[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

Right lemon pies, I've created a league if you want to join.

844072-326007 is the code for the premier league site

I expect it to die after 2 months, but whatever. Oscar Schindler has been quoted as saying "this list is an absolute good" regarding my team selection. Truth.

Haha cool. So that's two in the league. Hardly much different from the SPL then, or most years in La Liga

I'm also in a league of usually about 100 people set up by a west ham website, the code is 132850-40614, but draws fans from other clubs too, so worth joining for anyone scrambling around for a league to piggyback onto incase the SYG one doesn't get enough members on its own.

--

As an aside, how do you think Everton will do this season? I'm predicting 5th for them. I can see them finishing ahead of Spurs and Liverpool.

Optimistically predicting WH finish around 12th-13th.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Haha cool. So that's two in the league. Hardly much different from the SPL then, or most years in La Liga

i'd really like to join but but but but...

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

actually sat down and watched an entire LA Galaxy match last night and it was actually PRETTY GOOD even though it finished a 2-2 draw. Galaxy should have won though, they had 23 shots and 10 corners to San Jose's 3 shots, but the Earthquakes scored two really good goals on takeaways. To be sure, I thought Galaxy's goalkeeper sucked yo

The next few years will be interesting for the MLS, which has apparently set itself the task of becoming the third biggest league behind the Prem and La Liga before the end of the decade. Sounds silly but it will likely overtake the Brazilian and Argentine leagues, which are apparently on the verge of a financial crisis, very soon, and if that happened it'd almost by default be the biggest league outside Europe. Lots of big structural/financial upheavals expected in the mls.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

The next few years will be interesting for the MLS, which has apparently set itself the task of becoming the third biggest league behind the Prem and La Liga before the end of the decade. Sounds silly but it will likely overtake the Brazilian and Argentine leagues, which are apparently on the verge of a financial crisis, very soon, and if that happened it'd almost by default be the biggest league outside Europe. Lots of big structural/financial upheavals expected in the mls.

I don't think its silly, around the end of the World Cup there were a few analysis articles trying to explain why Brazil shit the bed so mightily and they mentioned the significant decline in the talent pool for Brazilian leagues because of competition with Europe and even MLS in attracting players. I agree with that "by default" its becoming the largest league outside of Europe, indeed in short time it may even surpass the smaller leagues there by the economic reality that the US is bigger half of Europe combined.

Of course, the major problem the MLS has at this point is something the European leagues have no problems with, attendance. In Europe, futbol is mostly the only game in town, people go to live matches even for smaller teams or leagues. In the US, there are so many sports venues and leagues, between professional and college sports, that its hard for MLS to gain ground. It does has a growing TV share, which is the bread, butter, meat, and potatoes of American sports so it is at least on a kind of sustained life-support until the live audience fan base can grow.

To be sure, MLS is more talented than its reputation abroad suggests, its just a matter of time before an American audience grows to realize this and buys into it. The market pitch for this current MLS season has been, "Watch some of your favorite stars from the World Cup" since practically the entire USMNT currently plays in the MLS..

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

I don't think its silly, around the end of the World Cup there were a few analysis articles trying to explain why Brazil shit the bed so mightily and they mentioned the significant decline in the talent pool for Brazilian leagues because of competition with Europe and even MLS in attracting players. I agree with that "by default" its becoming the largest league outside of Europe, indeed in short time it may even surpass the smaller leagues there by the economic reality that the US is bigger half of Europe combined.


Of course, the major problem the MLS has at this point is something the European leagues have no problems with, attendance. In Europe, futbol is mostly the only game in town, people go to live matches even for smaller teams or leagues. In the US, there are so many sports venues and leagues, between professional and college sports, that its hard for MLS to gain ground. It does has a growing TV share, which is the bread, butter, meat, and potatoes of American sports so it is at least on a kind of sustained life-support until the live audience fan base can grow.

To be sure, MLS is more talented than its reputation abroad suggests, its just a matter of time before an American audience grows to realize this and buys into it. The market pitch for this current MLS season has been, "Watch some of your favorite stars from the World Cup" since practically the entire USMNT currently plays in the MLS..

The attendance thing would surprise you. US figures are very good in that area. Its lack of tv coverage remains the real problem along with its uncompetitive (internationally) wage policy, both of which are apparently about to change dramatically in the next few years. What would also help would be a credible and properly marketed Americas club trophy equivalent to the Champions League, so teams like LA Galaxy would regularly have to compete against sides like Corinthians, Boca Juniors, etc. I think there'd be a real interest in Europe to watch that as they're teams we know about but never really get to see.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

The attendance thing would surprise you. US figures are very good in that area. Its lack of tv coverage remains the real problem along with its uncompetitive (internationally) wage policy, both of which are apparently about to change dramatically in the next few years. What would also help would be a credible and properly marketed Americas club trophy equivalent to the Champions League, so teams like LA Galaxy would regularly have to compete against sides like Corinthians, Boca Juniors, etc. I think there'd be a real interest in Europe to watch that as they're teams we know about but never really get to see.

