I wouldn't mind seeing a nationwide poll on what is more boring: soccer or baseball? It would be interesting to see how those demographics break down. I think it would tell us that soccer is coming up and baseball is going down with the 35 and under generation. Hey, I played baseball, never played soccer (though my build would have probably been better suited for soccer). Baseball is a snoozefest now, and I don't even know why (the games have always been long, action sporadic). If I go to a game, I stay for 3 or 4 innings and call it a day. I cant devote 3.5 to 4 hours to watching a baseball game.
Baseball has grown very boring. But it will never be as fun to make fun of baseball as it is to make fun of soccer.
Baseball, soccer, bicycling, golf, tennis - these provide great background soundtracks for afternoon nap time.
There are so many things in this column that expose Coulter's ignorance. She should lose any real sports fan during her spiel about a "heat break." A) Other sports have timeouts, and breaks between quarters. B) New Orleans plays its football games in the Superdome, so it doesn't matter if it's 150 degrees outside, those players aren't at risk of a heat stroke. What a moron.
the bold, the beautiful, theprofessor
There's no doubt that soccer, at least at its highest level, has already passed baseball. The ratings for World Cup games are much higher than any World Series game. The fact of the matter is that things are changing. My (our) generation just doesn't get into baseball. The games are too long, and there are way too many times during a game where nothing happens. It boggles my mind how anyone can say soccer is boring but will watch a baseball game. There are literally hundreds of more exciting moments in a soccer game than during a baseball game, which is full of the mundane and routine.
There will come a time in the next couple of decades where football is the most-watched sport in America, with soccer at No. 2. MLS has come a long ways, but it still has a lot of growth to do. With that said, ratings of MLS games are similar to ratings of baseball games. Ratings of the major soccer leagues in Europe are growing massively in America, too. The sport isn't going away. Soccer-haters can deny it all they want, but there's a reason that ESPN, Fox Sports and NBC are throwing massive money to broadcast soccer in America. The ratings are growing. It's gaining popularity.
the bold, the beautiful, theprofessor
You really think Soccer will bypass hoops Bret?
If the World Series was only played every four years, I bet its ratings would improve.
160 posts on a thread about a sport no one likes? Hmmmm...
think I'll keep this thread going.
The thread that won't die! Will probably have at least, maybe 300 posts, in 4 years, just in time for the next WC finals.
I do. The ratings for the World Cup and NBA Finals already are basically a draw. As are the ratings between regular-season games. As soccer continues to gain in popularity, I truly believe it will pass basketball as the No. 2 spectator sport. I already believe it's passed baseball for No. 3, and hockey is way behind at No. 5.
the bold, the beautiful, theprofessor
I doubt it. The ratings for the World Baseball Classic, which is played every two years, are terrible. And World Series ratings continue to plummet. The fact remains that soccer, at its highest level, is immensely popular. If you held the World Cup every two years, instead of every four, I don't believe the ratings would slip.
the bold, the beautiful, theprofessor
I will say this. This World Cup (the first one I've every watched), has been interesting. I think what will make it so popular is the fact that it is like the Olympics. The national pride, the fanfare, etc.
This World Cup has definitely had an impact in the US more than I've ever seen in my lifetime so far. If the US can catch a little lightning in a bottle the next World Cup, it could be a game changer for soccer in the US.
One thing that has really helped the ratings during this World Cup is there is very little time difference between the U.S. and Brazil. It's made watching games a lot easier than the past three World Cups. It will be interesting to see what effect the time difference in Qatar and Russia will have in 2018 and 2022.
the bold, the beautiful, theprofessor
The national pride thing just doesn't pull me in. Other countries..it's all they have to live for or be happy about.