Beckham and US Soccer (Football)

[quote]CantStop wrote:

If thats the case then, did his sending off not cost England the world cup?
[/quote]

In 1998? Nope. You wouldn’t have beaten Holland in the next round, nor Brazil in the semifinal, nor France in the final.

Soccer in the U.S. will become popular because of the kids who grow up playing it.

Many people don’t watch soccer because it’s “too boring.” Honestly, that’s because most of them don’t understand the game (the tactics), and don’t spend long enough watching it to figure it out. To them, it just looks like 22 guys kicking a little ball back and forth. Once you understand the game, it can be quite exciting.

[quote]CantStop wrote:
sen say wrote:
Blockbuster celeb = possibly…but probably not…too old for the masses…

Popularize soccer = No.

Im a big soccer fan…but…I don’t see it gaining a foothold in the US of A Beckham or no Beckham.

Beckham is an average player, surrounded by hype. Most proper football fans in the Uk have never rated him. Everyone in the USA thinks he some genius. But believe me he’s not. Think about it, why would any half decent player go to USA when all the best football is played in Europe?

Its like an average American Footballer going to a shitty European league.[/quote]

We don’t think he’s a genius, we just don’t think of him period.

We also don’t care about soccer and never will.

i thought soccer was invented by european men to keep their wives busy while they did all the work.

[quote]CantStop wrote:
Miserere wrote:
CantStop wrote:
Think about it, why would any half decent player go to USA when all the best football is played in Europe?

Because they’re paying him $250 million over 5 years and Posh Spice needs to renew her shoe and sunglasses collection.

LOL exactly. Gone to collect his pension in the USA[/quote]

That’s ridiculous.

Beckham is far from ready to collect is so to speak “pension”. Sure, preceeding the past few months he suffered a lack of form but it showed just that he was succumbing under pressure. As soon as he signed this contract he improved and showed his true 2000’ form, being vital in Real Madrid’s title winning (first time in 4 years I think).

His skill in terms of being a playmaker is second to none. Without him England would have (and showed after he stopped playing for a while) been a mess. His influence, both footballistically and as a leader are things that most fans seem to ignore.

Sure, he isn’t the best player in Europe, by far perhaps BUT is vital at this stage ad in previous stages of Englands development. Blaming him for the 98’ world cup failure is ludicrous, nearly as much so as the blame associated with Ronaldo (Cristiano) for eliminating England in last years World cup!

The English media, and fans, always need a scapegoat.

[quote]engerland66 wrote:
CantStop wrote:
sen say wrote:
Blockbuster celeb = possibly…but probably not…too old for the masses…

Popularize soccer = No.

Im a big soccer fan…but…I don’t see it gaining a foothold in the US of A Beckham or no Beckham.

Beckham is an average player, surrounded by hype. Most proper football fans in the Uk have never rated him. Everyone in the USA thinks he some genius. But believe me he’s not. Think about it, why would any half decent player go to USA when all the best footnball is played in Europe?

Its like an average American Footballer going to a shitty European league.

You’re a “proper football fan”, then, I assume. When Beckham was at ManUtd, he was a very good player. He stuck to this strengths and was a part of the best midfield in Europe. People have loved to criticise him and hate him, but I’m not quite sure why. If you look at it objectively, he still sets up lots of goals, scores the occasional free kick, and ALWAYS works his balls off for the team.

He ran something like 13km in a recent Real Madrid game. And he’s been doing this for over 10 years now…when will people like you wake up and realize that, while he was never the best player in the world, he is still a very good player (and still has the best right foot in the world)?

I personally don’t think he will make much of an impact past the immediate hype, but your high horse post irked me.[/quote]

Agreed. At his peak, Beckham was one of the best midfielders in the world. Title winner, Champions League winner, England captain. He was ranked number 2 player in the world in the 1999 FIFA world player rankings and 3rd in 2001.

It’s testament to his ability that Real Madrid really didn’t want him to leave, and he got a deserved recall to the England team, and was probably the best player on the pitch.

