Second place for football is no problem
Columnist By Davidde Corran, 21 Jul 2011 Davidde Corran is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- 2011 Women’s World Cup, football, World Football
In the early hours of Monday morning as I passed the time before kick off in the 2011 Women’s World Cup final, I stumbled across an article of such unnecessary vitriol I was left stunned.
It came from Chicago’s the Daily Herald, and in it, writer Mike Imrem claims “boys in the United States become men by playing the manly sport of football, not the sissy sport of soccer.”
Nice.
I also particularly like the line “I love women but not women’s soccer.”
It struck me as not just inappropriate but also opportunistic for a column like this to have been published on the day the US women’s national team would compete in a World Cup final. It felt like someone wanted to play spoilsport while grabbing as much attention as possible.
Imrem’s article is just one facet of an interesting dynamic taking place in the United States where the game, which is reaching newfound heights, is trying to understand its place in the American sporting landscape at the same time as capitalising on this latest success.
Once again the parallels between the sport in the US and Australia mean that the experience our American friends are going through can be quite instructive for the game at home.
A couple days before Imrem’s article was published the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay wrote one of the most succinct articles on the topic I’ve read in a while.
In it Gay essentially argues that not only will football never be the dominant sport in the US, but he asks the question who cares anyway? The theory being that a sport’s popularity should have little bearing on ones enjoyment of it.
However, what really piqued my interest was a section that came towards then end of the piece.
“But there’s too much stubborn clinging in the U.S. to the idea that the worthiness of a sport is equal to the size of its audience, and in particular, its television ratings. If you’re not drawing big numbers like the NFL, if you’re not famous enough to sit in a director’s chair the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club to announce your next job, you’re supposedly outside the Zeitgeist,” wrote Gay.
“Why is mass appeal essential to some people’s appreciation of a sport? In other cultural arenas, we’re eager to prove ourselves as niche cool hunters: seeking out restaurants that others can’t get into; raving about television shows like “Breaking Bad;” clicking around Pitchfork.com for the next alterna-genius. Many of us thrive upon being early adopters; the second everyone else likes it, we drop it altogether (Weezer; Ryan Gosling; Brooklyn).”
Gays’ question is one I’ve been wrestling with since I first read it.
From a local perspective, why does it matter whether football can stand toe to toe with the AFL or NRL or any other sport in this country?
The only thing that truly matters is that the game becomes self-sustainable.
Beyond that, surely the rest is at most subjective, if not entirely irrelevant.
Recommend this story.
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- Explore:
- 2011 Women’s World Cup, football, World Football
July 21st 2011 @ 4:06am
Fake ex-AFL fan said | July 21st 2011 @ 4:06am | Report comment
Interesting article Davidde, although I must admit to being intrigued by your support of the argument that “…a sport’s popularity should have little bearing on ones enjoyment of it.”
I happen to 100% agree with this point of view but it seems to run counter to the argument that Australian soccer fans consistently use: Namely that as a nation we should reject Australian Football and Rugby League as these are clearly less popular on a global basis than soccer.
I’ve always considered this to be an intellectually weak argument reflective of a lack of understanding of the deep cultural resonance these sports (and others) have with Australians, but it’s consistently the ‘go-to’ argument for those wishing to claim some spurious cultural superiority over the ‘insular bogan codes’.
As such it would certainly be interesting, not to mention somewhat ironic, if Australian soccer fans were to adopt this perspective.
July 21st 2011 @ 7:23am
punter said | July 21st 2011 @ 7:23am | Report comment
Don’t you find all this code war stuff boring? Much easier for those who do not like certain sports to stay of the tabs of to sports.
I could make the point that all Aussie Rules fans thinks we should reject football (especially) & Rugby League because it’s foreign or in football’s case also that it’s not in the Australian sysche.
But I won’t.
