There used to be a time in the 1970’s and 1980’s when fans of professional soccer in the United States would find a time to tune in on PBS and hear the legendary announcer Mario Machado call highlights of games gone by in a one or two hour edited show to satisfy the thirst for video of the world’s most popular game. The North American Soccer league came and went, World Cup action was shown on some third tier UHF stations or on closed circuit. There was not much “there” there for fans of Man U. or Real Madrid or Lazio, especially when you left many urban areas where the game was still popular.
Fans today of anything soccer would find that very hard to believe. Today we have networks dedicated to the game in the States, the most healthy of grassroots sports, an ever-improving MLS prospect and more Americans contributing to the growth of soccer globally than ever before. However what is even more impressive is the way that elite clubs and the professional leagues from around the world, starting with the Barclays Premier League, have made such inroads into the American sports landscape. The last two weeks have seen record numbers of viewership for Manchester City’s title run and for Chelsea’s Championship League title, and this summer will see a record number of friendlies for elite clubs, from AS Roma, Chelsea and Tottenham to The French League Championship to Liverpool to Zaglebie Lubin and many other clubs. While it is not unusual for some friendlies to be played in the States before soccer kicks off around the world in August, the breath and depth of clubs and the stadia they will be playing in is rising, and that is reflective of the rising tide of interest in the sport in the States. It is not all about Americans and MLS. It is about seeing the best clubs from around the world, ones that have worked with American media companies like Fox and ESPN, to integrate matches year-round into broadcast and news coverage, so that young people in the States especially are just as big fans of Wayne Rooney as they are maybe of Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. The brands that support the elite soccer clubs around the world are also going to continue to get added ROI with the marketing and broadcast of elite soccer in the States, as companies like Emirates Airways now will have a growing affinity to an American marketplace through their non-American sports sponsorship.
The broadcast and digital world has opened possibilities for elite soccer clubs in the States much in the way the NBA (of all U.S. based leagues) has expanded their growth globally outside of the borders of the U.S. Stars are now easier to follow, the passion of clubs and the beauty of the game is easier understood, and it is no longer a stretch to watch the best clubs in the world compete live on TV (with much being in the mornings in the States when there is little live sports competition) where it may have been in years past. The highlights are now brought in as they happen through sports-specific networks and dropped side by side with baseball, hockey and hoops scores. It no longer is unusual to see a great Real Madrid goal during the morning SportsCenter, where that would have seemed very strange just a few years back.
This rising tide is also a boon to MLS, which continues its steady path of growth. While some may say the friendlies are what “real” fans want to see in soccer in the States, those matches draw more attention to the game, which in many markets brings casual fans to MLS and gives the league a great chance at conversion on a consistent level. All things good about soccer means better opportunities for all in the business.
Now none of this is to say that soccer is reaching its highest point of engagement in the States any time soon. MLB, the NHL, the NFL, and the NBA still rule the roost consistently, and soccer even at the highest level still has to compete with those four as well as NASCAR and a passionate intercollegiate audience that only exists in the States. That won’t change overnight. However what is changing is the growing acceptance of elite soccer as a must watch and talk about event in the U.S., with the numbers of the last week showing that to be true. It hasn’t happened in a vacuum or that suddenly. It has been a steady and strategic build, but it is a build worth watching and admiring as most of the soccer around the world takes a brief respite before the heat turns up again in mid-summer, much of which will start in the States.
