NASCAR vs International Soccer

[2GOLD 0]

I know in my state they banned the use of the bicycle kick. Granted my state will never produce a soccer talent worth a crap but when we are banning things from use by high schoolers that 9 yr olds in other countries are doing on playgrounds, it really shows the differences.

[razazteca 0]

Once walking down the street all these kids kept jumping up and down from this stoop to build leg strength, because Ronaldinho did that as a kid.

Speaking of child prodigys WTF happened to Freddie Adu who was suppose to make soccer popular in USA?

[Guest]

His development was stunted and he should have played in Europe from the beginning.

[Maztinho 0]

I don't get the whole "TOWNS SHUT DOWN!!!" thing. That happens with High School sports as well.

 

It's not that big of a deal.

 

When it's Salvador the third largest city in Brazil the feat is fairly impressive. Also the High school game is going to be played at night so it's not that big of a deal. World Cup games would come on in the middle of the afternoon, and still everything would shut down.

[CanadianChris 0]

I know in my state they banned the use of the bicycle kick. Granted my state will never produce a soccer talent worth a crap but when we are banning things from use by high schoolers that 9 yr olds in other countries are doing on playgrounds, it really shows the differences.

Are little kids allowed to do ANYTHING anymore?

[deancoles 0]

Adu is probably going to join Chelsea when he's 18, there's not much chance of him playing in the 1st team, they signed another 18 year old for 16 million pounds(29 million in dollars) who plays his posistion.

 

Edit: Playing in Europe doesn't really make you much money until your 17.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I don't like either. But, like all sports, during the big events, I can get into them no problem

 

NASCAR and the World Cup/Euro are no exception.

 

It's naive to think that NASCAR is a more popular sport worldwide than soccer. But remember, the debate is speficially NASCAR, not auto racing, and even more broader, racing. If you can lump cycling and yachting and even T & F into NASCAR, then you have a debate.

 

Despire what I said in CE three days ago, it's not just driving in circles. There's a tonne of shit (like in all pro sports) that the general public prolly doesnt realise: Media interviews daily, car customization, practise, travel, sponsor obligations. Let alone how scary it prolly is in a car at 250 khm. Surrounded by 40 others. I may not like NASCAR, but downplaying it is equally naive.

[2GOLD 0]

I know in my state they banned the use of the bicycle kick. Granted my state will never produce a soccer talent worth a crap but when we are banning things from use by high schoolers that 9 yr olds in other countries are doing on playgrounds, it really shows the differences.

Are little kids allowed to do ANYTHING anymore?

 

No, not without parental supervision. Not even going to the bathroom or dating. Parents must be with you at all times if you are a child, I think it's about to become a law.

[razazteca 0]

I know in my state they banned the use of the bicycle kick. Granted my state will never produce a soccer talent worth a crap but when we are banning things from use by high schoolers that 9 yr olds in other countries are doing on playgrounds, it really shows the differences.

Are little kids allowed to do ANYTHING anymore?

 

No, not without parental supervision. Not even going to the bathroom or dating. Parents must be with you at all times if you are a child, I think it's about to become a law.

The soccer mom's don't want the kiddies falling on their heads and the NASCAR dad's are to drunk to care one way or the other.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The thing with Nascar that I'd like to know is how many of the fans are repeat attendees? I live six miles from a Nascar track (Pocono International). There are an unbelieveable amount of recreational vehicles that attend the races, and I think they follow drivers from place to place.

 

I can't see Nascar being the most popular sport, or even the most watched. It's too easy to pile up masses of fans when you have one big race a week on what is essentially a campground. It has a hardcore, embedded fanbase, but there's no real sustained buzz about the sport.

[Hawk 34 0]

The thing with Nascar that I'd like to know is how many of the fans are repeat attendees? I live six miles from a Nascar track (Pocono International). There are an unbelieveable amount of recreational vehicles that attend the races, and I think they follow drivers from place to place.

 

I can't see Nascar being the most popular sport, or even the most watched. It's too easy to pile up masses of fans when you have one big race a week on what is essentially a campground. It has a hardcore, embedded fanbase, but there's no real sustained buzz about the sport.

 

Explain why they are drawing crowds of 5,000 to 250,000 in over 350 venues ACROSS THE COUNTRY in one given week. IN Carolina, Ohio, California, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona and everywhere in between. It's not a regional thing because it's popular everywhere. It's time to wake up and accept that this NASCAR thing isn't just some southern hobby for people to do over the weekend. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that is ingrained throughly with corporate america.

 

NASCAR isn't just one event and one show per week. NASCAR isn't just Nextel Cup.

[Damaramu 0]

I just can't find entertainment in either sport.

Maybe it's my American football ultra violence conditioning but then again I like baseball and it isn't ultra violent.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

The World Cup Final will be watched by well over a billion people. NASCAR is nothing outside the US, and there are what...300 million (?) people living there. So basically if everyone in the US loved NASCAR, it wouldn't be even a third as popular as soccer.

 

This isn't even close. Soccer is #1. Basketball is #2. And that's about it. I was in Norway for the 1998 World Cup, and the country was basically stopped for a month, even though Norway itself didn't even make it out of the Round of 16. Even in Canada with Olympic Hockey, once Canada's eliminated, nobody cares anymore. No other sport is as popular worldwide as soccer.

[Guest Felonies!]

