By Jason Davis - WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 9, 2012) US Soccer Players -- The Super Bowl Experience™ (possibly trademarked, I can’t be sure, so better safe then sorry), is not an undertaking of small expense. It costs money to fly to the predetermined Super Bowl city, spend a few nights, and, most importantly, purchase a ticket for the game. A lot of money. The price of a ticket alone is upwards of thousands of dollars, strengthening the level of commitment for those that want to see a championship in person.
After 46 editions, the Super Bowl, as the crown jewel of the American football season, has become the preeminent destination event for American sports fans. A lucky few can afford to make the trip multiple times, perhaps specifically following their team. Most who go will do so just the once because the experience of being there, regardless of the participants, represents an ends that justifies the means.
The median ticket price for last week's Super Bowl was $2500. As always, there was a strong initial and secondary market, buyers willing to turn Indianapolis into an unlikely destination for early February travel. Americans like their football, and they’re willing to pay for it. It doesn't hurt that through the halftime show and commercials, the Super Bowl has become entertainment programming for a massive audience.
With that in mind, one wonders what it would take to turn arguably the only single game soccer equivalent into its own entertainment destination. That's UEFA's Champions League final, a game that the organizers are beginning to realize could do much more than crown Europe's annual club champion. The move to Saturday for the final is a start, but it's just that. Setting aside the appeals from traditionalists from a tournament that's only a decade older than the Super Bowl, it's the game most placed to copy the event feel of the NFL finale.
What the Champions League final lacks is the “I don’t care who’s playing, I just want to be there” event that the Super Bowl has become. Again, some would argue that's for the best. Leave it for the fans of the teams involved, keep it about the game on the field. Maybe in theory, but it's hard to downplay the potential impact of any sports event that can become part of the culture. It's why the Olympics have grandiose opening ceremonies, the World Cup has an official song every four years and normally a concert, and there's the push to make any final game as big as possible.
For UEFA, they have the one soccer game on the calendar with the most in common with the Super Bowl. Unlike the World Cup, the other obvious choice for the discerning soccer fan’s travel dollar, the Champions League Final is an annual event. The site is known in advance, making long-term planning (and saving) possible, and the product on display is sure to be some of the best the sport has to offer. If you have the cash and plan it out, you can witness the crowning of Europe’s best team live and in person.
It's not out of the question to see the Champions League as a destination event for American fans willing to travel.
Of course, there are a few more hurdles to jump through to get to a Champions League Final than there are with the Super Bowl. Most notably, going to see the Champions League Final in person requires a trip across the Atlantic. That’s more daunting for some than others, but if experiencing foreign cultures appeals to you in the slightest, the Champions League carries more horizon-expanding potential than the Super Bowl ever could. Usually, there will be a language barrier. Occasionally, the game will take place in a locale that's not on most American tourist top 10 lists. A sense of adventure is a therefore prerequisite.
At the prices we’re talking about, the cost of attending a Super Bowl and the cost of attending the Champions League Final aren’t really that different. If you’ve got the money for the former, you can probably swing the latter. Just for information’s sake, the most expensive ticket at last year’s final in London (where prices are typically higher for everything) was $500 more than the most expensive Super Bowl ticket.
In theory, it almost makes sense. First, of course, is the Champions League becoming an American TV hit. With the glory of Barcelona, that's come a lot closer to happening. Fox has established that a marquee European soccer game should be drawing just over a million viewers. Last year, the Champions League final quadrupled that. It's not NFL regular season numbers, much less the 111 million that watched the Super Bowl, but it's astounding growth in the US market. Whether or not UEFA sees that as a triumph in its own right or a starting point for the next steps in creating a world sports property isn't as obvious as it might seem.
Does UEFA really want to turn the Champions League into a multi-continental destination event that sacrifices rhythmic dancers (or whatever that was we saw before the start of last year's final) and a live version of the Champions League anthem for the production values of the NFL? The evidence is there that a larger audience can be attracted, but the question remains whether or not UEFA really wants it. They already know their target audience will be watching. Rather than get drawn into a competition for the biggest single event in the pro sports calendar, UEFA seems almost content with dominating Europe by default.
Granted, Americans do over-the-top better (or worse, depending on your tastes) than anyone else. It’s not the the Champions League Final doesn’t come with its own added glitz, it’s just not at the extreme level of the Super Bowl. Then again, soccer fans aren’t really predisposed to glitz anyway.
Jason Davis is the founder of MatchFitUSA.com. Contact him: matchfitusa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/davisjsn.
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