Home Discord Chat
Go Back   ChiefsPlanet > Nzoner's Game Room

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-23-2013, 12:23 PM  
|Zach| |Zach| is offline
For The Glory Of The City
 
|Zach|'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $5476768
New York Times | Soccer in the U.S. Heartland: Kansas City Transformed

Soccer in the U.S. Heartland: Kansas City Transformed



There are, of course, no official records, but it is generally accepted that the introduction of the Zardmeister was the low point in Kansas City soccer history.

A high-strung gentleman with a memorably awful haircut, the Zardmeister roamed the paltry Wizards crowds at Arrowhead Stadium in 2003, ostensibly whipping his fellow fans into a froth. Since Tony Meola was the team’s goalkeeper, the Zardmeister shrieked, “Me Likey!” and then waited for fans to respond — presumably without choking — “Me-ola!” The Zardmeister also attempted to lead groups of fans in a clownish chant that went, “I’m a Zard, You’re a Zard, We All Are Zards!”

“I actually heard him misspell ‘Zard’ one time,” Mike Gaughan, a season-ticket holder since 1997 and a former president of the team’s supporters’ club, said recently. “It was a disaster.”

There was no anger in Gaughan’s voice though, only a bit of mirth a decade later. In a reversal that Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber calls “one of the great sports turnarounds in the history of soccer in America,” Kansas City — which will host the M.L.S. All-Star Game on July 31— has become a seemingly unlikely hotbed for professional soccer. The rise of the sport in the heart of the United States has been so sharp, observers say, that it now rivals the standard set by the league’s two most prominent success stories in Seattle and Portland, Ore.

Attendance at Kansas City’s new soccer stadium, Sporting Park, is at capacity. The United States national team has made the area a regular part of its rotation for important international matches. Even television ratings, which have long been disappointing for M.L.S., are at least increasing on a relative scale.

The turnaround has been startling: as recently as seven years ago, Wizards merchandise sales ranked dead-last in M.L.S., behind even the sales of items featuring only the league’s generic logo. As recently as four years ago, the team played on a field that was shoehorned into a minor-league baseball stadium. As recently as three years ago, the number of people watching games on TV frequently came in at numbers one might think would be only slightly above public-access shows.

“I’ve seen a lot of teams get new stadiums, including the Red Bulls in my own backyard and it’s no guarantee that everything gets fixed,” said Meola, a New Jersey resident who played 10 years in M.L.S. “But in Kansas City they’re pushing the right buttons.”

‘A Lot of Screaming Kids’

The history of soccer in Kansas City is not particularly auspicious. Yes, there was a time when the local indoor team, the Comets, actually outdrew the city’s N.B.A. team (the Kansas City Kings subsequently moved to Sacramento in 1985), but St. Louis was typically seen as the region’s more soccer-crazy city, primarily because of its concentration of high-quality youth clubs and high-school teams.

Soccer participation in Kansas City, though, was always prominent. When Lamar Hunt, who owned the N.F.L.'s Chiefs, purchased the right to operate an original M.L.S. team in 1996, the thinking was simple: tap into the large number of families involved in youth soccer and get them to Arrowhead.

“What I really remember is a lot of screaming kids,” said Laura Hendricks, a longtime fan whose family has attended games since the team’s first season. “There was no real investment. They were there because it was something to do.”

Often, the team’s performance on the field felt secondary. In the early years, team executives met each Thursday before a Saturday game to discuss that weekend’s promotional gimmick. One official recounted a day when heavy rain began near the end of the first half, prompting another anxious executive to screech over the team’s in-house walkie-talkie system that “whatever we do, don’t cancel the mini-ponies!” that had been rented to give rides to fans at halftime.

“To be fair, a lot of that was happening all across the league early on,” said Chris Klein, who played for the Wizards from 1998 to 2005 and is now the president of the Los Angeles Galaxy. “Everyone was trying to figure out where M.L.S. fit into the American culture and how to make it work.”

In the standings, the Wizards actually had a measure of success. They even won the M.L.S. championship in 2000 but the club still struggled to embed itself in the community. Rob Thomson, the team’s executive vice president for communications, recalled driving home from work once in the early 2000’s and seeing another car with a Wizards bumper sticker. Thomson excitedly sped up to try and wave at the person in the other car. “I pulled up alongside and it was someone I worked with,” he said.

By 2004, with attendance languishing despite good results from the team, the Hunts — who also owned M.L.S. teams in Dallas and Columbus, Ohio — began exploring a possible sale. Given the commercial struggles of the club, there was persistent speculation that the team might be moved (Philadelphia was often suggested), and Garber admitted that relocation was considered.

Ultimately, the club stayed put after the Hunts found interest from a six-man, locally based group led by the co-owners of an electronic medical systems company. The sale of the team was completed in 2006 and the goal, Garber said, “was an immediate sea change” in approach as the new group set out to rejuvenate operations with a stadium designed for soccer at the heart of the plan.

