Gold Cup final draws more rating than the Stanley Cup finals

[Quelonio]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/soccer/06/26/bc.soc.goldcupratings.ap/index.html

he CONCACAF Gold Cup final attracted 41 percent more television households in the United States than the Stanley Cup finals clincher -- and that was just for the soccer game's Spanish-language telecast.

The United States' 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Mexico on Sunday received a 2.5 fast national rating on Univision, the network said Tuesday. That translates to 2.83 million households, nearly double the 1.48 million homes that watched the 2005 Gold Cup final between the United States and Panama.

And this is not counting the transmission on FSC which was in English, and was also widely viewed (I watched that one in a bar)...

Step by step I say... step by step...

 

[ckb2001]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/soccer/06/26/bc.soc.goldcupratings.ap/index.html



And this is not counting the transmission on FSC which was in English, and was also widely viewed (I watched that one in a bar)...

Step by step I say... step by step...

Yeah, let's not forget how big the actual soccer market in the US is here. I mean IF MLS were a world class league, they could fill NFL stadiums easily - those exhibition games with Milan, Man U etc.. showed that, and furthermore, it wasn't just NY or Chicago or LA that's like that, but even places like Seattle.

MLS is nowhere near the better leagues of the world, but as foolish as it looks like, the signing of guys like Beckham (there will be a few more I'm sure) helps, at least in the minds of the average sports fan. And any success by the USMNT is good.

It's really too bad the US isn't sending their absolute best squad to Copa America. Not just the experience is wasted, but a good finish (at least semifinals) could have easily stayed on ESPN's website for awhile.

Yes, step by step, though the steps are really tiny..

 

[Mindwarp]

I think it just shows how stong the latino community down here. None of my non-latino friends who "like" soccer watched it, but all my latino friends did.

I had it on 2 TVs

 

[Quelonio]

Yeah, let's not forget how big the actual soccer market in the US is here. I mean IF MLS were a world class league, they could fill NFL stadiums easily - those exhibition games with Milan, Man U etc.. showed that, and furthermore, it wasn't just NY or Chicago or LA that's like that, but even places like Seattle.

MLS is nowhere near the better leagues of the world, but as foolish as it looks like, the signing of guys like Beckham (there will be a few more I'm sure) helps, at least in the minds of the average sports fan. And any success by the USMNT is good.

It's really too bad the US isn't sending their absolute best squad to Copa America. Not just the experience is wasted, but a good finish (at least semifinals) could have easily stayed on ESPN's website for awhile.

Yes, step by step, though the steps are really tiny..

Well a problem I have is the reluctance by the MLS to work like the rest of the world works. See with the USL behind it it could easily create a minor league and have relegation, but they refuse to do it. Then they have to schedule around football and basketball, so the schedules conflict with FIFA tournaments (as evidenced by the Copa America thing).

Still, DC United fills up the stadium every game, Toronto FC has a great following, Beckham has already paid for himself in ticket sales (heck Giant stadium is pretty much sold out... I am going to be there right in the first row in midfield!!!!!!!)... It is growing, slowly but surely. MLS could be great in a few years. I know this video is tricky since it picks just the best... but for a growing league it is cool

[youtube]lJ9_y01l9gY[/youtube]

Having said that, the league continues to make the mistake of catering to soccer moms (the fact that their children are playing soccer does not mean they are interested in it) instead of embracing the small and growing barras and immigrants who are really the passionate followers of the sport.

(I am waiting like crazy for the Mets team... I hate cheering for Red Bull, cuz I can't stand the name)

 

[TotoreMexico]

Yeah, let's not forget how big the actual soccer market in the US is here. I mean IF MLS were a world class league, they could fill NFL stadiums easily - those exhibition games with Milan, Man U etc.. showed that, and furthermore, it wasn't just NY or Chicago or LA that's like that, but even places like Seattle.

MLS is nowhere near the better leagues of the world, but as foolish as it looks like, the signing of guys like Beckham (there will be a few more I'm sure) helps, at least in the minds of the average sports fan. And any success by the USMNT is good.

It's really too bad the US isn't sending their absolute best squad to Copa America. Not just the experience is wasted, but a good finish (at least semifinals) could have easily stayed on ESPN's website for awhile.

Yes, step by step, though the steps are really tiny..

Don't forget Blanco

 

[ckb2001]

Well a problem I have is the reluctance by the MLS to work like the rest of the world works. See with the USL behind it it could easily create a minor league and have relegation, but they refuse to do it. Then they have to schedule around football and basketball, so the schedules conflict with FIFA tournaments (as evidenced by the Copa America thing).

