Question for British folks.

[Walker]

So, just curious. Prior to watching my Washington Redskins get their asses beat by ****ing Carolina, there was a little blurb about the game being played at Wembley (is that how you spell it? I can't tell and I'm too tired to check) Stadium between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and someone who I can't remember at the moment.

Is this even vaguely on anyone's radar? Like, "that's a thing that is happening?" 'Cause it seems to me like no one gives a rat's ass. I mean, some Premier League teams played an exhibition game at FedEx field over the summer and the only reason I knew it was happening was because some kid and his mom were headed there on the metro when I was on the way home from my internship.

And hell, I live fifteen minutes from the field they were playing at. Seems to me that no one would care, at all about the Buccaneers and whoever, even if it is a regular-season game that counts over here.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Apparently the games sell out quite often and Wembley is the biggest stadium in the country 86,000 capacity for American Football. I dont know any fans personally but when listening to the radio its mentioned and apparently the viewing figures on the TV are quite impressive.

 

[Walker]

Huh. Stuff like that always surprises me. I mean, apparently they played a game in Mexico City awhile back and it set an attendance record for the NFL as a whole.

And yet... I really don't think that soccer* gets anywhere near that here. I would say it's because we already have a domestic soccer* league that no one cares about, but I think you guys have a domestic football* league no one cares about. So... iunno. Interesting stuff.

*Yes, I'm leaving those terms all untranslated. Deal with it.

 

[Tsuyu]

What is this "soccer" you mention? Is it related to that sport of yours, "handegg"?

 

[Shirosaki]

Never heard of them

 

[Dark Drakan]

Huh. Stuff like that always surprises me. I mean, apparently they played a game in Mexico City awhile back and it set an attendance record for the NFL as a whole.

And yet... I really don't think that soccer* gets anywhere near that here. I would say it's because we already have a domestic soccer* league that no one cares about, but I think you guys have a domestic football* league no one cares about. So... iunno. Interesting stuff.

*Yes, I'm leaving those terms all untranslated. Deal with it.

Our Football Premier League is one of the most watched sports leagues in the world. Estimated fanbase for team i support apparently varies from 75 to 333 million worldwide. 44,000 fans turned up in Mexico to watch us play Chivas Guadalajara and in a stadium that only seats 45,500 thats quite impressive.

MLS isnt as big here but we do get updates from teams which have players who came from our Premier League such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Juan Pablo Angel, and Freddy Ljungberg for example.

 

[TRA Rotid]

What is this "soccer" you mention? Is it related to that sport of yours, "handegg"?

I hear it's a manly sport.

 

[Arseface]

Something about AFL

 

[Walker]

Our Football Premier League is one of the most watched sports leagues in the world. Estimated fanbase for team i support apparently varies from 75 to 333 million worldwide. 44,000 fans turned up in Mexico to watch us play Chivas Guadalajara and in a stadium that only seats 45,500 thats quite impressive.

MLS isnt as big here but we do get updates from teams which have players who came from our Premier League such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Juan Pablo Angel, and Freddy Ljungberg for example.

I don't know-- the most recent game that was played in Mexico, between Arizona and San Francisco in 2005, drew 103,467, apparently. (Ironically, both those places used to belong to Spain/Mexico.) Which is kinda funny. Mexico ALREADY likes soccer. I guess it was just the novelty that drew all the people for the NFL game. Especially since it hasn't happened since.

The one over here actually seems to have been Barcelona vs. Machester United... not sure what league that is, don't really get how the football leagues are put together. I'd actually assume it was two leagues, unless I'm wildly mistaken. It drew 80,000, which is more than I expected. (According to [/COLOR[/COLORhttp://www.soccer-blogger.com/2011/07/31/manchester-united-vs-barcelona-2011-highlights-2-1-goals-video-score-fedex-field/]this.

 

[Arseface]

Soccer and NFL are ok, but the most entertaining football is easily Australian Rules.

Like, I seriously cannot grasp why people would watch Soccer or NFL when there's AFL.

 

[Arseface]

"I can't figure out why Americans would watch American Football when they can watch something Australian instead."

But if you had a product that was made in Australia, and it was really good, and you had another one that was made in America, but it was ****, which one would you use?

 

[D3m190d]

The Dutch one. :troll:

 

[Dark Drakan]

I don't know-- the most recent game that was played in Mexico, between Arizona and San Francisco in 2005, drew 103,467, apparently. (Ironically, both those places used to belong to Spain/Mexico.) Which is kinda funny. Mexico ALREADY likes soccer. I guess it was just the novelty that drew all the people for the NFL game. Especially since it hasn't happened since.

The one over here actually seems to have been Barcelona vs. Machester United... not sure what league that is, don't really get how the football leagues are put together. I'd actually assume it was two leagues, unless I'm wildly mistaken. It drew 80,000, which is more than I expected. (According to [/COLOR[/COLORhttp://www.soccer-blogger.com/2011/07/31/manchester-united-vs-barcelona-2011-highlights-2-1-goals-video-score-fedex-field/]this.

Manchester United are the team i support (English premier league champions) and Barcelona are the Spanish and European Champions.

 

[Walker]

Manchester United are the team i support (English premier league champions) and Barcelona are the Spanish and European Champions.

I do admit that I tend to see Manchester and Arsenal jerseys on the soccer fans who ARE around here. Either that or Barcelona or something. (Not that I would recognize most of them.) DC United fans are around, and fans of my university's team (there's actually a lot of those, relatively speaking,) but I wouldn't've thought there'd be enough of them to get 80,000 people in a stadium.

It's all a matter of perspective. You think yours is awesome, I think yours is crap. I think mine is awesome, and so regardless of what you think of it I will watch mine and not yours. That's how that works.

Hell, man, have you watched Aussie football? It's like a bunch of football players got drunk on a cricket field, started to play football, then dropped acid and decided to try quidditch instead.

Highly amusing for the first ten minutes and then just sad after that.

 

[Arseface]

It's all a matter of perspective. You think yours is awesome, I think yours is crap. I think mine is awesome, and so regardless of what you think of it I will watch mine and not yours. That's how that works.

Hell, man, have you watched Aussie football? It's like a bunch of football players got drunk on a cricket field, started to play football, then dropped acid and decided to try quidditch instead.

Highly amusing for the first ten minutes and then just sad after that.

You know not of which you speak!

 

[Lorelai]

The World Cup is VERY popular here in America, besides that Soccer in USA doesn't have a big following compared to the NFL and other sports it seems, at least from my eyes. From what I hear though the NFL is or is now becoming decently popular in the UK.

P.S. Sorry you're a Redskins fan.. Haha I'm just kidding, I had to say it though... <3