True, I checked the MLS figures and I was very much surprised at the per match and average attendance. However in the aggregate (5,000,000 annually), its still relatively small behind NFL (18,000,000), NBA (21,000,000), NHL, (22,000,000), College Football (50,000,000) and especially the behemoth that is MLB (74,000,000 largest in the world!!)...

By per game NFL is largest in the world, but there are only 240 games a year. Also NHL, college football, and especially MLB NEED live attendance to make money and in many instances even just break even! Meanwhile NFL makes the most TV $ in the world and similar in its merchandising, the NBA also makes a large portion of its profits through TV and merchandise. MLS is like NHL and MLB, it needs live audience to make money but as you mentioned the new TV deals will change that significantly. Things should be very interesting in the new few years..

As it is US attendance figures dwarf anything in Europe at every scale, which is why Euroleague football are trying to make so many moves into the US market, including all these recent Euro team matches in America and bigger TV deals

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

I don't know how it is in Europe where futbol is really the ONLY professional sport, so like is it on all the TV? Here in the US the biggest sports usually have at least 1-3 games on "national (e.g. free over the air) TV" and also 1-3 games on national cable (like TNT or ESPN which are part of basic packages in the majorit of markets) weekly so you can totally avoid cable or even going to a game in person and still manage to see several in a given week. Is it like that but with futbol in Europe or do you have to have cable and/or go to games in person?

[demonrail666]

Can only speak for England but football has a massive cultural footprint here although mainly through newspapers and a general media awareness. There's actually not much of it on regular tv though. For anything but big tournament matches you need a sky satellite package.

Its main competition is rugby, cricket and formula 1 which are all popular but still miles behind football. I know basketball's v popular in France and Greece and Spain but I don't think it's really taken off here in the same way - at a professional level anyway. I don't think there are any household names in rugby or cricket right now but I'd be surprised if anyone here (as in England) wouldn't know who Wayne Rooney is or, in the case of F1 (which is actually my fave sport of all), Lewis Hamilton - even if they've never actually watched them.

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Haha cool. So that's two in the league. Hardly much different from the SPL then, or most years in La Liga

I'm also in a league of usually about 100 people set up by a west ham website, the code is 132850-40614, but draws fans from other clubs too, so worth joining for anyone scrambling around for a league to piggyback onto incase the SYG one doesn't get enough members on its own.

--

As an aside, how do you think Everton will do this season? I'm predicting 5th for them. I can see them finishing ahead of Spurs and Liverpool.

Optimistically predicting WH finish around 12th-13th.

Honestly I nt optimistic. I suspec our sqaud isn't big enough to deal with the pressures of the Europa and the Premier League. It feels like Everton are all to reliant on Lukaku as their main striker and if he's having a bad day then it could go wrong.

We'll see.

And symbols, join the league!

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

And symbols, join the league!

the fundamental problem would be that i'm unable to watch it.

if you could offer me an alternative source to figure out who is doing what and how, without having to spend hours studying charts i'll seriously consider it.

at least a place where i could watch the highlights for free? (foxsoccer no longer has them).

thanks in advance?

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Can only speak for England but football has a massive cultural footprint here although mainly through newspapers and a general media awareness. There's actually not much of it on regular tv though. For anything but big tournament matches you need a sky satellite package.

That is very interesting. That is how the NFL and particularly the NBA operates, its part of the national psyche, it sneaks into national broadcasts like TV news and newspapers, even people who don't follow basketball know who several of the biggest names are in the NBA and can recognize their faces. With NFL football people know about the biggest teams and their recent big games or big losses.

However, this is also in part because again, there are national games broadcasted every week. It surprises me that its not the case in the UK with futbol... There USED to even be all the road Laker games on over-the-air TV until two years ago, it was a Los Angeles staple, whenever there was a Laker road game you could walk into any corner store, restaurant, laundry mat, office waiting room, and see the game on. Its kind of how it became part of LA culture.. Its like that in the major markets across the country. With the NFL there are 4 over-the-air broadcast games on national TV every week, but mostly on Sunday. Also, on Saturdays ABC airs something from ESPN, be it golf, or X-Games, or futbol if there is a good match (they've been experimenting with some English Premier League games on Saturday mornings on ABC)... In other words.. sports aren't just restricted to a cable package, they are part and parcel of American TV..

in the case of F1 (which is actually my fave sport of all), Lewis Hamilton - even if they've never actually watched them.

I didn't you know you fancied auto-racing. Very interesting..

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

That is very interesting. That is how the NFL and particularly the NBA operates, its part of the national psyche, it sneaks into national broadcasts like TV news and newspapers, even people who don't follow basketball know who several of the biggest names are in the NBA and can recognize their faces. With NFL football people know about the biggest teams and their recent big games or big losses.