Boring
July 21st 2011 @ 8:19am
Fake ex-AFL fan said | July 21st 2011 @ 8:19am | Report comment
I found Davidde’s article interesting coming from a soccer writer and addressed the topic at hand. If it’s all too boring for you Punter, you are of course free to not comment yourself.
July 21st 2011 @ 7:34am
Shaun said | July 21st 2011 @ 7:34am | Report comment
‘Insular bogan codes’…don’t be so ‘inappropriate’.
July 21st 2011 @ 8:38am
Titus said | July 21st 2011 @ 8:38am | Report comment
The thing is Fake, it is the most popular participation sport in the land, it makes no sense to say that it isn’t part of our culture. The insular thing surrounding AFL is because so much of your energy goes into trying to give the impression that Football(socc) is not a part of our culture.
The AFL isn’t part of the culture in NSW/QLD, so why should we accept AFL but not Football?
The sissy argument is one that we get here often. Personally I would like young boys to grow up feeling that being athletic, skillful, creative, intelligent and fit is just as important as being tough.
America is becoming increasingly irrelevant and isolated because it wants to export its culture but not accept other cultures, I don’t want that to happen to Australia.
Having said that, the premise of the article is correct, what matters is how much you enjoy the sport. Its just that people who enjoy Assoc. Football should not have to be treated as foriegners or sissies.
July 21st 2011 @ 9:36am
Kasey said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:36am | Report comment
Titus, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. For me I grew up watching Aussie Rules but gravitated towards football leter in life and now it is my number one love in sport. I still have an appreciation for other sports like Aussie Rules, cycling, Rugby and basketball, but what really gets my goat and what I believe contributes to the persecution complex held by many football fans is the attacks on the Australian-ness of football and its fans. Football has been played in this country since the 1800s. Just because it han’t been lyonised like Cricket, Aussie Rules or the Rugbies doesn’t mean it is any less a part of Australian history, ust less noticed. I persionally was born in Australia, have served in the ADF for over 15 years and I find it abhorrent that some fans of Australian Rules football(in partiular I metion it because Ilive in an Aussie Rules dominated State – when posted to NSW I found many RL fans can be of a similar mindset) have set themselves up as arbiters ofwhat is and isn’t Australian culture. Sometimes they give off the vibes that if you don’t like Aussie Rules football/RL and prefer football instead you are somehow less of an Australian and less of a sports fan. Whether this is intended or not is not my problem. The fact that it is ‘out there’ is what I feel some fans of other football codes need to be cognicent of when they perpetuate outdated stereotypes of football fans. I Love the A-League and the joy it has given me as I cheer on AdUnited has been something that I hope to pass on to any kids that I have. I have found an appreciation of the world game has helped me interact on a more intimate level in my travels and I hope to institute a bit of worldlines in my children. If they love Aussie Rules, but appreciate other sports(like football) then that’s okay too:)
July 23rd 2011 @ 12:42pm
Mahony said | July 23rd 2011 @ 12:42pm | Report comment
One of the single best posts I have seen on this forum ever. Must have come from a girly man – oh wait…….
July 21st 2011 @ 8:47am
AGO74 said | July 21st 2011 @ 8:47am | Report comment
You’re espousing the viewpoint of a minority as being attributable to all soccer fans. On the flipside there are AFL fans who continually put down League or Soccer and put AFL on a higher plane and that we should all follow it because it’s the ‘indignenous game’ etc. This argument is as ‘intellectually weak’ as the argument you make about Australian soccer fans. I know dozens of people who attend Socceroos or A-League matches, watch it on the tele or just play a bit of sunday soccer. Not one of them is the type you refer to. As I say, you’re just choosing to espouse the views of a minority.
July 21st 2011 @ 9:29am
TomC said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:29am | Report comment
Pointless code-war baiting in response to an article that argues that code wars are unnecessary.
People like you are the reason that fans of other sports feel the need to vigorously defend their codes.
Grow up.
July 21st 2011 @ 10:43am
punter said | July 21st 2011 @ 10:43am | Report comment
Well said!!!
July 21st 2011 @ 2:55pm
Qantas supports Australian Football said | July 21st 2011 @ 2:55pm | Report comment
Yes well said TomC
July 21st 2011 @ 9:41am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:41am | Report comment
@Fake
Where do you get the idea that football fans think Australia: “… as a nation we should reject Australian Football and Rugby League as these are clearly less popular on a global basis than soccer.”?
Even the staunchest football fans I meet have ZERO interest in having Australia reject ARF or League – they simply don’t care about these sports.
The football fans I know spend more time worrying about an injury to a bloke playing for a football team in a city they’ve never visited, than worrying about the future of ARF or League.
If fact, I reckon the main issue for the non-football community in Australia stems from the fact that so many people within the Football community in Australia just don’t give a stuff about the other codes in Australia.
And, the really really scary thing for the non-Football community in Australia is that the new media has created a global sports-viewing market and sports, which have no global appeal are becoming less and less attractive as their insignificance is fully exposed.
July 21st 2011 @ 10:10pm
Fake ex-AFL fan said | July 21st 2011 @ 10:10pm | Report comment
Whilst I disagree that BAF fans are as unconcerned about the status of Australian Football and RL as you claim, I do agree that overall they have made significant progress in understanding the true status of the sporting landscape in Australia and are increasingly enjoying their role as a niche, boutique sport.
July 22nd 2011 @ 6:41am
Kasey said | July 22nd 2011 @ 6:41am | Report comment
First of all, what’s a BAF? Interwebz lesson for the day”If you’re going to troll, do it in a language the trollees understand else your troll is wasted”
Second of all “overall they have made significant progress in understanding the true status of the sporting landscape in Australia and are increasingly enjoying their role as a niche, boutique sport.”
[chandler voice] could you BE anymore patronizing[/chandler voice] do you work for News Ltd? that is the attitude that often comes through on any articles written about football by their staff writers.
July 22nd 2011 @ 6:48am
Fake ex-AFL fan said | July 22nd 2011 @ 6:48am | Report comment
BAF = British Association Football.
July 22nd 2011 @ 7:50am
Kasey said | July 22nd 2011 @ 7:50am | Report comment
Ah I see what you did there:) I Look forward to your further postings on topics featured uner the Football tab in the future as “Fake ex-VFL fan” then:)
July 22nd 2011 @ 8:26am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 22nd 2011 @ 8:26am | Report comment
The sporting landscape has never been rosier for football, whilst ARF have reached market saturation and now spend hundreds of millions of dollars bribing kids to get involved with ARF.
Without spending any money on marketing and promotion, the Football product continues to grab the customer’s attention and football’s share of the sports’ market continues to grow each year with more and more people involved with the Game.
By contrast, AFL is now displaying all the traits of an organisation that has reached market saturation – engaging in tacky promotions (the Hunt & Folau deals) and throwing money at new markets despite expert opinion that such expansion is going to fail.
The basic FACT is …
…. more NON-football people spend their time thinking about, reading about and analysing FOOTBALL issues; than football people do for ARF/AFL issues
July 22nd 2011 @ 8:59am
Fake ex-AFL fan said | July 22nd 2011 @ 8:59am | Report comment
I for one admire your optimism Fossy, if not the quality of your analysis.
July 22nd 2011 @ 6:45pm
james said | July 22nd 2011 @ 6:45pm | Report comment
“The sporting landscape has never been rosier for football.”
C’mon that is demonstrably untrue.
“Without spending any money on marketing and promotion, the Football product continues to grab the customer’s attention and football’s share of the sports’ market continues to grow each year with more and more people involved with the Game.”
As players sure. I think that Soccer is now a part of the Australian cultural fabric as a participant sport. Basketball was the same in the 90′s.
Market history would indicate that playing levels do not translate automatically into support for local or even national teams.
“By contrast, AFL is now displaying all the traits of an organisation that has reached market saturation – engaging in tacky promotions (the Hunt & Folau deals)”
Yeah cos high profile promotional signings are the sign of a sport in crisis.
“and throwing money at new markets despite expert opinion that such expansion is going to fail.”
I hope GWS fails as an AR fan. But it probably won’t. Gold Coast will survive and GWS as well not on their own merits but because the AFL will destroy half the Melbourne teams before it lets the dream of an AFL dominated NSW fade away. Idiots.
July 22nd 2011 @ 9:57pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 22nd 2011 @ 9:57pm | Report comment
@ james
Can you kindly identify any period/s in the history of Australia when the football landscape was rosier than it is currently?
When formulating your answer you may want to consider what has occurred in the past 6 years, including: participation in consecutive FIFA WCs for men; runner up in the Asian Cup – u20 & senior men; winner Asian Cup – women; Grand final of the HAL attracted a record attendance for any domestic sporting event at Docklands (more than any AFL or NRL match); Aussies voted best male & female players in Asia, HAL Grand Final in 2011 attracts 50k supporters in Brisbane …
… should I go on?
So, if you can find a rosier period for Australian football, please … I’m keen to hear about it.
July 21st 2011 @ 11:57am
Nathan said | July 21st 2011 @ 11:57am | Report comment
Come on, FeAF, let’s not be a knob, eh?
July 21st 2011 @ 5:22am
PaddyBoy said | July 21st 2011 @ 5:22am | Report comment
True true. I like niche sports as well, they are usually played for passion alone, and usually have a higher degree of sportsmanship.
Recently been getting into darts, speedway and field hockey, they’re not big, but they’re great watching.
July 21st 2011 @ 7:52am
Futbanous said | July 21st 2011 @ 7:52am | Report comment
Personally I agree with punter why bother you either like or dislike something be that cheddar cheese or gorgonzola.
Personally I love cheddar ,but dont see the point in slagging off gorgonzola.
Same with football & other sports & vice versa.
Each to their own taste.
The last two lines below would have saved you writing the rest of the article Davidde.I know these sort of articles get hits ,but for me they just reinforce my view that football writers generally in Australia(there are exceptions) spend too much time pondering totally irrelevant non football related subjects.
You can write about football(& theres a million stories to latch onto),so why bother with this tripe.
“The only thing that truly matters is that the game becomes self-sustainable.
Beyond that, surely the rest is at most subjective if not entirely irrelevant”
July 21st 2011 @ 8:31am
Futbanous said | July 21st 2011 @ 8:31am | Report comment
Regarding football stories why isnt there one by the professional football writers on the Roar about the possibility of Sergio Van Dijk going to the Indonesian league. Now thats a story. Dont mind our A-League players going to a better league ,but Indonesia gimme a break.
July 21st 2011 @ 10:34am
Nathan said | July 21st 2011 @ 10:34am | Report comment
He’ll have plenty of company from West Australian State League players
July 21st 2011 @ 2:21pm
whiskeymac said | July 21st 2011 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
doesnt he have indo nationality/ background (as well as dutch? bit like hutchinson and malta maybe) – it cld well be that he gets $ and possibly international game time this way??
July 21st 2011 @ 2:34pm
Kasey said | July 21st 2011 @ 2:34pm | Report comment
Problem comes whiskeymac if he signs to play in a league not sanctioned by FIFA then he has to sit out internationals for 5 years I believe. I’m not sure which Indo league is the one chasing SvD. If its the sanctioned one then I’ll be a touch annoyed to lose a great player like SvD to a lessor league this close to the end of the transfer window, not much chance of replacing him. He’s a proven 15 goal/yr inthe HAL striker and I fear we couldn’t afford to lopse both SvD(17 goals last year) and Flores(9) in one swoop. Where would our goals come from? Do Djite and Vidosic add up to 26goals? Thats rather a lot to expect IMO. McKain(Jon the footballer not John McCain the republican Senator from Arizona!) will train with us today and is expected to sign soon, still only rumours on that Ukrainian fella Levchenko.