New Owners, New Approach

During the summer of 2010, Robb Heineman, the team’s president and one of the six new owners, knew the coming six months would be crucial. The Wizards had spent the previous four years playing in a minor-league baseball stadium, essentially treading water while waiting for their transformation.

As the 2011 season approached, however, the new stadium was nearing completion and a rebranding — including the team’s name, colors, logo and uniform — was imminent. With those tangible changes nearly in place and a financial outlay that ended up being close to $300 million on the line, club officials talked often about the need to find a lasting relevancy in the community.

“In a lot of ways, that summer of 2010 was really a tipping point for us,” Heineman said in recent interview. “It was a combination of good timing and good planning.”

First, the team organized watch parties for the World Cup matches that summer, taking over the popular Power & Light District area downtown and attracting young professionals as opposed to the families that had been the focus of marketing efforts for so many years early on.

The team hoped for a decent turnout at the parties as a way to build a presence ahead of the rebranding; instead, thousands of fans went to the outdoor plaza area, and for games involving the United States team the crowds swelled to as large as 12,000. When ESPN showed highlights of American fans watching games back home, Kansas City was often portrayed as the hub; the crowd’s histrionics after Landon Donovan’s last-second goal against Algeria were captured in a plethora of YouTube montages.

Then, less than a month later, the Wizards played an exhibition against Manchester United at Arrowhead Stadium. More than 50,000 fans bought tickets but a majority appeared to be wearing the English team’s colors and cheering for the visitors at the start.

That situation was standard for a match between an M.L.S. team and a European power at the time and yet, despite the crowd and despite having a player ejected after only a half-hour, the Wizards pulled off a stunning upset, beating United by 2-1. At the final whistle, the fans — many still wearing Manchester United gear - exploded with glee. “The next day our phones literally went down because so many people were calling,” Heineman said.

Determined to capitalize on the soccer surge, the club increased its attention on attracting younger fans. Its approach was simple: in a city where the Chiefs and Royals play in older stadiums and have played poorly for a long time, “the 18-to-35 demographic here didn’t grow up with much success from those brands,” Heineman said.

He added, “We thought we could give them something different.”

The connection was multilayered. Greg Cotton, the team’s general counsel and chief of staff, had been a longtime member of the team’s main supporters’ club, known as the Cauldron, so during the transition Cotton was a constant voice for the fans. Team executives even enlisted help from the Cauldron when designing areas for the supporters’ groups in the new stadium. Like many European teams have done, a members’ bar for the supporters’ club was built at the stadium to encourage more time on site.

Technology was critical, too. Two of the team’s new owners, Cliff Illig and Neal Patterson, were the co-founders of Cerner Corporation, a leading provider of electronic medical systems. With that software background, it was not surprising that Sporting Park came with a strong Wi-Fi presence, constant social media connections among fans, and the stadium’s video boards and advanced camera systems that made for more entertaining replays.

The team also embraced social media away from the stadium, with Heineman often asking questions of fans on Twitter to help guide club decisions.

“It was like apples and oranges from before,” Gaughan said. “There was a deeper commitment to building a connection. It wasn’t just a ‘you-buy-tickets’ thing. It was more.”

That thinking went into the team’s name change as well. As the club approached its rebranding in the winter of 2010, it mulled a number of traditional American sports team names proposed by a consulting agency. Among the top suggestions was the Kansas City Bees because, the consultants said, the bee is the official insect of both Missouri and Kansas.

Instead, the club opted for Sporting Kansas City, a European-sounding name that was emblematic of its hope of becoming more than just a soccer team. The Sporting name also dovetailed with the club’s European-style soccer stadium and concerted effort to appeal to the serious soccer fan.

For the most part, it has worked. In 2011, the first year at Sporting Park, the team’s average attendance was 17,810. In 2012, it was 19,017. This season, it is 19,709 and Sporting has a streak of 27 consecutive league match sellouts as it has surged to a four-point lead atop the Eastern Conference.

To be sure, everything is not perfect. While the team trumpets its significant television ratings increase, the numbers are relative: ratings this season have generally been around 1.1 or so, which is up from the 0.1 that was standard in 2010 but still far below, say, the 5.8 that the Royals are averaging this season despite being six games under .500.

Still, Sporting’s relevance cannot be denied. Segments on local sports talk radio are now dedicated to soccer — something that was unimaginable in the past — and Thomson, the executive who recalled his excitement (and subsequent disappointment) at seeing a Wizards bumper sticker on the car in front of him years ago, said he was especially heartened when he pulled up at a drive-thru window recently and was immediately serenaded with one of Sporting’s fan chants from the employees inside. “They saw the logo on my shirt,” Thomson said.

