Americanizing soccer

[free2131]

I would interested into hearing all the ideas of how to get mainstream America as interesting in soccer as we are in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. I get that most soccer (and I don't mean to offend by using the term soccer, but that's what I've always called it) fans probably aren't really interested in mainstream America's approval, but because I am an American I tend to think more in terms of an American (plus this is just an idea thread to start conversations).

In all honestly, I have never followed or really been interested in soccer. I've played it as a child and I truly think that soccer players are more than likely the most athletic of all sports, but it just has never really clicked with me. Now, what I suggest probably won't automatically turn the average American into soccer nuts and I am aware that it may come off at a bit arrogant to think that a centuries old sport should change just to appease a few. That is not my intent and I hope it doesn't come across as that.

So, here are a few ideas of mine that I think would help Americanize the sport of soccer (some of which are probably already well delved into):

1) Flopping.

Flopping is something that I can't stand. I was very glad that the NBA started fining players who flopped, and I wish that soccer would do the same. Some of these dives are absolutely insulting to the fans. I know that there isn't a whole lot of things in-game that can help stop these (though maybe a having another ref reviewing those plays away from the filed could work), but surely there can be an official review after the games, which could result in fines or maybe 1 game suspensions.

2) The game clock.

Now, admittedly, this is a pretty minor thing, but seeing a game clock counting down kind of puts a sense of urgency in the minds of the fans. Seeing that clock go from 1 minute to 0 when your team is down a goal would make for a more intense finish psychologically for most people. Speaking of the game clock...

3) Stoppage time.

This makes absolutely no sense to me. Officials "kinda" keep up with how much time runs off during the time when play is stopped and no one knows how much and sometimes they go past the stoppage time if something interesting is happening. How did anyone ever think that this is a good way of keeping up with "overtime"? Either stop the clock when play is stopped or have an official off the field keep up the exact amount of stoppage time and let the viewing audience actually see how much time is left.

4) Too many tie games.

No one in America likes tie games (ask Donavon McNabb). While I understand that ties in American sports have occurred, but it happens very rarely. Maybe take a page out of the NHL and have a series of penalty kicks decide the game or go into an overtime like the NFL where the first team to score wins.

Well, those are just a few things that I think would help ingratiate the sport of soccer to the average American. Like I said, please don't take this as a knock on soccer. So please, feel free to comment on my ideas that probably have been discussed numerous other times, suggest other things that could help improve the game to American audiences, or tell me how much of a dumb American I am! :)!

[sthoemke]

It was tried in the 1970's. Kids played soccer then, and there was even a professional league.

It succeeded almost as well as the metric system.

[foreverLFC]

this is a very american thing to do. take something and change it to our taste. kind of like how football had been a sport for forever and then we invent something and call it football even though its more throw or run ball and then call the original sport soccer.

anyways...

what really would make the sport more popular here is

1. to not have "franchises" . there is a reason why games end in a tie. because the league is based on points. but unlike american sports where they play 100000 games and then go into a tournament and someone who can win 5 games towards the end is the champion is absurd.

anyways back to my point. put more money into the league and better players will come not just when they are retiring from playing in europe. also stop treating fans like idiots. when i go to the galaxy games they literally tell fans when to hold up their scarves and cheer. that is the dumbest thing i'd ever seen. i can go on for forever but i'm watching the wolverine so thats why this is really rambling haha.

but what it really comes down to is American attitudes.

because there are not many crunching tackles or not enough points scored they can't watch it. they need continuous stimulation even though baseball is super slow BUT because its very american no one says anything.

where was i ? ...

[VeedonFleece]

They should change to quarters, instead of halves, and make the goals bigger. Also, you should get double points for scoring from outside the penalty area while standing in an offsides position.

[Portlaw]

You've already Americanised the sport of rugby and got yourselves American Football. But if Americanising 'soccer' and changing things like that you will lose all respect from other countries around the world and become a laughing stock at the world cup.

Unlike rugby and american football, stoppage time is there to cut out time wasting. It's there to stop the running down of the clock and tries to allow 90 minutes of in game 'soccer' to be played. In a rugby game a half lasts 40 minutes and I remember them saying in a particular match the ball was all in play for 17 minutes in one particular half. While in American sports ye have the stop start of the clock this just keeps the game running more smoothly and has been a tradition of 'soccer'.

I agree diving is a pain in the back side. If you look back to day of Vinnie Jones (I recommend you look at some of his tackles) he would put ridiculous tackles in and only get a yellow card, now red cards are given nothing compared to those tackles, the game has lost its physicality. If a player nowadays dived against him, he would make sure you paid for it, you would end up being stretchered off. Now I'm not saying we should injure diving players but if the refs ect. won't do anything about it we need the tough tacklers and that physicality back to eradicate diving from the sport and put the fear of god in players over diving.

If you go to some stadiums in the premier league, their game clock will tick down instead of up. But on the tv and in most places it goes up. Everybody knows it's a 90 minute game (fans and players) so I don't think it needs to be changed.

