An idea (not mine) on how to make soccer more viewer-friendly

[bpatrick]

I read a letter in USA Today this morning about all the
hype surrounding David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy.
The writer says he will not be the answer to soccer's lack
of popularity in the U.S. The reasons have to do with scoring.
A basketball team can sink a three-point shot at the buzzer
and pull out a win; a bottom-of-the-ninth home run can clinch
a win for a baseball team. But when a soccer team is up by two goals,
most viewers decide it's over and turn away. And, he says,
Beckham has the footwork to keep the ball away from the other
team, and the result, he says, is boredom.

So the writer suggested two changes borrowed from
basketball, and I'd like to get your thoughts:

1. A 5-minute shot clock similar to the 24-second clock in the
NBA and the 35-second clock in the NCAA. The team on offense
would have to take a shot within five minutes or relinquish the ball.
They would have to take more risks, and there would be more
turnovers.

2. A two-point goal from 30 yards or more, like
the three-point shot in basketball, so that a team down by two
goals can theoretically come back and at least tie the game.
Also, fans would like to see the long shots, just as they like
the long jumpers in basketball.

Thoughts?

 

[formeraa]

I always thought that the main problem with soccer was that there is not enough time for commercials. They could never make money in the US because they didn't have enough ad time to sell.

If they could take a 2.5 minute timeout every 15 minutes, I bet that soccer would be successful on tv in the US.

 

[BRNout]

I always thought that the main problem with soccer was that there is not enough time for commercials. They could never make money in the US because they didn't have enough ad time to sell.

If they could take a 2.5 minute timeout every 15 minutes, I bet that soccer would be successful on tv in the US.

This issue is managed successfully in other countries with the use of on-screen drop-in ads. These are generally rolled across the lower portion of the screen and this is done every few minutes. A similar concept to what TBS and other cable nets are doing - only far less ANNOYING and INVASIVE. Seems to do fine for broadcasters elsewhere. Plus, halftime is crammed with ads. I've seen this model used all over the world, so it must work reasonably well.

The concept gets really interesting on the radio. I was listening to a big soccer - or futbol - game in Costa Rica (involving the national team) and it was fascinating to hear the one and two second drop in ads. Most were in the form of rapid-fire jingles. Pretty amusing stuff. And, this was in 2004 - hardly ancient history.

No, changing the rules of soccer will not help. The issue here is simply that soccer isn't popular enough at this time to generate the passion needed for successful viewership (Spanish language channels excepted). It is the same issue that haunts hockey and now threatens basketball. As a nation, we only seem to watch football, baseball and, inexplicably, NASCAR.

The sport is very successful for Univision and Telemundo - because the attraction is still cultural.

 

[ansky212]

Furthermore, people watch baseball and football because those were the sports they watched growing up, whether it be in person or on TV. Those sports are an American tradition, just like soccer is a tradition in many European countries. If baseball was introduced in Europe I wouldn't think it would be very popular. You can't just put soccer on TV and expect everyone to become a soccer fan. Maybe gradually over time it will become more popular in the US but I wouldn't expect any sudden interest.