a rant about sports fans

"Soccer is finally a major sport in America!!!"

No, it's not. It was just here at the right to time to fill a void.

Air Soccer games in America on Sundays and Mondays during the Fall.
Watch the disastrous plummet in ratings then. Why?
Because American Football is 1000000000x more popular then soccer in America, as it should be.
Soccer is like the movie on an airplane in America. It's there and slightly entertaining, so you watch it.
But you would have never watched that specific movie if you could choose.

My point? Soccer will never be a major sport in America.
Even if it won a World Cup, the ratings are insignificant compared to The World Series, Super Bowl, and NBA Championship.

*DISCLAIMER* I'm not hating on soccer. If it's your thing, good for you. Just because someone else doesn't have the same taste as you doesn't make them wrong. We all have preferences and that's what makes us individuals, no matter how unpopular those preferences are.

I definitely disagree. If you look at the growth of the sport over the past 20 years, and the fact that the MLS averages higher attendance than both the NBA and NHL in many years, and comparable to the MLB in many markets. Factor in that the MLS is still a virtual baby (19 years old) and the other leagues have a leg up on history - NFL (94), NHL (97) and MLB (145), NBA (68), and the success will come.

The USA will continue to be competitive on the World stage, and the popularity will continue to increase as more overseas stars come to play in the MLS, because it is NOT the "terrible" league that Eurosnobs make it out to be.

I'm not saying this happens in 5 years, or 10 years...but it's happening.

I definitely disagree. If you look at the growth of the sport over the past 20 years, and the fact that the MLS averages higher attendance than both the NBA and NHL in many years, and comparable to the MLB in many markets. Factor in that the MLS is still a virtual baby (19 years old) and the other leagues have a leg up on history - NFL (94), NHL (97) and MLB (145), NBA (68), and the success will come.

The USA will continue to be competitive on the World stage, and the popularity will continue to increase as more overseas stars come to play in the MLS, because it is NOT the "terrible" league that Eurosnobs make it out to be.

I'm not saying this happens in 5 years, or 10 years...but it's happening.

Its just soooooooooooooooooooooooo boring. And watching them flop all over the place and lie there on the ground holding some 'injured' part instead of getting up and playing on drives me crazy. Its more like watching theater to me than a sport. I tried to watch some of the game yesterday, and I wanted to poke some players' eyes out after about 10 minutes. After 15 minutes, I wanted to poke MY OWN eyes out.

I agree. The flop that guy from the Netherlands took is behavior that should be discouraged, instead you get rewarded with a PK which is essentially a gift wrapped win.

I definitely disagree. If you look at the growth of the sport over the past 20 years, and the fact that the MLS averages higher attendance than both the NBA and NHL in many years, and comparable to the MLB in many markets. Factor in that the MLS is still a virtual baby (19 years old) and the other leagues have a leg up on history - NFL (94), NHL (97) and MLB (145), NBA (68), and the success will come.

The USA will continue to be competitive on the World stage, and the popularity will continue to increase as more overseas stars come to play in the MLS, because it is NOT the "terrible" league that Eurosnobs make it out to be.

I'm not saying this happens in 5 years, or 10 years...but it's happening.

uh look at the amount of games played. NBA is 82, NHL is 80 I think, MLB is 162. Has soccer grown in last 20 years in US? yes, however its right at its ceiling right now.

soccer is a sport?

Yea futbol (football) is, and actually requires to have great physical conditioning *GASP!

soccer is a sport?

Yea futbol (football) is, and actually requires to have great physical conditioning *GASP!

and sharp teeth

i am an eagles fan and recently re-watched our 2004 SUper Bowl loss that was on at a bar and the game was driving me nuts. Now i know it was 10 years ago and I cant change the past, but as a sports fan im 97% insane lol.

Sorry your team sucks.

I definitely disagree. If you look at the growth of the sport over the past 20 years, and the fact that the MLS averages higher attendance than both the NBA and NHL in many years, and comparable to the MLB in many markets. Factor in that the MLS is still a virtual baby (19 years old) and the other leagues have a leg up on history - NFL (94), NHL (97) and MLB (145), NBA (68), and the success will come.

The USA will continue to be competitive on the World stage, and the popularity will continue to increase as more overseas stars come to play in the MLS, because it is NOT the "terrible" league that Eurosnobs make it out to be.

I'm not saying this happens in 5 years, or 10 years...but it's happening.

uh look at the amount of games played. NBA is 82, NHL is 80 I think, MLB is 162. Has soccer grown in last 20 years in US? yes, however its right at its ceiling right now.

At it's ceiling right now? Ha.

GO Bills!

I definitely disagree. If you look at the growth of the sport over the past 20 years, and the fact that the MLS averages higher attendance than both the NBA and NHL in many years, and comparable to the MLB in many markets. Factor in that the MLS is still a virtual baby (19 years old) and the other leagues have a leg up on history - NFL (94), NHL (97) and MLB (145), NBA (68), and the success will come.

The USA will continue to be competitive on the World stage, and the popularity will continue to increase as more overseas stars come to play in the MLS, because it is NOT the "terrible" league that Eurosnobs make it out to be.

