- For that, surely, is the lasting message of Sunday’s game. Americans, like practically everybody else, have gone a little World Cup crazy. As a lifelong soccer nut, and a naturalized American citizen, I welcome this development—and readily admit that I didn’t see it coming. Like most U.S. soccer fans, I’ve been conditioned to think of the sport as a minority interest. Twenty years ago, when the World Cup was held in the United States, it attracted big crowds, and Team U.S.A. played well, progressing from the group stage before losing to Brazil, the eventual winner. But the mainstream media, and most of the population, treated the event as a curiosity rather than as something to get exercised about. Now, although the tournament is being held three thousand miles away, things are different.
I was part of a world cup viewing party for the first time this past weekend and it was awesome. I've almost always watched the world cup, but never as a defined "we're going to drink and watch soccer". Also, I've noticed a ton of bars showing the games now, and even the House of Blues was filled to capacity for the US v. Portugal game.
Anyone else been watching the world cup?
Yeah, but this happens every four years, only to have no one give a shit come late July. Been happening since at least 1994, but I only say that because it's the earliest one I paid attention to; it probably wasn't the first. People were pissing themselves in '02 when the US made the quarters; there were all sorts of press uprisings in '06 when the US lost to Italy in a game that looked rigged even by FIFA's loose standards; and the whole country was glued to the US-Ghana match in '10. Not sure why 'this time is different.' Probably because this time is always different in everything we think about.
Yep. I can tell you for a fact that I'm most fascinated by the international aspect of it; the act of the entire world coming together for a brief moment, with all of the different cultures mingling and laying aside their differences for a rather arbitrary reason... bouncing a ball off of anything other than your arms. I have the same fascination with the Olympics. My favorite moments might be when the cameras pan the crowd. Hopefully, if the world cup gains stateside popularity, NBC won't pick up the coverage and shit all over it, as per Olympic coverage. For the world cup, I watch Univision anyway, 'cuz I'm half fluent in Spanish, they slow-mo replay every foul, and no one shouts "GOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL" on ESPN. It's pretty difficult to watch American Soccer League games on television. I don't pay for cable service, and unless it's the world cup, there damn sure aren't any bars devoting screens to futbol. I doubt that the level of play is the same either. Howard, America's goalie, plays in an English league because that's where the money is. I want to be wrong on this, so if there's anyone who really watches ASL games that will testify against me, please do so. I'd personally love to see soccer gain traction in the U.S., I play in a little league sometimes myself. Not... "little league", but... yeah. "Hahah, there's no way Portugal can tie us now, there's only 30 seconds left!"
- My girlfriend. I scowled pretty hard 20 seconds later.
Right. Get back to me when Americans watch every Cup match, not just their own. Get back to me when they follow club footie. That's what the Argentine, Dutch, British and German fans do. The biggest point of the World Cup is that every single team has a few players on it that you know and love (or hate) from the EPL, La Liga, Bundes, Turkey for fuck's sake, etc. It's a culture as much as a competition. Hell, the competition's probably better at the Euro (though for the first time in a long time, that may not be true), but what makes the Cup special is that the Euro doesn't have Argentina rooting for Messi, Brazil for Neymar, Uruguay for -- ha!, Cote d'Ivoire for Drogba, Japan for Kagawa... I can be from the US yet really give a shit if Switzerland goes through because I love Shaqiri. Wash rinse and repeat for any player/country combination. Some Americans are starting to see football from that angle, but not many. For most, you're right, it ends two weeks from now. Let's hold off on the back-patting.
Watching every night. I'm an American who's been living in Norway for 5 years now, but haven't started watching football until this year. As someone who used to like watching the occasion Amercian football game, I must say I've become quite forhekset (enchanted) with football (soccer), at least the FIFA. The US-Portugal game was stunning.
I've noticed a definite shift in the American stance on soccer in the past 10 to 15 years. I personally didn't have much of an interest in it, until I moved to an area that was populated by a lot of immigrants (Russian, Indian, Israeli etc) These were my buddies, and of course, they were soccer fanatics, so they got me into it. I think the country, especially the population 30 and younger have caught the World Cup bug as every other country does. I actually like watching any country's match, but for the first time in my life, I was so hyped to be sitting there, watching the game with my friends, and a case of beer, cheering my country on in an international sports competition.
Proof the sport is catching on in the US is not only the record ratings ESPN has pulled in but also the fact Fox Sports and ESPN got into a bidding match for the next two World Cups, Fox won, and that NBC Sports bypassed it and instead made a deal to air 380 English Premier League games. I know just watching the world cup that I am now more likely to watch a Football/Soccer game than I am to watch the NBA.
What? You don't want to see two minutes of program and ten minutes of commercials?
Even Bob Costas's pinkeye can't redeem such a terrible formula.
Come to Seattle, we've got soccer on the TVs year round. A lot of folks get into it cause it's the hip thing to do right now and some realize they actually enjoy it. If only soccer would catch on as much elsewhere in the US and then maybe the MLS could join the world class leagues...