Still, DC United fills up the stadium every game, Toronto FC has a great following, Beckham has already paid for himself in ticket sales (heck Giant stadium is pretty much sold out... I am going to be there right in the first row in midfield!!!!!!!)... It is growing, slowly but surely. MLS could be great in a few years. I know this video is tricky since it picks just the best... but for a growing league it is cool

[youtube]lJ9_y01l9gY[/youtube]

Having said that, the league continues to make the mistake of catering to soccer moms (the fact that their children are playing soccer does not mean they are interested in it) instead of embracing the small and growing barras and immigrants who are really the passionate followers of the sport.

(I am waiting like crazy for the Mets team... I hate cheering for Red Bull, cuz I can't stand the name)

MLS is the way it is because of history. They can't make the same mistake as the NASL did, so it has to be single-entity. With these "exceptions" they are trying to have the best of both worlds. So, MOST of the organizational aspects of MLS are imposed by economics and it's hard to argue with that.

The scheduling isn't one of them however, and one can argue the schedule should be like the rest of the world. It would also free up top players for National teams (see Copa America for example..).

The only profit-making MLS team is the Galaxy, and they are doing it with support not from latinos but from youth soccer!! So, it's not necessarily a mistake to cater to soccer moms, though it may be in certain markets. The reason no team in NY has succeeded is because of bad marketing more than anything else.

DC is nice and steady yes, but Toronto.. too early to say. See Columbus for that. A new team and/or new stadium initially draws lots of people. A few years in it doesn't look so good.

 

[phinphan896]

a testament to hockey's demise as a major sports

 

[phins_4_ever]

Well a problem I have is the reluctance by the MLS to work like the rest of the world works. See with the USL behind it it could easily create a minor league and have relegation, but they refuse to do it. Then they have to schedule around football and basketball, so the schedules conflict with FIFA tournaments (as evidenced by the Copa America thing).

Still, DC United fills up the stadium every game, Toronto FC has a great following, Beckham has already paid for himself in ticket sales (heck Giant stadium is pretty much sold out... I am going to be there right in the first row in midfield!!!!!!!)... It is growing, slowly but surely. MLS could be great in a few years. I know this video is tricky since it picks just the best... but for a growing league it is cool

[youtube]lJ9_y01l9gY[/youtube]

Having said that, the league continues to make the mistake of catering to soccer moms (the fact that their children are playing soccer does not mean they are interested in it) instead of embracing the small and growing barras and immigrants who are really the passionate followers of the sport.

(I am waiting like crazy for the Mets team... I hate cheering for Red Bull, cuz I can't stand the name)

The MLS has several problems. I am a soccer fan but I hardly watch MLS games. During the season I suck in the German Bundesliga, English Premier, Spanish and Italian soccer. The level of play is not even comparable.

The MLS is centrally organized. It allows owners to have multiple teams and crap like that. A player who wants to play in the MLS will be allocated. The move with Beckham is a bad one. He is an aging former star. For him the MLS is good. The level of competition is much lower. Good place to retire. But if the MLS continues on that path we might as well just bring the times of the Strikers and Cosmos back.

The MLS is missing the extreme youth competition as other nations have (like south american and european countries).

Even if the US gets an attendance boost, to make the boost a lasting one the US has to be able to compete internationally and with success. And I am not talking about the Gold Cup. Beating up on teams like Guadaloupe (who is not even a FIFA member) and the likes like Honduras is not international competition worth chatting about.

Having said that: I am still preferring an MLS over an MLB game.

:wink:

 

[phins_4_ever]

MLS is the way it is because of history. They can't make the same mistake as the NASL did, so it has to be single-entity. With these "exceptions" they are trying to have the best of both worlds. So, MOST of the organizational aspects of MLS are imposed by economics and it's hard to argue with that.

The scheduling isn't one of them however, and one can argue the schedule should be like the rest of the world. It would also free up top players for National teams (see Copa America for example..).

The only profit-making MLS team is the Galaxy, and they are doing it with support not from latinos but from youth soccer!! So, it's not necessarily a mistake to cater to soccer moms, though it may be in certain markets. The reason no team in NY has succeeded is because of bad marketing more than anything else.

DC is nice and steady yes, but Toronto.. too early to say. See Columbus for that. A new team and/or new stadium initially draws lots of people. A few years in it doesn't look so good.

