Fed Up.......

Going back to Brad's beef. The reason you don't see more US tours is that they can make a lot more money doing tours in other parts of the world, namely Asia. I won't argue that if you lay the groundwork, you could probably grow it down the road, but how long and how much $$ are you leaving on the table in the interim? There are exceptions. I seem to recall Celtic doing some good business in Seattle when I lived there but that was against another major Euro side.

I question whether tv can sell the game in this day and age. The NFL and NBA had the market cornered during their growth stages. The was pre-cable for the NFL and during cable's infancy for the NBA, so alternative tv options were minimal. Both growth periods also coincided with some terrific gains in quality as well. So it's hard to say what really drove that growth. On the other hand, when the NHL had their best tv deals in their history, they had trouble bumping the ratings. This coincided with a decline in quality due to over expansion, the neutral zone trap & the excessive clutching and grabbing.

And please, do not turn my 2 hour investment in a Fulham match into 3 hrs. It's a small part of what reduced my interest in watching US sports as it is. I have a number of buddies who have started following rugby for the same reason.

 

I just want to correct one major misconception. TV will never, and is not expected to, grow the popularity of soccer in the USA. This is not to say that lack of TV can't hurt soccer, but the growth is purely organic growth - people going to games, people going to sports bars, people growing up playing the game.

Now yes, exposure like Beckham on TV helps but that, IMO, is far different from increase purely by showing the games.

ESPN isn't showing the Champions League, EuroCup, and WorldCup in hopes of growing the audience. The audience is already big and they're trying to cash in on it.

If you want more televised MLS games, then MLS needs to grow its audience first. That means more places like Seattle and Toronto with 20k+ season ticket holders.

 

DREW CAREY - 10AM- ESPN2

this morning 'First Take'
About the Sounders, I'm sure... tho also may be about the big dance
- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -

As to WhitesBhoy not being sure what I'm about on here, I thought I explained it.
I'll recap
- Shirt Sponsors arent such a big deal, the bigger the team the less return. I dont think it hurts to do it in MLS, we fans respect, for the most part, anyone who puts money in.

- Using the racer boards for specifically made adverts could be highly effective toward the TV audience

- Pointed out 'one second spots' having been used elsewhere effectively, though not for EVERY product/market. Perhaps we'll be seeing those in future. Downside: This Corner Kick brought to you by....

I'll make it clear I dont think the game itself should be adjusted in anyway to accomodate. TV timeouts started us down the slippery slope to viewer hell.

 

Carey v Bayliss - was on ESPN2

he has a great idea... fan votes on GM every four years.

He says Seattle may do that, ST holders and 'those who buy memberships'.

We'll see.

 

RE: Carey v Bayliss - now ESPN2

Drew Carey may have done almost as much for The League as Beckham. Certainly more than anyone else I can think of.

 

RE: Carey v Bayliss - ESPN2

Because he can explain the attractions to the clueless, he started there, himself... he just did to Bayliss.
In terms of NFL 6-3 game can be exciting to those who know the rules and intricacies.

 

Carey on Cowherd ESPNU / Radio

now

 

RE: Carey on Cowherd ESPNU / Radio

If we had links, it sure would be more helpful.

 

RE: Carey on fan input to FO

If you have tv available? OTHERWISE...What you want, a link to ESPN?

I googled and found this on the Carey Sounders Fan Association

 

Can someone please create a, "Deciphering Pettyfog's Main Idea" filter? On occasion I literally have no idea what he is trying to say, or what point he is attempting to make because he writes in some kind of chopped up, syncopated code.

Example:

What does it all mean?!?

 

Pardon me assuming you knew Chip Bayliss {& ESPN talking head in General} schtick:

Soccer is boring.. who wants to watch 90 minutes of scoreless kicking ball around!


Does that sound familiar? Now... does the defensive NFL battle allegory make sense.

Maybe if you just THOUGHT about the context for a minute.

Note: he also snarked a little... "Would it make it more interesting if a soccer goal were worth 7 points?"

Want me to explain what he meant by that?

 

Hey, lay off indoor soccer; it snows up here. It's also nice for the kids to play on a flat field so the ball actually goes where they kick it.

Also, most of the men who play in the indoor league around here are foreign so it's not only the Americans who are embracing it.

 

For our Canadian brothers...do ya'll call indoor soccer, box soccer? Just curious.

 

Fog, the dude on ESPN is "Skip Bayliss"...minor nit... he used write for the San Jose Mercury News when I was living in the Bay before leaving for the gig on the big E, and was a Dallas Sports Writer for awhile and is a known wind-up in that he does take sometimes unpopular positions on things. Oh, and his brother is that Chef in Chicago who has a show on PBS about Mexican food. My mouth waters everytime I watch him whip up some Mexican meal.

His deal with Soccer, I think, is born out of ignorance. I used to say the same crap, but it all changed when I started to learn the game.

One of his other big things is to say Cycling isn't a sport so Lance Armstrong should have never get Sportsman of the Year on SI. I happen to agree that if you can't say 'Play' right before the activity, it can't be a sport it is just an athletic activity or event. Makes some people crazy.

 

Yeah, but do you really "play" baseball??

 

Absolutely, it is a game. Being a game is a prerequisite. Not all games are sports, but all sports are games.

 

Can you make a shoe smell?

 

And if a shoe has a tongue, what must it taste like?

 

Since we throw rice at weddings in America, in China, do they throw hot dogs?