OT:Womens World Cup ratings Out do Final 4

[Fk_Pitt]

So the US women received a TV rating Sunday night that was higher than the college football semifinals, the Stanley cup finals, the World Series, and all but game 6 of the NBA Final. Additionally, it outdrew the UK/Wisconsin game which was the highest rated Final Four game in 22 years.

Admittedly, I am a fan. I have been ever since my daughters started playing at a high level almost 20 years ago. But prior to that, I wasn't any different than the average American. I am not naive. I understand that it was event television Sunday night. But so is the Final Four, World Series, etc.

But why doesn't the FIBA women's basketball draw on TV? We are supposed to be a basketball country. The people at USA basketball must be beating their heads against the wall.

Why does America watch the World Cup soccer?

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Sunday night prime time is an excellent slot. Why do you think they play the Super Bowl at that time? It was well marketed. It was a US friendly time zones (Canada). Admittedly, a lot of the girls were cute. Despite this reinvention of human beings by "progressives", there is still a sex appeal that sells.

I watched it. I watched every game. I enjoyed it, got into it. Someone had an interesting point, why wouldn't FIBA Women's Basketball Championships draw even a tenth of the viewers, and that is a good point, since basketball is way more popular.

 

[Zaratoughda]

The reason it drew so much is because it was a team representing the entire country and was in the finals of their event.

If Germany had beaten us in the semifinals there would have been ZILCH people watching the finals or the consolation game.

In pro sports... the teams represent cities so if you got a finals of Seattle vs San Francisco then almost nobody along the east coast is gonna care or watch, and the same for the midwest, south, etc.

Why people are not interested in USA women's basketball I don't know. Maybe because our men's national teams are usually gonna win it all... while in soccer... our men's teams don't stand much of a chance but our women's team does. People like a winner.

Also, there was some drama what with the English team losing their semi-final on an 'own goal'.

 

[Pitt79]

I agree that I wouldn't have watched the Final if it was Germany/Japan. But I did watch the men's final last year, Germany/Argentina.

It does help that the USA is a traditional world power in the women's game.And it makes sense. As much as feminist types would hate to admit it, in a lot of the foreign countries that are good men's soccer, women still are into more traditional roles and aren't as encouraged to be into sports as much as American girls are.

 

[Zaratoughda]

NCAA and College Sports are stupid with their Monday Night 9:15pm start times, why? Put the football and basketball title games at 7:00pm Sunday and their ratings will be way higher.

And I do think soccer is really catching fire in the USA right now and there's a lot of reasons. Lots of kids play and that translates to more adults that will like it. I didn't play as a kid, but watching my daughter play for years, I really love it now. So many competitions, EPL, MLS, World Cup etc.

My own personal theory, I am sick of the micromanaged aspects of US sports, nitpicky rules, constant TV timeouts and stoppages for every reason imaginable. Hour long discussions to spot a ball, etc. Soccer a ref points to a random spot, PLAY ON! DONE!

Soccer is great because they've had the same rules for 1000 years and never change them (US Sports change 1000 rules every year) , and the clock never stops, constant action, who cares if there's a goal scored or not! Today, I can't even stomach watching a single AT BAT in a baseball game, I can't imagine how I was able to watch entire games back in the day? Or stay up to watch NHL Playoff OTs that might last 5 hours, NO THANKS!

And best of all above all else NO INSTANT REPLAY REVIEW-HATE IT. No OBSESSION to "get it right", I might be one of the few in the USA, but I hate instant replay, no matter what form or what sport, it ruins the flow of the game and causes too many delays! I'd rather have mistakes and live with them.... EVEN IF IT COSTS MY TEAM sometimes, shyt happens! So what? In soccer a game kicks off and you know it will be over in 2-2.5 hours, get your entertainment in and move on.