None of the teams make money. Not even the Galaxy. Their owner pumps money in (he owns 4 MLS teams - Fire, Galaxy, Houston, Chivas, as well as the Home Depot Center which is home to the Galxy and Chivas and the Toyato Center which is home to the Fire...and we leave his ownership in the NHL aside for a moment and all his other ventures in sports as well).

Owners of the MLS are required to cover all deficits at season end. Basically, it is continous funding in hopes of striking it big one day. I doubt that a few latino soccer fans can have the buying power of a 250 Million Dollar Beckham.

 

[Roman529]

Hockey and the NBA use to be great, but both of these sports have gone downhill over the years. I would rather watch a good soccer game over any NBA game which is nothing but grabs and holds and sub 50% shooting. When you see teams scoring a whole 73 points in a game you have to wonder what is wrong ....in the 80's teams often scored 70+ points in a half.

Bettman has run the NHL into the ground....it's just not what is use to be.

 

[ckb2001]

None of the teams make money. Not even the Galaxy. Their owner pumps money in (he owns 4 MLS teams - Fire, Galaxy, Houston, Chivas, as well as the Home Depot Center which is home to the Galxy and Chivas and the Toyato Center which is home to the Fire...and we leave his ownership in the NHL aside for a moment and all his other ventures in sports as well).

Owners of the MLS are required to cover all deficits at season end. Basically, it is continous funding in hopes of striking it big one day. I doubt that a few latino soccer fans can have the buying power of a 250 Million Dollar Beckham.

Galaxy is the first MLS team to ever make a profit in a season (and it continues):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Galaxy

"The Galaxy has the highest all-time attendance in league history and is the first MLS team to make a profit in a season."
-------------------

 

[Quelonio]

None of the teams make money. Not even the Galaxy. Their owner pumps money in (he owns 4 MLS teams - Fire, Galaxy, Houston, Chivas, as well as the Home Depot Center which is home to the Galxy and Chivas and the Toyato Center which is home to the Fire...and we leave his ownership in the NHL aside for a moment and all his other ventures in sports as well).

Owners of the MLS are required to cover all deficits at season end. Basically, it is continous funding in hopes of striking it big one day. I doubt that a few latino soccer fans can have the buying power of a 250 Million Dollar Beckham.

Chivas is owned by Jose Vergara who is a Mexican impresario who owns the Mexican version of Chivas. So it is now owned by the the Galaxy owner.

 

[Antoni]

a testament to hockey's demise as a major sports

Maybe in the USA in general, yes. It will still be huge among youths in certain parts of USA, Canada, and former Soviet Republics. And just because this certain soccer event had more viewers doesn't undermine Hockey in anyway, since just about every country other than Canada, USA, and Russia have a larger soccer fan base than a hockey fan base.

Hockey is a bit harder to promote worldwide since so much of the world population has no reliable means to actually play the sport. A big part of the equation is the accessibility for the youth. Where I come from we had about 30 kids ready to skate on a daily basis as soon as the lakes would freeze. Now how exactly do you promote Hockey in the States when a large part of the country doesn't have an easy access to the sport? It's far easier to get a pickup group of baseball,soccer, and basketball players.

Hockey competing with soccer is just futile in general, except for a few areas.

 

[ILPhinFan88]

Well a problem I have is the reluctance by the MLS to work like the rest of the world works. See with the USL behind it it could easily create a minor league and have relegation, but they refuse to do it. Then they have to schedule around football and basketball, so the schedules conflict with FIFA tournaments (as evidenced by the Copa America thing).

Still, DC United fills up the stadium every game, Toronto FC has a great following, Beckham has already paid for himself in ticket sales (heck Giant stadium is pretty much sold out... I am going to be there right in the first row in midfield!!!!!!!)... It is growing, slowly but surely. MLS could be great in a few years. I know this video is tricky since it picks just the best... but for a growing league it is cool

[youtube]lJ9_y01l9gY[/youtube]

Having said that, the league continues to make the mistake of catering to soccer moms (the fact that their children are playing soccer does not mean they are interested in it) instead of embracing the small and growing barras and immigrants who are really the passionate followers of the sport.

(I am waiting like crazy for the Mets team... I hate cheering for Red Bull, cuz I can't stand the name)

My daughter and I will see him in Chicago, we have front row corner seats. She is hoping Beckham gets a corner kick. Bad thing is I'm gonna have to miss the Dolphins/Patriots game.

 

[Slappy8800]

read the quote in my sig...

if the NHL could draw bigger audiences theyd have bigger arenas..why do people expect bigger numbers?