OT: why football is better than American football - Page 5

Thermodyne · #41 October 11th, 2003, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gravey101:
>While soccer is more universally accepted, it has nowhere near the ability to generate income. Even here, there will be more youth soccer in my town than football. But as these kids get to high school, the soccer players drop way off...

Maybe today. But let's see what whether that is still the case in 50 years or whatever. Soccer is still comparitively new to the States so your comparison is meaningless. When I walk past playgrounds these days in the US, they look like the ones I saw back in UK, everyone is playing football... err I mean soccer. In 50 years those kids will be deciding where the cash goes.

That's not true at all, I played prep school soccer in the 70's. And my dad did the same in the 40's. I will agree that it has become much more popular of late. But here the peak was in the early 90's, it has fallen off a lot since then.

gravey101 · #42 October 11th, 2003, 03:12 AM

yes, Minipol, I remember that game now. Anything but 90 mins of boredom... :-)

gravey101 · #43 October 11th, 2003, 03:13 AM

The peak in the early 90's wasn;t really a peak IMO. That started after the WC here in 94. The kids weren't really involved, not like they are now. Most of the guys I work with are in their late 20's and have never played the game, and they would have if the ealry 90's was the peak. All their kids play now. The times are changing...

[ October 11, 2003, 02:15: Message edited by: gravey101 ]

DavidG · #44 October 11th, 2003, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Thermodyne:

quote:
Originally posted by minipol:

quote:
Originally posted by Thermodyne:
Well, money talks and bull doody walks. Show me a soccer team with an 80 million dollar payroll. Show me a soccer team that Forbes values at .98 Billion dollars. That $980,000,000.00 for you Brits. Show me any team other than Football that has sold out 85,000 seats through 2038.

First of all, what has money got to do with it? Nothing at all. And if you say "$980,000,000.00 for you Brits", make the effort and convert it to pounds instead of dollars
Now you are just being naive. Money has everything to do with it.

I do hope your basing this claim on more than the payroll of a single time. Since I gather there are many many more pro socer teams in Europe than pro football in America the comparison is meaningless.
And no money has nothing to do with making a good sport. If 10,000 fans pay $50 to see a pro foot ball game in the US and 100,000 pay $1 to see soccer game does this mean football is better?

Thermodyne · #45 October 11th, 2003, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidG:

quote:
Originally posted by Thermodyne:

quote:
Originally posted by minipol:

quote:
Originally posted by Thermodyne:
Well, money talks and bull doody walks. Show me a soccer team with an 80 million dollar payroll. Show me a soccer team that Forbes values at .98 Billion dollars. That $980,000,000.00 for you Brits. Show me any team other than Football that has sold out 85,000 seats through 2038.

First of all, what has money got to do with it? Nothing at all. And if you say "$980,000,000.00 for you Brits", make the effort and convert it to pounds instead of dollars
Now you are just being naive. Money has everything to do with it.
I do hope your basing this claim on more than the payroll of a single time. Since I gather there are many many more pro socer teams in Europe than pro football in America the comparison is meaningless.
And no money has nothing to do with making a good sport. If 10,000 fans pay $50 to see a pro foot ball game in the US and 100,000 pay $1 to see soccer game does this mean football is better?

Your numbers tell the story. The NFL reports gate plus concessions to be about $180,000,000.00 a week during the regular season. Add to that the National TV money and the off site concessions, and your guys are going to need to be watching $1 soccer games for about 12 days a week. We have soccer on TV here, but it is a looser for the networks with the exception of world cup and Olympics. And the local pro soccer team can barely fill the lower deck of the old (small) football stadium. UMD just had a championship soccer game. They didn�t even need to use the stadium, and the tickets were given away.

I think the argument here is misplaced. Soccer is a sport for the masses to play. Football is a spectator sport for the masses. And while they are both sports, they really are like apples and oranges. Or lobster and shrimp. While of the same family, they have very little in common. And like it or not, in all but about 10 countries in this world, profit is the universal measuring stick.

gravey101 · #46 October 11th, 2003, 03:48 AM

>And like it or not, in all but about 10 countries in this world, profit is the universal measuring stick.

Not amongst the kids it isn't .... they'll play what they consider to be the most fun, and they're the ones who'll determine what will be profitable for the next generation, like it or not.

The times are changing...

[ October 11, 2003, 02:52: Message edited by: gravey101 ]

Thermodyne · #47 October 11th, 2003, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gravey101:
>And like it or not, in all but about 10 countries in this world, profit is the universal measuring stick.

Not amongst the kids it isn't .... they'll lplay what they consider to be the most fun, and they're the ones who determine what will be profitable for the next generation.

The times are changing...

Bullcrap! They buy what is marketed to them. Sure there are always new trends, but dollar wise, they buy what is advertised.

gravey101 · #48 October 11th, 2003, 03:55 AM

Bullcrap yourself. Who said anything about buying? I'm talking about playing.

gravey101 · #49 October 11th, 2003, 04:00 AM

And of course, just to play devils-advocate of course, if soccer was so untenable profitwise, why are all the kids being marketed to to play soccer... just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Or maybe these markting guys know something you don't, or something you won't admit? You argue that soccer is profitless, then at the same time you say the only reason folk play in the states is because that is what is being 'marketed' to them, buy, excuse me if I'm worng, prople who are extemely profit-driven. Makes no sense to me...

[ October 11, 2003, 03:07: Message edited by: gravey101 ]

Thermodyne · #50 October 11th, 2003, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gravey101:
And of course, just to play devils-advocate of course, if soccer was so untenable profitwise, why are all the kids being marketed to to play soccer... just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Or maybe these markting guys know something you don't, or something you won't admit?

Marketed how? Kids have always played sports. If soccer is such a draw, why is there so little of it on TV? There is more golf and car racing than soccer.