Reminds me of Al Pacino´s Inches speech from Any Given Sunday.

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No, Argentina falls or stands with Messi. Everything depends on him.

 

Looks like Argentina is petty good.

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I wouldn't say it's the norm but teams with the kind of defense that produces goal rich games don't last very long in the World Cup. It's a lot like football (before the NFL changed the rules) in that way; offense wins games, defense wins championships.

 

I figured defense matters in World Cup, as it pretty much does in all sports.

 

But, boy, once a goal is scored it seems as if the final result is determined.

 

I sure wouldn't want the fate of my team left to penalty kicks. Talk about stress.

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The sun's not yellow, it's chicken.

I've been asked a few times outside of this forum how "big" the World Cup is, especially when compared to some American sports and here's a little comparison:

 

The 2014 Super Bowl had a total US viewership of 115.3 million. The US' population is around 320 million. So that's about 36%. Yesterday quarter final against Costa Rica was watched by at least 7.5 million people out of a population of 16.8, or 44.6%. And that figure has not yet been adjusted for the many people who watched in bars or public squares. 

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I just remembered; the Dutch king is married to an Argentinian woman. That'll be fun on Wednesday.

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I've been asked a few times outside of this forum how "big" the World Cup is, especially when compared to some American sports and here's a little comparison:

 

The 2014 Super Bowl had a total US viewership of 115.3 million. The US' population is around 320 million. So that's about 36%. Yesterday quarter final against Costa Rica was watched by at least 7.5 million people out of a population of 16.8, or 44.6%. And that figure has not yet been adjusted for the many people who watched in bars or public squares. 

 

When most of these countries celebrate almost exclusively a single sport, it's understandable that viewership is higher.  I get a kick (no pun intended) out of 'sporting goods' stores I see in different places.  Almost the entire inventory is soccer shoes, soccer jerseys, soccer balls, soccer this, soccer that...  While American football is our most popular, there is wide diversity in sports fandom here.

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When most of these countries celebrate almost exclusively a single sport, it's understandable that viewership is higher.  I get a kick (no pun intended) out of 'sporting goods' stores I see in different places.  Almost the entire inventory is soccer shoes, soccer jerseys, soccer balls, soccer this, soccer that...  While American football is our most popular, there is wide diversity in sports fandom here.

There are plenty of other sports that are celebrated but they're different in each country. The Netherlands has a lot of support for field hockey and speed skating, France is big on cycling and rugby. Europe as whole is comparable to the US but where the US has the big four sports (and possibly soccer and Nascar) Europe has more like 20 sports with only soccer being universal. As a result the revenue for each sport is a lot smaller and therefor the marketing is as well. 

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I've been asked a few times outside of this forum how "big" the World Cup is, especially when compared to some American sports and here's a little comparison:


The 2014 Super Bowl had a total US viewership of 115.3 million. The US' population is around 320 million. So that's about 36%. Yesterday quarter final against Costa Rica was watched by at least 7.5 million people out of a population of 16.8, or 44.6%. And that figure has not yet been adjusted for the many people who watched in bars or public squares.

i dont believe a true comparison can be made with US sports and the WC... i honestly can say this is a situation where you are comparing apples to oranges... to me, it is like comparing the champions league to the world cup... its just not the same thing on any level other than the sport being played... managers lose there jobs if they dont make the champions league.... player switch teams if champions leagues are not won with a club.... the champions league is the biggest stage for club level football in Europe and the world cup is the biggest stage for nation team football... the shier fact that there are more people watching the WC is irrelevant because you are talking about the attention of full countries rather than clubs... when it comes to the super bowl being compared to anything in soccer, it should be compared to the champions cup if anything at all... and when looked at on that level i think they are about even.


at the end of may, anyone who cares about a club soccer team is watching the champions cup final regardless if their team is in it or not just like in the beginning of February, anyone who cares about american football is tuned into the super bowl... i think that is all there is to compare between the two.


Sidenote: DF, just wonering who your favorite club team is in soccer... Do u have a favorite tier 1 league team in euro? Like ajax or psv or someone like that.

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There are plenty of other sports that are celebrated but they're different in each country. The Netherlands has a lot of support for field hockey and speed skating, France is big on cycling and rugby. Europe as whole is comparable to the US but where the US has the big four sports (and possibly soccer and Nascar) Europe has more like 20 sports with only soccer being universal. As a result the revenue for each sport is a lot smaller and therefor the marketing is as well. 

 

I know cycling is a major sport in France, but I didn't realize they supported rugby.  I just don't think of the French when I hear rugby.