People like to criticise because his celebrity has always, in fairness, outweighed his abilities. While not the best in the world he is by far and away the most famous.

[quote]tom63 wrote:
CantStop wrote:
sen say wrote:
Blockbuster celeb = possibly…but probably not…too old for the masses…

Popularize soccer = No.

Im a big soccer fan…but…I don’t see it gaining a foothold in the US of A Beckham or no Beckham.

Beckham is an average player, surrounded by hype. Most proper football fans in the Uk have never rated him. Everyone in the USA thinks he some genius. But believe me he’s not. Think about it, why would any half decent player go to USA when all the best football is played in Europe?

Its like an average American Footballer going to a shitty European league.

We don’t think he’s a genius, we just don’t think of him period.

We also don’t care about soccer and never will.

[/quote]

Last I checked, soccer is the most popular youth sport in America. Eventually those kids will grow up. Probably will never be as popular as the NFL because it does not translate as well to TV, but I doubt if soccer’s popularity did anything but increase over the next few years.

[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
tom63 wrote:
CantStop wrote:
sen say wrote:
Blockbuster celeb = possibly…but probably not…too old for the masses…

Popularize soccer = No.

Im a big soccer fan…but…I don’t see it gaining a foothold in the US of A Beckham or no Beckham.

Beckham is an average player, surrounded by hype. Most proper football fans in the Uk have never rated him. Everyone in the USA thinks he some genius. But believe me he’s not. Think about it, why would any half decent player go to USA when all the best football is played in Europe?

Its like an average American Footballer going to a shitty European league.

We don’t think he’s a genius, we just don’t think of him period.

We also don’t care about soccer and never will.

Last I checked, soccer is the most popular youth sport in America. Eventually those kids will grow up. Probably will never be as popular as the NFL because it does not translate as well to TV, but I doubt if soccer’s popularity did anything but increase over the next few years.[/quote]

That doesn’t mean a thing. Just because kids play it doesn’t mean it will become more popular in this country.

I’ll be 44 next month. I’ve heard how soccer is going to be so popular soon for over 30 years. I remember Pele coming here. It didn’t happen then and it won’t happen now.

Competitive eating will get more viewers than soccer. Hell, the WNBA will most likely outdraw soccer.

[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
Last I checked, soccer is the most popular youth sport in America. Eventually those kids will grow up. Probably will never be as popular as the NFL because it does not translate as well to TV, but I doubt if soccer’s popularity did anything but increase over the next few years.[/quote]

The only reason it doesn’t “translate well” to TV is because the people that say it’s boring to watch typically don’t like soccer at all. I find football boring as hell to watch and soccer way more exciting. Most people I know played soccer when they were young (3rd grade) and almost none of them play it now. There are far more people on my school’s football team then there are on the soccer team.

[quote]tom63 wrote:
That doesn’t mean a thing. Just because kids play it doesn’t mean it will become more popular in this country.

[/quote]

Umm… actually I think that’s precisely what it means. Usually more people playing a sport means more people enjoy that sport… making it more popular.

Personally I could care less about soccer, but if you think it’s not getting more popular in America, you are just out of touch. I highly doubt it will ever surpass the “Big 3” on a professional level, but I also highly doubt that it will not continue to slowly increase in popularity over the foreseeable future.

Beckham will bring more attention to the sport. Will it become as popular as football, baseball, and basketball? Not in my lifetime.

The thing is, that is okay based on the current financial structure of the MLS. Most teams in the league have a break even point of around 16,000 fans per game. The Home Depot Center in L.A. seats 27,000, while the stadia in Dallas and Columbus seat around 22,000. If they can get those stadiums 2/3 to 3/4 full for most games, they will do okay.

The players in the MLS don’t make nearly the amount of money as athletes in the top 3 sports. There are a few players on each team that earn over
$100,000 per year, but the average salary is around $50,000 per year.

So the MLS is not going to attract many top flight players who can make more in the second division of most European leagues. However, it can succeed as a sport in this country on a lower level than some of the other major sports.

Sure, kids in the US do play soccer. But then their balls drop, and the majority switch to football, wrestling, etc.

