before?

Considering that the only English speaking people in the US that even care about the World Cup are from England anyway, I don't see a problem with this.

 

[DodgerKing]

And they would also be correct! Your post failed. (That's internet lingo)

Look, we could "joke" that you like to ride a huge vibrator between your legs for hours at a time, couldn't we?

I thought it was rather funny. Even those soccer friends of mine I showed it to thought it was funny.

 

[SamCdbs]

I can respect soccer fans who just want to enjoy the World Cup. What's stupid though are all the theories about what it will take the rest of America to care about soccer. Just accept the fact that 99% of us don't care and never will.

and

What I don't like is the constant propaganda effort put out by soccer fans about how their sport is going to be the next big thing.

Two excelent posts. NASCAR and the NHL have been brought up. Its a totally different thing. You don't see a "company line" out of those sports that is insulting to the vast majority. Only in soccer.

The soccer "company line" :

- If only you were not some illiterate doofuss, you would see the "inner beauty". Umm, no. The parts of the world that reject soccer are simply more advanced societies, and thus demand more complex sports. There is no "inner beauty". It is a simplistc game that North Americans correctly consign to girl children.In any event, what a way to market anything.

- The world is watching soccer. Umm, first, who cares? But more importantly, that simply is not true. There are plenty of advanced places that have the same relationship with soccer as North America. South Asia, the British West Indies, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, etc. But more importantly, this fails to understand that most of the world lives on a dollar per month. The idea that people in Africa, Arabia, or east Asia have the same relationship with any leisure diversion as you do is a naive and, frankly, ugly thing to believe.

- Soccer is the sport of the next generation. Umm, three generations and counting. Little kids play this simple game. Then they grow up and being residents of our complex society, move on to playing and watching complex sports.

- If only (we had a pro league, we had Pele, we had the 1974 West German team 10 years after their prime, we had another pro league, a world with 20 TV channels, a world with 200 TV channels, a TV contract, a dedicated channel, more ESPN coverage, a team in New York, Beckham, a good US team, the World Cup in the US, the World Cup in the US again, the World Cup, ...) . Umm, NOTHING will ever change North America's relationship with soccer.

 

[SandraC]

Bottom line, soccer is a worldwide sport, NFL football is not. Ratings for the World Cup dwarf the ratings for the Super Bowl.


Sandra

 

[DodgerKing]

Bottom line, soccer is a worldwide sport, NFL football is not. Ratings for the World Cup dwarf the ratings for the Super Bowl.


Sandra

Not in the US.

 

[SandraC]

Not in the US.

...hence the term 'worldwide'. It's right there in my post.

The NFL does not even come close.


Sandra

 

[SandraC]

- If only you were not some illiterate doofuss, you would see the "inner beauty". Umm, no. The parts of the world that reject soccer are simply more advanced societies, and thus demand more complex sports. There is no "inner beauty". It is a simplistc game that North Americans correctly consign to girl children.In any event, what a way to market anything.

Oh my goodness. You don't watch soccer because you are part of some advanced society!

This is way too funny. And way too paranoid.


Sandra

 

[Skyhi]

This thread is ridiculous! I don't watch soccer (except when my 8 year old is playing), but I don't care if others do. Live and let live and leave me alone while I watched my advanced game of Nascar.

 

[DodgerKing]

...hence the term 'worldwide'. It's right there in my post.

The NFL does not even come close.


Sandra

Your worldwide comment was in a different sentence than your ratings comment, hence my clarification of, "not in the US"

Besides, we know that soccer is the most popular sport in the world. But we also know it is the least popular major sport in the US. Isn't that the discussion we have been having all along? The debate is more over, why is this the case?

 

[DodgerKing]

Oh my goodness. You don't watch soccer because you are part of some advanced society!

This is way too funny. And way too paranoid.


Sandra

Even though I have having some fun joking around about soccer, I too thought his post was a little "off". There are several advanced society the enjoy soccer. In fact the country that leads the world in soccer, England, is one of the most advanced countries in the world.

ETA:
Heck, a sport that is truly American, my favorite sport of baseball, is more popular in developing countries outside of the US (Dominican, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Korea, ex) than it is in developed countries. The only other non third world country in which baseball is popular, besides the US, is Japan.

