Football
 

How popular is football (also known, incorrectly, as soccer) in the good ol' US of A?

It is slowly advancing in viewership, ticket sales, TV casts etc.

In the US it goes:

1. Baseball
2. Am. Football
3. Basketball
4. Hockey
5. Auto Racing
6. Soccer

But it may be the #1 most played sport because the young ones love it and the parents love their kids to play it. It rivals baseball amongst youth and is winning because it is more fun to play.

Single-game events are huge here. Man U. play an exhibition here (Philadelphia) in August and it will be sold out in a huge stadium. This is because so many of the kids want to see major-league level soccer but don't have an MLS team in town.

Also, I should note, we have this weird variation called "indoor soccer" which is played on artificial turf in a hockey rink. The goals are a different size and there are strange new tactics with the walls. I think this survives because of the youth market - there is a Philadelphia team and it gets a good crowd of youngsters.

Also, when it's not basketball or hockey season, the arenas are probably cheaper to rent and the teams probably get a great deal.

UT, I'd switch football and baseball around.

From what I've heard, Philadelphia is on the list for a possible MLS team, though having lost 2 teams 2 years ago, I don't see them expanding for a few more years.

I still follow DC United. They draw pretty good crowds at RFK Stadium, and can be watched on cable. Rho and I won free tickets to see them in 2000 against the LA Galaxy. Easily the best sporting event I've ever been to.

The problem with outdoor soccer in the US (and we've had several leagues over the past 35 years) is that it just doesn't seem to hold the attention spans of Americans for too long--Americans want high-scoring games...they don't always seem to understand the awesome suspense and gameplay that comes from a scoreless game. But I sense the tide is turning. Outdoor soccer has been growing since World Cup '94, and with the large number of Hispanics in the US, I think it'll continue to grow.

Football may be more popular, but baseball draws more viewers/fans because they play so many games.

The MLS really wants to expand to Philly - desperately. The Italian population will make it a hit. But until now, they haven't had the right facility for it because the Vet is artificial turf.

So since the new parks will be grass, maybe the league will finally get here.

Nah...they should play at Villanova (though I suspect they'd have to add seats). The Linc is too big at the moment. The soccer crowds in most MLS cities seem to run around 10-20K. The Chicago Fire moved to North Central College in Naperville (when Soldier Field was shut down), and I think it was a vast improvement--16,000 packed seats at capacity, as opposed to 16,000 packed seats and 60,000 empty ones.

I'm coaching soccer instead of baseball this spring. My older daughter would prefer baseball but there is an assumption that she should be playing softball, a game dominated by um... unusually shaped females, ya know, fireplugs. There are good baseball coaches around here but baseball is heavily endowed with meatheads so if she goes back to it next spring she's gonna have to play the stoic Jackie Robinson. My younger daughter hated tee-ball but loves futbol, so she'll stick with it. The older girl is a wonderful athlete so she'll be successful either way, I'm hoping she goes with soccer but it'll be her call.

Soccer may never be very successful in the States, like Syc says its a scoring issue. The strange thing to me is that Americans will watch golf or gascar and then call soccer boring. MLB is on the edge of destoying baseball with their juiced ball, hoping to keep the ADHD American fan in his seat. I don't want to see outdoor soccer changed significantly with scoring in mind. I hope to catch an MLS game this summer but its a huge drive to DC or New England.

Remember Griff, you're not THAT far from the Meadowlands. Well, unless you don't care to see the MetroStars.

[PA]insert abrasive anti-Jersey comment here[/bigot]

I saw the quintessential Philly sports fan today.
He had an Eagles license plate frame surrounding a license plate that read "BOO BIRD". :rolleyes: