Soccer is the 2nd most popular sport in the United States for the age group 12-24

[GP1]

This year's World Cup tv ratings have been huge. The USA vs Portugal game has 24 million viewers in the US. 18million on ESPN, and 6 million on Univision. This is higher than the NBA Finals and the World Series.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2014/news/article/2014/06/23/world-cup-usa-portugal-was-highest-rated-world-cup-match-ever-espn

The facts.

There's nothing else on TV, school is out so kids have more time to watch things and we are being force fed the sport. The NBA makes it so nobody who wants a decent night sleep would watch until the end.

On Sunday afternoon, I tested myself. A movie called Valhalla Rising came on one of the Showtime channels. Within the first 30 seconds, I could tell it was going to be terrible. I tested myself to see how many of the 90 minutes of the movie I could watch. I lasted around 45. Longer than I have been able to watch the World Cup.

Soccer is like hockey. Disclaimer, I love hockey. Hockey is a niche sport and the fans of the sport always believe it is going to become huge in the United States. It never does (see The Facts above). Americans love the USA hockey team, but that's about as far as it goes with the exception of a small number of die hard fans. Soccer is the same thing.

There is nothing with liking a sport. The endless search for affirmation from soccer fans gets a little old though.

Lastly, USA-USA-USA-USA-USA.

[Dr Z]

I have never watched a full World Cup game in my life, and have only watched two Akron games (Zips never scored). I have probably watched 5 full World Cup games this year, and 5 more partial games. Like I always say, if you want to learn about a sport, bet on it. I took my own advice and joined a Fantasy World Cup poll. I like the way the World Cup is set up, with the groups and the elimination round, like Olympic hockey. Will I watch another futbol match between the end of this World Cup and the next one? Probably not, but Friday night, I started watching the Honduras Ecuador match. At half time I switched channels to watch the Indians game, I got bored and turned back to the futbol match because it was more entertaining. Surprised myself.

PS I'm slowly accepting players faking like they are in critical condition for 30 seconds after they trip over someones foot. It's hard though.

[GP1]

PS I'm slowly accepting players faking like they are in critical condition for 30 seconds after they trip over someones foot. It's hard though.

I'll never get past this. Players in all sports flop to try to get calls, but not immediately getting up after not getting the call is less than manly.

[zipoholic]

I'll never get past this. Players in all sports flop to try to get calls, but not immediately getting up after not getting the call is less than manly.

Until you have been kicked, stepped on, or cleated with the metal studs soccer players wear; you have no room to speak about players faking or not being manly. Yes there are phantom flops that happen often in soccer (like many other sports) but being cleated is not fun and seriously hurts. If you are going to complain about soccer and flopping learn the game and maybe you'll understand what its like to take a tackle studs up. Before you complain you must first experience it first hand.

[ZachTheZip]

A big factor that doesn't get enough mention is the FIFA video game series. Thanks to the game, the 35-and-under crowd is more familiar with the rules of the sport, and also the teams and players.

[johnnyzip84]

There’s been a lot of the same discussion regarding soccer’s place in America lately, so I thought I’d add a few of my thoughts into the mix. I probably provide a bit of an unusual perspective in that, while I consider myself a soccer fan (enough that I’ve played in adult leagues and always follow MLS, the Premiership and other European leagues), I’m not what you would call a huge Zip soccer fan. Oh I usually go to a few games a year and of course I root for my alma mater, but my greater affection for Zip football admittedly tends to limit the attention I place on Zips soccer (I actually kind of wish soccer was a spring sport at the college level).

1. I was listening to a radio sports talk show on XM yesterday where the host was refuting the notion that with kids playing more and more soccer the level of play in the US would eventually reach that of the soccer powers. His basic argument, and I’ve heard it from plenty of others, is that people have been saying this for the last 30 years or so and (in his view) nothing has really changed. I think this conclusion is faulty. 30 years ago, the US was at the tail end of a 30 year DROUGHT during which they didn’t even qualify for the event. Since then, they’ve qualified for 7 straight World Cups, advanced beyond group stage 3 times, and made it to the quarter finals once. 30 years ago, the poorly managed North American Soccer League was in its final outdoor season. Since then, MLS has been founded and exhibited slow and steady growth by various measures. Incremental change is difficult for many to acknowledge, particularly if they simply don’t want to see it.
2. The National League has been around for 138 years. The NFL has been around for 94 years, and the NBA has been around for 68 years. MLS is now just old enough to drink. Many of the folks who think soccer will NEVER take a place among the major team sports in the US base their opinion of what they’ve observed over the last 30 years or so. It fascinates me that any American would make such absolute statements with words like NEVER when the history of our very country is a mere dot on the overall historical time scale.
3. I do agree with those who think the major obstacle in KEEPING the best athletes involved in the sport as they get older is for MLS to eventually provide similar financial opportunities as the NFL, NBA and MLB. They are obviously not there at this point, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen.

[K92]

Oh I usually go to a few games a year and of course I root for my alma mater, but my greater affection for Zip football admittedly tends to limit the attention I place on Zips soccer (I actually kind of wish soccer was a spring sport at the college level).

GP1, what do you think about this proposal? Bring soccer to the spring with football or leave it as a fall sport?

[GP1]

Until you have been kicked, stepped on, or cleated with the metal studs soccer players wear; you have no room to speak about players faking or not being manly.

Like most soccer fans, you become hysterical with any criticism. Please retread my post. I'm not talking about actual injuries.

[GP1]

GP1, what do you think about this proposal? Bring soccer to the spring with football or leave it as a fall sport?

ESPN, NBC Sports, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, ESPNU, ESPN 2 and many other stations in need of programming in the spring would probably benefit from soccer being played in the spring. They would benefit a heck of a lot more from MAClike conferences playing real football in the spring.

Going back to my facts above. Around 45% of Americans claim either nfl or NCAA football to be their favorite sport. 1% of Americans claim soccer to be their favorite sport. I'd go as far as to say if ABC televised World Cup and NBC televised MAClike conferences at the asme time, NBC would win the ratings. MAClike conferences may not do much right, but they could at least out rate a marginally popular sport.

Lastly, as a former owner of the Atari Track and Field game, please be careful of siting game sales as evidence of growing popularity in a sport.

[skip-zip]

ESPN, NBC Sports, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, ESPNU, ESPN 2 and many other stations in need of programming in the spring would probably benefit from soccer being played in the spring.

Not only them, but the LOCALS also. See 2012 Ken+ baseball season. All they did was simply QUALIFY to be in the NCAA baseball tournament, and the Cleveland stations were all over it, every night. They even sent people to Omaha for "on location" reporting. They even sent cameras to the campus when a few dozen people showed up to send them off on the busses. Unbelievable.

Would the local media care if it had been November instead of May? Not even close.

[Dave in Green]

Like most soccer fans, you become hysterical with any criticism. ...

Profiler.

[Spin]

There's nothing else on TV, school is out so kids have more time to watch things and we are being force fed the sport. The NBA makes it so nobody who wants a decent night sleep would watch until the end.

Funny, the biggest demographic of MLS and EPL broadcasts are white males 35-54 making 40K-75K.

Soccer is like hockey. Disclaimer, I love hockey. Hockey is a niche sport and the fans of the sport always believe it is going to become huge in the United States. It never does (see The Facts above). Americans love the USA hockey team, but that's about as far as it goes with the exception of a small number of die hard fans. Soccer is the same thing.

True, both are seeing increased ratings, while baseball, basketball, and auto racing ratings are dropping.

[Spin]

GP1, what do you think about this proposal? Bring soccer to the spring with football or leave it as a fall sport?

The problem is the season is three months long. You would be going to soccer games in March in northeast Ohio. Ask any college baseball fan about that.

OTOH that would open the north up to hosting the tournament.

[Spin]

Until you have been kicked, stepped on, or cleated with the metal studs soccer players wear; you have no room to speak about players faking or not being manly. Yes there are phantom flops that happen often in soccer (like many other sports) but being cleated is not fun and seriously hurts. If you are going to complain about soccer and flopping learn the game and maybe you'll understand what its like to take a tackle studs up. Before you complain you must first experience it first hand.

Unlike the other sports where flopping is a strategy (hello, NBA?? NFL??) the clock in soccer doesn't stop. You either get your ass up or you watch your team play a man down while you lick your wounds.

The injury reports from this tournament reads like an NFL injury report.

[GP1]

Funny, the biggest demographic of MLS and EPL broadcasts are white males 35-54 making 40K-75K.

True, both are seeing increased ratings, while baseball, basketball, and auto racing ratings are dropping.

I wasn't just talking about one demographic.

Not sure people are trading one sport for another in terms of viewership. For example, the Stanley Cup Finals were not played on the same nights as the NBA Finals. Maybe with more sports networks, people are watching more sports and less of non sports programming. Maybe people are foregoing NASCAR for Hee Haw reruns.

[Spin]

I wasn't just talking about one demographic.

Not sure people are trading one sport for another in terms of viewership. For example, the Stanley Cup Finals were not played on the same nights as the NBA Finals. Maybe with more sports networks, people are watching more sports and less of non sports programming. Maybe people are foregoing NASCAR for Hee Haw reruns.

You mentioned kids home from school with nothing else to watch as the reason the World Cup is so popular.

There are more sports on TV, which may be one reason baseball and basketball ratings are dropping. You don't have to watch the NBA circus to watch sports now. It wasn't long ago a hockey fan was SOL, it was basketball or shitty sitcoms. Now you have more choices, and we get a much better picture of what people want to watch.

[GP1]

You mentioned kids home from school with nothing else to watch as the reason the World Cup is so popular.

That was one of the reasons among others I mentioned.

What most Americans really want to watch is American football. Between it being the national sport now and gambling degenerates, it gets huge ratings in the US and NFL/NCAA football is claimed to be the most popular sport in the US by at least 45% in a survey by a well respected firm (see The Fact above). It's too bad Americans only have the ability to watch college football in the fall. There is a huge audience for it and a chance for some schools out there to make a lot of money.

[GP1]

Profiler.

I do it in style...

[Dave in Green]

Had lunch today in a nice little Mexican restaurant in Hartville (Mi Casa) which has the best Cuban sandwich I've had in Ohio. I was reminded that most Mexican restaurants have soccer on the tube even when World Cup is not being played. Soccer is obviously the favorite sport of Hispanics, who represent the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population.

It's taken me awhile but I'm finally starting to develop an appreciation for soccer. I just had to learn that soccer has to be accepted on its own terms rather than on the terms of fans of other sports who want to impose their preconceived terms on soccer. The lack of scoring had an initial negative effect on my thinking as I enjoy watching wide-open offenses in basketball and football. When it comes to scoring, soccer is more like hockey, where defense is more dominant and scoring less common compared with other sports.

Once you get beyond the scarcity of goals in soccer, there's a lot to appreciate about the athleticism and teamwork on display. Soccer does feature a lot of offense in terms of yards gained, passes completed, etc. It's only actual scoring that's lacking. The more soccer I watch the more I come around to the point of view that more points scored wouldn't necessarily add to the sport's excitement. I appreciate having a variety of sports -- including soccer -- to watch in moderation instead of all football, all basketball or all any one sport all the time.

[Zip_ME87]

Had lunch today in a nice little Mexican restaurant in Hartville (Mi Casa) which has the best Cuban sandwich I've had in Ohio. I was reminded that most Mexican restaurants have soccer on the tube even when World Cup is not being played. Soccer is obviously the favorite sport of Hispanics, who represent the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population.

It's taken me awhile but I'm finally starting to develop an appreciation for soccer. I just had to learn that soccer has to be accepted on its own terms rather than on the terms of fans of other sports who want to impose their preconceived terms on soccer. The lack of scoring had an initial negative effect on my thinking as I enjoy watching wide-open offenses in basketball and football. When it comes to scoring, soccer is more like hockey, where defense is more dominant and scoring less common compared with other sports.

Once you get beyond the scarcity of goals in soccer, there's a lot to appreciate about the athleticism and teamwork on display. Soccer does feature a lot of offense in terms of yards gained, passes completed, etc. It's only actual scoring that's lacking. The more soccer I watch the more I come around to the point of view that more points scored wouldn't necessarily add to the sport's excitement. I appreciate having a variety of sports -- including soccer -- to watch in moderation instead of all football, all basketball or all any one sport all the time.

My appreciation of soccer has risen to the point where it's my favorite spectator sport. I love all of the action and especially the no times out. Keeps the game moving with no "circus" entertainment needed like that in NBA arenas at every break.

[bobbyake]

The following are overnight ratings for the top 10 metered markets:

Washington, DC (13.3), Columbus, Ohio (12.6), New York (12.5), Boston (11.5), Hartford & New Haven (11.3), Providence (11.2), Atlanta (11.1), Baltimore (11.0), Norfolk (10.5), and Orlando (10.5). To date, the highest-rated markets on the ESPN Networks are: Washington DC (5.0), New York (4.3), San Francisco (4.1), Orlando (3.8), and Los Angeles (3.7).

Eighteen markets recorded their highest overnight rating for a World Cup match on ESPN or ESPN2, including seven that were among the top 10 largest for the telecast: Columbus, Boston, Hartford/New Haven, Providence, Atlanta, Baltimore and Sacramento. The additional 11, ordered by highest rating: Kansas City (10.1), Dayton (8.9), St. Louis (8.7), Jacksonville (8.4), Tampa/St. Petersburg (8.3), Nashville (7.8), Greenville (7.6), Greensboro (7.5), Memphis (7.5), Pittsburgh (6.9) and Birmingham (5.8).

[bobbyake]

It seems like there are soccer haters that do not want to see this sport succeed in the US.

I am not sure how the Cleveland/Akron TV market did for the game. Dayton and Columbus put up impressive numbers.

[GP1]

It seems like there are soccer haters that do not want to see this sport succeed in the US.

Sometimes fans can't see the forest through the trees. What makes you think it isn't a success right now? If it isn't a success right now, what would make it a success? Hockey and soccer are very successful sports in the US. If you are looking for them to the the favorite sports in the US and somehow tie that to TV ratings, video game sales and all of the other happy horse crap some use as evidence of popularity, you are dreaming. If you want it to be accessible, entertaining and enjoyable for marginal and enthusiastic fans, the sport is extremely successful right now.

Look, right now, the USMNT has some of the best European soccer players we can slap a US label on and put on the field. If that isn't good enough for some Americans, I say tough poop. Enjoy it for what it is.

[bobbyake]

Sometimes fans can't see the forest through the trees. What makes you think it isn't a success right now? If it isn't a success right now, what would make it a success? Hockey and soccer are very successful sports in the US. If you are looking for them to the the favorite sports in the US and somehow tie that to TV ratings, video game sales and all of the other happy horse crap some use as evidence of popularity, you are dreaming. If you want it to be accessible, entertaining and enjoyable for marginal and enthusiastic fans, the sport is extremely successful right now.

Look, right now, the USMNT has some of the best European soccer players we can slap a US label on and put on the field. If that isn't good enough for some Americans, I say tough poop. Enjoy it for what it is.

Only 4 players in the starting lineup play in Europe. One of those left the MLS 2 years ago for Stoke City (EPL).

Check out MLS attendance, not bad. http://mlsattendance.blogspot.com

TV ratings are the new frontier for the MLS to conquer. Other than that, everything has been going very well. They just signed a TV deal for $90 million a year, more than what NBC payed for the EPL rights.

There are cities scrambling to make a successful MLS expansion bid. Sacramento had a crowd in the 20,000's for a minor league game. I believe these teams are paying $100 million plus to enter the league. The Yankees seem to think the MLS is a good investment.

Watching ESPN and saw a MLB pitcher that threw a no hitter being interviewed, he is wearing a USMNT soccer jersey in his interview.

You know, i don't think all the positives around the sport will make a difference for you. You seem stubbornly against soccer and will dwell on any negative point you can find, and will make excuses for all the positives happening.

I never cared about soccer for the first 20 years of my life. Watching the World Cup was the only time I watched the sport. Then i discovery Zips soccer. Once you start getting into soccer, there's no escaping it. No commercials, no constant timeouts, no weak foul calls for barely touching someone while they shoot like in basketball, no rule changes every year like football.

I understand there are players that will flop to try and gain an advantage, even Dwayne Wade does it. Is taking a charge in basketball any different? I understand some players act like babies when fouled, but the league has done a lot to crack down on these occurrences. The MLS issues fines and suspensions for embellishing fouls.

[GP1]

Only 4 players in the starting lineup play in Europe. One of those left the MLS 2 years ago for Stoke City (EPL).

You know, i don't think all the positives around the sport will make a difference for you. You seem stubbornly against soccer and will dwell on any negative point you can find, and will make excuses for all the positives happening.

I'll just say that some of our boys do not have accents from North America.

I don't think I've been negative at all about soccer. I totally understand the flopping and it is done in every sport. Hockey actually has rules against it. Laying around for a long time after not getting a call seems a little over the top to me, and yes, unmanly. Part of the drama of sports is watching someone fight through real pain, not act like they have been shot by a cannon at close range when they were barely touched or worse yet, flopping. Other than that, in the post you responded to, I mention all of the things soccer fans should really care about. For those who like it, it is now accessible and giving those who enjoy it a fun time. It makes me happy that there are people having fun doing something.

You should enjoy this time and stop searching the internet for anything that reaffirms you opinion that soccer is becoming more popular. I love hockey and have never felt the need to look up the ratings of the sport. Enjoy something for what it is, not what you want it to be.