While the playoffs are exciting, I have to agree with foreverLFC. What is the point of finishing the season top of the league if it is just going to be decided over a few games afterwards? In 'soccer' that is what cups are for and rarely do the league winners go on and win the cups so we have ties to show who the best team throughout the year was and the best team throughout the whole year wins the title and not the best team come playoff time.

Americans could Americanise 'soccer' and make up your own sport like American soccer like what happened with American football but in the 'soccer' world America is a small country with little say on how things will be changed and if you want to entice better players to the MLS I wouldn't go changing things

[Busstop]

They should change to quarters, instead of halves, and make the goals bigger. Also, you should get double points for scoring from outside the penalty area while standing in an offsides position.

I hope for you that you meen this ironic and not serious... :eek:

[KsBillsFan]

Funny how people think ties are wrong, yet forget the NFL has ties. Doesn't happen often, but they are allowed.

I think instead of trying to change soccer to be more American, how about we change the MLS into being more like the Premier League. Go to all teams in one table, no more divisions. Everyone plays each other twice (Home-Away). No playoffs. Champion decided by regular season points earned.

[mgugs46]

American soccer is terrible. It'll never be big here until we have s league and players who are on par with the BPL, Serie A, etc.

[Jopeal]

American soccer is terrible. It'll never be big here until we have s league and players who are on par with the BPL, Serie A, etc.

True. And/or we do really well in the World Cup (which is unlikely)
I'm a big soccer fan. I follow the BPL, BBVA & Ligue 1, but I never watch MLS games. The MLS is crap compared to the best leagues in Europe.

[AceGambit3]

Honestly what needs to be done is education for the majority about Soccer.
As the American mindset is that soccer is boring and not as physically tough as all the other sports. Alot of NFL, NBA, and MLB fans do not realize a couple things until you put it directly in front of them, with regards to soccer (like 90 minutes of playing time.....is 90-100 minutes of playing time.) The game doesn't become a 4 hour spectacle of commercials, timeouts and clock wasting like the other sports. These guys are running up and down for damn near the entire game with 1-2 breaks. There's a reason several NBA players condition themselves by playing soccer. Sure there are not full body tackles and punishing blows like in the NFL but these guys are not really wearing any protection at all and are constantly hitting the ground (not including flops) and putting their most valuable assets (their legs and feet) at risk at all times.

So I don't think you need to Americanize soccer, America just needs to learn how to respect soccer.
That and MLS needs to adopt a Euro-league feel to our league here.

[Srodeva]

do people in America watch AAA baseball in huge numbers?
why doesn't the CFL or the AFL draw massive ratings and interest?

MLS = AAA baseball at best.

if you want to appreciate soccer, watch the EPL on Saturday mornings, or give the Champions League in the afternoon a shot. And don't just give it a quick look in. give it a month to learn a bit about the clubs, players, etc. I used to be in the "soccer is boring, they should have a blue line" club. But that was because I only watched the uninteresting MLS. Then the EPL started getting on TV a lot. And the more I watched, the more I got hooked. It was like being a kid again when you first start getting into professional sports and learn about the players, the clubs, the traditions, the history.

nothing about the game or rules of soccer need fixing. It's the viewing habits of americans toward soccer that need fixing.

[KingTaco77]

1) Add boobies. Not sure how, but add them.
2) Some form of ear-splitting music every 25 seconds. Metal, incessant drum electro drum beat, something that will give me migraines and seizures.
3) TV timeout every time the ball goes out of bounds, sponsored by Bud Light, with all players holding a beer.
4) Frank Caliendo. I'll get back to you on the deets.
5) Add boobies. Not sure how, but add them.
6) Every time a player scores, give them a penalty kick too, that way the score is, like, twice as high.
7) Toby Keith and Ariana Grande performs all half time shows for every game.
8) Snazzy theme song.
9) Add boobies. Not sure how, but add them.


...OR we could learn to appreciate and love a sport that isn't going to (and shouldn't) change for a small portion of the world and not act like we deserve to be catered to. This is by no means a knock on the OP, but I feel like these sorts of conversations tend to end in "soccer is crap", "America is crap" or "American soccer is crap". Can't we just learn to enjoy it for what it is and not try to "Americanize" it?

[77ncaachamps]

So you want to Americanize soccer?

Treat it like the NBA, MLB, and NFL: pay the big bucks to the biggest stars.

Game over.

[undrdg]

American soccer is terrible. It'll never be big here until we have s league and players who are on par with the BPL, Serie A, etc.
This is NOT true. Come down to the NW and take in a Timbers game. Better yet, tune into the Timbers vs Sounder rivalry.
Sit in the Timbers Army section one time and tell me you won't fall in love with soccer. I promise you it will change your outlook.

I grew up watching and playing soccer in Costa Rica. I loved the NBA as well. But let me tell you something about soccer fans. It is the passion that drives the game. yes it is violent at times, but that is PURE passion and love for team. It is hard to replicate at the NFL NBA level here in the states, due to the way the game is played. But the Timbers army is pretty damned passionate as you can get. i am impressed by this and have thrown my heart into it as well.

