Anyone think the USWNT stuff is over the top
- Thread starter PennStateNate
- Start date
Yes. It's the same thing every 4 years or so. The country backs a team with 'USA' on the jersey at big events like the World Cup and the Olympics (as they should). The media then goes on and on about them if they win. Then the country goes back to ignoring the team until the next World Cup/ Olympics.
Oh yea. Big Time!
CNN ran a related article for 4 days on two lesbo's kissing after the victory.....One of which was a team player. I don't recall CNN doing that (for 4 days) for a heterosexual couple in recent memory.
Any time spent talking about soccer is too much time spent talking about soccer. 
Soccer is already more popular than hockey. Baseball is the next sport for it to surpass. People who have given up on baseball are smart. People who say they don't like soccer are just ignorant. Simple as that. The sport is here to stay. Growing rapidly every year. Ask Seattle sports fans which team they care about more... The Mariners or The Sound. The answer may surprise some people, but those people are just ignorant.
That last baseball game I watched was when the Phillies lost to the Giants in 2010-2011? Somewhere around there. The sport is boring as b@lls.
That last baseball game I watched was when the Phillies lost to the Giants in 2010-2011? Somewhere around there. The sport is boring as b@lls.
US Women's World Cup
The USA's 5-2 win over Japan in the Women’s World Cup final Sunday night on FOX averaged a stunning 25.4 million viewers, making it the most-viewed soccer game ever in the United States–men’s or women’s–by a giant margin. The previous most-viewed soccer game in the U.S. came last June 22 when 18.7 million watched ESPN’s World Cup telecast of the U.S.-Portugal men’s game (combined with Univision, it totaled 24.7 million viewers). The telecast peaked at 30.9 million viewers between 8:30-8:45 p.m. ET.
Telemundo averaged 1.27 million viewers for the Sunday's final, making it the most-watched Women’s World Cup match on U.S. Spanish-language TV.
US Olympic Hockey Team
Friday’s Team USA vs. Canada Olympics men’s hockey semifinals scored a win for NBC as the Sochi Games near their finish, drawing record-high numbers and becoming the highest-rated hockey game in NBCSN history. The Friday morning PT/noon ET airing scored a 2.7/8 with an average of 3.9 million viewers leading an all time high weekday daytime viewership, edging out last weekend’s USA-Russia shootout match (2.6) and beating NBCSN’s Stanley Cup Playoff and Finals ratings. At its peak 4.6 million viewers were watching Friday’s game.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Hmmm....seems like more than 6x as many people watched women's soccer than the US Olympic hockey team with USA on their jerseys? Why doesn't hockey approach the viewership of soccer? Same deal, right?
U.S. soccer isn't as popular as hockey yet. MLS is growing and if they continue to bring in the bigger names it will catch up. The NWSL is just awful. I went to a Dash-Spirit match last season and there was about 30 fans there. I was always questioning why they marketed them on their looks, but after watching that match I understood why.
but best team? They played 7 games. Golden State set a NBA record for home wins and you could make a case even for tOSU as they won with their 3rd string QB.
but best team? They played 7 games. Golden State set a NBA record for home wins and you could make a case even for tOSU as they won with their 3rd string QB.
That was probably former Penn State keeper Erin McLeod who recently married a teammate.
Actually just like the NFL, MLB, NHL, and the NBA there are groups of people who don't care about those sports. Yet they all have a decent core of fans. You may not watch or like soccer, but the ratings and TV deals for the sport only keep going up every single year. Kids today are exposed to it at a younger age and have access to it. Not to mention the kids can follow the worlds top players overseas very easily now. This idea that soccer is trending down or will disappear is a bit of a myth. It's actually quite the opposite.
I'm not saying hockey is more popular than soccer, but this is not really the best measure of comparison. For one thing, the '14 USA/Canada semi final game was played at 10am on a Friday and half way around the world while most of this country is either getting out of bed or already at work. Also, the US/Russia hockey game was on NBCSN at 7:00am on a Saturday...and it was a round robin game.