I have never watched more than a few minutes of a soccer game and don't expect I ever will. The most BORING sport that I have ever seen. Even more boring as a spectator sport than bowling. You got long stretches where almost NOTHING happens.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Here's some SMF thoughts on the subject:

- #1, I am stunned that the USA/Japan final beat the USA/Portugal men's game last year (which was also in a Sunday night TV time slot). Portugal has the most marketable athlete on the planet and the men's game is far more popular. I get that its the 2nd game of the men's vs the women's final but still, pretty stunned. It also pummeled the men's final last year between Germany and Argentina. The women's ratings are mind-numbing. But, FWIW, if the American men made some magical run to the Final, I believe the hype would be so out of control that it would post Super Bowl-type ratings. It would be one of the biggest TV events of our generation.

- As for reasons, well the biggest of which is Americans like winners whether its your HS football team, your college team, pro team, etc. Americans watch winners and the USA women's soccer team is THE BEST. The USA men are far from that.

- The point about the women's FIBA championship not being remotely close (is it even televised?) is a good one given that basketball is a far more popular sport. However, the WWC final blew away the FIBA men or Olympic men so of course, its going to outdo the FIBA women even though the USA is the best. I think women's soccer is more appealing to a casual viewer than women's basketball. We watch so much basketball that when you turn on a women's game, at least for me, its hard to watch. I appreciate their skill level but its so far below the men that it makes it painful at times. For women's soccer, so many people don't watch men's soccer that the women's game just looks like SOCCER and not necessarily a cheapened version of it. And to be honest, although they are nowhere near as good, women's soccer does look a lot like the men's game.

- The other thing is that the average American can relate to this women's team. They look like the "average American" and a few are very attractive. That helps a great deal.

- Not to discredit the American women but for me, I cant get too into the WWC. I watched some of the semis and final but the average American doesn't realize that we're not playing on a level playing field. The USA, Germany, Japan, China, and the scandinavian countries are the only countries in the world who promote and develop women's soccer players. Those are the only countries that even have a chance of winning it. Canada too but they have to compete with women's hockey. There's a reason why USA is better than Brazil, England, Germany, etc. Its because our 1st or 2nd tier athletes play soccer here and there's tons of money pumped into it. In places like Brazil or England, there are just grassroots organizations. For some of these nations, the women are essentially amateurs who landed a spot on the team in an open tryout. Heck, the Mexican team were mostly all former D1 American women who have Mexican parents. Monica Gonzalez who does sideline reporting for ESPN is a former Mexican WWC player and lived her whole life here. Its kinda not really a "World Cup," more of a tournament that only a few teams can win because most of the world doesn't care about and doesn't fund women's sports.

- Like it or not, soccer is HERE. There's no way to stop it. MLS is experiencing unbelievable growth and the next step is to further expand probably to 28 or 30 teams within a decade and to land a TV deal large enough that will enable them to land European or South American superstars in their prime. There are strong rumors now that Mexican stars Giovanni Dos Santos and Chicharito, both of whom are in their prime, may come over becoming the first-ever foregin players to play in MLS in their prime. The USMNT's Dempsey, Bradley, and Altidore started that trend though Dempsey was a little past his prime.

 

[hollowpanther]

I have never watched more than a few minutes of a soccer game and don't expect I ever will. The most BORING sport that I have ever seen. Even more boring as a spectator sport than bowling. You got long stretches where almost NOTHING happens.

You have obviously never watched curling ...

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I have never watched more than a few minutes of a soccer game and don't expect I ever will. The most BORING sport that I have ever seen. Even more boring as a spectator sport than bowling. You got long stretches where almost NOTHING happens.

I can understand that. Very little scoring. Americans love points. However, you have to watch it from a different perspective. Getting that 1 goal is so huge, all of the stuff you think is boring or nothing is just build-up to a break-through goal or 2. While its true that there are less "points" in soccer, I assure you that in no other sport on the planet is a "point" worth more than in soccer and that's what hooks people in. Watching a team score a goal is much more thrilling than a TD pass, kickoff return, or 3 pointer and the world would agree.

 

[NTOP]

So the US women received a TV rating Sunday night that was higher than the college football semifinals, the Stanley cup finals, the World Series, and all but game 6 of the NBA Final. Additionally, it outdrew the UK/Wisconsin game which was the highest rated Final Four game in 22 years.

