In his article Buffington reveals the multitude of problems that face soccer in the United States. One of the aspect he touches on briefly is soccer’s ‘newcomer’ status as a sport in America. Buffington argues that America’s sports were already decided and established in the late 19th century. As such soccer did not have the chance to develop and entrench itself as one of America’s key sports. In order for soccer to thrive in America it must compete with these already fiercely beloved sports.
One of the advantages these other sports have over soccer, is media power. The media and advertising play huge roles in the financial support of professional sports in America. Sporting events are optimal places for advertising, as has been seen other the centuries. However television plays an equally, if not greater role, in revenue from sport. Soccer is one of the least television advertising friendly sports. Its fast play and long periods make it almost impossible to plug in those one to two-minute commercial breaks necessary to generate the big advertisement money. While arguments have been made that advertisers are losing out on large ‘untapped’ markets, this scenario is unlikely to change.
Quotations
Highly industrialized countries solidified their national “sporting space” during the key period of modernization between 1870 and 1930. Baseball, American football, basketball… became institutionalized during this era and, as a result, came to satiate this space.
Questions
- How will US soccer teams tackle the large problem of advertisement revenue for their clubs?
- Will soccer always been seen as a ‘foreign’ sport? How can this issue be addressed?