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I know cycling is a major sport in France, but I didn't realize they supported rugby.  I just don't think of the French when I hear rugby.

I watched england vs france not to long ago in rugby... Hell of a game... I didnt know who the rooster or flower was at first then i looked into it and fance is the rooster and england is the flower... Apparently its huge in both contries and if iirc france won.

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i dont believe a true comparison can be made with US sports and the WC... i honestly can say this is a situation where you are comparing apples to oranges... to me, it is like comparing the champions league to the world cup... its just not the same thing on any level other than the sport being played... managers lose there jobs if they dont make the champions league.... player switch teams if champions leagues are not won with a club.... the champions league is the biggest stage for club level football in Europe and the world cup is the biggest stage for nation team football... the shier fact that there are more people watching the WC is irrelevant because you are talking about the attention of full countries rather than clubs... when it comes to the super bowl being compared to anything in soccer, it should be compared to the champions cup if anything at all... and when looked at on that level i think they are about even.


I also wouldnt be suprised if the viewer ratio for a country like costa durring the wc is closer to 60 when accounting the large crowds... Imo, if you took the viewership of the nba finals, the superbowl, and the stanley cup/ world series, and equated that ratio to the whole population, obviously with an attempt to weed out the people who would be watching more than one( which is immpossible) i think you would have a better ratio to compare to the wc ratio.



at the end of may, anyone who cares about a club soccer team is watching the champions cup final regardless if their team is in it or not just like in the beginning of February, anyone who cares about american football is tuned into the super bowl... i think that is all there is to compare between the two.

Sidenote: DF, just wonering who your favorite club team is in soccer... Do u have a favorite tier 1 league team in euro? Like ajax or psv or someone like that.

I hit quote instead of edit previous my bad

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i dont believe a true comparison can be made with US sports and the WC... i honestly can say this is a situation where you are comparing apples to oranges... to me, it is like comparing the champions league to the world cup... its just not the same thing on any level other than the sport being played... managers lose there jobs if they dont make the champions league.... player switch teams if champions leagues are not won with a club.... the champions league is the biggest stage for club level football in Europe and the world cup is the biggest stage for nation team football... the shier fact that there are more people watching the WC is irrelevant because you are talking about the attention of full countries rather than clubs... when it comes to the super bowl being compared to anything in soccer, it should be compared to the champions cup if anything at all... and when looked at on that level i think they are about even.


at the end of may, anyone who cares about a club soccer team is watching the champions cup final regardless if their team is in it or not just like in the beginning of February, anyone who cares about american football is tuned into the super bowl... i think that is all there is to compare between the two.


Sidenote: DF, just wonering who your favorite club team is in soccer... Do u have a favorite tier 1 league team in euro? Like ajax or psv or someone like that.

 

Comparison might not be fully correct, perhaps illustration is a better word to use. It just so happens that the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in America and therefor the closest equal to the kind of fervor the World Cup generates. No matter which two teams make the finals, I can practically guarantee those countries will effectively shut down on gameday.

 

And I don't follow the domestic league beyond a casual interest but I prefer Ajax over the others. Interestingly my dad is also an Ajax fan, my sister is a diehard PSV fan and she's married to a Feyenoord fan though he doesn't take soccer very seriously outside of national games. 

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I think an important point made by dragonfury there is that there are at least twenty other sports competing for attention in Europe.


We've just got back from holiday in Croatia and they seem to be really into their water polo and basketball over there - two sports which really aren't in the picture over here.


But soccer could possibly claim to be the only true global sport.


Yes there are rugby world cups (dominated by Australia, South Africa, France, pacific islands and New Zealand as well as British nations) and cricket world cups (which are huge in places like India and Pakistan). But the closest thing you'll come to anything that can rival soccer for true international appeal might be something like golf or tennis


Only the Olympics competes with the World Cup as a global sports event

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i dont believe a true comparison can be made with US sports and the WC... i honestly can say this is a situation where you are comparing apples to oranges... to me, it is like comparing the champions league to the world cup... its just not the same thing on any level other than the sport being played... managers lose there jobs if they dont make the champions league.... player switch teams if champions leagues are not won with a club.... the champions league is the biggest stage for club level football in Europe and the world cup is the biggest stage for nation team football... the shier fact that there are more people watching the WC is irrelevant because you are talking about the attention of full countries rather than clubs... when it comes to the super bowl being compared to anything in soccer, it should be compared to the champions cup if anything at all... and when looked at on that level i think they are about even.


at the end of may, anyone who cares about a club soccer team is watching the champions cup final regardless if their team is in it or not just like in the beginning of February, anyone who cares about american football is tuned into the super bowl... i think that is all there is to compare between the two.


