Thanks mostly to ESPN, Soccer (Football in the rest of the world) may finally take its place as a “major” sport in the US.
I’ve never thought soccer was going to gain traction here in the states. After all, we have a truly unique sporting nation – three professional team sports (NFL, MLB, NBA) with the best players in the world and a collegiate system that not only feeds the pro leagues with annual talent but also generates tremendous fan interest. But the demise of Setanta in 2009 created the opportunity for ESPN to accelerate its move into the British market with EPL rights. With ESPN, the worldwide leader, putting a serious focus on soccer, expect the sport to slowly become a part of the US mainstream. No global sports media company has the resources, talent or culture of ESPN. No US media company has the global integration capabilities. However, even ESPN can’t just “manufacture” another major sport. Everyone has tried and failed over the past 30 years to put soccer on par with our other pro team sports.
There are two other factors that will help create the confluence necessary to catapult soccer to the mainstream in the US. The first factor is our shrinking world. We are more mobile, more communicative and more aware of other cultures today. Technology allows us to live, work and share… any thing with anyone at any time. The second factor is the game itself. I’m not talking about the beauty of the “on pitch” action mind you. I’ve never played the game and I’m not a serious fan. What I’m talking about is an unmatched intensity of affinity that football (soccer, I mean) fans possess. It is bigger than Red Sox Nation, Da Bears and LeBron’s Cavs. These fans are truly stakeholders – invested emotionally, mentally and fiscally to their team in a way that is hard to describe. I’ve witnessed it over the past three months first hand in my dealings with the Brits. The only example I can think of to compare the fan intensity of English Soccer is SEC Football. With SEC football fans, there are simply times when families, jobs and friendships take a back seat. I know that sounds strange, but spend a week in Alabama during the Auburn vs. Bama game and you’ll know what I mean. That’s the way it is for English Soccer fans. The results of their team’s match define, in large measure, their own individual worth – at least for a time. That sort of intense support transcends players, coaches and owners. The affinity is often passed from generation to generation – in some cases for a century and a half. The team brand is stronger than any individual. That’s the sort of brand loyalty that corporations yearn to possess. And that’s one of the reasons why soccer is going to make it in the US. ESPN knows that the US soccer market now includes fans of pro teams in England, Germany, Italy, France, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and other countries where soccer is king, in addition to fans of the MLS and NCAA teams
The way soccer becomes mainstream here is going to be a little different than our other sports. It’s not our game. It’s the game of the world. Soccer will not become mainstream through the success of MLS – though I do think the league is starting to make significant progress with smart decisions to build soccer-specific stadia, embrace key immigration cities and showcase worldwide talent. Soccer will become mainstream through a combination of ESPN’s coverage of English Soccer (Saturday mornings in the US are now dedicated to the sport on the worldwide leader) and our American desire to eventually become the best at everything. It may take a very, very long time, but that’s where our nation will expect us to go… once we truly embrace the sport. We may never be the best in the world at soccer, but the thought of a global battle for supremacy in the sport means huge potential in the business of soccer – something ESPN will have had no small part in creating.
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