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.
Mahony
Guest
Fact: Globalisation is changing the sporting and related media landscape in Australia - along with every other aspect of Australian life and culture. For the future, the only question is which code will reap the benefits of this in RELATIVE terms? Everyone knows the answer - but some football fans think it will happen over night and AFL/Rugby(s) fans make desperate attempts to ignore the ongoing and inevitable progress of football and tear down 'the foreigner'. These forces are unstoppable and substantial public intellectuals have made these arguments. It is these people the AFL is responding to - not the likes of the keyboard warriors and their fellow partizans in the media. When you consider the giant strides the game has made globally in just the last 20 years (yes, a context we rarely acknowledge on The Roar) - I will surely die with a smile on my face.....
Mahony
Guest
One of the single best posts I have seen on this forum ever. Must have come from a girly man - oh wait.......
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ 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.
james
Guest
"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.
JVGO
Guest
In America playing HS Football (American Football) is seen as a rite of passage. Most boys only play American football in those HS years. They only take it up as a freshman and that is why there is such nostalgia in movies and stuff about HS football. They very rarely play once they leave school. The game doesn't even have much of a structure beyond the school system. Soccer on the other hand because it might not originally have had a hold in the HS system and is more suited to little kids playing has developed a big structure outside the school system. I'd imagine the commentator was really referring the American football in this sense, as a rite of passage in those years as a boy is moving toward being a man and they might feel they want to test themslves in a different physical and athletic way. Most American boys will probably play soccer before and after those HS years of playing American Football but there is a special place in American culture for HS Football. I think even the most rabid soccer fan might be able to admit that there is a more gladiatorial element in other football codes that boys and young men at that age might benefit from experiencing.(or maybe they won't). But I think that the Imrem comments in the article might be interpreted in that context, and though they might seem pretty defensive they are being defensive about an iconic part of American culture. Soccer has found its place in American culture however and is growing. It is easily the number one participation sport among many sections of the community, the white middle class, younger kids, girls and Hispanics in particular.
Redb
Roar Guru
Is there seriously a team called the Seattle Sounders? Great sponsorship opportunity for Lowrance or Humminbird. :)
eric
Guest
The same old people posting the same tired arguments on here.My sport is better than your sport because....
Kasey
Guest
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.
Fake ex-AFL fan
Guest
I for one admire your optimism Fossy, if not the quality of your analysis.
Fake ex-AFL fan
Guest
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.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
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
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ Fake I'd wager that I've watched more ARF over the past 30+ years than you've watched Football in your lifetime.
Kasey
Guest
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:)
Fake ex-AFL fan
Guest
BAF = British Association Football.
Kasey
Guest
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.
Fake ex-AFL fan
Guest
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.
Fake ex-AFL fan
Guest
"...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
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Hey Midfielder I know how much you love the CCM and not sure if you've heard this tragic news about Ashleigh Connor, who was killed in a car accident today. Only 21 years old and, whilst it looks like she was still to make her debut for CCM, she's forever a part of "the CCM family". Of course, I'm sure the whole football community in Australia will have Ashleigh and her family in our prayers and thoughts ... may she rest in peace. Source: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/stingrays-striker-ashleigh-connor-dies-in-crash/2233961.aspx
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
I'v never heard FOX mention it once on FOX FC; please direct me to a link where they have..
Nathan
Guest
He might have tried, but I suspect their league is a bit higher these days :)