July 21st 2011 @ 2:40pm
Futbanous said | July 21st 2011 @ 2:40pm | Report comment
Kasey
Its the official one.
“Pelita Jaya, backed by wealthy owners the Bakrie family”
From following article:-
http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/209728,van-dijk-still-on-isl-radar.aspx
July 22nd 2011 @ 9:34am
Kasey said | July 22nd 2011 @ 9:34am | Report comment
The club has come out today(Friday) and reminded everyone that Serge has 2 years left on his contract and is a required player at United.
EXCLUSIVE: Adelaide United say striker Sergio Van Dijk has a contract for two more seasons and are playing down reports of a possible switch to Indonesian club Pelita Jaya.
source:
http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/209844,reds-warn-off-van-dijk-deal.aspx
PS:Adelaide United added that there were no further developments on the Jon McKain front after the Socceroo was linked with a move to Hindmarsh from Saudi Arabian club Al Nasr.
July 21st 2011 @ 10:50am
punter said | July 21st 2011 @ 10:50am | Report comment
Yes Futbanous, there are certain cheeses I love & others well… they are abit on the nose for my liking, I tend to leave it alone, however, I fully appreciate that there are others who may prefers the cheeses I dislike.
This is same as sport, some sports, like cheese I crave for, others just doesn’t do it for me, it doesn’t make me an ANTI-put sport name here.
July 21st 2011 @ 7:55am
The Special One said | July 21st 2011 @ 7:55am | Report comment
Soccer will never be the biggest sport in the USA. Too much money in all the other sports for that to happen, but I agree with your assertions about Americans. They seem to think because MLS or soccer in general isn’t as popular as the NFL it isn’t big.
Compared to the rest of the US sports, it might not be, but its plenty big enough. Record tv ratings for mens and women’s world cups and continued interest in overseas leagues suggest its plenty popular. Teams like Man Utd wouldn’t keep going there if they didn’t see a future.
True about Australia as well. Id wish everyone stop bleating about becoming the biggest sport etc etc. The only thing that does matter is being viable.
Anyway, here are two american articles proposing the opposite to what the typical soccer basher has to say.
Soccer has arrived in America, so stop pretending it hasn’t
http://boston.com/community/blogs/less_is_more/2011/07/soccer_has_arrived_in_america.html
Soccer grumps
They can’t kill the thrill of watching athletes at the top of their game
http://articles.boston.com/2011-07-17/bostonglobe/29784656_1_soccer-goalie-hope-solo-world-cup-tv
July 21st 2011 @ 9:35am
Striker said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:35am | Report comment
The media here and and the US are always scared of our game becuase they know of the massive following it has here and the US especially in registered players, the MLS has engaged with there fans and are only gonna get bigger, these negative articles are exactly like the majority media and radio people here who would rather mention lawn bowls than mention any news on soccer, but in time our game will get the airtime if we can be united and get behind the A-League as the product is getting better every year.
July 21st 2011 @ 11:16am
nordozzz said | July 21st 2011 @ 11:16am | Report comment
we’ve got a changing media landscape working in a minority sports favour as well … in some ways the ‘mine’s bigger than yours’ articles in the mainstream media help build up alternative viewpoints. Creates that underground/cool factor which MLS is benefitting from. I think marketers call it a ‘challenger brand’ or some such buzzword.
20 years ago i don’t know if the rise of football in Oz and US would be as sustainable as it is now with our fragmented and interest-specific media. Back then ‘new trends’ seemed to rely on a novelty factor which wore off quickly, whereas now people can find and maintain an interest regardless of whether the masses and MSM continue theirs.
July 21st 2011 @ 12:01pm
punter said | July 21st 2011 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
I feel we have a much better coverage of football in Australia than the US does, the NFL especially is very big & powerful in the US, however I think the US (MLS) has engaged the fans much better than we have here.