More to the point, the USA loves a winner on the international stage regardless of the sport. A better TV rankings comparison for the women's soccer game would probably be the USA/Canada gold medal hockey game in 2010 that topped out around 28 million viewers in the middle of the afternoon, which is fairly similar to what the women's soccer game garnered in prime time. 13 years ago, a USA/Canada gold medal game in Salt Lake drew about the same too. Hockey is the definition of a niche sport and I highly doubt too many of those millions became life long hockey fans as a result as much as they just love rooting for their country.
I watch soccer on the stage like the World Cup and Gold Cup casually but wouldn't really consider myself a fan. It does fill a void this time of year. Soccer, and the hockey are benefitting greatly from expanded cable TV sports deals with greater access to more leagues and more teams. It still amuses me how soccer fans take this so personally when someone says they don't like it. Who really cares? It's not going anywhere and as someone mentioned above, you can always change the channel.
There are some surprising facts in sports which show the landscape changing. As the Judge pointed out, the finals got ratings commensurate with the college football national championship. (interestingly, they had only a little over a half full stadium for the semi final against the Germans).
Here's one: The League of Legends sells out the Staples Center every year for their championship a couple of years ago. This year, its being played at Wembley. This is a gamers championship series set up by Riot Games. The Korean Team has been dominant.
My boys, who have been to several great sporting events (attended the NBA final game this season) simply see sports as entertainment not unlike going to see a movie, watching a friend play a video game or going to a concert (hard rock or the symphony). They have wildly eclectic tastes and just do what the mood compels them to do. While they love a good sports game, they feel the financial and emotion investment is odd and funny.
Here's one: The League of Legends sells out the Staples Center every year for their championship a couple of years ago. This year, its being played at Wembley. This is a gamers championship series set up by Riot Games. The Korean Team has been dominant.
My boys, who have been to several great sporting events (attended the NBA final game this season) simply see sports as entertainment not unlike going to see a movie, watching a friend play a video game or going to a concert (hard rock or the symphony). They have wildly eclectic tastes and just do what the mood compels them to do. While they love a good sports game, they feel the financial and emotion investment is odd and funny.
Good point.
But the huge number of kids playing soccer is having an effect on the sports television popularity in the US. Not only are those kids growing up having a bigger interest in soccer than the traditional Big 3 sports in the US, but their parents (like me) are also learning to love the sport as well. I'm at the point that I'd rather watch a good soccer game than some generic football game if it doesn't involve PSU or the Steelers.
I've softened on soccer the past few years - like many, there were many nuances about the sport - the diving, low scoring, etc - that just drove me crazy but you come to expect that with every sport. As a life long hockey fan, I accepted long ago there will be things about it that are impossible for a casual fan to appreciate but not entirely necessary to understand for enjoyment.
Really the one thing I'm having an awful time getting into lately is the NFL because of the constant commercial breaks and nauseating coverage year round. The NFL is bloated beyond what the sane person can handle anymore.
Soccer is a lot like golf for me when it comes to TV. I don't really seek out the games apart from the main events, but when I do, it's easy enough to enjoy.
I view it as similar to PSU Women's Volleyball.
A whole bunch of PSU fans care about a sport very few follow because the team is the best or one of the best and has the PSU label.
Not many people on this board follow softball, but if PSU was NC we'd have a bunch of experts running around here.
I'm a soccer fan, but to me women's soccer is amateurish. Not enough global competition at this point. I watched one of the south american teams and I'm certain WSLs club team from Chelsea Piers could have beat them to make the WC quarterfinals.
Yes, I'll admit to my ignorance at not liking soccer. Many times I've prayed to God to even try and achieve your apparent level of intelligence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_professional_sports_leagues_by_revenue
Apparently a ton of people aren't smart because baseball blows US soccer out of the water.
We can't complete our complete our transition from the worlds greatest superpower to just another European style socialist democracy without fully embracing soccer and destroying the last remnants of American sports like baseball and football. Soccer is impossible to watch unless you truly have nothing to do. That's why it is the #1 sport in places like Greece. Most people don't work every day and if they do they work a few hours a day and have three months vacation. That is what makes people running all over a huge field in their under wear exciting....
