World Cup 2018/2022

Tokyo Slim · Dec 3, 2010

Originally Posted by frenchy

i dont get you guys,if you wanna follow some passionate soccer...move to europe. if you live in europe but love basketball/football/baseball move to the US,why does everything have to be equally liked,i think thats part of the charm...when in japan take in a sumo match,when in saudi arabia go see a beheading and so on etc.
The International Beheading Competitions are quite breathtaking, actually. Like many other sports, including baseball and soccer, the Japanese field a fairly strong national team.

BDC2823 · Dec 3, 2010

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

If you don't think there's room for growth, I think you're mistaken. People have been saying the same thing as you just did since the 80s and there are distinct signs that you are in fact, wrong. MLS attendance is up when not much else is. There are more MLS stadiums that have been and are currently being built in the past few years than MLB, NBA, or NFL. If I'm not mistaken, it's one of the few major sports leagues that's expanding into new cities, while still increasing attendance and profitability. Average attendance is better in several cities than the MLB/NBA teams in the same cities. The 2010 world cup was watched by 64% more American households than the last one. I'm not saying it's going to replace football or baseball or basketball. But pretending like it's the NHL or the WNBA is also probably a mistake.
+1. As someone that grew up a huge baseball, basketball, and football fan, I didn't follow soccer at all up until about 3 years ago. Now I love it. However, I don't watch a lick of MLS and until they start attracting stars in their prime, I probably won't. Even with my favorite player (Henry) coming over, and with the Galaxy being pretty local, I still haven't gained interest. I strictly watch EPL, La Liga, and some Serie A. I am waiting in great anticipation for the day when Arsenal or Barca comes to LA for a friendly. There's just something magical in watching guys like Xavi and Messi play that watching a MLS game leaves me unfulfilled.

embowafa · Dec 3, 2010

Originally Posted by BDC2823

+1. As someone that grew up a huge baseball, basketball, and football fan, I didn't follow soccer at all up until about 3 years ago. Now I love it. However, I don't watch a lick of MLS and until they start attracting stars in their prime, I probably won't. Even with my favorite player (Henry) coming over, and with the Galaxy being pretty local, I still haven't gained interest. I strictly watch EPL, La Liga, and some Serie A. I am waiting in great anticipation for the day when Arsenal or Barca comes to LA for a friendly. There's just something magical in watching guys like Xavi and Messi play that watching a MLS game leaves me unfulfilled.
I think you're making my point for me (not that I care). You're exactly right...even if American's do adopt soccer, they want to see the best. It's why there are so many EPL, La Liga, Serie A fans. That's where the good stuff is. MLS, in comparison, is like subjecting yourself to chinese water torture. I watch it casually because I like to "support" the Galaxy (haven't been to a game in almost 3 years). But to get the $$$ to roll in, you need talent. And unfortunately for the MLS, you need the talent/big names that are here to actually make it to the championship game (see: Red Bulls early exit, Galaxy losing in semis). Beckham/Donovan vs. Henry/Marquez would have been A LOT more popular than FC Dallas vs. Colorado. But back on topic...Qatar...WTF?!?

Benzito · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

If you don't think there's room for growth, I think you're mistaken. People have been saying the same thing as you just did since the 80s and there are distinct signs that you are in fact, wrong.

MLS attendance is up when not much else is. There are more MLS stadiums that have been and are currently being built in the past few years than MLB, NBA, or NFL. If I'm not mistaken, it's one of the few major sports leagues that's expanding into new cities, while still increasing attendance and profitability. Average attendance is better in several cities than the MLB/NBA teams in the same cities. The 2010 world cup was watched by 64% more American households than the last one.

I'm not saying it's going to replace football or baseball or basketball. But pretending like it's the NHL or the WNBA is also probably a mistake.

I could be wrong, but with all the MLS hubbub in Portland, there's been a lot of news and analysis about the MLS as a league. I think attendance, on the average, is actually down everywhere except Seattle and the other new team. Overall, yes, there is greater attendance, but that tends to happen when you add two or three new teams. And new stadia for teams that didn't exist before? I don't know how that is a good comparison to the NFL / MLB / NBA. Those are established teams with a fanbase that the MLS would ******* left nut for a 1/10 of.