Soccer is alive and building. If anything, i would suggest more building up on the cross state rivalries.

You do NOT Americanize soccer. You accept it as it is and build your base in the MLS.
I predict in 5-10 years, the MLS will be more popular than HOckey and Baseball.

In 20, maybe even football.

[Portlaw]

This is NOT true. Come down to the NW and take in a Timbers game. Better yet, tune into the Timbers vs Sounder rivalry.
Sit in the Timbers Army section one time and tell me you won't fall in love with soccer. I promise you it will change your outlook.

I grew up watching and playing soccer in Costa Rica. I loved the NBA as well. But let me tell you something about soccer fans. It is the passion that drives the game. yes it is violent at times, but that is PURE passion and love for team. It is hard to replicate at the NFL NBA level here in the states, due to the way the game is played. But the Timbers army is pretty damned passionate as you can get. i am impressed by this and have thrown my heart into it as well.

Soccer is alive and building. If anything, i would suggest more building up on the cross state rivalries.

You do NOT Americanize soccer. You accept it as it is and build your base in the MLS.
I predict in 5-10 years, the MLS will be more popular than HOckey and Baseball.

In 20, maybe even football.

I believe he was talking about the standard of football not the actual atmosphere etc. The standard of football in the MLS is poor. You do have likes of Kaka, Villa coming over now but both are looking to end their career while playing lower quality football, having a holiday and getting a decent pay while doing it too. Keane, Beckham, Henry are also examples of moves in the past.

I do love the passion of the American fans. They go out and have a great time enjoying it every second. But those are nothing like the rivalries in the big leagues

[undrdg]

I believe he was talking about the standard of football not the actual atmosphere etc. The standard of football in the MLS is poor. You do have likes of Kaka, Villa coming over now but both are looking to end their career while playing lower quality football, having a holiday and getting a decent pay while doing it too. Keane, Beckham, Henry are also examples of moves in the past.

I do love the passion of the American fans. They go out and have a great time enjoying it every second. But those are nothing like the rivalries in the big leagues

I don't think the standard is poor anymore. If you look at matches, players like KAKA, Henry, Villa, just enhance the level, but remember there a ton of other players from Europe and even Central and South America playing.
One just have to look at how the concacaf is doing in the world cup to understand the level of soccer is on par.

Now, in my opinion, there are 3 major leagues in europe, Premier, Spanish La Liga and a tie between Bundesliga and Italian league. All superstar players play in these leagues. You are right in saying that the MLS is inferior to these 3 leagues, so far, but not ALL leagues in Europe. I think the MLS is on par with French League.
However, the US has something that other european countries don't have, MONEY. Money will grow MLS. Franchising MLS teams is very popular these days, with the marketing potential.

I know this will be controversial but i think MLS will one day reign supreme over EPL. i give it 10 more years.

[Portlaw]

I don't think the standard is poor anymore. If you look at matches, players like KAKA, Henry, Villa, just enhance the level, but remember there a ton of other players from Europe and even Central and South America playing.
One just have to look at how the concacaf is doing in the world cup to understand the level of soccer is on par.

Now, in my opinion, there are 3 major leagues in europe, Premier, Spanish La Liga and a tie between Bundesliga and Italian league. All superstar players play in these leagues. You are right in saying that the MLS is inferior to these 3 leagues, so far, but not ALL leagues in Europe. I think the MLS is on par with French League.
However, the US has something that other european countries don't have, MONEY. Money will grow MLS. Franchising MLS teams is very popular these days, with the marketing potential.

I know this will be controversial but i think MLS will one day reign supreme over EPL. i give it 10 more years.

Those players are at the end of their career. They are no longer fantastic players. Yes I believe they do enhance the level but only because the level is poor. 17 MLS players are in the World Cup. 9 are from the US, 2 from Costa Rica. The other 6 didn't make it out of their group with their teams. The quality of the Concacaf teams does not lie in the MLS.

No disrespect but PSG would rip the MLS league apart if they played in it, as would quite a few French teams. I would rate the MLS like the Championship (Englands 2nd league under the Premier League).

For the MLS to move forward you need to attract players in their prime not in their last few years of football. The greatest club competition in the world is Champions League. Players will leave a team if they don't make it into that competition so that heavily goes against the MLS becoming bigger than the premier league. If a good player for example Ibra went to the MLS he wouldn't get a single bit of recognition by FIFA when it came to the player awards even if he scored 100 goals in the MLS. That right there is why top players won't go. When the MLS gets money they will bring in players but the players like Kaka Beckham Villa etc were brought over by money. Players will play in their prime in Europe and take the nice pay cheque and come to the MLS.

In 10 years time to think that a player would pick Portland Timbers over Manchester United is insane

[Portlaw]

Just in addition to that these are where world cup players play their football.

England - 124
Italy - 81
Germany - 77
Spain - 66
France - 43
Russia - 34
Mexico - 27
Portugal -22
Holland - 19
USA - 17