Our culture won’t embrace soccer becuase it’s such a sissified sport. The game isn’t violent, the athletes look like metrosexuals, and no adults here play it. All of that = FUCKING BORING. That’s why men’s tennis and women’s basketball are both severely lacking in popularity.

Now, can it be MORE popular than it is now? Sure, I suppose someday it may be on the same level as professional bowling or the X-Games. But it will never, EVER come near the Big 6 (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, NASCAR).

[quote]

Our culture won’t embrace soccer becuase it’s such a sissified sport. The game isn’t violent, the athletes look like metrosexuals, and no adults here play it. All of that = FUCKING BORING. That’s why men’s tennis and women’s basketball are both severely lacking in popularity.

Now, can it be MORE popular than it is now? Sure, I suppose someday it may be on the same level as professional bowling or the X-Games. But it will never, EVER come near the Big 6 (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, NASCAR).[/quote]

Sissified sport? I guess pushing, shoving, fist fights, and riots are pretty low on the violence meter.

No adults play? There are far more colleges that have soccer teams over football teams.

Truth is more people viewed teh World Cup than any other sporting competition. Part of the 2.8 billion viewers I’m sure lived in the U.S.

[quote]entheogens wrote:
Do you think Beckham is going to become a blockbusting celebrity in the U.S.A. or help popularize soccer?

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-sportsshowcase&prov=ap&type=lgns[/quote]

Soccer will never came near football,basketball,baseball and hockey in popularity in USA.
Maybe MMA will.

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
Sure, kids in the US do play soccer. But then their balls drop, and the majority switch to football, wrestling, etc.

Our culture won’t embrace soccer becuase it’s such a sissified sport. The game isn’t violent, the athletes look like metrosexuals, and no adults here play it. All of that = FUCKING BORING. That’s why men’s tennis and women’s basketball are both severely lacking in popularity.

Now, can it be MORE popular than it is now? Sure, I suppose someday it may be on the same level as professional bowling or the X-Games. But it will never, EVER come near the Big 6 (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, NASCAR).[/quote]

Here in Croatia,if you cant play soccer you are not considered a real man.Soccer is considered a real men sport,while basketball and table tennis is considered pussified.

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
Sure, kids in the US do play soccer. But then their balls drop, and the majority switch to football, wrestling, etc.

Our culture won’t embrace soccer becuase it’s such a sissified sport. The game isn’t violent, the athletes look like metrosexuals, and no adults here play it. All of that = FUCKING BORING. That’s why men’s tennis and women’s basketball are both severely lacking in popularity.

Now, can it be MORE popular than it is now? Sure, I suppose someday it may be on the same level as professional bowling or the X-Games. But it will never, EVER come near the Big 6 (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, NASCAR).[/quote]

When we Europeans go to watch football(soccer),we want to see skills and not violence.But we indulge in violence befoer and after the game.

I’ve heard soccer is the manliest sport to play in Europe.

Just because someone (steel nation) thinks basketball or football are more exciting than soccer doesn’t it make it anything more than an opinion. Soccer is a lot more exciting to me than football and that’s a personal preference.

No sport is exempt from having athletes who looks like “metrosexuals.” Saying soccer isn’t violent is a typical statement made by a…football fan. There are tackles in soccer, headbutts, fights and concussions, have you ever watched a soccer game?

[quote]superhero#1 wrote:
I’ve heard soccer is the manliest sport to play in Europe.

Just because someone (steel nation) thinks basketball or football are more exciting than soccer doesn’t it make it anything more than an opinion. Soccer is a lot more exciting to me than football and that’s a personal preference.

No sport is exempt from having athletes who looks like “metrosexuals.” Saying soccer isn’t violent is a typical statement made by a…football fan. There are tackles in soccer, headbutts, fights and concussions, have you ever watched a soccer game?

[/quote]

But what about such a neat sport as fencing?


The thing those soccer-hating people dont understand is that at soccer games you get to wear Superman pants.


You can also hug other men without being gay(not that is anything at all wrong with that) at soccer matches.