I think the MLS is definitely in reach of the NHL purely because of the better regional appeal and the fact they only compete with MLB (and NASCAR) during their season. If the MLS goes to Fall to Spring like other countries, I think it'll be a huge mistake.

word · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Pantisocrat

The comments here are so idiotic I just I have to laugh. First of all, America is made up of many tribes, and each tribe roots for a certain sport. When I was growing up, the Mexicans played soccer, the blacks played basketball, the Puerto Ricans played baseball, the Asians played badminton, and most of the whites played football, while everyone else played dodgeball. It just happened that the majority of Americans favor "American" sports. How many Mexicans show up to watch ice hockey? How many black people watch the America's cup? And now, let's be honest, how many white Americans watch soccer? No one in the US gives a damn about the World Cup...and the ones that do were Europeans pretending to be Americans. Secondly, when does hosting correlates with power projection? The driving force behind these decisions is economic. Nike and Adidas want to create new markets, that means getting Middle Eastern girls to buy soccer cleats and those fat ass Russian millionaires to finally buy a soccer ball to lose weight. Third, the selecting committee is dominated by Europeans, and many of them hate USA out of pure jealousy. This is psychological drama left over from WWII.
Where I grew up (rich white suburbia) many of the kids played soccer, including me. I'm sure most rich white kids who were born in the early 80s played soccer at some point in their early life. And there were no chicos around this city either.

@ the bold part. I think it's absolutely hilarious how into the world cup we get here. You got dudes coming out of the woodwork claiming to be soccer fans and ****. Come the **** on brother, so you played in a challenge league growing up, good for you.

Actually this reminds me.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2010...the-world-cup/

Tokyo Slim · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Benzito

I could be wrong, but with all the MLS hubbub in Portland, there's been a lot of news and analysis about the MLS as a league. I think attendance, on the average, is actually down everywhere except Seattle and the other new team.

Nope

Originally Posted by Benzito

And new stadia for teams that didn't exist before?

Wrong.

Sesame Seed · Dec 4, 2010

Qatar? FIFA needs to get fuckin' real.

StephenHero · Dec 4, 2010

Does anyone know who voted for who?

Benzito · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Nope

Wrong.

My bad . . . a whopping 2% increase. And like I said, you take out Seattle and RBNY and there is close to or even lower than last year's attendance.

As for the stadia, the MLS has eighteen or nineteen teams that didn't exist 15 years ago. No big surprise that teams are getting new fields since they were wedged into football-specific, large attendance fields in the first place. Too bad European teams can regularly pull 30,000 to 45,000 per game, yet the US teams are begging for "intimate" new stadia that barely fit 20,000 (again, excluding Seattle, even though they tarp off most of the upper deck at Qwest).

svelten · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Nope

Wrong.

Ouch, what happened to San Jose? They're a pretty new team too, sort of. Attendance in Vancouver should be very good next year, and Seattle will continue to be competitive and sell out the season. Every league has their dogs that just has to remain despite lack of viability, ie the Phoenix Coyotes just for geographic diversity.

Does anyone know who voted for who?

Pretty sure the balloting is kept behind closed doors, but you can probably make a few good guesses. Qatar is a very strange choice, particularly with China ready to host in 2026, which, if FIFA has any shred of credibility left, should not break their own confederation rules to appease. With 2030 probably heading to Argentina/Uruguay, 2026 is North America's best hope of hosting in our lifetimes...

Tokyo Slim · Dec 4, 2010

You act as if every team in Europe draws 35-40k fans.

Lets see. Nine teams (roughly half) the EPL draws in the 20's or below. Seven or eight Bundesliga teams, thirteen La Liga teams, fifteen Serie A teams, etc.

edinatlanta · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by StephenHero

Does anyone know who voted for who?

Voting is secret (and for good reason actually) but there are ways to figure out who did. For example, it is almost impossible to think Jack Warner would have ever voted for England (and IIRC England only got one vote, definitely not him). So there's that. We also know who Temarii voted for. Kidding.

There are some stories that have done a speculative round-by-round guess of who voted for whom. I can send you a link our reporter did if you want.

Tokyo Slim · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Just for comparison.

Man, it's too bad that Brazil isn't a good footballing country. (10)

fwiffo · Dec 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Tangfastic

There has been a lot in the British press the last few weeks about corruption amongst FIFA officials. The debate has been "do we shut up about it and smile nicely until after the finals are awarded or expose the dirty bribe taking scum before the decision". The BBC and several newspapers ran with stories before the decision was made, and it is now being reported that this is the reason England didn't get any votes. Moral high ground won, finals lost.

Yeah - I have to agree the press buggered up the whole England bid. Otherwise, I can't imagine a place with better facilities for football than England. But the fact that Germany got it not too long ago must have weighed in on it.

Some people in this thread moan about the lack of security in Russia. Let's wait and see about Brazil. After all, Jenson Button was mugged and he was only there for 2 weeks for F1 this season.

Tangfastic · Dec 5, 2010

Things are picking up over here..

The Chairman of the FA resigned yesterday as he said he was unable to fill his job requirements as he would not deal with FIFA again.
Also, Blatter and cronies were due to be put up at Â£1000 a night suites at the Dorchester during the 2012 Olympics, the Mayor of London has now withdrawn this offer.

If this gets any further the FA and FIFA will be failing to recognise each other at all. A world cup without England wouldn't be anything new, but a World Cup without any players registered to the Premier League? (to speculate beyond even todays tabloid lengths).

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