Sidenote: DF, just wonering who your favorite club team is in soccer... Do u have a favorite tier 1 league team in euro? Like ajax or psv or someone like that.

It's probably better to compare the Super Bowl with the Champions League title game.

 

I still wish the EPL would go to a playoff format with a title game, but I understand why they do it the way they do.

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
;
; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"

I think an important point made by dragonfury there is that there are at least twenty other sports competing for attention in Europe.

We've just got back from holiday in Croatia and they seem to be really into their water polo and basketball over there - two sports which really aren't in the picture over here.

But soccer could possibly claim to be the only true global sport.

Yes there are rugby world cups (dominated by Australia, South Africa, France, pacific islands and New Zealand as well as British nations) and cricket world cups (which are huge in places like India and Pakistan). But the closest thing you'll come to anything that can rival soccer for true international appeal might be something like golf or tennis

Only the Olympics competes with the World Cup as a global sports event

Good point, i would say tennis is certainly has global attention... but soccer, like you said, is the global super power.

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TV Viewership per game:

EPL: 12.3mil

La Liga: 2.2mil

NFL: 17.6mil

 

 

The NFL also blows the those leagues out of the water in social media and attendance numbers.

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TV Viewership per game:

EPL: 12.3mil

La Liga: 2.2mil

NFL: 17.6mil

 

 

The NFL also blows the those leagues out of the water in social media and attendance numbers.

There are vastly more football clubs in Europe than there are NFL teams in America even if you only the highest division in each country and soccer stadium are also a lot smaller. Everbank Field with its capacity of 67,000 is about average for the NFL but would be the second biggest in the EPL trailing only Old Trafford. 

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There are vastly more football clubs in Europe than there are NFL teams in America even if you only the highest division in each country and soccer stadium are also a lot smaller. Everbank Field with its capacity of 67,000 is about average for the NFL but would be the second biggest in the EPL trailing only Old Trafford. 

There's also people per country as well which helps the US, obviously.

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
;
; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"

TV Viewership per game:

EPL: 12.3mil

La Liga: 2.2mil

NFL: 17.6mil



The NFL also blows the those leagues out of the water in social media and attendance numbers.

Yes, there are a lot of people living in the USA...


But how many if those 17m live outside the US ?


I don't think you can argue that the NFL is a global sport in the same way as soccer. It's still essentially a sport played (to any serious level) in one country.


And that country has a lot of people TVs.


I'm sure the NFL would love to expand the brand in the same way that soccer has, but that is a long way off.


Of course with a domestic market that large, maybe it doesn't need to be...

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Yes, there are a lot of people living in the USA...


But how many if those 17m live outside the US ?


I don't think you can argue that the NFL is a global sport in the same way as soccer. It's still essentially a sport played (to any serious level) in one country.


And that country has a lot of people TVs.


I'm sure the NFL would love to expand the brand in the same way that soccer has, but that is a long way off.


Of course with a domestic market that large, maybe it doesn't need to be...

 

Who was arguing it's a global sport? I'm well aware that Soccer and Cricket >>> American football when it comes to global interest. My point was that Americans care as much (or more) about American Football than other countries care about non-World Cup soccer. I mean, how can you argue with the fact that 34 of the 35 most watched TV shows last fall were NFL broadcasts? This was the regular season and the only other TV show that could crack the top 35 was the Macy's Day Parade at #22.

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/01...ll/227726/

 

 

DragonFury, while there may be a more soccer clubs than NFL teams, you also have to consider the millions of viewers that are strictly NCAA Football fans and do not follow the NFL. As far as I know, college-level soccer doesn't compare to NCAA football. Now it's impossible to tell how many of fans just follow the NCAA (I'm guessing at least 8 out of 10 are overlaps), but just to paint a picture of NCAA Football following:

 

"Exceptional Attendance Figures: The sport produced the third highest attendance figure ever with 48.96 million fans attending a game, including 1.7 million spectators for the bowl games.

Outstanding Television Viewership: More than 216 million viewers tuned in to watch the regular season with another 126 million watching the bowl games.

Powerful Bowl Ratings: The Discover BCS National Championship Game on ESPN between Alabama and Notre Dame produced the second most-viewed program in cable television history with 26.4 million viewers, only behind the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. The five BCS bowl games averaged 15.1 million viewers up 7 percent from last year."

 

- http://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/...obust.aspx

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