Admittedly, I am a fan. I have been ever since my daughters started playing at a high level almost 20 years ago. But prior to that, I wasn't any different than the average American. I am not naive. I understand that it was event television Sunday night. But so is the Final Four, World Series, etc.

But why doesn't the FIBA women's basketball draw on TV? We are supposed to be a basketball country. The people at USA basketball must be beating their heads against the wall.

Why does America watch the World Cup soccer?

Patriotism?? No real competition that evening?

NCAA and College Sports are stupid with their Monday Night 9:15pm start times, why? Put the football and basketball title games at 7:00pm Sunday and their ratings will be way higher.

And I do think soccer is really catching fire in the USA right now and there's a lot of reasons. Lots of kids play and that translates to more adults that will like it. I didn't play as a kid, but watching my daughter play for years, I really love it now. So many competitions, EPL, MLS, World Cup etc.

My own personal theory, I am sick of the micromanaged aspects of US sports, nitpicky rules, constant TV timeouts and stoppages for every reason imaginable. Hour long discussions to spot a ball, etc. Soccer a ref points to a random spot, PLAY ON! DONE!

Soccer is great because they've had the same rules for 1000 years and never change them (US Sports change 1000 rules every year) , and the clock never stops, constant action, who cares if there's a goal scored or not! Today, I can't even stomach watching a single AT BAT in a baseball game, I can't imagine how I was able to watch entire games back in the day? Or stay up to watch NHL Playoff OTs that might last 5 hours, NO THANKS!

And best of all above all else NO INSTANT REPLAY REVIEW-HATE IT. No OBSESSION to "get it right", I might be one of the few in the USA, but I hate instant replay, no matter what form or what sport, it ruins the flow of the game and causes too many delays! I'd rather have mistakes and live with them.... EVEN IF IT COSTS MY TEAM sometimes, shyt happens! So what? In soccer a game kicks off and you know it will be over in 2-2.5 hours, get your entertainment in and move on.

Soccer is NOT constant action....lots of standing around & jogging. Boring 99% of the time. I like the absence of replays....but there aren't many plays that are consequential. I've suggested before that the game would be better if they had an over-and-back rule .No protecting a lead by kicking it back to your goalie for 20 minutes. Probably good game to play, lots of skills with the ball........paint dries.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Soccer is NOT constant action....lots of standing around & jogging.

Well, this isn't true. Soccer players run an average of 7 miles per game with some of that being sprinting, stopping, starting, shifting, etc. They have to be in world-class marathon shape to even set foot on the field. Its non-stop running unless you're the keeper. They are the fittest team-sport athletes on the planet without question.

I was talking to a cab driver in Scotland about football and futbol and he said he couldn't take watching football for the same reasons you cant watch fubol. He said its too boring. They only play for a few seconds then stop, take a break, huddle up, etc. No action. I like both sports but if you're looking for non-stop action, futbol is for you. If you're looking for 10 minutes of action (real time) in a 3 hour window, but with more big plays, then football is for you. Football has far less "action" but the action it does have is more exciting I guess you can say.

 

[NTOP]

Well, this isn't true. Soccer players run an average of 7 miles per game with some of that being sprinting, stopping, starting, shifting, etc. They have to be in world-class marathon shape to even set foot on the field. Its non-stop running unless you're the keeper. They are the fittest team-sport athletes on the planet without question.

I was talking to a cab driver in Scotland about football and futbol and he said he couldn't take watching football for the same reasons you cant watch fubol. He said its too boring. They only play for a few seconds then stop, take a break, huddle up, etc. No action. I like both sports but if you're looking for non-stop action, futbol is for you. If you're looking for 10 minutes of action (real time) in a 3 hour window, but with more big plays, then football is for you. Football has far less "action" but the action it does have is more exciting I guess you can say.

Yeah, really exciting.....kick the ball back & forth 30 times, somebody tips it OB, trot back down the field to watch the OTHER guys do the same. As for "running" 7 miles in all that time....hooey. Watch the guys not close to the ball. Makes Bill Carpenter seem like Deion Sanders. Plenty of time between real action to fire up the grill, put on some ribeyes, decork some Mateus, take a dump and come back to see the action....a header from 30 feet miss everything and 3 clowns feign life-threatening injury. (Please forgive me, I'm in full-blown exaggeration mode today.)

