Direction of Soccer

Direction of Soccer in the U.S.

I am very fascinated in the now. The present, ‘cuz there is no time like it; however, I have as much attention on the future. All of my rants and raves will have to do with the course of which certain cultural aspects are headed. My first one has to do with the direction of sports. Soccer specifically, I am really looking forward to it expanding and growing in America. I know it’s un-American to say that it is real football, but let’s be honest, American football really is limited in the amount of foot-to-ball action. But I digress, I think Soccer would be a great sport for more people to gravitate to in our nation. In an article from the New York Post website titled “Soccer’s growth in US measured in the time between World Cups” and the hyperlink at: http://nypost.com/2014/07/14/soccers-growth-in-us-measured-in-the-time-between-world-cups/ by Brian Lewis, I agree with his points. He has some clear bullet points for why Soccer probably won’t get that big anytime soon. I have outlined a few of them here.

1. Lack of commercials also causes a lack of huge advertisement opportunity for big companies. Every year we are baffled by the prices and amount of effort that go into Super Bowl commercials, with soccer we wouldn’t see that. Soccer is two 45 minute running halves, which makes it a pretty painless couple of hours of entertainment, versus the four hour event that is NFL football. Why because that market has already been exploited as much as possible.
2. Lack of huge marketable players– what house hold soccer players are there in America? Pele? Maybe for my parents’ generation. Messi? Ronaldo? Those two are getting there but they are content with the success they have had in their own continent and individual countries that I’m sure they aren’t pressed to learn fluent English.
3. If there is one thing Americans hate more than anything else, it’s losing. Especially in things we care about. So if we don’t care about the sport, it’s no sweat off our back is it? If we aren’t the best at it, then whatever it is for the birds.
4. Nowadays, we U.S. folk are all about instant gratification. Now I individually think soccer is very exciting, but people would argue against the excitement factor because of the lack of high scoring. It’s more comparable to baseball in that sense, that it could possibly be a while between highlights in a game. People gravitate to football and basketball more so because of the constant excitement it brings without fail.
5. His final point I agree with is the in home viewing numbers. When they can stop competing with WNBA numbers is when they can maybe consider being a top 5 sport (behind football, basketball, baseball, and hockey). No diss to the WNBA, but the WNBA averages is 230,000 views per game, compared to the MLS which dropped within the last year from 310,000 to 220,000 viewers per game. It just shows you the ball park the MLS is in compared to other professional organizations.

I really enjoy watching soccer. Brian Lewis told nothing but the truth in his article which dated back to the summer when the World Cup was well underway and in full heat. He was able to see past all the hype and allure, and visualize whether this was another trend versus something that could maintain a long term attractiveness to newer fresher audience. I enjoy the FIFA video game franchise very much so as well, and really want to see it expand; however, there are a few hurdles soccer needs to hurdle in the U.S. in order for more people like me to hop on the bandwagon.

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This page is dedicated to all the profound things I am thinking of. A radical yet self-proclaimed realist, I don’t want my viewers to read my blog and come away feeling enlightened or a change in perspective. I want my viewers to think: “hmm… Interesting to say the least?” I like to think I have an eclectic view on things, and not fit stereotypes. I hate being marginalized. By marginalize, I mean being put in category in daily life and easily figured out. I don’t want to be easily figured out based off of one conversation or post, I want you to treat me like an onion: cry every time you’re near me. Just kidding, by onion I mean peel back the layers of my thinking process. Things like that though, I am proud to say I have never been a predictable person. With a sense of humor, along with an insatiable appetite for asking questions, plenty of times unneeded or unnecessary, I hope to attain and then maintain a certain level of intellect in this blog. Being my first blog, I hope I achieve it, but I won’t be surprised if this doesn’t have the impact I would like it to have. It’s a growing process.

Growing up in very diverse environments my whole life, coming from NYC to Atlanta, I have never been taught to go with the ideologies of the masses. I have been #teamAtheist since 6^th grade as well as seen 9/11 unfold at the age of 6. I have always been top 2 darkest skin colored in any given room, but have always been able to click with the quote on quote “whitest” or “dorkiest” people in the room. I love the culture of rap and the confidence, dynamics, and versatility that comes with it, but hate the ignorance that goes hand and hand with it. I love my culture, but am I upset with the large amount of stupidity that people display when they choose to discuss or promote the most irrelevant news. I want to be a broadcaster at some point in my career, but I want to report on actual news, not tabloids, or news companies that choose to follow every waking movement of someone until that person is driven to insanity. I want to report on the people doing something excellent with their life, and find out how I can emulate what they are doing and repeat it.

About me Page

I know that I am not a professional in anything, but I believe that I make valid points on various topics, in a progressive thinking sense. I do want to see college athletes get paid, I do want to legalize gay marriage everywhere, but don’t call me a liberal. An affiliation to a political party doesn’t intrigue me as much as an inclination with rational thinking. Shit, I’m only 18, I don’t pay my own bills yet. Though I am young, living where I have lived and going to the schools I’ve went to, makes me feel I have had encountered a variety of different walks of life and experienced things a lot of people haven’t experienced. I went to one of the top private schools in the country, the second largest as well. Here I made friends with the hyper rich of the nation, as well as the ones like me who were on financial aid and had parents bending over backwards just to keep me in the school.

Growing up, I am very fortunate to have never known the struggles that my parents went through. They grew up in the rough boroughs of NYC, and moved me and my brothers out of there shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 (which my father videotaped from our terrace on the 35^th floor). My parents never wanted me to see the carnage they saw, and for that I am grateful. They wanted me to experience life and excel at it, and be given opportunities way beyond what they were given. Sure I have squandered a few, not getting the athletic scholarships I should have back in high school, or doing better academically, but nonetheless they are still proud of what I have accomplished this far in my life. I was the captain of my lacrosse team in high school as well as an All-State defensive lineman in football. I’ve willed myself to work up to 50 hour work weeks for months at a time. If that’s not impressive, I’ll find better ways to impress as time goes on. I’d much rather have a conversation with you about religion, or the marketing strategies that are completely obvious nowadays, than about whose doing who on this week’s reality show.