If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or email alerts. Thanks for visiting!
The football season is upon us and the world is revving up for a month of pure madness…except for one country – United States. Admittedly, there has been a growing interest in the country for soccer and Team USA has qualified for the fifth consecutive time and heck, even reached the quarters last time around. Even the mighty Pele playing at the New York Cosmos failed to generate the crazy passion that is generally associated with football. Indians, although have never come close to qualifying for the World Cup have significant love for the sport. Even the TV channels and newspapers join in the fun by splashing football-themed ads and contests as the tournament draws closer. Heck, even the ants are playing it. So why don’t otherwise-sports crazy Americans get it?
Pierre Tristam at Daytona Beach News-Journal puts it aptly, How Could 300 Million Americans Be So Wrong? Let me add to that, yeah how indeed? Pierre lists the common complaints that Americans often have for football (or as they call it soccer):
Soccer games are interminable, dull, incomprehensible. True enough at times, but what sport doesn’t have its duds? And compared to what—baseball, a game of suspended animation? Basketball, where 12 seconds at the end decide two hours of bouncy-bouncy-bouncy? Football, where most plays are scrums of beefy things grabbing at each other? Between time-outs, commercial breaks and referee conventions, it’s a wonder football isn’t compared to a Congressional caucus more often — all meatheads, all the time.
It does take mild concentration to enjoy a soccer game. The 45-minute halves aren’t interrupted even on television so if you get up every six minutes according to your usual commercial clock, you won’t get it. Each game has its rhythms, its plots and sub-plots that build minute by minute with nerve-wracking intensity. Stretched over 30 days, the World Cup is that modern Homeric epic no single American playoff or even the Olympics can match in beauty and global passion.
While I completely agree with the last sentence, I also see that Pierre answers his own question within that paragraph. I could over-analyze the lack of success of football in the United States but nothing will ever come close to the reason that the game consists of two uninterrupted 45-minute halves. So effectively, advertisers have no opportunity to pander their goods. In a country where TV sponsors and viewers eyeballs decide a sport’s popularity on television, football simply doesn’t accord that opportunity. Some people had suggested implementing time-outs but they will instantly booed out and dismissed for trying to tarnish the spirit of the game. And I agree; football needs endurance as much as skill (The South Koreans proved that in the last World Cup) and the game would lose that charm of spontaneity when a slow game can instantly be thrilling because of one spectacular and unexpected goal, especially if the underdog scores it.
But in spite of the loss of opportunity for mid-game commercials, American sponsors are waking up to the immense potential of the game. ESPN and ABC will be telecasting all the games and I have noticed an occasional news column in the local newspapers regarding the Cup, including a 4-page special last Sunday in the Houston Chronicle. American advertisers have to simply resort to other means for showcasing their products or possibly use this opportunity to expand into the rapidly-evolving global market. Yesterday, at Wal-Mart I saw a neglected poster near the cashier’s counter touting Wal-Mart as the ultimate soccer destination (I can’t see how) but considering the ad was in Spanish, I can see that at least they have the demographics right. This country is rapidly getting Hispanic-ized and it will be a whole different story couple of World Cups hence.
by Patrix | on Tuesday, June 6th, 2006 at 7:48 pm | 
Recommended, Sports, Television, United States . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
June 6th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
trixy, on a totally different note: just visited desipundit and the new look blew me away! looks totally cool and professional!
June 7th, 2006 at 6:51 am
Yep - you nailed the reason - Americans will bow to whatever over-hyped tripe is served by the media and the media gods are currently not satisfied with the revenue generating potential of soccer. That and the fact that most Americans dont seem to appreciate that even a 0-0 scorecard game could be ‘exciting’. ‘But nobody won’ - is the common refrain - all subtleties lost in their quest for closure.
(these people would be so left cold at yesterday’s last ball finish in the India West Indies test - you’d be hard pressed to explain that a ‘draw’ was actually a very exciting result).
That said - football is actually getting popular among the younger generation here (the whole ’soccer mom’ thingie) and the Hispanic and other immigrant population will ensure that there is a growing market for media coverage.
June 7th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Gabby, it has been a week now :) but glad you loved it…hope to see you more often at DesiPundit.
Bongo, it is all about marketing…at least thatz the way americans understand it best. But I am glad to see soccer getting more popular among the younger generation…probably that’s the way to go…start at the school level and let them grow with it so that way you have them hooked for life.
June 7th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
[...] • Ants playing football. [Via Patrix] Is there any thing you would like featured in the Monday Decalink? Mail me then. Tags: FIFA World Cup 2006. [...]
June 8th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
“American just don’t get it!” Thats easy-soccer is a game appreciated by intelligent people.