In America, talk of soccer historically has evoked images of mini-vans and juice boxes. Well, times are changing. There is a new face of soccer in America and soccer moms have nothing to do with it. The subculture of soccer in American cities has been emerging for some time now. Fans have long been gathering quietly in pubs at questionable hours to catch live feeds of the best soccer in the world. As so often happens, this subculture is now making its way into the mainstream. Big time.
Now, when one of the guys at the office suggests you catch the 2nd half of a footy match at lunch, no one’s left scratching their heads- they are grabbing their phones and heading for The Pub.
Here are a few moments in recent history that (combined) may have actually helped to swing the pendulum in favor of America’s -dare I say- 5th favorite sport. After all, its reported that Americans have bought more World Cup 2014 tickets than any other country.
1994 – USA hosts the World Cup – Remember, Alexi Lalas, his red hair and those “denim jerseys”?
*image courtesy of Getty Images
1999 – Women’s World Cup – Brandi Chastain making the cover of Newsweek for taking her shirt off in celebration after scoring the winning penalty.
*image courtesy of Getty Images
2007 – Beckham signs for LA Galaxy becoming the (un)official MLS Ambassador, setting a new trend of top International athletes making their move to the States.
2009 – ESPN buys the rights to EPL -a pretty big deal as it relates to increased soccer coverage on a mainstream network in the States.
2010 World Cup – the US Soccer team makes an historic run getting to the Round of 16, galvanizing a new generation of US Soccer fans. And, this video from Fadó of fans celebrating the moment Donovan scored “the goal” sums it up!
2013 – Seattle Sounders FC set a new league record for a fifth consecutive season with an average attendance of 44,038. Pre-game starts at Fadó on 1st Street and, led by the Gorilla FC supporters, fans march to the stadium!
2013– NBC buys the rights to the English Premier League – a VERY big deal and for the first time the average American Sports fan is tuning in. [Note: Two months into the season viewership jumped 90% from the previous year]
Soccer supporters gathering at Fadó have traditionally been expats. Back when the pub first opened its Atlanta doors in 1996, soccer fans HAD to go to a pub to watch European soccer – you just couldn’t get it on the television without buying a package! So if you’ve been even mildly paying attention to the growth of the sport in the US, we have 2 more events just this year that will make an indelible mark on the sport as part of American culture.
February 2014- Miami
Not so surprisingly, Beckham’s name pops back up! And, whatever you think of him as a player, there is no argument that he has done wonders for the popularity of the game in the States. When Beckham and a group of investors announced their intentions to bring an MLS expansion team to Miami earlier this year, it was received with a LOT of fanfare. And, on the big announcement day, Southern Legion, the local supporters club, as well as Beckham’s partner, Marcelo Claure, celebrated at Fadó in Mary Brickell Village -all night long. What a great group and such passionate fans. MLS = good times!
April 16, 2014 – Atlanta
With Arthur Blank’s announcement today, I am confident that Atlantans will not only be talking about our new MLS team, but how it’s also exactly the right time to do it. Arthur Blank is a sports and business legend in Atlanta. So, we couldn’t be prouder he’s leading the charge here in the hub of the South. After all, making a successful MLS team has as much to do with your business chops as it does your soccer acumen. #MLSinATL
So, with World Cup 2014 coming up this June, I’m confident that all those soccer moms across the country can finally shake that obnoxious title and proudly hang their hats on “soccer fan”. As for the juice boxes? Well, some wine comes in boxes doesn’t it?