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Soccer is a cheap sport to play with your friends. At the same time, soccer is the most expensive sport in the world. Investment in soccer is directly seen on the field. Competing at a high level is not using your mate's jumper as a goal. Those 8 year olds are identified on those fields by people who make more in a week than a person in that town makes in a year. They come to academies where they are trained and educated to be players. for every 10 players taken in, less than 1 make it to the top level. The investment is off the charts. Sure it is cheap, but also, it is not.
This is why soccer is less popular in the US. Sports development is achieved later in life and is done via middle school and high school. Soccer and I imagine sports in general outside the US is done via academies and they train primary/elementary school aged kids.
This is why soccer is less popular in the US. Sports development is achieved later in life and is done via middle school and high school. Soccer and I imagine sports in general outside the US is done via academies and they train primary/elementary school aged kids.
This is true. And many high schools do not put very much into soccer development. Many high school concentrate on football, basketball, and/or baseball, with soccer seen as a lesser sport. Its true in my district. It is improving, but its mainly wealthy families who can afford high end private clubs that do very good youth development.
Soccer is the world's most popular sport, by far. In most countries, they know it as "football" rather than "soccer", as they don't use the imperial measuring system from which gridiron (American) football got its name. The World Cup is the world's holy grail of sporting events, even more popular than the Olympics. It's most popular in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, with a few exceptions, but not so much in Asia or North America (Canada and the US).
As for soccer or football in the US, I am British and it's not something I am bothered about, if the Americans want to play it then good for them, and I suppose Americans who originate from Mexico or other such countries where soccer (football) is more popular may latch on to the sport more easily than other groups.
However I personally think the US already has a lot of sports in relation to American Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey, and it all depends how big the market is in relation to adding new sports to a country with a lot of established sports.
In this respect I couldn't see the UK embracing US sports in the same way it does in relation to traditional sports such as Football (Soccer), Rugby and Cricket.
As for soccer or football in the US, I am British and it's not something I am bothered about, if the Americans want to play it then good for them, and I suppose Americans who originate from Mexico or other such countries where soccer (football) is more popular may latch on to the sport more easily than other groups.
However I personally think the US already has a lot of sports in relation to American Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey, and it all depends how big the market is in relation to adding new sports to a country with a lot of established sports.
In this respect I couldn't see the UK embracing US sports in the same way it does in relation to traditional sports such as Football (Soccer), Rugby and Cricket.
It's not that we rejected "Soccer" (English slang for Association Football)...we morphed it into an American sport by combining it with Rugby , which gave birth to American Football.
Go back and look at the early versions of American Football. It was a very different sport than the sophisticated version played today.
Canadians did the same thing to soccer...but they put in on ice and called it Hockey and let it evolve.
...and the Australians created Australian Rules Football as they liked to play it.
Something about those pesky children rebelling against their Mother Country, UK, to forge their own personality.
The rest of the world just adopted England's version of Association Football (Soccer) ..but by the time it spread to Brazil, South America, and Southern Europe..it was not longer called Soccer...just Football.
I can't name another non-Anglo inspired country that developed a World Sport to that degree.
Oh...and the NFL is definitely planning on placing a permanent team in London. they've been testing the market for 30 years now.
It's not that we rejected "Soccer" (English slang for Association Football)...we morphed it into an American sport by combining it with Rugby , which gave birth to American Football.
Go back and look at the early versions of American Football. It was a very different sport than the sophisticated version played today.
Canadians did the same thing to soccer...but they put in on ice and called it Hockey and let it evolve.
...and the Australians created Australian Rules Football as they liked to play it.
Something about those pesky children rebelling against their Mother Country, UK, to forge their own personality.
The rest of the world just adopted England's version of Association Football (Soccer) ..but by the time it spread to Brazil, South America, and Southern Europe..it was not longer called Soccer...just Football.
I can't name another non-Anglo inspired country that developed a World Sport to that degree.
Oh...and the NFL is definitely planning on placing a permanent team in London. they've been testing the market for 30 years now.
I think US American football is closer to Rugby League as opposed to Association Football, however I am no expert in terms of American Football history.
I am sure London would welcome an NFL Team and it should be noted that there is now a US Baseball game played in London, and there have been US basketball and hockey games played here in the past.
The most popular of the US sports in Britain was actually Baseball, and there is a history of some quite well attended baseball games in various parts of the UK.
Whilst I am sure the odd team or game in relation to NFL might prove successful, I doubt that it could develop in to a domestic league in the same way as Soccer (football) or in relation to other established sports.
In terms of sports, it's great to see as many countries as possible participating in international sports, and I welcome the US playing ever more sports overseas and embracing as many sports as possible, and the same goes for the world as a whole.
I think US American football is closer to Rugby League as opposed to Association Football, however I am no expert in terms of American Football history.
I am sure London would welcome an NFL Team and it should be noted that there is now a US Baseball game played in London, and there have been US basketball and hockey games played here in the past.
The most popular of the US sports in Britain was actually Baseball, and there is a history of some quite well attended baseball games in various parts of the UK.
Whilst I am sure the odd team or game in relation to NFL might prove successful, I doubt that it could develop in to a domestic league in the same way as Soccer (football) or in relation to other established sports.
In terms of sports, it's great to see as many countries as possible participating in international sports, and I welcome the US playing ever more sports overseas and embracing as many sports as possible, and the same goes for the world as a whole.
I'm still wondering why the UK hasn't pulled the trigger on placing TWO Premiere League teams in the United States.
Seems like adding a team in New York City and Boston would be a brilliant move and could be the only way to flip Americans into caring about "Soccer". Why ignore that huge market?
American Football borrows from soccer.....it's just that our goalie box is vertical with no net, and unprotected, but scoring a "goal" through the uprights (called field goal or extra point) is a huge part of American Football and the scoring strategy.
Oh...and the NFL is definitely planning on placing a permanent team in London. they've been testing the market for 30 years now.
I just don't see how you can reasonably manage a league that spans 9 time zones. The travel demands will put the London team at a clear disadvantage to the rest of the teams in the league.
I just don't see how you can reasonably manage a league that spans 9 time zones. The travel demands will put the London team at a clear disadvantage to the rest of the teams in the league.
They've been playing multiple games IN London for a while now
Football is a once a week sport..they can work out the logistics.
I'd actually expand with 8 new teams.
A Division in Europe, with 4 teams, in these locations (will help with travel to/from these teams):
-London
-Germany
-Spain
-Paris
4 new North American teams
-Toronto
-Mexico City
-New US Franchise
-New US Franchise
They've been playing multiple games IN London for a while now
Sure, but no one team has had to play more than one game there per season. That's a far cry from having to play every home game there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by H'ton
Football is a once a week sport..they can work out the logistics.
Right, and those logistics would put a London-based team at a distinct disadvantage because they will necessarily spend considerably more time traveling and considerably less time at their own facilities than any other team. No player will want to be based there and they'll do what they can to avoid playing for the London team.
If these logistics were so simple to work out, there'd probably be a team in London by now.
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