 

[Pitt79]

I have never watched more than a few minutes of a soccer game and don't expect I ever will. The most BORING sport that I have ever seen. Even more boring as a spectator sport than bowling. You got long stretches where almost NOTHING happens.

But I suppose you can watch baseball? I mean the wait between pitches has become so excruciating to me, I just can't do it anymore! I flip the channel out of frustration! And the modern game is about waiting out the pitcher and trying to draw walks... and people think soccer is boring when there is constant movement and never a stop in the action.

You think soccer is boring why? Because it's hard to score and you kind of feel that only "Scoring" = "Action".

 

[Pitt79]

You have obviously never watched curling ...

Curling is way more thrilling than baseball! I grew up with baseball, I think I liked it now, because it was part of being American, you where supposed to like it, then one night in the '80s I was watching the World Series and thought, "Damn, why am I watching this? It's so damn boring!" I remember flipping over to "Dynasty" or something like that, I haven't watched much baseball since! I only watch Pirates playoff games, so do te math as to how many games I've watched the last 20 years... but I have watched 3-4 soccer games the last week alone.

 

[NTOP]

But I suppose you can watch baseball? I mean the wait between pitches has become so excruciating to me, I just can't do it anymore! I flip the channel out of frustration! And the modern game is about waiting out the pitcher and trying to draw walks... and people think soccer is boring when there is constant movement and never a stop in the action.

You think soccer is boring why? Because it's hard to score and you kind of feel that only "Scoring" = "Action".

See my response to SMF. Baseball is a great way to relax, with spurts of great action & drama. Last night's Pirates game, e.g. Hot dog shots, Pierogi Races, real nailbiter.....2-1. Enjoyed being there.

 

[Pitt79]

I've suggested before that the game would be better if they had an over-and-back rule .No protecting a lead by kicking it back to your goalie for 20 minutes.

But baseball is exciting, lol!

Anyways, this is what's great about soccer, just because someone thinks it needs to be more exciting, they won't change the rules for you! Love that! Sick of the NFL "competition commitee" trying to "fix" the game every year with new rules.

 

[Pitt79]

I was talking to a cab driver in Scotland about football and futbol and he said he couldn't take watching football for the same reasons you cant watch fubol. He said its too boring. They only play for a few seconds then stop, take a break, huddle up, etc. No action. I like both sports but if you're looking for non-stop action, futbol is for you. If you're looking for 10 minutes of action (real time) in a 3 hour window, but with more big plays, then football is for you. Football has far less "action" but the action it does have is more exciting I guess you can say.

I am tending to agree with the Scottish Cabbie more and more. The stoppages in football are becoming more and more common every year. I mean how often do you get SEVERAL FLAGS and SEVERAL STOPPAGES between just 2 plays being run? Then they go "under the hood" to determine the exact spot of the ball for 5 minutes! Then the refs have to remind each other about the 57 new rules implemented last winter, etc. LOL, I mean I grew up in Western PA in the '70s and I love football, but they are really ruining it and slowing it down.

 

[Pitt79]

Plenty of time between real action to fire up the grill, put on some ribeyes, decork some Mateus, take a dump and come back to see the action....a header from 30 feet miss everything and 3 clowns feign life-threatening injury. (Please forgive me, I'm in full-blown exaggeration mode today.)

Sort of like that Pirates game last Saturday, that THRILLING 1-0 win over Cleveland! LOL, you could of done all that, written War & Peace II come back and still be waiting for the batter to quit scratching his crotch and get a hit! Lol. I "watched" that game, meaning my TV was tuned to it as I did 1000 other things, Every once in awhile I'd glance at it, to confirm that nothing was happening still. Not even guys jogging around in circles.

 

[Pitt79]

See my response to SMF. Baseball is a great way to relax, with spurts of great action & drama. Last night's Pirates game, e.g. Hot dog shots, Pierogi Races, real nailbiter.....2-1. Enjoyed being there.

