Colin Cowherd believes that MLS will be more popular than NHL in 2 yrs.

[RobToxin]

Cowturd is just showing his World Cup bandwagonism here.

The avid soccer fans here will tell you that they don't follow MLS. They follow Premiere and European leagues.

If Cowturd was wise to the soccer scene, he would know this.

 

[Thruthefog]

You came to the NHL forum to post this... Why?

I was trying to give Colin a break. How would you like it if your parents named you 'asshole'?

A serious reply to your question: I've never come to the NHL forum. Heavy threads show up on the front page. Sometimes I don't pay attention to which forum the thread is in. Apologies to all you hockey fans.

However, the soccer fans can kiss my ass.

 

[dash]

Apologies to all you hockey fans.

Apology accepted

However, the soccer fans can kiss my ass.

And you were doing so well right up to that point.

 

[mick7-1961]

Colin Cowturd is an idiot..........Soccer has grown by leaps and bounds but it has a long way to go to catch the NHL...........




But I prefer it over the watered down version of today's NBA...

 

[Wamu]

Colin Cowturd is an idiot..........Soccer has grown by leaps and bounds but it has a long way to go to catch the NHL...........




But I prefer it over the watered down version of today's NBA...

Not sure how popular soccer will ever get in the country. But I think it's more popular today than even the last World Cup 4 years ago.

 

[mick7-1961]

I was trying to give Colin a break. How would you like it if your parents named you 'asshole'?

A serious reply to your question: I've never come to the NHL forum. Heavy threads show up on the front page. Sometimes I don't pay attention to which forum the thread is in. Apologies to all you hockey fans.

However, the soccer fans can kiss my ass.

I'm a soccer fan.........And no thanks...

 

[mick7-1961]

Not sure how popular soccer will ever get in the country. But I think it's more popular today than even the last World Cup 4 years ago.

Yep

 

[Wamu]

Yep

Who would have thought the happiest places in the sports world would currently be Germany for winning the World Cup & Cleveland for LeBron coming home & drafting that clown Johnny Ca$$h ?

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I really don't care. They need to get rid of the offsides rule. There isn't enough scoring. The mere possibility that the World Cup could have been decided by penalty kicks is a joke. Some of these guys should be up for an Academy Award for their diving & whining skills.

 

[elocomotive]

It isn't the parents that are changing. It's the schools and they are doing it because of insurance cost.

The media's involvement I wrote to is because every time a person is injured in a sport, the media does a "Who could put their child through this" full page piece with pictures of timmy before and after the injury.

Hockey will be taken over in popularity by soccer...and it won't be because we like it. It will be because we are forced into it because the schools won't be able to afford to participate. These save the world types are starting at the very bottom and time is on their side.

If you are talking about youth participation, soccer has dominated hockey FOREVER in that category. That is NOTHING new and it's not changing parents or the media. If anything, HOCKEY has grown by leaps and bounds in the last several decades in America.

Feel free to use some facts...

In 1990-91, USA Hockey’s national membership stood at 195,125 players. In just 10 years, that number ballooned to 439,140 in 2000-01. Just last season, USA Hockey boasted 510,279 members, the second most all-time and just under 1,000 less than the record 511,178 set in 2011-12.

 

[Wamu]

I really don't care. They need to get rid of the offsides rule. There isn't enough scoring. The mere possibility that the World Cup could have been decided by penalty kicks is a joke. Some of these guys should be up for an Academy Award for their diving & whining skills.

While there is alotta flopping & crying in soccer the same can be said about the current state of the NBA. The flopping along w/ players crying way too much when called for a foul is an embarrassment.


CELTICS IN SEVEN!

 

[elocomotive]

I hope the MLS continues to gain in popularity and expands into more cities (Calgary please) and is seen as a way for young Canadian soccer players to continue playing the game they love.

Also, just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean it is better. I would like to submit Justin Bieber and One Direction as exhibits 'A' and 'B'.

You leave One Direction out of this, Dash!!!

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

If you are talking about youth participation, soccer has dominated hockey FOREVER in that category. That is NOTHING new and it's not changing parents or the media. If anything, HOCKEY has grown by leaps and bounds in the last several decades in America.

Feel free to use some facts...

I agree. We have an outstanding Youth soccer organization in the AYSO. Youth Soccer has been huge in the USA for decades. What happens is once kids get older the top athletes choose other sports.

 

[elocomotive]

I agree. We have an outstanding Youth soccer organization in the AYSO. Youth Soccer has been huge in the USA for decades. What happens is once kids get older the top athletes choose other sports.

Exactly. Youth soccer grew the most in the 70s - this is not a recent phenomenon.

 

[mbhhofr]

Could it be that there's another cilantro hater besides me?

to you sir.

My wife. I don't know if you are aware of this, but some people have a gene that makes cilantro taste like garbage to them. My wife won't touch anything with cilantro in it.

As for Colin Cowherd, he took over for Tony Kornheiser on ESPN Radio a few years ago and on his first show, he said that he wouldn't talk about hockey because he didn't know anything about the game. That was the first and last time that I deliberately tuned in to listen to him.

 

[pixburgher66]

Is youth soccer participation really growing? Because I always thought the numbers were good, it's HS where it changes. The issue in the US remains that the best athletes *generally* choose to participate in another sport to receive "glory".

Again, my argument on this is simple: the MLS will never, ever be the best league in the world, which is what the NHL is to hockey. Americans have really high standards...they want the best there is, and the MLS seems like AAA ball in comparison to EPL, Bundesliege, etc.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Here's a trend that is interesting though. Youth football numbers have been plummeting. Parents don't want their children playing a sport that will cripple them physically or mentally. Football is at it's pinnacle now but it will be on the decline, it may not be champ forever here (just look at boxing). Hockey is insanely expensive which will be it's undoing (look at the drop in Eastern European talent).

When people say "I've been hearing that for 40 years", it's foolish. There are so many variables that have changed since then and to ignore them just makes you seem silly. European leagues have TV contracts with major networks here, our domestic league has expanded what 7 straight years? More viable talent is coming from Europe and the quality of play in the league compared to 10 years ago is leaps and bounds better. The international team is having far more success. These are things that were not going on 20-30 years ago.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

After all this, I actually went to the TFC-Vancouver Whitecaps game last night.

Boy was I struggling to stay awake by half time, although the pre-game ponzo probably didn't help

 

[BGDave]

Again, my argument on this is simple: the MLS will never, ever be the best league in the world, which is what the NHL is to hockey. Americans have really high standards...they want the best there is, and the MLS seems like AAA ball in comparison to EPL, Bundesliege, etc.

Very true, with some isolated exceptions like HS Football in Texas, college football in the Southeast. By and large, the US "sports fan" is really only interested in the best, and dammit, you better be winning. Far too many markets in the US wont support anything else.

Add to that the general trend towards ADD in society, and soccer/football just does not hold peoples interest. Too slow paced for the casual fan.

Me, I am not a soccer expert, been to only one match in my life. In Barcelona, saw Messi score 5 goals against a hapless German squad. it was awesome. Like watching Gretzky play against 10 year olds (or the Leafs). So I think I have been spoiled, and doubt I would attend another match.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I think the continued expansion of quality media coverage of some of the European leagues will help drive the growth of MLS down the road.

As has already been discussed, youth soccer is huge in the US, but most kids tend to give it up in the middle school or high school period, many choosing to go for other sports instead.

I think a big part of this isn't that the kids don't like it as much, but rather the distance from any top level talent. As a kid playing football you can look up to Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson. Playing hockey there's Crosby and Ovechkin. Playing basketball there's Kobe and Lebron. And so on.

But playing soccer, there's not so many household names that you can idolize and try to be like. But as more and more games get on TV, kids will start to see more of that and will naturally gravitate to it.