Hendricks, the longtime fan, said that she too has reveled in the way Sporting has moved into the mainstream consciousness, but she also occasionally wonders what will happen if the team, which has won its division each of the past two seasons, begins to struggle.

Sports are cyclical, she said, and there will surely come a time when Sporting begins to falter. Will the interest wane then? Will the crowds diminish? Could there even come a time when the Zardmeister, or at least a distant relative, resurfaces?

Hendricks laughed. “I think those days are long gone,” she said. “It’s not manufactured here anymore. It’s real.”
Posts: 53,346
|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 04:34 PM   #76
|Zach| |Zach| is offline
For The Glory Of The City
 
|Zach|'s Avatar
 

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $5476768
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bugeater View Post
Most of that shit is contained to one thread which can be easily ignored. Zach starts as many soccer threads as possible just to piss people off.
Nah I rarely start them outside of the thread. Both of these instances were thread worthy.

If you don't think so than that just seems to be your problem!
Posts: 53,346
|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 04:35 PM   #77
|Zach| |Zach| is offline
For The Glory Of The City
 
|Zach|'s Avatar
 

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $5476768
Quote:
Originally Posted by the Talking Can View Post
and forces you to read them too

even worse, this might push the 'what is mansion' thread off the board...where the **** is mod when you need one?
In fairness I **** started his face and talked about SKC during the whole process.
Posts: 53,346
|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 04:47 PM   #78
DaveNull DaveNull is offline
Veteran
 
DaveNull's Avatar
 

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Villa Straylight
Casino cash: $10005610
What's up with all the hate? I had a better time at the one sporting game I caught than any of the home chiefs games last year.
Posts: 2,367
DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.DaveNull Forgot to Remove His Claytex and Got Toxic Shock Syndrome.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 04:47 PM   #79
Pitt Gorilla Pitt Gorilla is offline
Banned!
 
Pitt Gorilla's Avatar
 

Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: NOT Columbia, MO 65201
Casino cash: $3210194
The royals are kill inning them in TV ratings? Good lord.
__________________

Your son is a bench warmer because of your weak genetics not because of the coach

Norlin Mommsen is disgusting.
Posts: 45,939
Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.Pitt Gorilla is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 04:54 PM   #80
JoeyChuckles JoeyChuckles is offline
Bring It Home
 
JoeyChuckles's Avatar
 

Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: North Haverbrook
Casino cash: $10007012
Why does soccer illicit such a strong reaction from non-soccer fans?
Posts: 4,322
JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.JoeyChuckles threw an interception on a screen pass.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:01 PM   #81
Agent V Agent V is offline
Bring me Geno.
 

Join Date: Sep 2006
Casino cash: $10004900
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bugeater View Post
Most of that shit is contained to one thread which can be easily ignored. Zach starts as many soccer threads as possible just to piss people off.
And I suppose he also sits you down at a computer, opens the thread and forces you to read it and angrily respond, too.
Posts: 1,938
Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.Agent V would the whole thing.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:16 PM   #82
Titty Meat Titty Meat is offline
Inmem 2.0
 
Titty Meat's Avatar
 

Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: My house
Casino cash: $2577558
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveNull View Post
What's up with all the hate? I had a better time at the one sporting game I caught than any of the home chiefs games last year.
.
Posts: 74,733
Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.Titty Meat is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:19 PM   #83
Reaper16 Reaper16 is offline
Eat/Sleep/Procrastinate/Repeat
 
Reaper16's Avatar
 

Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dystopia
Casino cash: $10017397
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveNull View Post
What's up with all the hate? I had a better time at the one sporting game I caught than any of the home chiefs games last year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini View Post
That's because u are a ****ing moron
I have to say: the game experience at the Sporting Kansas City game I went to a couple of weeks ago far surpassed that of even playoff football at recent Arrowhead (2010, Ravens).
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Delano View Post
Reaper16's taste in beer, music, and literature are unmatched on this message board.
Posted via Mobile Device
Posts: 33,369
Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.Reaper16 has enough rep power to blowy ou to bits.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:21 PM   #84
Bugeater Bugeater is offline
The Maintenance Guy
 
Bugeater's Avatar
 

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Renovated Bugeater Estate
Casino cash: $6302680
Quote:
Originally Posted by the Talking Can View Post
and forces you to read them too

even worse, this might push the 'what is mansion' thread off the board...where the **** is mod when you need one?
I read them for the same reason he starts them, because they fill up with hate and it's somewhat entertaining.
Posts: 70,441
Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:23 PM   #85
'Hamas' Jenkins 'Hamas' Jenkins is offline
Now you've pissed me off!
 