Going there is different, I can do that, with some friends, just drink beer and talkj about things other than baseball and look up when people get excited once an hour! I just don't want to be sitting close to the field because I have almost zero ability to pay attention because it's so damn boring and might get hit with a fould ball!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I am tending to agree with the Scottish Cabbie more and more. The stoppages in football are becoming more and more common every year. I mean how often do you get SEVERAL FLAGS and SEVERAL STOPPAGES between just 2 plays being run? Then they go "under the hood" to determine the exact spot of the ball for 5 minutes! Then the refs have to remind each other about the 57 new rules implemented last winter, etc. LOL, I mean I grew up in Western PA in the '70s and I love football, but they are really ruining it and slowing it down.

Yea but its not just instant replays, its the break between plays (like the break between pitches in baseball). Europeans cant stand and cant get over all the breaks in the "action" in football and baseball. Soccer and rugby have continuous play until there is a goal or injury. There's no timeouts, huddles, instant replays, etc. The game just keeps going. Old Americans cant take soccer for the same reasons Europeans cant take football and baseball: NO ACTION. Go figure. I like them all, well except baseball. Fun to play but I might as well watch golf.

 

[Pitt79]

There's no timeouts, huddles, instant replays, etc. The game just keeps going.

This is what has turned me on to soccer in recent years. JUST THIS more than any other factor. And the worst part is, all of the traditional American sports are leaning more and more towards rules and ideas that mean more stoppages and replays every year. I'll always be a Steelers and Pitt Football and Basketball fan, and a Penguins fan, but baseball, I'm already done with that for life, other than Pirates playoffs, I'll watch that. But eventually I think I might have soccer as my #1. And it's honestly because I don't have the patience anymore for timeouts, huddles, instant replays, etc. Once I've gotten used to soccer, it's frustrating to sit through a comercial, timeout or video review when I tune into the other sports,

 

[Chomp_Panther66]

How many times is there a break in the action in soccer for a guy who flops when he isn't even hit? Personally that's why I can't watch the sport for that long. Yea the clock might keep running but the fact that flopping is a crucial part in the men's game these days is unbearable.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

It's a generational thing for some and a macho thing for others. I gotta give Ron Cook credit. He's older and doesn't get soccer. He finds it boring. But he admits it's not his thing but respects those who do like it. One thing that he did say the other day though...he said he is so grateful that his daughter never played it because he finds it so boring. Well truth be told, if his daughter did play it, chances are he would love it today. But at least he doesn't go on and on about how bad the sport is. Not sure why people feel compelled to knock it. To each his own.

As far as a macho thing. It's physical and tough. And like SMF said, they run 6-7 miles per game. People knock it because it's not American Football or Hockey. They are the fittest of the fit. I do wonder though if our best athletes played it, how dangerous would it be? Could you see lining up against 10 Chad Johnsons or Andre Johnsons instead of the Landon Donovan's and Clint Dempseys?

 

[JohnnyGossamer]

Awesome to see such remarkable rating for the WWC. Feel like a goof because I didn't even realize it was being played and just totally blew it off. I think I last watched the WWC when the US Women last won it in '99. Good for the girls. Not unlike the USA Men's hoops squad, I'm kind of shocked that didn't win more of 'em since '99. Just seemed so dominant when I was a kid. Guess the rest of the world, or at least a few parts of it, caught up quickly.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Yeah, really exciting.....kick the ball back & forth 30 times, somebody tips it OB, trot back down the field to watch the OTHER guys do the same. As for "running" 7 miles in all that time....hooey. Watch the guys not close to the ball. Makes Bill Carpenter seem like Deion Sanders. Plenty of time between real action to fire up the grill, put on some ribeyes, decork some Mateus, take a dump and come back to see the action....a header from 30 feet miss everything and 3 clowns feign life-threatening injury. (Please forgive me, I'm in full-blown exaggeration mode today.)

A lot of foreigners think the same thing about American football. 10 seconds of "action" (a lot of times scrum) followed by 40 seconds of huddling and standing around. Then, especially the NFL, the commercials stuck into every slot.

