Why European Soccer is the Most "American" of Sports

[Senser81]

This was my first year really following soccer (followed Arsenal) and I loved it because the culture around the sport is so different to American sports. American sports fans are a lot more casual than English soccer fans. They know a lot more about the players in the club and are a lot more critical in their views of the players. Also the commentators are a lot more interesting because they call players shit when they play like shit, while American commentary is boring and politically correct all the time. It's funny because most of the top players are at the celebrity level that A-list movie stars reach here so the egos are hilarious to watch. To me the passion and conversations around soccer is so much more entertaining and interesting than American sports.

Also the more I watch the more I notice how tactical and difficult the game is. I never played soccer at all for most of my life and had a pretty ignorant view of the sport. But the more I watch the sport the more I think it's probably one of the hardest games to play at the highest level. Obviously the level of athletes are probably better in American sports. But watching Arsenal they have Theo Walcott, who is probably the fastest player on the pitch almost every match and he can't just dominate every game because he doesn't get the mental part of the game. Which I don't think you see in the major American sports because managers and coaches have more of an impact during the game compared to soccer.

I want to respond to this post, because I have the same take on soccer.

To me, part of my interest in soccer is the peripheral stuff...the talk, the commentators, the stupidity of the players, the personal hatred of the refs. Its all interesting because its vastly different than American sports coverage. I love it when the media berates a ref for a terrible call...that NEVER happens in the US. Most of the time you don't even know the ref's name.

Soccer is also a very hard game to master.

Taking into account these two aspects, I can see why the MLS is unappealing. It doesn't have the "uniqueness" of European soccer in terms of the peripheral stuff...and the gameplay itself is a couple steps below the European game. So you have a bland, Americanized version of soccer that isn't very entertaining to watch or follow. I think even if the MLS gets a big influx of talented players, it still won't be on par with European soccer, because European soccer will still be more interesting, IMO.

 

[Lanteri]

I want to respond to this post, because I have the same take on soccer.

To me, part of my interest in soccer is the peripheral stuff...the talk, the commentators, the stupidity of the players, the personal hatred of the refs. Its all interesting because its vastly different than American sports coverage. I love it when the media berates a ref for a terrible call...that NEVER happens in the US. Most of the time you don't even know the ref's name.

Soccer is also a very hard game to master.

Taking into account these two aspects, I can see why the MLS is unappealing. It doesn't have the "uniqueness" of European soccer in terms of the peripheral stuff...and the gameplay itself is a couple steps below the European game. So you have a bland, Americanized version of soccer that isn't very entertaining to watch or follow. I think even if the MLS gets a big influx of talented players, it still won't be on par with European soccer, because European soccer will still be more interesting, IMO.

I think the best way to describe football in Europe, is that it's a culture more than it's a sport to them. That's something you'll never see in the U.S.

 

[spiker]

I think where the MLS fucks up big time is by using a salary cap. The big European leagues do not handcuff their product with that crap. You need to let your owners spend in order to attract the best talent. Good players leave the MLS for higher pay and subsequently higher competition in Europe. They don't come back until they are in the twilight of their career. The MLS does not give casual fans a good reason to tune in. They will always be second fiddle to Europe until they get rid of the salary cap. The only reason I even consider the MLS is because it's my own domestic league.

 

[Bigpapa42]

I think where the MLS fucks up big time is by using a salary cap. The big European leagues do not handcuff their product with that crap. You need to let your owners spend in order to attract the best talent. Good players leave the MLS for higher pay and subsequently higher competition in Europe. They don't come back until they are in the twilight of their career. The MLS does not give casual fans a good reason to tune in. They will always be second fiddle to Europe until they get rid of the salary cap. The only reason I even consider the MLS is because it's my own domestic league.

The MLS has a number of barriers to overcome, and the salary cap is only part of it. The cap isn't so simple to elminate, however. It comes down the existing league structure, which is actually a single-entity structure. Its more like a fast-food franchise system than anything else. Players are contracted directly to the league, not to the clubs. The league was specifically set up that way to avoid repeating the failure of the NASL due to owner over-spending.

A lot of traditional fans, who love European soccer, don't really like the playoff structure that the MLS uses. Its a turn-off. So is the lack of a proper tiered structure.

 

[kyhadley]

Right on cue



http://deadspin.com/5906430/id-rath...d-other-complaints-about-soccer-being-on-espn

That was the article the original author mentioned in the first post.

 

[BigHouseUSA]

Unfortunately the MLS needs the salary cap right now, and it can only gradually be increased. They've made changes to allow better talent to come in, but it's a slow process that would be derailed if they eliminated limits on spending. Like BP said, there are a lot of other things MLS needs to work out before they worry about salary cap.

 

[Chrispy]

Right on cue

http://deadspin.com/5906430/id-rath...d-other-complaints-about-soccer-being-on-espn

I :lol:ed @ some of these tweets

What is this country coming to... I'm watching soccer on ESPN and a 100% Spanish AT&T commercial comes on. Don't you know we speak American!

Wonder what "American" is, never heard of that language before

 

[Fappin Raptor]

I :lol:ed @ some of these tweets

What is this country coming to... I'm watching soccer on ESPN and a 100% Spanish AT&T commercial comes on. Don't you know we speak American!

Wonder what "American" is, never heard of that language before

I liked the one where the girl was complaining about getting up to change the channel. What is this the 1970s?

 

[Chrispy]

I liked the one where the girl was complaining about getting up to change the channel. What is this the 1970s?

That one too, she could probably use some exercise anyway. Might wanna try getting up and down a couple of times.

 

[killgod]

There's rumblings that the salary cap will nearly double for next season, upwards of 5M, but nothing real to suggest it will happen. As much as I hate the cap, it's entirely required. Without it, any club with deep pockets like LA/NY/Toronto could put out lineups miles ahead of anything KC or Dallas could afford to field...and would end those markets. Thanks to the salary cap, KC can survive and you now have the rather pretty Livestrong Park and that club is succeeding quite well now. I imagine they'll have a shirt sponser to add another 500K, 1M to their coffers for next season with that place being full and oft televised nationally.

There's still issues with the cap system. Allocation money is a fucking joke, LA seems to have an unlimited amount, it's all fuckery and very little is really understood publicly about how that shit all goes down.

Right now the goal is to get more academy's off the ground to develop domestic talent, and yes, to sell them off to the bigger clubs and infuse the league with more profits to share, so they can continue to grow the product. I imagine the very long term goal will be to eventually change that process and retain the talent, but they need to make more bank and build it up until then.


I don't think the playoff structure is as hated as you think, there's been a strong rise in UK viewership for the MLS over the past few years. They mostly watch while the English leagues are not playing in the summer, but there's some notice over there and the Guardian has some regular coverage of it. Fans of iconic players like Henry get Arsenal fans to tune into NYRB games, as I'm sure German/Werder fans may have an interest to watch Toronto, etc.

I think promotion/relegation would be great, but it just won't work yet. A club being demoed would be financially destructive at this point. Fans aren't that attached to support a club who goes down a tier, but maybe after a few decades the loyalty will appear.


It's going to be a slow, steady and long process for MLS, but this seems to be the safest way to prevent another NASL.

 

[wr50l]

If the MLS can keep the salary cap and find a way to increase it greatly (and evenly increase each team's ability to use their maximum) then that is best. That will help to improve the standard of player and keep a relatively level playing field. Because the MLS is so insular, separated from the rest of the realm of major football leagues, it can afford to do things differently. The one advantage of the MLS is that all fans can witness their team be successful. On the other hand, there is 13 miles between Rochdale and Manchester United yet one of them is fighting for their life in professional football and the other gets to play Barcelona in Champions League finals. Despite this, both sets of fans are forever loyal to the one club. The MLS has the option to avoid such a shady and unfair setup, and should do so.

 

[Bigpapa42]

Yeah, I don't think the playoff system is "hated". I've just read a number of comments from European fans (mostly Brits) who don't really like it or "get it". I've seen a similar reaction to how some of the South American leagues are set up with split seasons and regional competitions, etc. Its different from what is seen as the norm and that doesn't always get a good reaction. That said, I also recognize that a playoff appeals to MLS fans who don't really follow other soccer leagues but know standard North American sports - those kind of fans would probably have the same reaction to a stanard single-table format. So its definitely not a "they need to change that" aspect, but still, its a barrier to some degree.

I can't see promotion and relegation being introduced anytime soon. Perhaps not at all. There may never be a full pyramid league structure, just because of the sheer size of the US and Canada.

So long as the MLS continues to make progress, its a good thing. Trying to make major changes or fast-forward things are probably not good ideas. They seem to be on the right path.