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Vixen Twins watch Wild Wolves and Loony Lynx (MN Sports Thread)


Heimdallr

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6 minutes ago, PrplChilPill said:

Even with the stadium being enlarged, you can't get tickets here in Portland......and this isn't exactly a huge city.

No competition either for most of the year either. ;)

Edited by swede700
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I wouldn't doubt that things will change and soccer will get more popular, but I just don't think it's there yet. There's a reason KFAN doesn't have a deal with them or talk about them, the interest just isn't that high yet.

 

Like I said, that's likely to change, but I don't think you can incorporate them as one of the mainstream teams in this state. Not yet.

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48 minutes ago, MNPackfan32 said:

I wouldn't doubt that things will change and soccer will get more popular, but I just don't think it's there yet. There's a reason KFAN doesn't have a deal with them or talk about them, the interest just isn't that high yet.

Is KFAN really the be all end all on this front though? I rarely over the years have listened to that station. I do know that MN United have very regular articles in the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Athletic, etc. 

 

48 minutes ago, MNPackfan32 said:

Like I said, that's likely to change, but I don't think you can incorporate them as one of the mainstream teams in this state. Not yet.

I suppose this is largely down to semantics, as far as "is it mainstream", but the attendance is there for MN United, they have a multi-year deal with Fox Sports North along with Pre-Game/Post-Game shows for every game. I've also noticed quite a bit more MN United apparel this past year whether it be hats, clothes, bumper stickers, etc. I don't think there is any denying that it is a team/sport that is growing quickly. 

 

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36 minutes ago, tyler735 said:

I've also noticed quite a bit more MN United apparel this past year whether it be hats, clothes, bumper stickers, etc. I don't think there is any denying that it is a team/sport that is growing quickly. 

 

Well, that's to be expected considering the novelty of it.  We have a whole store here devoted to the various local sports teams...and there is a section for Sporting KC.  Mind you, it's smaller than the sections for the Chiefs, Royals, KU, K-State, and Mizzou...but they do have one.  The only smaller sections though are for the minor league hockey team (the Mavericks), Wichita State and UMKC.  

As I said, I might be wrong...it may eventually grow into a major sport...but I wouldn't bet money on it.  It's been said dozens of times before.  For the record, I loved playing soccer as a kid...and I did enjoy going to Minnesota Strikers games at the Met Center...but, for the most part, I can't stand watching it.  I've tried...multiple times.  It bores me to tears.  It could be that watching hockey for as many years as I did, I got conditioned to seeing high-speed action, but soccer just moves way too slowly on the field to keep my attention for very long.  Make it more rugby-like, and maybe I'd watch it.  But, as it is, it'll never catch my attention or draw me in as a fan.      

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3 hours ago, swede700 said:

Well, that's to be expected considering the novelty of it.  We have a whole store here devoted to the various local sports teams...and there is a section for Sporting KC.  Mind you, it's smaller than the sections for the Chiefs, Royals, KU, K-State, and Mizzou...but they do have one.  The only smaller sections though are for the minor league hockey team (the Mavericks), Wichita State and UMKC.  

As I said, I might be wrong...it may eventually grow into a major sport...but I wouldn't bet money on it.  It's been said dozens of times before.  For the record, I loved playing soccer as a kid...and I did enjoy going to Minnesota Strikers games at the Met Center...but, for the most part, I can't stand watching it.  I've tried...multiple times.  It bores me to tears.  It could be that watching hockey for as many years as I did, I got conditioned to seeing high-speed action, but soccer just moves way too slowly on the field to keep my attention for very long.  Make it more rugby-like, and maybe I'd watch it.  But, as it is, it'll never catch my attention or draw me in as a fan.      

I mostly agree with this. Soccer isn't even close to being a major sport in this country. When I go to my wife's country to visit her family soccer is huge. My father-in-law follows his local team just as closely as I follow the Vikings. American football wasn't part of anything to him until I married his daughter.  Even then he was only barely conscious of its existence. It was only after he wanted to connect with his grand kids that he saw value in following the Minnesota Vikings. Now he follows American Football a little and even wears Vikings gear over in his country. He occasionally runs into someone over there that has an idea that the jersey he is wearing is an NFL team's jersey.

I have went to soccer games in my wife's country with my father-in-law. The fans all seem to have a great time. It is a fun atmosphere. However, like you, I find the sport itself painful to watch. I think fans are showing up for the atmosphere more than for the sport. They mostly kick the ball around in the back court. They need to implement an over and back rule along with a shot clock to make it at all watchable. As painful as it is to watch for most of the game, there are occasional moments of excitement. If they increase the pace of those it might be more compelling to an American audience. Fans of soccer teams are every bit as much emotionally attached to their soccer team as anyone here is attached to their team and sport of choice.