Of course it's over the top: Our mens team has never been in the top level of the game, since the games invention. The sport is by far the worlds most popular sport, and is growing even in this nation, where it is less popular than any other nation, save perhaps Canada(hockey). This country is STARVED for an elite, winning, competitive world power in the sport, and we also know that will never happen in America at the mens level, where other nations send their best athletes toward dedication to the sport, and ours sends them toward the pursuit of great wealth and fame, in the 4 main sports of our nation, none of which are soccer. We know we can never win at the mens level, it's only natural that we would love the women: America loves a winner. Not a team that needs a miracle just to get out of the first round, only to get pasted by Germany, Belgium, France, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Italy, or WHO THE FREAK EVER it plays every four years in the round of 16 and loses to like clockwork.
And it will remain meaningless because our BEST athletes will chase wealth and leave the sport by the age of 15, and that will never change.
True - I choose to ignore soccer
simply for one reason... low-scoring affairs/ties/zero-zero ties/pansies flopping/knee socks short-shorts and pointy shoes/penalty kicks settling contests/time being added on the clock by officials for arbitrary reasons (that would NEVER happen in FB
/ whiny soccer fans claiming the sport simply isn't given its due/soccer players in my HS were sullen ninnies/soccer fans grasping on every straw as a sign their sport has gained mainstream viewing popularity/whiny soccer fans/team-names that are simply femmyI will never question the athleticism and skill and physical demands of the sport... I just don't enjoy watching it. IMHO lacrosse has far-greater potential as a US viewer-event, and, eventually, will evolve into a college/professional sport that will far exceed soccer in the US (after NFL is dumbed-down physically and rendered toothless due to long-term injury lawsuits) ... may take 20-50yrs , but it will happen
We can't complete our complete our transition from the worlds greatest superpower to just another European style socialist democracy without fully embracing soccer and destroying the last remnants of American sports like baseball and football. Soccer is impossible to watch unless you truly have nothing to do. That's why it is the #1 sport in places like Greece. Most people don't work every day and if they do they work a few hours a day and have three months vacation. That is what makes people running all over a huge field in their under wear exciting....
Baseball is exciting to watch?
A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
True - I choose to ignore soccer
simply for one reason... low-scoring affairs/ties/zero-zero ties/pansies flopping/knee socks short-shorts and pointy shoes/penalty kicks settling contests/time being added on the clock by officials for arbitrary reasons (that would NEVER happen in FB
I will never question the athleticism and skill and physical demands of the sport... I just don't enjoy watching it. IMHO lacrosse has far-greater potential as a US viewer-event, and, eventually, will evolve into a college/professional sport that will far exceed soccer in the US (after NFL is dumbed-down physically and rendered toothless due to long-term injury lawsuits) ... may take 20-50yrs , but it will happen
Hockey is low scoring too. I didn't like soccer until two years ago when I started to enjoy premier league on sunday mornings over coffee (after I quit getting the print paper). To enjoy soccer, like Hockey, you need to learn to enjoy the finer points of the game: offsides, corner kicks, other set pieces. You begin to see how scoring opportunities are set up and executed. For example, bringing the ball up the pitch and eventually forcing a corner kick is considered a big success. You will also begin to see personalities of clubs begin to evolve: big strong team, efficient ball hogs (keep away), quick teams, offensive minded teams. In the men's world cup, you could actually see personalities of their countries evolve. For example, the German team's great efficiency, the Portugese team's bent toward offense, the USA's hustle and never say die attitude, the French team's "pretty" game....
I've had to introduce many people to hockey, and once they understand the importance of the blue line (similar to offsides in Soccer) they begin to get an appreciation of the game.
The flopping? You got me there. But its not like an NFL QB or punter isn't flopping from time to time!
Even when there isn't goals being scored, a team that is able to possess the ball has the same psychological effect as a team being able to run the ball down the throat of another team in football. It's demoralizing to the other team if you can possess the ball ~80% of the time and they are forced to chase the ball all over the pitch.