Here's the thing, I watched the Women's finals with more enthusiasm than I did the NCAA BB championship, the NHL Stanley Cup finals, the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl or the World Series. Why? Not because I like soccer, let alone women's soccer better, it is that I had a defined rooting interest, where in those other events, really if it isn't a Pittsburgh team, at the end of the day I don't care much who wins or loses. And I think a lot of sports fans feel this way. As for why there is no buzz for Women's BB, there is also no chance of them losing. Look, the Ryder Cup was never a factor in our sports conscience until we lost. I can probably say the same thing about Men's Olympic BB.

AND.....no one ever cared about Men's Olympic Hockey....until we won, not just winning, but winning as an underdog. Americans love to root for their teams, but I think we also like to fashion ourselves as underdogs, which in a sport like BB, we are definitely not.

 

[Pitt79]

How many times is there a break in the action in soccer for a guy who flops when he isn't even hit? Personally that's why I can't watch the sport for that long. Yea the clock might keep running but the fact that flopping is a crucial part in the men's game these days is unbearable.

The last few years I watch soccer a lot and that hardly ever happens IMO and they rarely ever call it anyways, the guy is usually just laying there and they play on. Americans obsess over "flopping" when it's pretty rare.

 

[Pitt79]

I do wonder though if our best athletes played it, how dangerous would it be? Could you see lining up against 10 Chad Johnsons or Andre Johnsons instead of the Landon Donovan's and Clint Dempseys?

I don't thing you can assume that "Chad Johnsons or Andre Johnsons or even LeBron Jameses" would be better than Landon Donovan's and Clint Dempseys? Lionel Messi is 5-5 and the best player in the world. There was a girl on my daughter's U14 team who was like 4-4 and couldn't be stopped, she'd score 3-4 goals per game, they just promoted her to a higher level team without even having to try out.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Klingenberg is 5'2" and we had another Pgh local who, if it wasn't for concussions cutting her career short, I am convinced she would be on the team too. She was significantly more talented and had a drive and passion that is in unmatched. She is like 5'2" as well. We could have had two western PA women on the team.

So yes. Size isn't everything. But I wouldn't want to line up against the 220Lb freaks who run a 4'4 40.

 

[Hailpitt]

If short people can excel in a game then it is not really a sport. My God... a 5'5" star soccer player. I assume he is a jockey in the off season ( BTW jockeys are not athletes either--same reason-- too short).

 

[Fk_Pitt]

If short people can excel in a game then it is not really a sport. My God... a 5'5" star soccer player. I assume he is a jockey in the off season ( BTW jockeys are not athletes either--same reason-- too short).

That's honestly pretty funny and very well done. But we know soccer is a great sport. It's just not a part of the American fabric. But as SMF said, it will be. The MLS, which is essentially a minor league sport, is drawing 30K fans per game. It may already be more popular than hockey.

Honestly...in this country we critic a 320lb lineman on his footwork but bash some of the best athletes in the world who happen to play the worlds most popular sport. Excuse me as I bash my head against the wall!!

 

[NTOP]

A lot of foreigners think the same thing about American football. 10 seconds of "action" (a lot of times scrum) followed by 40 seconds of huddling and standing around. Then, especially the NFL, the commercials stuck into every slot.

Here's the thing, I watched the Women's finals with more enthusiasm than I did the NCAA BB championship, the NHL Stanley Cup finals, the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl or the World Series. Why? Not because I like soccer, let alone women's soccer better, it is that I had a defined rooting interest, where in those other events, really if it isn't a Pittsburgh team, at the end of the day I don't care much who wins or loses. And I think a lot of sports fans feel this way. As for why there is no buzz for Women's BB, there is also no chance of them losing. Look, the Ryder Cup was never a factor in our sports conscience until we lost. I can probably say the same thing about Men's Olympic BB.

AND.....no one ever cared about Men's Olympic Hockey....until we won, not just winning, but winning as an underdog. Americans love to root for their teams, but I think we also like to fashion ourselves as underdogs, which in a sport like BB, we are definitely not.

