Comments on: ESPN, the World Cup and MLS in 2010 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/12/07/espn-the-world-cup-and-mls-in-2010/ A soccer blog featuring essays, news and photography exploring soccer around the world Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:48:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tom Dunmore http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/12/07/espn-the-world-cup-and-mls-in-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-17334 Tom Dunmore Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:42:07 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/?p=5170#comment-17334 Not in the Gramscian sense! Not in the Gramscian sense!

]]> By: Jason http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/12/07/espn-the-world-cup-and-mls-in-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-17333 Jason Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:38:58 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/?p=5170#comment-17333 The sports television behemoth (and I’m not sure even that word captures how much ESPN bestrides the world of American sports in the 21st century)..." I think the word you're looking for is hegemon. The sports television behemoth (and I’m not sure even that word captures how much ESPN bestrides the world of American sports in the 21st century)…”

I think the word you’re looking for is hegemon.

]]> By: Matthew N http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/12/07/espn-the-world-cup-and-mls-in-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-17321 Matthew N Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:51:55 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/?p=5170#comment-17321 If MLS keeps going the route of "sign a big name has been and hope that normal people wil come to a game," they are going to stay exactly where they are. People aren't stupid and they can tell that many of the players in MLS are subpar. I like the MLS, but you cannot deny that even in the championship match between RSL and Galaxy, there were errant passes and misplayed first touches all over the place. They need to improve the overall level of play instead of blowing a bunch of money on Thierry Henry, although the ridiculous salary rules probably prohibit this (owners are free to blow a ton of money on one guy but can't pay their fringe players enough to afford to live...). If MLS keeps going the route of “sign a big name has been and hope that normal people wil come to a game,” they are going to stay exactly where they are. People aren’t stupid and they can tell that many of the players in MLS are subpar. I like the MLS, but you cannot deny that even in the championship match between RSL and Galaxy, there were errant passes and misplayed first touches all over the place. They need to improve the overall level of play instead of blowing a bunch of money on Thierry Henry, although the ridiculous salary rules probably prohibit this (owners are free to blow a ton of money on one guy but can’t pay their fringe players enough to afford to live…).

]]> By: Stan http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/12/07/espn-the-world-cup-and-mls-in-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-17307 Stan Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:18:40 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/?p=5170#comment-17307 Yeah, Rob, I get where you're going with that. I mean, the Premier League is certainly better soccer, but its ratings have not really been any better on ESPN than MLS's have. I know the Prem is on early in the morning, but that's kinda the point, it doesn't matter much how good the soccer is if it's not tailored to an American audience in at least some ways. MLS may perhaps be ready to live up to the challenge of its name when it can develop a strong cadre of American players that can play alongside world-class players without being humiliated, so that you don't have to buy *all* your talent. This is something we're clearly closer to than in 1996, but still right now it's a number of guys you could count on your fingers (Donovan, Dempsey, Howard, etc). When you can stock half the league with that kind of player, it'll be a lot easier to have that type of talent than it is today. Yeah, Rob, I get where you’re going with that. I mean, the Premier League is certainly better soccer, but its ratings have not really been any better on ESPN than MLS’s have. I know the Prem is on early in the morning, but that’s kinda the point, it doesn’t matter much how good the soccer is if it’s not tailored to an American audience in at least some ways.

MLS may perhaps be ready to live up to the challenge of its name when it can develop a strong cadre of American players that can play alongside world-class players without being humiliated, so that you don’t have to buy *all* your talent. This is something we’re clearly closer to than in 1996, but still right now it’s a number of guys you could count on your fingers (Donovan, Dempsey, Howard, etc). When you can stock half the league with that kind of player, it’ll be a lot easier to have that type of talent than it is today.

]]> By: Rob http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/12/07/espn-the-world-cup-and-mls-in-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-17298 Rob Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:43:02 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/?p=5170#comment-17298 "...The soccer just has to get better. You’d like to have some big names to have some stories around, get a few more people to the stadiums and poke up in the ratings here and there, but as long as it just keeps getting better, we’ll be fine.” This is the biggest problem I have with ESPN. I just have this lingering feeling that they want the MLS to become the NASL asap, which I think would be the biggest mistake. MLS needs time, and the majority of money available should be put into a youth system that will consistently produce while the rest of the spending money can go to "big names." Is it possible to do both? Absolutely. Will it be easy? No, but that is where the time card comes in. MLS needs time to create history and show the world that the past couple of seasons of growth isn't just a fluke. “…The soccer just has to get better. You’d like to have some big names to have some stories around, get a few more people to the stadiums and poke up in the ratings here and there, but as long as it just keeps getting better, we’ll be fine.”

This is the biggest problem I have with ESPN. I just have this lingering feeling that they want the MLS to become the NASL asap, which I think would be the biggest mistake. MLS needs time, and the majority of money available should be put into a youth system that will consistently produce while the rest of the spending money can go to “big names.”

Is it possible to do both? Absolutely. Will it be easy? No, but that is where the time card comes in. MLS needs time to create history and show the world that the past couple of seasons of growth isn’t just a fluke.

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