That said, I wouldn't go as far as saying that soccer will never catch my attention. There are things they can do with the sport to make it less boring. If not, there is a realistic chance that I'll one day follow a soccer team in order to have a common interest that allows me to connect with one of my grandchildren. I would emotionally invest in a team just so the grandchild has fun memories of their time with me. After all, I go to dance shows for that reason. Soccer can't be much worse, can it?

 

Edited by Cearbhall
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1 hour ago, swede700 said:

Well, that's to be expected considering the novelty of it.  We have a whole store here devoted to the various local sports teams...and there is a section for Sporting KC.  Mind you, it's smaller than the sections for the Chiefs, Royals, KU, K-State, and Mizzou...but they do have one.  The only smaller sections though are for the minor league hockey team (the Mavericks), Wichita State and UMKC.  

Again I suppose it depends on what the definition of major sports is, but the Loons have sucked their first 2 seasons and have drawn larger crowds than a team like the Timberwolves have. It's my understanding the Timberwolves have been selling tickets for about 75% of the Target Center on average this past year. Minnesota United have been at or near a sell out average the past 2 years, and will likely be one for the foreseeable future. It is certainly a growing product. I don't anticipate MLS ever reaching the height of the NFL in this country, but I don't think it is far fetched for it to be close in most metrics to leagues like NHL, MLB, NBA at some point. As the guy above mentioned regarding the Portland Timbers, they have a huge backlog on season tickets even with the expansion they are doing. Atlanta United is drawing crazy crowds into year 3 now for them. 

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/oct/23/atlanta-united-atl-soccer-football-love-story

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/sports/soccer/atlanta-united-mls.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/15/the-growth-of-us-soccer-is-big-business.html

1 hour ago, swede700 said:

As I said, I might be wrong...it may eventually grow into a major sport...but I wouldn't bet money on it.  It's been said dozens of times before.  For the record, I loved playing soccer as a kid...and I did enjoy going to Minnesota Strikers games at the Met Center...but, for the most part, I can't stand watching it.  I've tried...multiple times.  It bores me to tears.  It could be that watching hockey for as many years as I did, I got conditioned to seeing high-speed action, but soccer just moves way too slowly on the field to keep my attention for very long.  Make it more rugby-like, and maybe I'd watch it.  But, as it is, it'll never catch my attention or draw me in as a fan.      

It's not for everyone. Just like to me Hockey is fairly boring to watch, and I'll only jump on the bandwagon once the Wild are in the playoffs otherwise I'm pretty indifferent on it. This falls more into the different strokes for different folks line of thinking. Just because I'm not a big fan of hockey doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other people who enjoy it, and vice versa for soccer. 

 

1 hour ago, Cearbhall said:

I mostly agree with this. Soccer isn't even close to being a major sport in this country. When I go to my wife's country to visit her family soccer is huge. My father-in-law follows his local team just as closely as I follow the Vikings. American football wasn't part of anything to him until I married his daughter.  Even then he was only barely conscious of its existence. It was only after he wanted to connect with his grand kids that he saw value in following the Minnesota Vikings. Now he follows American Football a little and even wears Vikings gear over in his country. He occasionally runs into someone over there that has an idea that the jersey he is wearing is an NFL team's jersey.

I have went to soccer games in my wife's country with my father-in-law. The fans all seen to have a great time. It is a fun atmosphere. However, like you, I find the sport itself painful to watch. I think fans are showing up for the atmosphere more than for the sport. They mostly kick the ball around in the back court. They need to implement an over and back rule along with a shot clock to make it at all watchable. As painful as it is to watch for most of the game, there are occasional moments of excitement. If they increase the pace of those it might be more compelling to an American audience. Fans of soccer teams are every bit as much emotionally attached to their soccer team as anyone here is attached to their team and sport of choice.

That said, I wouldn't go as far as saying that soccer will never catch my attention. There are things they can do with the sport to make it less boring. If not, there is a realistic chance that I'll one day follow a soccer team in order to have a common interest that allows me to connect with one of my grandchildren. I would emotionally invest in a team just so the grandchild has fun memories of their time with me. After all, I go to dance shows for that reason. Soccer can't be much worse, can it?

 

This logic can be used for many sports including football. I personally enjoy football, but many people can't stand the constant whistles/flags, stoppages in play/periods of nothing between plays, etc. I'd imagine this would be along the lines of where your father-in-law falls on this. This can also be said for example about a sport like baseball. Many people think baseball is about as exciting as watching paint dry as there is so much time between any action really happening. As I mentioned above it is simply different strokes for different folks. Just because soccer is growing at a rapid rate in the USA doesn't mean everyone has to like the sport. It doesn't change the fact that it is growing rapidly though as the numbers suggest it has been. 

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1 minute ago, tyler735 said:

This logic can be used for many sports including football. I personally enjoy football, but many people can't stand the constant whistles/flags, stoppages in play/periods of nothing between plays, etc.