Well, I don't like hockey at any level, but at least its fast. Soccer is more about time wasted. Football has wasted time, too, but at least during plays, both teams are going full bore. The whole 7 mile stuff is bogus. Jogging & walking most of it. I appreciate the 4-5 actual attempts to score per game....the rest is snooze-inducing. More action in the stands. Just imagine 100,000 drunken Brits singing dumbass songs and fighting....sorta like Morgantown.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

As much as feminist types would hate to admit it, in a lot of the foreign countries that are good men's soccer, women still are into more traditional roles and aren't as encouraged to be into sports as much as American girls are.

Why on earth would you think that "feminist types" wouldn't want to admit that? Most "feminist types" would be much more likely to decry the opportunity that women in much of the rest of the world are lacking rather than pretend that the opportunities for women exist when they actually don't.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It also pummeled the men's final last year between Germany and Argentina.

The women's game on Sunday night had a total of 26.7 million viewers in the US. The men's final last year was viewed by 26.5 million people. In what world is that a "pummeling"?

Oh, wait, I know. The one where we don't count the people in this country who speak a different language than the one that we speak but who were watching the game. I mean you do realize that both games were shown on two different channels, one an English broadcast and the other a Spanish broadcast, don't you?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The women's game on Sunday night had a total of 26.7 million viewers in the US. The men's final last year was viewed by 26.5 million people. In what world is that a "pummeling"?

Oh, wait, I know. The one where we don't count the people in this country who speak a different language than the one that we speak but who were watching the game. I mean you do realize that both games were shown on two different channels, one an English broadcast and the other a Spanish broadcast, don't you?

Whatever, I meant the English-language broadcast of it. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If short people can excel in a game then it is not really a sport. My God... a 5'5" star soccer player. I assume he is a jockey in the off season ( BTW jockeys are not athletes either--same reason-- too short).

Messi is 5'7 not 5'5 and easily the most dominant athlete on the planet and in my opinion the best footballer ever. That's one of the other beautiful things about soccer. If you can play, you can play. There are no height or size requirements. In the NFL or NBA, you have to be a certain height or weigh a certain amount. Other than the fact that in soccer, you have to be slim/fit enough to be in in world-class marathon shape, you can almost be any size. If you can play, you play. There's no NFL or NBA style combines.

Europeans make fun of American football players because they say they are "fat guys." "How can a fat guy be called an athlete?" They see soccer players in world-class marathon shape, guys that can run forever and football players as big 300 pound fat guys banging against each other. Again, I love both sports, but you can't knock soccer without realizing that us Americans like some pretty weird sports like American football, baseball, and the few that like hockey.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

But as SMF said, it will be. The MLS, which is essentially a minor league sport, is drawing 30K fans per game. It may already be more popular than hockey.

The TV ratings for MLS and the NHL are about equal though the NHL playoffs does draw more than the MLS playoffs (which dont see much higher ratings than MLS regular season). Both are very much niche leagues in this country. However, you are comparing 2 things that arent equal. The NHL is the best hockey league in the world, the MLS isnt remotely close to being the best soccer league. If it was, if the best soccer players in the world were here, it would be the #2 league behind the NFL and having NFL-type attendance (if they had bigger stadiums which they'd eventually have to build).

 

[IamHeisenberg]

So the US women received a TV rating Sunday night that was higher than the college football semifinals, the Stanley cup finals, the World Series, and all but game 6 of the NBA Final. Additionally, it outdrew the UK/Wisconsin game which was the highest rated Final Four game in 22 years.

Admittedly, I am a fan. I have been ever since my daughters started playing at a high level almost 20 years ago. But prior to that, I wasn't any different than the average American. I am not naive. I understand that it was event television Sunday night. But so is the Final Four, World Series, etc.

But why doesn't the FIBA women's basketball draw on TV? We are supposed to be a basketball country. The people at USA basketball must be beating their heads against the wall.

Why does America watch the World Cup soccer?