I think the US has the correct method. We need to better engage the football fans out there.
It’s abit rich for us to compain about media coverage when the AFL pulls crowds of 70K & the A-League pulls 7K.
July 21st 2011 @ 12:12pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 21st 2011 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
punter
I reckon all football fans would fully agree that the AFL attracts HUGE crowds – not just by Australian standards, but by international standards – and I certainly have ZERO complaints about the quantum of media coverage given to that competition.
However, I think all football fans have every right to vigorously complain about the negative, ill-informed, misleading and ignorant comments made about football by the mainstream media.
To be honest, I’d be happier to have ZERO comment by the mainstream media than ignorant comments.
July 21st 2011 @ 12:14pm
Kasey said | July 21st 2011 @ 12:14pm | Report comment
This is so close to an invocation of Coughlins First Law… I’ll leave it up to Fussball ist unser leben to adjudicate:) because I like to delegate:) I’m leaning towards not as Punter doesn’t compare crowd averages in an attempt to prove superiority, only that the media coverage is proportional (I hope I read that right punter) What bothers me as a football fan is when those AFL media types feel the urge to denigrate football by writing a half arsed(in terms of research) negative opinion piece attacking the sport of football or its fans which is then reported faithfully as fact by certain areas of the media in Australia.
July 21st 2011 @ 2:24pm
punter said | July 21st 2011 @ 2:24pm | Report comment
Yes guys 2 issues here!!!!
What I was saying media coverage on football here is much better than the media coverage in the US.
Media coverage will get better here once we get improved crowds, was where I was getting at, not perfect but better.
As for negative articles in the mainstream media, for every Foz article criticising AFL or RL, there are many many more criticising football in this country, it’s called FEAR. Otherwise why bother when you are so much bigger.
July 21st 2011 @ 8:45am
Australian Football said | July 21st 2011 @ 8:45am | Report comment
Yes Davidde, it is so tiresome to constantly read the insecurities of these other sports journos from other codes. Instead of cheering on the gals of Nth America in their greatest moment of their sporting life—to shine for their country they yell abuse at them. What is it with these people that feel so insecure in themselves to write such things on the day of challenging for the most sort after trophy—the Football World Cup..? We have seen the same here of course with our Matildas. Not one word of good will in the Melbourne Press on the eve of their departure to Germany to compete in the Women’s Football World Cup.
July 21st 2011 @ 11:11am
Ben G said | July 21st 2011 @ 11:11am | Report comment
Probably the same reason why I see football fans rubbish NRL and AFL. People just love talking trash.
July 21st 2011 @ 1:42pm
Qantas supports Australian Football said | July 21st 2011 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
Unfortunately for us Football supporters we are out numbered when it comes to trashing a code. Look no further then Neil Mitchel in Melbourne. He devotes his radio programme for such purposes. I can’t think of one Football commentator doing what he does on a regular basis.
July 21st 2011 @ 1:53pm
Kasey said | July 21st 2011 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
I don’t see why anyone ever wants to trash a code. For sure its not me just being a paranoid and prescious Sokkah fan when I say I feel that we cop it uneccessarily often. 2 articles you can guarantee will be written every 4 years will be:
1. Why Soccer will never be a big player in Australia. and
2. Why Soccer sucks and why xxxx is really the best sport ever. xxx could be AFL if you live inthe souther States or RL if you live north ofthe Murray.
Both are a complete waste of print and are just looking to take a shot at the sport & its fans every 4 years when the focus of the country is rightly focussed on the Soceroos.
Although progress has been made. Number 1 used to be “Why Socer will die in Australia.” Usually when the Socceroos would fall at the final hurdle of World Cup qualification. Now it seems most (even the old dinosaurs) recognize that football is here to stay so they focus on keeping it at a small/niche sport level.
July 21st 2011 @ 2:58pm
Qantas supports Australian Football said | July 21st 2011 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
Too true Kassey.
