Futbol Futbol Everywhere
Everybody is talking about futbol (soccer) these days. Beckham is in the states, he's getting ready to take the pitch in a few days (pending improved health). It seems that everyone now has an opinion about the state of futbol in this country, and I must say that the discussion is a little annoying. On one side, you have the typical American Soccer Hater. This argument has been posed on many different websites, blogs, sports radio talk shows, and in various newspapers. It's probably reached the point of being spoken ad nauseum. At it's core, I think it makes some erroneous assumptions.
In the end though, it IS completely possible that futbol will be a complete bust in this country and the Beckham experiment will doom the sport forever in the United States. There is already a very competitive market competing for the American sports entertainment dollar, and most of the leagues are well-established. For a new league to attain a strong foothold in this climate is asking a lot. But as long as there is money to be made, somebody will try. We'll just have to see how it shakes out.
And this is where futbol fan needs to chillax a little as well. It sucks to have one of your main interests dissed. People have been getting way too defensive on futbol message boards in the past couple of weeks though. I think what they are failing to realize is that futbol's overall success is far from contingent on the sport overtaking a top spot in American society. It's bigger than any other sport on every other continent, and the big European leagues are gaining a lot of steam in Asia. And I hate to inform Americans of this, but Asia is getting way richer than we are. Our sweet action trade deficits are pretty much going exclusively to Asian countries, and it's within the realm of possibility that China will overtake us someday in both wealth and power. Futbol chairmen know this and that's why they are focusing their outreach efforts over there instead of over here.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if futbol doesn't come over here, you can be rest assured it isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Every European country has a major futbol league, so even if one falls on hard times there will be others to pick up the slack. With this new age of global communication, it's easy to find matches to watch on a weekly basis and easier to follow the comings and goings of most clubs. As much as I'd love to see a top-flight league over here, I can at least be rest assured that I can enjoy the sport for many years to come.
Fair Dinkum
In the end though, it IS completely possible that futbol will be a complete bust in this country and the Beckham experiment will doom the sport forever in the United States. There is already a very competitive market competing for the American sports entertainment dollar, and most of the leagues are well-established. For a new league to attain a strong foothold in this climate is asking a lot. But as long as there is money to be made, somebody will try. We'll just have to see how it shakes out.
And this is where futbol fan needs to chillax a little as well. It sucks to have one of your main interests dissed. People have been getting way too defensive on futbol message boards in the past couple of weeks though. I think what they are failing to realize is that futbol's overall success is far from contingent on the sport overtaking a top spot in American society. It's bigger than any other sport on every other continent, and the big European leagues are gaining a lot of steam in Asia. And I hate to inform Americans of this, but Asia is getting way richer than we are. Our sweet action trade deficits are pretty much going exclusively to Asian countries, and it's within the realm of possibility that China will overtake us someday in both wealth and power. Futbol chairmen know this and that's why they are focusing their outreach efforts over there instead of over here.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if futbol doesn't come over here, you can be rest assured it isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Every European country has a major futbol league, so even if one falls on hard times there will be others to pick up the slack. With this new age of global communication, it's easy to find matches to watch on a weekly basis and easier to follow the comings and goings of most clubs. As much as I'd love to see a top-flight league over here, I can at least be rest assured that I can enjoy the sport for many years to come.
Fair Dinkum