Got Philk?
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
My cat is named Beckham, do we have to now pay more money for his food? Do we have to get him a new cat bed?
The other cat by the way is named Posh.
The other cat by the way is named Posh.
StlElevation said:hmm.
my interest level in soccer went from
non existant to non existant.
carry on.
J_NP said:Tell u this ....... U know when football will get big in the US , when people start calling it Football ....... Get another name for that another sport ......
I Mean Not beginnin a discussion here , but a guy runnin and protecting his ball with arm = football ???
Not sure if u remember , Fifa goes for Federation Internation of Football Association
Btw besides this Major League , is there any Champions league there ? Somethin like joinin Canadian and Mexican teams or something like ? A International competition ?
This map seems to indicate that soccer is less popular in China than it is in the US, at least when measured by participation. It may be popular as a spectator sport in a major city like Shanghai, but that's different from actual participation in the sport nationwide.toscano said:
Well, having been in China during a major soccer tournament, (EURO 2000) I can tell you it certainly DOES capture the local interest and is extremely popular, lots of huddling around TV's on flatbed trucks in the middle of Shanghai in the wee hours, lotsall games live on TV, etc. Why would you say it's not very popular there ? Same in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, etc.
India ? Cricket fanatics. The european colonialism certainly left it's mark big-time. For whatever reason they took to it a lot more so than soccer.
speedracer said:
I am not sure, but I think snobby English types started calling it "football" once Americans picked up on it.
speedracer said:
And I have no idea why MLS teams don't compete against other club teams in Mexico and South America.
BonoManiac said:
The signing will generate much more than $250 million globally, in sports paraphanelia alone.
In the short term it will generate interest in the sport across the US, or at least in the cities that have franchises. But, on it's own, the Beckham signing will not have much of an impact on the sport in the U.S.
However,what may happen, in the long term, is that more and more world-class players will follow Beckham's lead and come to North America. If Beckham has success players will regard MLS as a viable career option. Of course, if he flops then the status quo will prevail.
If more world-class players cross the pond this will have a huge impact on American soccer. For one, it may encourage the best American players to stay home rather than seeking employment in Europe. And two, the players that are already here will have the advantage of playing with better athletes which should, theoretically, allow them to grow and become better players themselves.
Everyone looks at the money, and it is an astronomical sum, but time is what is needed to accurately judge this deal. I, for one, will wait before judging the merits of this deal.
speedracer said:
This map seems to indicate that soccer is less popular in China than it is in the US, at least when measured by participation. It may be popular as a spectator sport in a major city like Shanghai, but that's different from actual participation in the sport nationwide.
StlElevation said:hmm.
my interest level in soccer went from
non existant to non existant.
carry on.
toscano said:
so according to that map, soccer is co-#1, how do you figure that makes it less popular than in the US ?
"participants" doesn't mean "paying customers"
the proliferation of youth soccer in the us has not translated to popularity at the paying adult level , something it HAS done in China
Chizip said:
i checked the salaries at this site
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/mls/longterm/2006/mls.salaries.html
Adu only made 550,000 in 2006.
The entire league made slightly less than 27.5 million. Thats everybody in the entire league combined.
Now Beckham will make 50 million by himself? Something is screwy.
Got Philk? said:My cat is named Beckham, do we have to now pay more money for his food? Do we have to get him a new cat bed?
The other cat by the way is named Posh.
FC Dallas in talks with Edgar Davids
Associated Press
1/12/2007 10:28:51 AM
LONDON (AP) - Edgar Davids could be the next big European soccer star to follow David Beckham to Major League Soccer.
One day after Beckham agreed a US$250-million, five-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Dutch midfielder was in talks Friday with FC Dallas.
"We are actually in negotiations with Edgar Davids - we've been speaking for a couple of weeks," said Dallas coach Steve Morrow, a former Northern Ireland international midfielder who played for Arsenal.
"We were excited to hear about his availability, so we spoke to his agents and have been told he is available."
Davids, who wears protective eyeglasses on the field because he has the eye condition glaucoma, has won domestic and European club titles with Ajax, Juventus and FC Barcelona.
Nicknamed "Pit Bull" because of his aggressive style of playing, Davids plays for Tottenham in the Premier League but has lost his first-team place.
"It appears Tottenham are willing to listen to offers," Morrow told BBC radio. "It's the transfer window in the United States now and if a deal is going to happen it has to be done before the end of the month."
Headache in a Suitcase said:
liar... you entered a soccer thread.
it went from zero to .0000000001
BonoManiac said:FC Dallas in talks with Edgar Davids
Associated Press
1/12/2007 10:28:51 AM
LONDON (AP) - Edgar Davids could be the next big European soccer star to follow David Beckham to Major League Soccer.
One day after Beckham agreed a US$250-million, five-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Dutch midfielder was in talks Friday with FC Dallas.
"We are actually in negotiations with Edgar Davids - we've been speaking for a couple of weeks," said Dallas coach Steve Morrow, a former Northern Ireland international midfielder who played for Arsenal.
"We were excited to hear about his availability, so we spoke to his agents and have been told he is available."
Davids, who wears protective eyeglasses on the field because he has the eye condition glaucoma, has won domestic and European club titles with Ajax, Juventus and FC Barcelona.
Nicknamed "Pit Bull" because of his aggressive style of playing, Davids plays for Tottenham in the Premier League but has lost his first-team place.
"It appears Tottenham are willing to listen to offers," Morrow told BBC radio. "It's the transfer window in the United States now and if a deal is going to happen it has to be done before the end of the month."
zoney! said:
Excellent post.
I am not sure if they are going after the U.S. interest in MLS here by signing Beckham. I think this is a way to elevate the MLS on an international level. I am sure the MLS would love to be able to capture U.S. corporate dollars as we move to a global economy. They will do that by building interest in the MLS outside of the U.S. - and possibly recruit other international players with this type of cash. I am sure they would love for MLS to compete with other international league (knowing that the Premiership will always be THE league).
Cosmos and the league they played in tried something similar, but the world did not have the communication and entertainment media, as well as the corporate money, we have today.
As for U.S. talent vs. world talent....U.S. athletes strive to play our major sports, knowing that is where they think they can find money, fame and scholarships. These opportunites aren't as abundant in other countries - so they move towards football/soccer.
Finally...L.A. is the eprfect market for beckham to launch in the U.S. With a large Mexican-American population, the Galaxy actually succeed in drawing crowds! Now add Beckham!
I will pay to see Beckham...on the road.
BrownEyedBoy said:
That's excactly what I thought. I don't think they really want to generate attention from the US. They're trying to make the MLS a credible league because throughout the world it's mostly been thought of as a joke.
I'm really disappointed in Becks for jumping ship like this but for that amount of cash and his family and the fact that he wasn't fitting in with Capello's playing scheme ...I can't blame him.
I assure you, he was also thinking about his family when made this call.
And Headache, I think the reason why you guys don't like soccer is because none of you citizens of the US are very good at it.
Headache in a Suitcase said:$50 million per season... double what a-rod gets.
wow. wowwee wow wow.
i doubt it will have any real effect on soccer in america... buuuut, it got my attention, and i'd rather stick needles in my eyes than watch soccer, soooo we'll see.