Premiere League

[TU_BLA]

So I am relatively new to following club soccer and a lot of it has to do with NBC's EPL package the last 4-5 years. I never followed club soccer before then, only international soccer and college soccer. The EPL on NBC coincided with the time my son moved from rec soccer to playing competitive club soccer. But did NBC do this because it lost the NBA and it was early AM weekend programming? Is it more of a result of US fans embracing soccer as a whole following the success of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey overseas? I can say soccer would probably be a little further ahead in this country had a network picked it up when Dempsey was in his prime in the PL around 2011-2012. He was freaking ridiculous...and I had no idea.

I bring this up because the PL is back in 17 days and they just ran an ad on Twitter showing Dempsey's 17 goals in PL play 2011-2012. Can't wait. Let's go LFC #YNWA!

 

[HuffyCane]

They did it because they got out bid for NFL football and the metrics of what they would get in return for the investment in soccer versus what they had to spend to make what they would make on football pointed to going chips on the Olympics and supporting soccer hoping for a big payoff later as the audience expanded. The NBA has nothing to do with it.

They didn’t buy in because of the success of Americans, they bought in to exploit it. If memory serves they did a limited package the first year, 2007/2008 I think, not sure, then the following year Landon, Jody, and Stuart were all on loans or one year deals. I want to say there were a couple of others. Jonathon Spector, but maybe too early for Jay Demerit and Watford. This is 2008/2009. Brad and Clint had long term deals in place. And you are right, they were in their prime and even some soccer fans had no idea. They wanted to see Rooney or Lampard. so the business model was broadcasting one game of the Big 4 teams, followed by whatever team had an American on it, an hour of highlights and then MLS game of the week. Some of those games had record breaking viewership for MLS, but NBC dropped them and they went to FOX with the USMNT.

Most of the US interest in EPL on NBC is driven by the FIFA video game sudden popularity and the numbers have time and again backed that up. Nothing that any individual player has done. Clint was on nationwide basic cable 15 or 20 times a year and nobody noticed, but your average 13 year old could tell you Tevez was on the bench this week for City.

If you are really interested in Soccer broadcasting, it’s ratings, history and effect on soccer culture, there’s a podcast hosted by a friend and beat writer for Miami FC named Kartik Kristnaiyer. I think it’s boring but it’s called World Soccer Talk and they break down issues like this at length.

 

[TU_BLA]

Cool. I just remember the NBC Sports commercials when they decided to go all in with Jason Sudeikis and talking about OTs and shoot-outs to settle ties and trying to make the playoffs and you'd hear a voice, "there is no overtime", "no playoffs either". He was dressed like the John Goodman character from Revenge of the Nerds with the whistle and such. It was pretty hilarious take on how US sports fans don't understand leaving things in ties and not having playoffs to determine a champion. I'd watch games early on Saturday mornings before we had to go out and play a game just because college football games hadn't started yet. My son and I always got stoked when Everton was on because of Tim Howard. Then we caught my wife starting to record games and watching them later on She became full-fledged soccer mom:joy:. Now it's just part of the weekend routine. The last 3-4 weeks are super interesting and suspenseful, not only to see who ends up winning the PL Championship, but to see who avoids relegation. Those games with teams in spots 16-20 and the urgency and desperation and effort they play with is simply amazing, unlike NBA and NFL teams eliminated from the playoff hunt who tank to get a better draft pick. And rarely can any of the major US sports match the type of feel-good story of a Leicester City coming from promotion to PL Champions in just 3 years.

And while it broke my heart because I'm a Liverpool fan, the Man City PL game against (Wolves I think) in week 37 last year where City were tied and Kompany scored on a rocket from 30 yds to lead 2-1 when a tie would have put LFC on top with a week to go. It was suspenseful. NCAA tournament buzzer beaters are about the only thing I can think of that comes truly close (maybe NFL playoff games on the final drive to determine a winner). And the interesting thing is PL doesn't really have a salary cap. You have money and spend it, or you don't. But clubs can go out and spend to bring in players. And it has taken some time for me to get used to the whole FIFA transfer window and process.

.

 

[HuffyCane]

Zlatan on why MLS will always fail and never entertain. “You Americans must make money. MLS all clubs make money. In Europe only two or three clubs make money. Football clubs are a passion. You must spend everything you have on your passion.”