July 21st 2011 @ 8:59am
Peter Care said | July 21st 2011 @ 8:59am | Report comment
Why can’t you enjoy more than one code or sport? Surely you can enjoy differents aspects of different sports. I, for example am a member of an a-league club, and an AFL club, and I see no conflict with enjoying and watching both sports. This year I have also gone to watch an NRL match, a day at the Australian Open and the Super Saturday at Flemington. You can enjoy watching or participating in a number of sports without having to “choose.” I don’t see what all the fuss is about.
July 21st 2011 @ 9:08am
BigAl said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:08am | Report comment
” But there’s too much stubborn clinging in the U.S. to the idea that the worthiness of a sport is equal to the size of its audience, and in particular, its television ratings…”
This is a perfectly valid opinion to hold, but I find it bizarre and amusing that it is presented in The Wall Street Journal !
The Wall Street Journal is all about business, and when it comes to discussing Sport as business – surely it’s all about audience size and TV ratings ?
July 21st 2011 @ 9:20am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:20am | Report comment
@ BigAl
Have you ever read the Wall St Journal? It’s also filled with beautifully written articles about the very best in art, literature, fashion, lifestyle, etc.
And, one of the most important roles of the Wall St Journal – and, any business publication that has any credibility – is to identify and analyse the important trends and emerging markets … not simply go on and on about existing and slowly dying markets.
For savvy investors and sophisticated business people – as opposed to the mindless herd and tabloid readers – the emerging markets and growth industries are where the best returns are found.
Savvy investors will not allocate their resources to the markets that have reached maturity and face the inevitable decline to insignificance.
July 21st 2011 @ 9:28am
BigAl said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Often . . . but The Wall Street Journal IS the Wall Street journal !
July 21st 2011 @ 9:12am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:12am | Report comment
I read that article and thought to myself … heck, I’ve read this same stuff so many times written by Strayian columnists, who don’t understand Football.
Oh the wonderful irony of reading the inciteful comments of people, who don’t like the Beautiful Game, yet they spend sufficient time thinking about all the aspects they don’t like about the Game and then feel compelled to spend even more time writing about a Game … that they (allegedly) don’t watch!
These three comments from Mike Imrem’s article really resonated with me:
1. Another part is that down deep a lot of us feel like soccer threatens baseball, the national pastime, and football, the national passion. [In Australia: substitute "cricket" for "baseball" and "ARF" and to a lesser extent "League" for "football"]
2. I remain confident soccer will get a grip here some day. More fans will understand the game’s nuances while perhaps also getting sick of seeing players of American football being carted off with mangled body parts.
3. Oh, and one more thing will work in soccer’s favor: My generation will die, be buried and go off to that big soccer pitch in the sky.
Yup, Mike, you’ve hit the nail on the head with those 3 observations.
Based on the US cable TV ratings for the FIFA Women’s WC, football has already entered the psyche of mainstream USA to an extent that has never occurred previously and, I reckon, the Australian domestic club football scene is around 10-15 years behind the USA.
July 21st 2011 @ 10:27am
Brendo said | July 21st 2011 @ 10:27am | Report comment
Agree with all three points Fussball but to me 2 and 3 are the ones that seem to be overlooked when people focus on TV ratings and popularity.
This is a journey, a long journey. We don’t need to be the most watched or the most popular, as long as we are growing, year in year out then the sport will thrive.
The strategies that FFA put in place year in year out should be on sustainable growth, we need to get out of the midset of lookign for magic bullets (FIFA WC Bid).
July 21st 2011 @ 1:32pm
Nathan said | July 21st 2011 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
Not so sure on the mangled body parts difference! Saw a challenge in the WA State League on saturday that if it had landed a couple inches higher would probably have resulted in a Cockburn City player walking off with a triple-jointed leg! Catapulted him end over end.