Choken's been trying to sell us on NASCAR for how many years now?

[naiwf 0]

The World Cup Final will be watched by well over a billion people. NASCAR is nothing outside the US, and there are what...300 million (?) people living there. So basically if everyone in the US loved NASCAR, it wouldn't be even a third as popular as soccer.

 

This isn't even close. Soccer is #1. Basketball is #2. And that's about it. I was in Norway for the 1998 World Cup, and the country was basically stopped for a month, even though Norway itself didn't even make it out of the Round of 16. Even in Canada with Olympic Hockey, once Canada's eliminated, nobody cares anymore. No other sport is as popular worldwide as soccer.

 

Since you referenced the billion people number. Isn't table tennis insanely popular in China? I'm pretty sure it's one of their national sports. That country has about 20% of the world's population alone, so if it's televised on any kind of scale over there, I'm sure that does as well as anything we've got over here in the States too.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

What I dont understand is how no one gives a fuck about Soccer in the US despite what seems like millions of kids playing the damn sport enough to give us the term "Soccer mom".

[naiwf 0]

In three words, "nil nil draw". Americans don't have the patience to see a game end in a scoreless tie. Our society wants two things out of sports, scoring and a clear cut winner and loser. In soccer, not only are we frequently denied a winner, but we're not even guaranteed any scoring. I can't watch those second legs of European Cup competition when a team is encouraged to turtle up and play 11 guys on the defensive half simply because they have a road goal advantage. That's just not conducive to capturing new fans.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Since you referenced the billion people number. Isn't table tennis insanely popular in China? I'm pretty sure it's one of their national sports. That country has about 20% of the world's population alone, so if it's televised on any kind of scale over there, I'm sure that does as well as anything we've got over here in the States too.

 

To be honest, I was just thinking about that. It still isn't as popular as soccer or basketball, but it probably makes it much more popular than NASCAR. The Chinese are big fans of badminton too for that matter.

 

In three words, "nil nil draw". Americans don't have the patience to see a game end in a scoreless tie. Our society wants two things out of sports, scoring and a clear cut winner and loser. In soccer, not only are we frequently denied a winner, but we're not even guaranteed any scoring. I can't watch those second legs of European Cup competition when a team is encouraged to turtle up and play 11 guys on the defensive half simply because they have a road goal advantage. That's just not conducive to capturing new fans.

 

We are seeing the affects that this attitude has on baseball too. When idiots are chanting 'boring' during a 1-0 pitching duel, something is wrong.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I like a good 1-0 baseball game though. The Astros/Cubs game Wednesday was a good example of that. Id much rather see a good pitching matchup than a 14-13 slugfest, especially since the slugfests usualy drag on longer than the 1-0 games. But thats baseball..

[naiwf 0]

I like a good 1-0 baseball game though. The Astros/Cubs game Wednesday was a good example of that. Id much rather see a good pitching matchup than a 14-13 slugfest, especially since the slugfests usualy drag on longer than the 1-0 games. But thats baseball..

 

True, but in baseball at least both teams are TRYING to score since you can't pick up ground in the standings without doing so. Inferior teams always try for the nil nil draw in international or cup competition. You can actually gain ground on rivals or advance by not scoring in soccer. No other sport we watch is set up that way ever since hockey added the shootout.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The thing with Nascar that I'd like to know is how many of the fans are repeat attendees? I live six miles from a Nascar track (Pocono International). There are an unbelieveable amount of recreational vehicles that attend the races, and I think they follow drivers from place to place.

 

I can't see Nascar being the most popular sport, or even the most watched. It's too easy to pile up masses of fans when you have one big race a week on what is essentially a campground. It has a hardcore, embedded fanbase, but there's no real sustained buzz about the sport.

 

Explain why they are drawing crowds of 5,000 to 250,000 in over 350 venues ACROSS THE COUNTRY in one given week. IN Carolina, Ohio, California, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona and everywhere in between. It's not a regional thing because it's popular everywhere. It's time to wake up and accept that this NASCAR thing isn't just some southern hobby for people to do over the weekend. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that is ingrained throughly with corporate america.

 

NASCAR isn't just one event and one show per week. NASCAR isn't just Nextel Cup.

It's easy to draw fans to other races when they are held on the same track on the same weekend and the tickets are sold in packages. There are Nascar races in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas this week. Those are you options, Nascar fans. Yes, those races are going to attract truckloads of people. It's called scarcity. Nascar draws crowds because there are an extremely limited number of races, and they make going to a race a weekend event.

 

To draw a comparison, last Friday MLB drew 399,000 in 13 games. On a single day.

 

I'm not saying Nascar is not popular. But it is silly to suggest it's the number one sport in the country. Nascar has a very devoted, hardcore fanbase. But outside of that fanbase there's little interest. The most casual fan could tell you who won the NBA Title last year. How many casual sport fans know who won the Nextel Cup last year?

 

What I dont understand is how no one gives a fuck about Soccer in the US despite what seems like millions of kids playing the damn sport enough to give us the term "Soccer mom".

I think the most likely explanation is that the top soccer players play in Europe. In other leagues such as MLB and NBA, the top international players gravitate here. That's not usually the case for MLS.

[Guest]

I'm not too sure that I totally buy "the US doesn't care about international soccer" thing after today. Maybe California is a case of people that do care. I watched it in class all day.

[razazteca 0]

People only care for 2 months every 4 years.