You are a soccer person. I believe you have or had a daughter in it. You understand the passion that these girls have for the game and the demographic of their parents. Lets face it playing fees and tournament fees can costs thousands and thousands of dollars per year. And as you know, these parents and kids always get comments from the uninformed at how cute it is to see girls play. So, do they want to emulate men who fall down in agonizing pain when someone's boot goes to within an inch of their ankle, or do they want to emulate women who fix their hair to stop their skulls from bleeding. Women's soccer actually is more appealing for the American mass market because it is a sport that does not allow wimpiness.

The men need to learn that. American men's soccer would do well but taking a no prisoners attitude in future games with any teams and dare the referees to red card each foul.

I couldn't even bring myself to watch the Gold Cup last night.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

it's an odd dynamic. I have a friend, who is that stereotypical Pittsburgher who loves football, and hockey. He has no interest in the NBA and likes pro wrestling and MMA. He has fallen for women's soccer. He said he would absolutely support a local team if there ever was one. He was glued to the TV the entire Women's World Cup. But he has no interest in the men. I tried to get him to go out and watch the Gold Cup game last night. He had absolutely no desire to do so.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

it's an odd dynamic. I have a friend, who is that stereotypical Pittsburgher who loves football, and hockey. He has no interest in the NBA and likes pro wrestling and MMA. He has fallen for women's soccer. He said he would absolutely support a local team if there ever was one. He was glued to the TV the entire Women's World Cup. But he has no interest in the men. I tried to get him to go out and watch the Gold Cup game last night. He had absolutely no desire to do so.

Typical yinzer. I think a lot of it have to do with the fact that older or uninformed Americans view soccer as a sissy, wimpy sport for men. "If he were any good, he'd be playing real football." Its like they are embarrassed to watch. The faking of injuries certainly does not help this but its no different than basketball players flopping or NFL players flopping to draw personal fouls. I think for the millions who dont understand the game, its almost as if they'd feel less manly if they watch it.

But people like your friend will watch the women because its an appropriate sport for girls to play......and some of the players are attractive.

 

[NTOP]

Messi is 5'7 not 5'5 and easily the most dominant athlete on the planet and in my opinion the best footballer ever. That's one of the other beautiful things about soccer. If you can play, you can play. There are no height or size requirements. In the NFL or NBA, you have to be a certain height or weigh a certain amount. Other than the fact that in soccer, you have to be slim/fit enough to be in in world-class marathon shape, you can almost be any size. If you can play, you play. There's no NFL or NBA style combines.

Europeans make fun of American football players because they say they are "fat guys." "How can a fat guy be called an athlete?" They see soccer players in world-class marathon shape, guys that can run forever and football players as big 300 pound fat guys banging against each other. Again, I love both sports, but you can't knock soccer without realizing that us Americans like some pretty weird sports like American football, baseball, and the few that like hockey.

I'd bet that NONE of the "world class" soccer players could run a marathon. If they used the same mode they employ in soccer games.....run 40 yards, stop, jog downfield, stand around on one side of the field, etc., maybe they could finish....in about 7 hours. FB & BB players wouldn't do much better, as they generally sprint. Could Messi hit a fastball from Chapman?? A Liriano slider?? Tough to declare any single-sport athlete as the "greatest", especially from a sport where use of the hands is minimal.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I'd bet that NONE of the "world class" soccer players could run a marathon. If they used the same mode they employ in soccer games.....run 40 yards, stop, jog downfield, stand around on one side of the field, etc., maybe they could finish....in about 7 hours. FB & BB players wouldn't do much better, as they generally sprint. Could Messi hit a fastball from Chapman?? A Liriano slider?? Tough to declare any single-sport athlete as the "greatest", especially from a sport where use of the hands is minimal.

I hope you're joking. Any world-class soccer player could finish a marathon at any time without even having to train extra for it. The shape you have to be in to play soccer is just ridiculous. Remember when Lance Armstrong went out and ran the NYC Marathon without extra training? He was in great shape from cycling. No team-sport athlete could even come close to the kind of shape soccer players are in.

As for Messi, I'm not going to debate sport by sport. The world would agree with me though.