 

That's exactly where my German co-worker stands on the issue.  She's not a big sports person to begin with, but she doesn't get all the stoppages in play and how it can be that exciting.  

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4 hours ago, MNPackfan32 said:

I wouldn't doubt that things will change and soccer will get more popular, but I just don't think it's there yet. There's a reason KFAN doesn't have a deal with them or talk about them, the interest just isn't that high yet.

Like I said, that's likely to change, but I don't think you can incorporate them as one of the mainstream teams in this state. Not yet.

Amount of interest is definitely not the problem. They spend plenty of time talking about the Lynx or other sports which have smaller fan bases.

There are a couple of things with KFAN that make them either avoid or put down United/soccer:

1. Their target audience is generally older and more conservative.

2. United is partnered with ESPN Skor North (AM 1500) to be their broadcast partner.

3. KFAN obviously has strong ties/allegiance to the Vikings/Wilfs, and MLS picked United over the Wilfs' bid for a MN MLS team.

4. They don't have anyone that knows anything at all about MLS or soccer (except maybe Nordo). 

It was interesting that KFAN actually did cover the MLS expansion bid a bit and started talking about United, but as soon as the Wilfs lost out, and then United partnered with a different station, they became much more negative towards the team/sport. 

 

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23 minutes ago, Heimdallr said:

Amount of interest is definitely not the problem. They spend plenty of time talking about the Lynx or other sports which have smaller fan bases.

There are a couple of things with KFAN that make them either avoid or put down United/soccer:

1. Their target audience is generally older and more conservative.

2. United is partnered with ESPN Skor North (AM 1500) to be their broadcast partner.

3. KFAN obviously has strong ties/allegiance to the Vikings/Wilfs, and MLS picked United over the Wilfs' bid for a MN MLS team.

4. They don't have anyone that knows anything at all about MLS or soccer (except maybe Nordo). 

It was interesting that KFAN actually did cover the MLS expansion bid a bit and started talking about United, but as soon as the Wilfs lost out, and then United partnered with a different station, they became much more negative towards the team/sport. 

 

Those are absolutely legitimate points. But they cover the Twins pretty heavily and they have no vested interest in the Twins. I think they cover what the demand is to be covered. Certainly they will favor their big money makers though.

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56 minutes ago, tyler735 said:

This logic can be used for many sports including football. I personally enjoy football, but many people can't stand the constant whistles/flags, stoppages in play/periods of nothing between plays, etc. I'd imagine this would be along the lines of where your father-in-law falls on this. This can also be said for example about a sport like baseball. Many people think baseball is about as exciting as watching paint dry as there is so much time between any action really happening. As I mentioned above it is simply different strokes for different folks. Just because soccer is growing at a rapid rate in the USA doesn't mean everyone has to like the sport. It doesn't change the fact that it is growing rapidly though as the numbers suggest it has been. 

Agreed. But that doesn't change the fact that soccer is nowhere near being a major sport in the USA right now. It has a solid niche and is growing. The logic applies too football too, but football is a major sport in the USA. Soccer will never be a major sport the segment of the population over 50 years old. The good news for soccer is us old guys will die off eventually; my understanding is that soccer is popular with many in the up and coming generation. I could see soccer being a major sport in two generations (~40 years). But that doesn't make it close to a major sport right now. But its niche is larger than the Iditarod, which I found myself following closer than ever this year even though dog sled racing will never ever be a major sport.

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30 minutes ago, Cearbhall said:

Agreed. But that doesn't change the fact that soccer is nowhere near being a major sport in the USA right now. It has a solid niche and is growing. The logic applies too football too, but football is a major sport in the USA. Soccer will never be a major sport the segment of the population over 50 years old. The good news for soccer is us old guys will die off eventually; my understanding is that soccer is popular with many in the up and coming generation. I could see soccer being a major sport in two generations (~40 years). But that doesn't make it close to a major sport right now. But its niche is larger than the Iditarod, which I found myself following closer than ever this year even though dog sled racing will never ever be a major sport.

That however isn't a correct statement. I've cited articles and numbers showing why it can either be considered one currently or very near it depending on what one's definition is of it.

Many have over the years considered NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL to be among the major pro sports in the USA. As I mentioned earlier it's unlikely that soccer ever matches/surpasses the NFL in this country, but the other 3 aforementioned leagues are certainly within striking distance much closer than you think. If I'm not mistaken MLS TV viewership has nearly doubled since 2012, and the attendance figures have continually risen each year to place it as the 3rd most attended professional sport in attendance per game (behind NFL and MLB--Ahead of NBA and NHL). As you mentioned the younger audience has been vital in this shift towards soccer. The 18-35 audience this past year watched soccer more than every sport except for football. That is a pretty big indication of where things are headed and makes me inclined to believe that soccer is a major sport in this country.

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