'Hamas' Jenkins's Avatar
 

Join Date: Jan 2006
Casino cash: $8129572
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeyChuckles View Post
Why does soccer illicit such a strong reaction from non-soccer fans?
Chuck Klosterman covered it pretty well in an essay he wrote called "George Will v. Nick Hornby."

The jist:

--People have been bludgeoned with the idea that soccer is the next big thing since the 70s.
--Youth soccer in this country is a sport for people who don't like to play sports, as you can run around w/o being singled out for humiliation (save being a goalie) like you are in Little League, basketball, and other sports.
--Our best athletes don't play soccer (somewhat circular, but nevertheless true).
--Soccer fans. Like Apple fans, their obnoxiousness (perceived and real) turns more people against the product than the actual product itself.


Similar example: I'm a huge golf fan, but you don't see me spamming the board whenever Missouri or Kansas natives do anything important on the PGA or other tours, or when a course in the area is about to host a large event. Instead, everything goes into the golf thread. Just like all Cardinal stuff goes in the Cardinal thread.

Every time a turd plops from the ass of a SKC player, there's a thread on here about that, and it gets tiring.
__________________
"When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”--Abraham Lincoln
Posts: 74,788
'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.'Hamas' Jenkins is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:24 PM   #86
Bugeater Bugeater is offline
The Maintenance Guy
 
Bugeater's Avatar
 

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Renovated Bugeater Estate
Casino cash: $6302680
I'm going to go check nascar.com and see if there are any stories that are too important to post in the NASCAR thread.
Posts: 70,441
Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.Bugeater is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:35 PM   #87
The Bad Guy The Bad Guy is offline
Scott Pioli
 
The Bad Guy's Avatar
 

Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: The Copacobana
Casino cash: $9373645
Soccer is just fantastic live. The best sporting event I've been to has been to and that was just for a friendly between the US and Mexico.

I've become a huge fan over the last 4 years.
__________________
Posts: 23,212
The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.The Bad Guy has an IQ even higher than Frankie's.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:42 PM   #88
|Zach| |Zach| is offline
For The Glory Of The City
 
|Zach|'s Avatar
 

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kansas City
Casino cash: $5476768
Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins View Post
Every time a turd plops from the ass of a SKC player, there's a thread on here about that, and it gets tiring.
Completely untrue.
Posts: 53,346
|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.|Zach| is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:43 PM   #89
OnTheWarpath15 OnTheWarpath15 is offline
MVP
 
OnTheWarpath15's Avatar
 

Join Date: Sep 2005
Casino cash: $5151115
Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins View Post
Chuck Klosterman covered it pretty well in an essay he wrote called "George Will v. Nick Hornby."

The jist:

--People have been bludgeoned with the idea that soccer is the next big thing since the 70s.
--Youth soccer in this country is a sport for people who don't like to play sports, as you can run around w/o being singled out for humiliation (save being a goalie) like you are in Little League, basketball, and other sports.
--Our best athletes don't play soccer (somewhat circular, but nevertheless true).
--Soccer fans. Like Apple fans, their obnoxiousness (perceived and real) turns more people against the product than the actual product itself.


Similar example: I'm a huge golf fan, but you don't see me spamming the board whenever Missouri or Kansas natives do anything important on the PGA or other tours, or when a course in the area is about to host a large event. Instead, everything goes into the golf thread. Just like all Cardinal stuff goes in the Cardinal thread.

Every time a turd plops from the ass of a SKC player, there's a thread on here about that, and it gets tiring.
Klosterman is spot on, and you can add these to the list:

--Non-soccer fans see a 1-0 game as boring, not exciting.

--The flopping is ****ing ridiculous, and the fact that nothing is done about it is even more ridiculous.

--Games ending in ties or on PK's? Make those ****ers play until a goal is scored - maybe they'll actually make more of an effort to score instead of sitting on the ball playing for a tie.

--Injury time isn't shown to everyone watching. Shady.

--America is apparently the only country in the world where the fans don't go 50 shades of batshit and make world news. Riots, fires, beheadings. Can't imagine why the game has an image problem to those in the states.


I'm not a soccer fan in the slightest, but good for Sporting and good for KC. The town needs a ****ing winner to root for, and it seems as if ownership does everything first class.
Posts: 60,150
OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.OnTheWarpath15 is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:54 PM   #90
Frazod Frazod is offline
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
 
Frazod's Avatar
 

Join Date: Aug 2000
Casino cash: $3425085
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts View Post
You'd hate Springfield. This town bleeds red.
He'd also hate it because it's not crawling with queers and liberals. Probably aren't a lot of frontrunner Heat/Yankee fan douchebags, either.
Posts: 119,453
Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.Frazod is obviously part of the inner Circle.
    Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump




All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:12 PM.


This is a test for a client's site.
Fort Worth Texas Process Servers
Covering Arlington, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and surrounding communities.
Tarrant County, Texas and Johnson County, Texas.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.