However, this is also in part because again, there are national games broadcasted every week. It surprises me that its not the case in the UK with futbol... There USED to even be all the road Laker games on over-the-air TV until two years ago, it was a Los Angeles staple, whenever there was a Laker road game you could walk into any corner store, restaurant, laundry mat, office waiting room, and see the game on. Its kind of how it became part of LA culture.. Its like that in the major markets across the country. With the NFL there are 4 over-the-air broadcast games on national TV every week, but mostly on Sunday. Also, on Saturdays ABC airs something from ESPN, be it golf, or X-Games, or futbol if there is a good match (they've been experimenting with some English Premier League games on Saturday mornings on ABC)... In other words.. sports aren't just restricted to a cable package, they are part and parcel of American TV..

Unless you're actually attending games or watching it on Sky or at the pub, you only get a weekly highlights show and live coverage of the WC as well as some big games from other tournaments. Part of why the Prem has got so rich is that it's not free to air anywhere in the world. And because it relies so heavily on foreign players it has far broader international appeal than any of the other big leagues. But there's never been a lot of free football on English tv, although in the past that didn't matter because going to a game was once a relatively cheap option. To put it into context now, I have Sky so for about £50 a month I get pretty much all the football anyone could ask for, both domestically and from other foreign leagues, plus F1 and loads of other sports. That same £50 wouldn't get me into one actual West Ham game. So for those who can't afford Sky the only option is the pub - and even that's assuming you can afford British pub prices at the moment.

I didn't you know you fancied auto-racing. Very interesting..

Yeah massively into it. But I like most sports really. I've never really worked out why. It contradicts a lot of my own personality. I'm not a competitive person at all and find things like blind loyalty impossible. But I honestly think that in terms of pure drama, it's up there with anything anywhere. I don't think I've watched a film, or heard a record or seen a piece of art this year that I thought came close to rivaling this last WC. It had everything: beauty (Van Persie's header) outrage (Suarez) heroism (Mascherano), iconoclasm (Spain and Brazil), humility (Luiz consoling Rodriguez) brutality (Honduras), tragedy (Neymar) politics (the whole backdrop of national protests). And that's just football, in one month.

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

the fundamental problem would be that i'm unable to watch it.

if you could offer me an alternative source to figure out who is doing what and how, without having to spend hours studying charts i'll seriously consider it.

at least a place where i could watch the highlights for free? (foxsoccer no longer has them).

thanks in advance?

The best option would be this site... http://www.focusvpn.com/

Getting this means you'll be able to watch stuff that you can't cos of regional restrictions, namely Match Of The Day. However, you're limited in terms of internet speed aren't you? I'm sure there are other options but this is the only one I can see.

On a side related note-why Americans should follow Everton

Cos theyre reet good

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

The best option would be this site... http://www.focusvpn.com/

Getting this means you'll be able to watch stuff that you can't cos of regional restrictions, namely Match Of The Day. However, you're limited in terms of internet speed aren't you? I'm sure there are other options but this is the only one I can see.

On a side related note-why Americans should follow Everton

Cos theyre reet good

thanks, yeah. satellite internet. sucks!

well, it's better than no internet actually, ha ha ha… but it's not the best, especially for live video streams.

a reasonable tradeoff for having trees as neighbors. but still...

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Yeah massively into it. But I like most sports really. I've never really worked out why. It contradicts a lot of my own personality. I'm not a competitive person at all and find things like blind loyalty impossible. But I honestly think that in terms of pure drama, it's up there with anything anywhere..

I watch and follow multiple sports for this exact reason, the drama, the narrative, the developments, the surprises, and above all else the conversation with other people about it. I've engaged in more random conversations with random people on the street, or at work, or at the store since I rekindled my youthful following of sports a few years ago than any other time in my life!

Sport is a great conversation starter for sure, though I'm more diplomatic than most, I like to keep up with other teams that I don't even necessarily like in order to be able to talk with their fans about it, and I avoid all trash talk or strong opinions until I know the teams of the people I'm talking too..

Some people get into sports to be divisive and argue with people, I'm the complete opposite. Shit, I don't even get to wear a Baltimore Ravens' or Miami Heat cap here in LA because it could do more harm than good, and cause more arguments than conversations.. It did suck not being able to celebrate our 2013 Superbowl win because it seemed like THE ENTIRE CITY OF LOS ANGELES was going for the San Francisco FortyWhiners and it wasn't worth starting beef with people who were all butthurt about their loss..

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

But I honestly think that in terms of pure drama, it's up there with anything anywhere. I don't think I've watched a film, or heard a record or seen a piece of art this year that I thought came close to rivaling this last WC. It had everything: beauty (Van Persie's header) outrage (Suarez) heroism (Mascherano), iconoclasm (Spain and Brazil), humility (Luiz consoling Rodriguez) brutality (Honduras), tragedy (Neymar) politics (the whole backdrop of national protests). And that's just football, in one month.

THAT WAS AWESOME.

camus, by the way, also preferred football to the theatre.

[demonrail666]

May the fun begin

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

May the fun begin

oooooh ha ha ha ha ha ha hah a

daaaamn!!!

[Rob Instigator]

 

[demonrail666]

My first reaction was that Rodgers had lost his mind, and I still think there's an air of desperation about the signing, but I suppose the reality is he had to get someone in, and, at £16m, Balotelli probably represents quite good value compared with other forwards in that price bracket.