We’re going to return to soccer, but we’re starting with baseball. Most of us know someone who is the classic baseball obsessive. Arcane trivia, stats obsessives, the type where 163 regular season games each year isn’t enough. We’ve probably also seen some of the same people get burned out on the sport and find something else to do with their time.
Now of course that would never happen with the people’s game, the glory game, or however else you want to call soccer to separate it from just another sport. After all, if you’re not following multiple teams in multiple leagues and tournaments, you’re hardly a fan at all. At least that’s how it can seem. The reality, on the other hand, is quite similar to any other sport. Too much, and the enthusiasm will begin to wane.
Before the latest expansion successes, there was a story that used to make the rounds in Major League Soccer. Every off-season was the same, trying to rebuild season ticket lists that had been hit by non-renewals. A season of intensely following a club was enough for some people. In that respect, MLS is hardly alone.
This is why the comparison to the other major league sports in North America is so important. With them, we see the lack of enthusiasm set in even though there’s only one league to follow. Even as we’re told the number of fans are increasing, we know people who were once obsessed with the sport falling away.
With soccer, there’s as many leagues and as many games as you want. and just like with those other sports, the broader numbers suggest the game is moving from strength to strength. But what about those once diehard fans that aren’t as enthusiastic anymore? Shouldn’t there be some concern with keeping them interested?
Even those fully committed to watching as much professional soccer as they can have to wonder why so much is available and whether or not this is really a good thing for the long-term health of the sport. For those not already picking and choosing, there’s no time to really reset. The game is always on. That’s great for some, but for others it’s the same scenario we see with baseball and without the benefit of an offseason.
Corner Rating: (with 1 the stakeholders recognizing that there’s such a thing as too much soccer and 11 continuing to crowd the calendar) 10.
Last Week’s Corner: Neutral site friendlies being a non-issue for FIFA stays a 10.
For me, part of this is how its covered. I have two problems. The first are the writers/broadcasters who try to cover everything. Your point about the people getting burned out only following a sport with one major league is a good one. I don’t think the average American soccer person really knows more than one league or a few clubs very deeply. Yet there are Twellman and Lalas, European soccer experts along with all the Fox Soccer people. If they were doing a better job with MLS, I might believe they knew what they were talking about with the overseas stuff. The second is the idea that because it’s soccer we have to be interested. We don’t. I don’t follow most of what happens with MLS. It’s the same for Mexico, Italy, Germany, and Spain. I think most fans are similar.
Well put. I’m an MLS fan, but I’m not rearranging my weekend around our of market games. I’m also not interested in Euro 2012. I’ll catch a knockout game, but it’s not important to me.
You left out Jimmy Conrad and his colleagues on KickTV. I don’t see the point of MLS putting out so much Euro 2012 material.
I sent a text to an English friend of mine after England’s opener and he texted back that he’d missed it because he’s on vacation in Canada. Surprised me a bit. He explained that he was also on vacation for Euro 2004 and wished he’d been in ’08. That might be taking it a bit far, but he feels he needs his own off-season.
I do think soccer fans suffer from too much soccer. Sometimes those who cover the game don’t realize that.
Yes, because the ratings for all of these games are so high.
I’m being facetious. Outside of a select few big events, they’re not.