 

[HuffyCane]

Cool. I just remember the NBC Sports commercials when they decided to go all in with Jason Sudeikis and talking about OTs and shoot-outs to settle ties and trying to make the playoffs and you'd hear a voice, "there is no overtime", "no playoffs either". He was dressed like the John Goodman character from Revenge of the Nerds with the whistle and such. It was pretty hilarious take on how US sports fans don't understand leaving things in ties and not having playoffs to determine a champion. I'd watch games early on Saturday mornings before we had to go out and play a game just because college football games hadn't started yet. My son and I always got stoked when Everton was on because of Tim Howard. Then we caught my wife starting to record games and watching them later on She became full-fledged soccer mom:joy:. Now it's just part of the weekend routine. The last 3-4 weeks are super interesting and suspenseful, not only to see who ends up winning the PL Championship, but to see who avoids relegation. Those games with teams in spots 16-20 and the urgency and desperation and effort they play with is simply amazing, unlike NBA and NFL teams eliminated from the playoff hunt who tank to get a better draft pick. And rarely can any of the major US sports match the type of feel-good story of a Leicester City coming from promotion to PL Champions in just 3 years.

And while it broke my heart because I'm a Liverpool fan, the Man City PL game against (Wolves I think) in week 37 last year where City were tied and Kompany scored on a rocket from 30 yds to lead 2-1 when a tie would have put LFC on top with a week to go. It was suspenseful. NCAA tournament buzzer beaters are about the only thing I can think of that comes truly close (maybe NFL playoff games on the final drive to determine a winner). And the interesting thing is PL doesn't really have a salary cap. You have money and spend it, or you don't. But clubs can go out and spend to bring in players. And it has taken some time for me to get used to the whole FIFA transfer window and process.

.

Ted Lasso. Turned into a whole series of commercials. They used him during the Olympics too.

“How many countries do you have in this country?”

 

[HuffyCane]

Cool. I just remember the NBC Sports commercials when they decided to go all in with Jason Sudeikis and talking about OTs and shoot-outs to settle ties and trying to make the playoffs and you'd hear a voice, "there is no overtime", "no playoffs either". He was dressed like the John Goodman character from Revenge of the Nerds with the whistle and such. It was pretty hilarious take on how US sports fans don't understand leaving things in ties and not having playoffs to determine a champion. I'd watch games early on Saturday mornings before we had to go out and play a game just because college football games hadn't started yet. My son and I always got stoked when Everton was on because of Tim Howard. Then we caught my wife starting to record games and watching them later on She became full-fledged soccer mom:joy:. Now it's just part of the weekend routine. The last 3-4 weeks are super interesting and suspenseful, not only to see who ends up winning the PL Championship, but to see who avoids relegation. Those games with teams in spots 16-20 and the urgency and desperation and effort they play with is simply amazing, unlike NBA and NFL teams eliminated from the playoff hunt who tank to get a better draft pick. And rarely can any of the major US sports match the type of feel-good story of a Leicester City coming from promotion to PL Champions in just 3 years.

And while it broke my heart because I'm a Liverpool fan, the Man City PL game against (Wolves I think) in week 37 last year where City were tied and Kompany scored on a rocket from 30 yds to lead 2-1 when a tie would have put LFC on top with a week to go. It was suspenseful. NCAA tournament buzzer beaters are about the only thing I can think of that comes truly close (maybe NFL playoff games on the final drive to determine a winner). And the interesting thing is PL doesn't really have a salary cap. You have money and spend it, or you don't. But clubs can go out and spend to bring in players. And it has taken some time for me to get used to the whole FIFA transfer window and process.

.

City since ‘87. Kompany had no business taking that shot.

 

[TU_BLA]

Zlatan on why MLS will always fail and never entertain. “You Americans must make money. MLS all clubs make money. In Europe only two or three clubs make money. Football clubs are a passion. You must spend everything you have on your passion.”

And this is why Arsenal fans are pissed they're owned by an a$$hole like Stan Kroenke. At least John Henry has spent on LFC to try and get them to the top of the PL. Even after winning Champions League, Henry said that it did not make up for not winning the PL and the ultimate goal is to win the PL.

 

[TU_BLA]

City since ‘87. Kompany had no business taking that shot.

Shoot...he walked through the defense and no one stepped to. The shot was an absolute rocket.

 

[TU_BLA]

Ted Lasso. Turned into a whole series of commercials. They used him during the Olympics too.

“How many countries do you have in this country?”

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I don't think I've ever seen the entire 4 minutes of this, just the segments in the press conference they used for the TV spots. This is even more hilarious than I realized.