Comments on: The Case Against Soccer

By: Ronnie Lott Finger Cut Off

Ronnie Lott Finger Cut Off — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:41:28 +0000

[...] The Case Against Soccer – Lacrosse All StarsSquare Garden, Ronnie Lott getting his pinkie finger cut off so he could continue playing for the Raiders, or MJ and his “flu game”. And it’s a wonder that some aspects of socc… [...]

By: Ronnie Lott Finger Cut Off | AXI

Ronnie Lott Finger Cut Off | AXI — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:24:29 +0000

[...] The Case Against Soccer – Lacrosse All StarsSquare Garden, Ronnie Lott getting his pinkie finger cut off so he could continue playing… [...]

By: ty

ty — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:59:12 +0000

soccer is doomed because americans have too many other sports that compete for fans…… and boom goes the dynomite

By: ty

ty — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:59:12 +0000

soccer is doomed because americans have too many other sports that compete for fans…… and boom goes the dynomite

By: Striding Man

Striding Man — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:54:18 +0000

http://www.facebook.com/collegelacrosse2010

Should be coming out this week and only $10...

By: Sabertooth

Sabertooth — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:14:19 +0000

que the lax video game debate. someone needs to step up to the plate and get this thing going already.

By: Trick Luuuddd the Kiiiiiids

Trick Luuuddd the Kiiiiiids — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:23:59 +0000

I think that one of the reasons soccer has stuck around is actually video games… All the guys on our lax team were addicted to Fifa 09 last year and they would be playing it in the hotel rooms. I think this got them into soccer more. A lot of them now follow international soccer because of it. I for one am hooked. You get the game better when you play the videogame version…. For football, I didn't have the slightest idea what a cover 2 was until I played Madden.

By: Crave

Crave — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:06:31 +0000

I'm right there with you on the Champions league. Theres' a bar near my place thats always packed with fans watching the latest games (always at odd hours too because of the time change).

I can completely agree with the rising ad revenue around international soccer too. It's going up with ESPN now broadcasting Premier League games.

But I stick to my original point: shouldn't the next big sport actually be played at the highest level in America?

By: joenandez

joenandez — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:53:54 +0000

Great post Crave. Sports in US are a lot like the Wireless industry. Everyone has a cellphone (plays a sport), and 2/3 of the country are on the same big 3 carriers. No matter how innovative, fresh and new a wireless company (sport) may be, in order to be popular you have to STEAL subscribers from the other, well established, well funded, money making companies. Make sense? Tough to do.

By: Cam

Cam — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:51:09 +0000

I agree that soccer will never rise to prominence relative to the MLB, NFL, or NBA, but I do believe that soccer is booming anew in this country. I appreciate your research into previous hyped up articles across generations, and I too laugh at how dumb they are. The MLS will forever be a third tier league globally, although most agree that it has ascended to prominence comparable to the Dutch, which should keep the niche happy.

Your article is ignoring the number of Americans who follow the world's elite leagues religiously. Millions wake up at 7 AM on Saturdays to tune into the Premier League, or skip class on the odd Tuesday to watch Champions League. A large chunk of people tune in, way the hell more than the arcane NHL, and this is all because of digital cable.

I believe that soccer is going to be a big TV revenue that will be extremely relevant in the near future. This has never been the case before, so don't write the game off entirely.

By: Name

Name — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:27:41 +0000

I think the problem is that both lacrosse and soccer suffer from negative stereotypes from mainstream America. Soccer is a “pussy European sport”, likely because of the diving (which is actually strategic in many cases). I enjoy watching the EPL, and while I don't like the diving, who hasn't seen a receiver dive a little to sell a pass interference or Lebron sell a foul in the lane. Soccer players are some of the best athletes in the world, and there is plenty of physical contact. Lacrosse is branded as the “preppy, rich-kid sport” by many Americans. It may be true that many rich-kids play lacrosse, they also play many other sports because they can afford it. If you look at New York State, high schools from all levels of income play lacrosse. Syracuse won the title with kids from Watertown, Tully, Homer, and an Indian reservation, hardly preppy towns. The problem is, both sports get branded and it is hard to shake the stereotype. I personally don't mind lacrosse being a little out of the mainstream, it makes it a more tight-knit community, and a little more badass to be a player. I would like to see games televised, but it doesn't need to get to college football-level popularity (which it won't). One thing I've also always wondered is why hockey, which is far more expensive than lacrosse, doesn't get a negative rep as a rich-kid sport.

By: Crave

Crave — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:04:48 +0000

Solid argument for rugby but while it's much more violent than soccer or lacrosse it's still very European (at least to me). Either way it's bad ass no doubt.

Good to hear from you tooth!

By: Crave

Crave — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:02:30 +0000

Just a great comment and thanks for adding your POV. Being blinded by my love of lax might make me biased but even if lacrosse isnt the next “big thing” I think eventually something new could rise up.

As a rabid football fan as well I'm scared to admit that Malcolm Gladwell's recent article on concussions made me think that there could be a day when football is banned in its current form (maybe 30-50 years but still). Maybe then there will be an opening for a new sport? I'm not 100% convinced but its interesting to think about.

Link to the article in case anyone hasnt seen it:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/19/0…

By: Bmore_Special

Bmore_Special — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:53:49 +0000

I have never lived in Europe, but I have attended international soccer matches over there, so I've seen the sport played at the highest levels and experienced European futbol passion first-hand. I get it. What I don't get is the insistence that soccer is the next big thing here. I agree completely with this post. Every little kid in American is playing youth soccer now and that has been the case long enough for a generation to grow up with it. Yet the sport continues to depend on a largely international fan base. You can point to the lack of scoring opportunities in a typical game. You can point to the whining and fake injuries. You can point to the use annoying ESPN announcer use of international terms (pitch, nil, side, etc.) when there are perfectly acceptable simple terms to use (field, zero, team, etc.). You can point to any number of reasons it hasn't become a truly major sport in the US, and you would probably be partly right. To put it simply, it just doesn't feel right here.

Is lacrosse the next big thing? Unfortunately, I don't think so. While it certainly has all of the characteristics that Americans typically look for in their sports, it has too much to overcome. Although it is the oldest sport in America, to mainstream America it is something new. Although it is technically the most AMERICAN sport there is, to mainstream America it is something foreign. (Literally - I overheard frustrated recreational softball players a couple of years ago yelling "play an American sport!" at summer league lacrosse players who had taken over their outfield.) Although it is growing like wildfire, it is still much more of a niche sport than most of us who love it want to admit.

There isn't much room in America for another major sport. Nascar has found a way to join the big boys, but can the American public accept something more? There is certainly a major effort going on to position soccer. I like soccer. I appreciate it. But I'm wary of it. The lacrosse world needs to be tenacious and patient at the same time. Every opportunity to promote our sport to a larger audience needs to be taken, and more need to be created. At the same time, we need to understand and accept that the lacrosse world we envision isn't going to happen overnight.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:30:59 +0000

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by laxallstars: The Case Against Soccer http://bit.ly/2ArDVV Let’s re-evaluate the sport of the next decade. #lacrosse…