- EURO 2008
North Americans are from Mars - Europeans are from Venus
It's so predictable.
This time, they insist, everything will be different.
Buoyed by staggering ratings increases, soccer wags and fans are stating that Euro 2008 is finally the much sought after, but yet to be achieved, tipping point in proving that the "Beautiful Game" has become a mainstream sport in this little quarter of the planet.
Compared to Euro 2004, the average ratings are up. Way up. 81% up. Which does sound great, except that in the U.S. in 2004, the only way you could watch the second biggest soccer tournament there is anywhere was on Sentana.
Oh - and you had to pay $150.00 for the privilege.
This time it's being shown on ESPN, the #1 sports network on planet Earth, so naturally the ratings are up. How could they not be? College kids across the county turn on ESPN when they get up and only turn it off just before they pass out. Dorm rooms alone would account for the jump.
Basically, TV viewership increased because, this time, it is on TV.
However, what does that 81% increase really represent? An 0.5 rating - or to put that in perspective, Russia's quarter final win over the Netherlands on Saturday went head-to-head against a regular season MLB game between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball outdrew one of the World's great sporting events' playoff games by a factor of four to one.
In addition, it wasn't even a good MLB audience. That game's ratings were down 37% from a similarly scheduled interleague game last year.
In that context, only an 81% increase is a terrible number. 810% would be something to crow about. Maybe.
Regardless, the fubolers are not deterred. Preaching to the choir, who are the preexisting soccer fans who read their stuff, they insist this is a sign that finally, we get it.
Except we simply don't. As demonstrated by the MLS's L.A. Galaxy Beckham experiment, and the 1996 World Cup before that, and Pele and the N.Y. Cosmos before that, no matter how hard we try, the intricacies and the subtle attractions that hold the rest of the world captivated, fall for the most part on deaf ears and blind eyes over here.
Why?
There have been many explanations over the years, from the size of the field, (about the same size as a football field) to the diving (seen an NHL game lately?) but perhaps this is the simplest.
Not enough babbling.
Take this past weekend.
One writer, who was praising the game, noted that during a 42-second span in that Russia - Netherlands game, play-by-play man Tony Jones said the following:
"Zhirkov ... looking for Semak ... Saenko."
That was it.
This purist was thrilled with the brevity demonstrated by the call in comparison to the word-o-rama that sets our sports broadcasts apart.
Except if there was ever a sport that required a gab-fest, this is frikin' it. Verbal diarrheaists like Bill Walton were born to call this game. He could fill in the almost interminable blanks that drive viewers either away, or to drool due to forced napping, with enough drivel to at least make us want to throw something at the tube.
But no. In soccer less is definitely more - as proven by the most anticipated game of the entire tournament, Sunday's match between defending World Cup champion Italy and their arch-rival Spain - a team that hadn't beat them in 60 years. The pre-game guys were already describing it as a "classic" before the first touch.
What happened?
Total number of shots on goal by Italy:
Three
Total number of shots on goal by Spain:
Six
Final score:
0-0
The game was decided in a shoot out after full-time expired and two 15-minute overtime periods decided nothing.
So - did the lone man in the booth comment on how mind numbingly boring it was? Did he go all Johnny Miller-esque and rip the teams a new one?
Ahhh, no.
He spent the first half praising the Italians for their dedication to stifling defense and then he gleefully stated that this was "surely going to a shoot out" only 10 minutes into the second half!
And what's worse, he was right.
What was even more shocking was, no one in the stands was booing. There were zero jeers at either of the team's comatose performances.
Over here, mailing it in is strictly verboten. Especially in a playoff game. It's almost unthinkable, it's... it's... well... it's downright un-American.
It's like soccer folks are from a different planet or something.
One North Americans will not be visiting any time soon.
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Bet Euro 2008 Soccer at betED.com.
North Americans are from Mars - Europeans are from Venus
It's so predictable.
This time, they insist, everything will be different.
Buoyed by staggering ratings increases, soccer wags and fans are stating that Euro 2008 is finally the much sought after, but yet to be achieved, tipping point in proving that the "Beautiful Game" has become a mainstream sport in this little quarter of the planet.
Compared to Euro 2004, the average ratings are up. Way up. 81% up. Which does sound great, except that in the U.S. in 2004, the only way you could watch the second biggest soccer tournament there is anywhere was on Sentana.
Oh - and you had to pay $150.00 for the privilege.
This time it's being shown on ESPN, the #1 sports network on planet Earth, so naturally the ratings are up. How could they not be? College kids across the county turn on ESPN when they get up and only turn it off just before they pass out. Dorm rooms alone would account for the jump.
Basically, TV viewership increased because, this time, it is on TV.
However, what does that 81% increase really represent? An 0.5 rating - or to put that in perspective, Russia's quarter final win over the Netherlands on Saturday went head-to-head against a regular season MLB game between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball outdrew one of the World's great sporting events' playoff games by a factor of four to one.
In addition, it wasn't even a good MLB audience. That game's ratings were down 37% from a similarly scheduled interleague game last year.
In that context, only an 81% increase is a terrible number. 810% would be something to crow about. Maybe.
Regardless, the fubolers are not deterred. Preaching to the choir, who are the preexisting soccer fans who read their stuff, they insist this is a sign that finally, we get it.
Except we simply don't. As demonstrated by the MLS's L.A. Galaxy Beckham experiment, and the 1996 World Cup before that, and Pele and the N.Y. Cosmos before that, no matter how hard we try, the intricacies and the subtle attractions that hold the rest of the world captivated, fall for the most part on deaf ears and blind eyes over here.
Why?
There have been many explanations over the years, from the size of the field, (about the same size as a football field) to the diving (seen an NHL game lately?) but perhaps this is the simplest.
Not enough babbling.
Take this past weekend.
One writer, who was praising the game, noted that during a 42-second span in that Russia - Netherlands game, play-by-play man Tony Jones said the following:
"Zhirkov ... looking for Semak ... Saenko."
That was it.
This purist was thrilled with the brevity demonstrated by the call in comparison to the word-o-rama that sets our sports broadcasts apart.
Except if there was ever a sport that required a gab-fest, this is frikin' it. Verbal diarrheaists like Bill Walton were born to call this game. He could fill in the almost interminable blanks that drive viewers either away, or to drool due to forced napping, with enough drivel to at least make us want to throw something at the tube.
But no. In soccer less is definitely more - as proven by the most anticipated game of the entire tournament, Sunday's match between defending World Cup champion Italy and their arch-rival Spain - a team that hadn't beat them in 60 years. The pre-game guys were already describing it as a "classic" before the first touch.
What happened?
Total number of shots on goal by Italy:
Three
Total number of shots on goal by Spain:
Six
Final score:
0-0
The game was decided in a shoot out after full-time expired and two 15-minute overtime periods decided nothing.
So - did the lone man in the booth comment on how mind numbingly boring it was? Did he go all Johnny Miller-esque and rip the teams a new one?
Ahhh, no.
He spent the first half praising the Italians for their dedication to stifling defense and then he gleefully stated that this was "surely going to a shoot out" only 10 minutes into the second half!
And what's worse, he was right.
What was even more shocking was, no one in the stands was booing. There were zero jeers at either of the team's comatose performances.
Over here, mailing it in is strictly verboten. Especially in a playoff game. It's almost unthinkable, it's... it's... well... it's downright un-American.
It's like soccer folks are from a different planet or something.
One North Americans will not be visiting any time soon.
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Bet Euro 2008 Soccer at betED.com.
