re: I was going to post this on the Soccer Board...but it's too good for that.

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HAHAHAHAHA

I didn't play soccer till I was 18. I've never played in an organized league. I would choose to watch/play soccer over any sport in the world. I love it as much as you can.

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good for you

that has really nothing to do with the fact that its far cheaper to start youth leagues for certain sports and those sports have a greater chance of pulling in and converting kids to lifelong fans.


the lowest level of sport (ie playground/backyard/alleyway) are generally not where most people truly fall in love with the game.

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So how do you explain soccer? Most people who love soccer don't play in organized leagues, because IT'S frickING EXPENSIVE TO PLAY IN ORGANIZED LEAGUES.

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I'm going to disagree with you that most people who love it have not played in an organized league.

anyway, I'm not talking about why soccer is popular, I'm talking about why it has an advantage in reaching youth over football.

an organized league being expensive to join does not change that the cheaper sport to play a full organized game has a natural advantage in gaining popularity through youth leagues.

the popularity of organized soccer is not the issue, the issue is that organized soccer leagues are far cheaper to start and join.

that means there are far more of them and the more leagues there are, the higher the odds a kid will have the chance to join and the higher the chance their friends may want to play too.

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Soccer fans- defend

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Defend what exactly? The game itself? Or the way the league is set up? Since you're talking about finance I'll assume it's the latter.

Each team has income and expenditure. Some teams choose to spend close to their income (or greater) on their club. They're all individual companies, within the law, they can do as they please. They're taking a calculated gamble that by spending more now they'll reap the rewards later on. There's no salary cap, so competition between teams for a scarce resource (best players) creates inflation.

If the Premier League operated as a cartel which acted to force down wages and had no relegation I'm sure it would turn a tidy profit.

The problem with player development in the United States can be partially attributed to the fact that playing at the highest youth levels puts a significant strain on families.

Club soccer is not cheap, at all.

actually i do. you seem to only know people who play in the more serious higher level traveling leagues.

I agree that there is a jingoism/familiarity aspect to soccer's lack of spectator popularity in the US.

However, is it possible that Americans simply value hand-eye coordination more than the rest of the world?

Well Man City's losses are to be expected. They've spent around $1 billion to build up that team, but they have limited revenue opportunities each year. They are most definitely an outlier. In the long run, that team will be profitable on the field. Most English (and top tier clubs in other countries) clubs are financially healthy, but that doesn't mean they are financially responsible. Man City (and most European clubs backed by rich owners) are not ever in danger of bankruptcy, which would promote reasonable spending.

The spending of these clubs needs to be curbed in some way, but since these leagues are not single entity structures, like most American leagues, it's nearly impossible to impose a cap of spending or salaries. The clubs will spend whatever money they can, whether from a sugar daddy owner, or from whatever revenue streams (sponsorship, stadium, TV rights, competitions) they generate.

I'd say the bigger problem fo US development is that US sports are set up differently to anywhere else in the world (especially Europe) with the HS then college then draft into pro leagues. I Europe by age 13 if your going to be good, your at a professional teams acadmy getting top notch training, and your turning pro at 18 - if not earlier. Int he US at 18 your getting a scholorship to a college, which is great for the person if you dont make it, but in terms of maxxing out potential its bad, if they were European they would be 100% on football, playing and training with professionals much older than themselves in the USA you are not.

just to respond to the thread in general about soccer's popularity....

you guys that think soccer isnt already huge and still growing might be a bit older or live in bumblefrick nowhere or something like that, but this sport is ridiculously popular RIGHT NOW. in big cities, suburbs, college towns, and in young crowds, the sport is attracting absolutely everyone. i actually cant think of the last time ive talked to someone who didnt like soccer. it's amazing.

and my reason for the sports growth is bold, but i think it is what has been mainly responsible for this sport absolutely overtaking the 16-25 age group which will in turn continue putting soccer to the forefront of american culture. ready for it?

EA Sports FIFA. that's right, i think a video game is the main catalyst behind soccer's current growth. EVERYONE in that 16-25 age group plays FIFA. they start there. they attach to these players and teams and then they start watching them live. they learn what nationalities they are and are excited about international competitions in addition to leagues and champions league. they dont care about the mls (kinda a problem), but they love soccer.