I'm not saying this happens in 5 years, or 10 years...but it's happening.

uh look at the amount of games played. NBA is 82, NHL is 80 I think, MLB is 162. Has soccer grown in last 20 years in US? yes, however its right at its ceiling right now.

At it's ceiling right now? Ha.

oh hey Jac, good to see you.

Yes IMO, its basically at its ceiling in the US. On the high end you have Seattle, Portland that draw big, passionate crowds, but I think that is the exception, rather than the rule.

I played NCAA D1 Baseball for 3 years as a pitcher. As a part of our, "freshman student-athlete" responsibilities, we had to volunteer at soccer games on the sidelines and retrieve lost balls for the referees. We had a large and prestigious soccer program. Players came from all around the world to play at my school. The games were packed with students, faculty, and locals in the stadium. I was excited to see what all the hype was about.

I had played four years of HS varsity sports (Baseball, Football, and Basketball). The last soccer game I had watched before this was my eight year old cousins games three years prior. They ignored the ball but picked grass off the field like champions and always knew which moms to score the best snacks from. It always ended in a tie; because in the politically correct world of, "competitive," soccer, there is still a chance that there is a tie. Nobody is a loser. Now let's all get ice cream from Mrs. Hancock and pat each other on the back with our participation trophies. It's the effort that counts the most in sports, not who wins or loses. Go ask a football player in January if he cares about the Super Bowl. He doesn't as long as he tried his best. He probably would say they should stop keeping score too, right? The real world has "ties," all the time and life is all butterflies and rainbows. That's why I respect sports that are able to end in ties.

So I stood on the sideline with a front row view. What I saw was a bunch of young adult men falling all over the place, whining, and purposely making slight contact to try to draw a penalty. It was forever minutes of shameless flopping and begging referees for fouls. I was embarrassed for the players, because every time they fell and a foul wasn't called, which was often, they would get up and do it again. If another player breathed on them they would fall to the ground crying for a penalty. The score? 1-0. After that game I requested towel duty for the swim team instead for the last few hours I had. It was literally painful to watch the nonsense and crying on the field. They seemed like the brattiest, spoiled, and most immature sensitive "men" I had ever witnessed. I really was surprised that people enjoyed the sport so much.

So soccer isn't my thing. To you die hard soccer fans, save your energy when it comes to trying to force soccer down our throats. Enjoy your sport and accept that it's not as big as others in the USA. Forget useless Google facts. Just go into your local bar and see who can name more than two players on a soccer team. Then ask about players on baseball, football, and basketball and I'd bet my house you get a better reaction.

You're not going to convince me that soccer is an awesome sport. Don't cry about it. This is just the way the world works. I don't make claims that because I love baseball so much that people in Europe must love it as well. Everyone is entitled to opinions. And popular opinion in the USA says soccer is not getting huge here any time soon. Unless it's the world cup and the USA is competing. Then it's big for like a month and it's gone again.

I work in a sports driven atmosphere, and have grown up around sports my entire life, both playing and watching on the sidelines. The word fan actually derives from a Latin word fanaticus. Meaning "insanely but divinely inspired." People develop emotional attachments to teams, players, and the sport in its entirety. There is even argument that "fanatic" behavior stems from primitive times, when warriors and tribes would wage a war for "our people". There is a deeper rooted psychological aspect to it all. Fans have numerous reasons they act this way. Disinhabition, Socialization, Sense of community and unity, not to mention super fans consider themselves integral parts of these teams-this is actually called deindividuation. Fans lose a sense of self awareness and consider themselves solely as part of their team. Let them root and ***** for whoever they want! It's a beautiful thing to be passionate about something you love!

+1

Excellently put, Dev.

So now we have to search out and buy products of your team that are made in America?

Nope, not saying they have to be made in America. I am just saying that if you are a fan, you should seek out ways to financially support the school or team that you love. Buy your gear from the team website, or the school bookstore. Go to the games if you can....buy the beer and concessions, get season tickets, subscribe to the network that carries your team's games...whatever you can do to support the school.

Fans who do not support their teams in some manner still have the right to scream and holler.....they just should not expect to be taken seriously by anyone in the organization who has a say-so.

I really don't think Joe Somebody yelling at the players or at his tv really cares if anyone in the organization takes him seriously. He's still a fan and gets excited when his team wins and disappointed when they lose (unless you're a Cleveland fan then you expect to lose). So what if he bought his team gear at Wal-Mart or wherever, he still wears it with pride and has every right to be critical of the team that he not only financially invested in (although very little) but also emotionally invested in. That's what being a FANatic is all about.

:laugh: Guilty as charged!

riveting tale

Yeah, yeah. Nice rack, *kitten*.

(unless you're a Cleveland fan then you expect to lose).

I resent this. We don't ever EXPECT to lose BTW. We hope and pray we will win and are true passionate fans who are optimistic....and usually end up getting let down anyways :laugh:

I kind of expect to lose most times, it makes it that much more awesome when we do pull out a win! :laugh:

true. One thing they can never take from us is that we are the most loyal. We appreciate those wins much more than the average fan lol