It seems to be the consensus among American soccer fans and those who blog, write, and talk about it, that a spike in popularity of the beautiful game in this country would be a good thing. I respectfully disagree. I have several reasons for this opinion, on which I will elaborate below, but my basic logic is quite simple: It’s good the way it is.
The thing is, with the proliferation of cable TV and the internet, there is no shortage of high-quality football available to Americans. If you want to watch the Premier League, Champions League or Serie A from the comfort of your living room or from a local bar, chances are you can. And admit it, it’s kind of nice that the people you run into watching soccer tend to know the game. I mean, which would you rather hear: Gareth from Manchester screaming for Wayne Rooney, or Joey from Long Island yelling “why don’t they just use their hands??” Plus, I’ve heard Americans singing some of the English club songs. It doesn’t sound nearly as cool without the accent.
Perhaps even more worrisome is what would become of the broadcasts if the big American networks get their hands on them.There’s no doubt they’ll find a way to work in TV timeouts (according to a study by the Wall Street Journal, about an hour of the average NFL broadcast is made up of commercials). Then there are the announcers themselves. Do you really want the lyrical calls of seasoned British announcers replaced by the inane chatter, celebrity guest appearances, and useless sideline reports that typify American sports broadcasts? Do you want to start hearing references to Emmanuel Adebayor Beware, Wayne Bridge To Nowhere, and Ryan Tower of Babel? I’m pretty sure I don’t. And if you do, it’s probably best that we remain not friends.
Then there are ticket prices. Right now, you can get midfield seats to see the New York Red Bulls at their brand new stadium for $45. By contrast, mid-court tickets (not courtside, two levels up) to a Knicks game cost about $300. To see the Knicks! The more popular soccer becomes in the States, the more demand there will be, the higher ticket prices will go. So, you keep pining away for an explosion in soccer’s popularity in the States. I’ll keep watching Premier League on TV and buying the occasional cheap ticket to see an MLS game.
No one should be going to Knick games. They might as well re-hire Isiah Thomas.