 

[SandraC]

Your worldwide comment was in a different sentence than your ratings comment, hence my clarification of, "not in the US"

Besides, we know that soccer is the most popular sport in the world. But we also know it is the least popular major sport in the US. Isn't that the discussion we have been having all along? The debate is more over, why is this the case?

That's not even a debate...in fact, it's a moot point. Viewership in the US can increase ten-fold, or go down to zero, and it will have no effect on the sport. The sport will thrive with or without US viewership.

If you want to put things in perspective, think about this...

The World Cup Draw, a live show of a guy picking names out of a hat, draws TWICE the amount of viewers worldwide than the Super Bowl....


Sandra

 

[DodgerKing]

That's not even a debate...in fact, it's a moot point. Viewership in the US can increase ten-fold, or go down to zero, and it will have no effect on the sport. The sport will thrive with or without US viewership.

If you want to put things in perspective, think about this...

The World Cup Draw, a live show of a guy picking names out of a hat, draws TWICE the amount of viewers worldwide than the Super Bowl....


Sandra

IOW, not only do they like watching a boring sport, they like watching an even more boring event?

 

[SandraC]

IOW, not only do they like watching a boring sport, they like watching an even more boring event?

Apparently between the two it's the Super Bowl they consider boring...


Sandra

 

[tfultz]

I don't know why I bother with these threads but to go back on topic I'm still trying to figure out who would rather listen to O'Brien and the other clown over the fairly good announcing team ESPN put together.

The worst part of the WC in America has always been the moronic announcers they tend to find.

Oh well. Back to my primitive hole so I can make my $1 today

 

[tfultz]

IOW, not only do they like watching a boring sport, they like watching an even more boring event?

ESPN still shows the NFL draft OVER 2 DAYS!!!! At least the WC draw only takes 20 minutes

 

[SandraC]

I don't know why I bother with these threads but to go back on topic I'm still trying to figure out who would rather listen to O'Brien and the other clown over the fairly good announcing team ESPN put together.

The worst part of the WC in America has always been the moronic announcers they tend to find.

Oh well. Back to my primitive hole so I can make my $1 today

ESPN is using Martin Tyler. He's a fantastic English Premier League announcer for Fox Soccer Channel. The only thing better would have been to also use Ray Hudson, who does analysis on Gol TV for the Spanish Primera Division. He's hysterical.

Can you imagine the understated Tyler and the overstated Hudson on the same broadcast? Would be crazy.


Sandra

 

[DodgerKing]

ESPN still shows the NFL draft OVER 2 DAYS!!!! At least the WC draw only takes 20 minutes

I cannot figure out why someone would want to watch that either.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

ESPN still shows the NFL draft OVER 2 DAYS!!!! At least the WC draw only takes 20 minutes

For this year's draft, make it 3 DAYS!!!!

Rd. 1: Thurs., April 22, 7:30 p.m. ET
Rds. 2-3: Fri., April 23, 6 ET
Rds. 4-7: Sat., April 24, 10 a.m. ET
Radio City Music Hall, New York

 

[Hart5150]

Bottom line, soccer is a worldwide sport, NFL football is not. Ratings for the World Cup dwarf the ratings for the Super Bowl.


Sandra

The Super Bowl is played every year and the World Cup is every 4 years. Your comparison is apples to oranges.

Here is the viewership worldwide for the 2006 World cup final.

260 million

Why Fifa's claim of one billion TV viewers was a quarter right - News & Comment, Football - The Independent

Here is the US viewership for the Super during that 4 year span leading up to the world cup.


Super Bowl 40 98 million
Super Bowl 39 86 million
Super Bowl 38 89 million
Super Bowl 37 88 million

361 million total

Dwarf? Ya OK.

 

[tfultz]

The Super Bowl is played every year and the World Cup is every 4 years. Your comparison is apples to oranges.

Dwarf? Ya OK.

The Champions League Final (on a weeknite mind you ) pulls in more viewers than the Superbowl each year and that is played once a year by club teams.

According to a study by Initiative Futures Sports and Entertainment in London, the Champions League Final was the most watched annual sporting event of 2009, bringing in an average worldwide audience of 109 million viewers, compared to 106 million for Super Bowl XLIII. The “total audience” numbers, which represent the number of people who watched at least part of the event, were skewed even more in favor of the Champions League. 206 million watched at least part of Barcelona’s win over Manchester United, while only 162 million saw part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals.



*Once again, wonders why I am geting into this debate*