You could sense the entire dynamic change when the women's team, against China, had like a 10 or 15 minute stretch against where they kept the ball inside the offensive zone and there was nothing China could do to get it out. They went from a struggling team to a team that put it together. They played great from that moment forward.
There is a lot to like about the sport, but if you didn't play or have a kid who plays I can understand why people don't "get it". I didn't 10 years ago either.
This is a bit far fetched. By the time an athlete chooses to specialize in a sport,a fraction of a fraction of a % have a realistic expectation of even a scholarship let alone some future as a pro athlete, and it's more commonly due to not having enough time to dedicate to 2 or 3 sports at once on top of high school, etc. I can't buy that players are giving up soccer b/c they dream of a big payday as a pro football or basketball player for example. Looking at the size of half a football roster or height of elite hoops players and ask how that translates into being an elite soccer player....so by and large, soccer isn''t really competing heavily with the same athletes that would go into these sports with higher expectations.
It's an interesting dilemma that soccer among the 5-10 yr olds is maybe the most popular sport in terms of enrollment but tails off. I would simply argue that Americans don't take the sport seriously enough as they get older to be more than a rec league activity....and there's not really anything wrong with that...but it makes sense when you see just how many options youth athletes in this country have in their communities and on the tv dial compared to the rest of the world.
I love baseball. There is very little appeal to the All Star game. Poor analogy IMO.
Average viewership for the 2014 World Series was 14 million.
Or you could say Game 7 had 23.5 million. I just said the initial analogy wasn't good. I'm not trying to take away from the good ratings of the soccer. I don't think you can expect to have regional teams compare to national teams in terms of viewership though either.
Ummm, your comparing a tourney with 1 USA team only in prime time on a Sunday to a hockey game (1 of many USA events in the Olympics) that aired on a Friday at noon eastern, 9am pacific? Please...... And the original point was that no one will watch the women's soccer team again until it's World Cup or Olympic time.
What were the ratings for the men's soccer game against Panama (or whoever they played the other day in KC)? I saw they had a whole 22,000- 28,000 at the game (somewhere around there IIRC). Even Pitt outdraws that- and they aren't the 'national team'. What will the ratings be for the next (non World Cup) women's soccer game? Does anyone even know when they will play again? I'm pretty sure it drops like a rock.
Last edited:
uhhhhhhh not sure if you have any idea of what you are talking about.
The top soccer players make FAR FAR more than the top NFL players.
Most make more than NBA players. Forbes has Messi and Ronaldo above Lebron and Durant for top paid athletes.
I agree with most of that. No one said it would disappear- it's just the over hype that runs after every WC or Olympic run that was the original poster's point.
I watched most World Cup games involving the US women's national team. My son, who played soccer in high school, questioned my sanity, said it's only "women". I enjoyed watching them play and had a rooting interest. I enjoyed watching Ali Krieger and Meghan Klingenberg do their jobs. For the most part, the ladies are easy on the eyes.
I was happy that they won, but had they lost, it wouldn't have destroyed me. It was something to do in the evening.
Now I'm happy that the baseball All Star game is behind us and the focus can get back to catching the Cardinals and seeing who makes the biggest impact in Steelers training camp.
I was happy that they won, but had they lost, it wouldn't have destroyed me. It was something to do in the evening.
Now I'm happy that the baseball All Star game is behind us and the focus can get back to catching the Cardinals and seeing who makes the biggest impact in Steelers training camp.
You make a good point. Sasic, the striker for Germany retired from all futbol today at 27. Her reason, educate herself, and start a family.
A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Wasn't an analogy; was a fact. You can interpret or apply it any way you want though.
Not our best Latino athletes - we are close to hitting the demographic tipping point between Anglo and Latino youth in this country. While they enjoy baseball, soccer is their favorite sport.
And as someone said above, there's a TON of money in world soccer.
No money in women's soccer - you wouldn't see a top guy retire at that age (except in insanely rare circumstances) as who would walk away from 100-250k a week.