July 21st 2011 @ 1:47pm
Kasey said | July 21st 2011 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
Nathan Don’t tell the haters that, according to them Sokkah is a sport for sissies and no-one gets hurt playing it. Just don’t show anyone ‘that’ picture of former Coventry City player Dave Buust’s leg (thank you dennis Irwin:) ) or mention Marc-vivien Foe:(
July 21st 2011 @ 10:05pm
Fake ex-AFL fan said | July 21st 2011 @ 10:05pm | Report comment
“…yet they spend sufficient time thinking about all the aspects they don’t like about the Game and then feel compelled to spend even more time writing about a Game … that they (allegedly) don’t watch!”.
Quite right, it’s simply bizarre.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/03/25/the-afls-tipping-point-2
http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/04/28/afl-tv-bonanza-will-make-no-difference-up-north
http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/04/29/afls-new-tv-deal-redefines-sporting-landscape
July 22nd 2011 @ 8:15am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 22nd 2011 @ 8:15am | Report comment
@ Fake
I’d wager that I’ve watched more ARF over the past 30+ years than you’ve watched Football in your lifetime.
July 22nd 2011 @ 8:58am
Fake ex-AFL fan said | July 22nd 2011 @ 8:58am | Report comment
I’d wager that you’re 100% correct. I’m simply making reference to the hilarity of you lecturing others on why they shouldn’t post about soccer, when your ongoing obsession with AFL TV rights, ratings, attendances and club memberships is manifestly clear.
I recall with fondness your accounts of how you would start each Monday updating your excel spreadsheet with the weekend’s AFL TV ratings and attendance figures and would then proceed to pounce on any data point that appeared to drop below the mean! I have absolutely no problem with that by the way, I for one would be interested to know how your spreadsheet is going.
July 21st 2011 @ 9:17am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:17am | Report comment
It is a good question. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, no, it does not matter. I enjoy watching football in odd places and it doesn’t matter whether others are in to it or not. For that matter I watch AFL games here as well, me and a few other Australians in a country of 14million. I’m sure many of us have been glued to the television watching the Tour de France without having ever watched another road cycling event.
However football does not operate in isolation and whilst ranking is not important popularity is. Stadium deals, sponsorship and wages are all dependent on interest in the game in general and the A-League & state leagues in particular.
Football has too much infrastructure demands and developmental costs associated with being competitive in a global context to be a niche sport. It needs people coming through the gates.
So no, we don’t need football to be the number 1 sport, but we also can’t afford for no one to watch either. None of the big sports can.
July 21st 2011 @ 9:59am
Realfootball said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:59am | Report comment
If you’re glued to the Tour de France, Ben, you have too much time on your hands.
“The wheels on the bike go round and round, round and round, round and round…” for those of us who have had small children.
July 21st 2011 @ 10:21am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | July 21st 2011 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Hah, probably true. Though time zones help
July 21st 2011 @ 11:39am
nordozzz said | July 21st 2011 @ 11:39am | Report comment
there’s more going on during your average grand tour stage than many non-fans can wrap their heads around. I think thats part of the perception people have of it being ‘boring’. Check out some of Roar’s great cycling blogs from Art…
July 21st 2011 @ 2:23pm
Realfootball said | July 21st 2011 @ 2:23pm | Report comment
Yeah, the pedal action is rivetting.
And the helmets! All that bobbing up and down.
July 21st 2011 @ 9:33am
TomC said | July 21st 2011 @ 9:33am | Report comment
I’ve increasingly been coming around to the same view, Davidde. The last few seasons whenever I’ve rocked up to an A-league match the first thing I’ve done is anxiously looked around the crowd, generally sighed with disappointment, before sitting down and thoroughly enjoying a great match. And geez the A-league has had some great games in the past couple of years.
So why worry? Why not just enjoy the football?
Incidentally, I still feel you need to elaborate on your comments on 7.30. I don’t know about others but I’m still confused what you meant about others being afraid to speak out.