Who is Brian McBride?

What percentage of Americans do you think would answer this question correctly if people were chosen at random?

1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 35%, 50%

 

Had to go w/1%, but since that's over a couple of million, not too bad. I can tell you that the 6 Mexican-Americans I watched the game w/all knew him and all are very happy he's retired from Int'l competition.

 

So I take it those Mexican-Americans were cheering for Mexico - sad, sad, sad.

Anyway, I went with 1% too. I guess you're right a couple million isnt all that bad. I just wish more youth soccer players knew who he is and wore his jersey.

 

LOL funny but what I would expect nonetheless. Guess it's part of the fun.

The avatar was inspired by the interview with him you posted today.

 

Less than one percent but i doubt that he would want it any other way.

 

I think perhaps as much as 5%, if not pressed and given a hint.

 

I said 5%. I think he has name recognition among the sports fan community.

 

Too funny.

I went higher, I voted 33%, in that his name would ring a bell among the sports fans who pay attention to the World Cup. Most who do would realize that he is the hard man who bloodied his face in a game.

 

The number "20" just seemed so appropriate.

 

Wow, you got to be McBride for short time. Bet that was fun. Sign any autographs?

 

Maybe about a tenth of a percent if that. That's still 300,000 people. There aren't 300,000 people who know me.

Here's how I justify that--there are about 5,000 people at the Census Bureau where I work. Many of those people are not sports fans. Many of the sports fans are not soccer fans at all. I know of a handful of soccer fans at the Bureau (at our HQ outside of DC), but I'd be surprised if 50 people know who he is, and that's 0.1%. These are people who live in the DC area, which is a fairly big soccer area and not an insular place.

Another piece of evidence--I have a framed McBride jersey in the hallway in my house. I have never had anybody over who know who he was.

If you said Landon Donovan, Freddie Adu, or even Clint Dempsey, I'd say it was more. McBride is not the kind of player who draws general interest. He's a football fan's football player, but not a guy-at-the-sports-bar type of football player.

Let's put it this way--how many of you know who Jeremy Bonderman is? Probably not everybody, even though this is a sports fan web site. However, many, many, many more Americans know who Jeremy Bonderman is than know who Brian McBride is.

 

The bad news is I agree that it has to be in the single digits anyway. You'd probably have more people know who Freddy Adu is than Mac which is an out and out travesty but probably accurate.

The good news is that I truly believe that more young people are getting involved in the game and have a better awareness of the personalities (thank you Becks) and are going to continue to know more and more players. Unfortunately for Mac, too little too late but he can take heart in the fact that his play and heart have paved the way for the Dempsey's and Adu's and Johnson's et al.