ESPN upsets some by hiring Brits to call World Cup

TMC1982

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Jun 26, 2008
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ESPN upsets some by hiring Brits to call World Cup - 2010 World Cup - MarketWatch

Still, one concern is that without U.S. commentators for the World Cup, the broadcasts won’t attract new fans in the U.S. and won’t broaden the appeal of the game. That could be a blow to Major League Soccer, the U.S. league.

“I fear a Brit-only play-by-play crew will feed soccer haters’ stereotypes about the game (too foreign) and the people who watch it (anglophiles),” one reader on ESPN’s soccer Web site wrote after the announcement. “I’d prefer for the game to catch on more w/ casual Americans so more kids pick up the sport and our player pool deepens.” — Alistair Barr
 

Lkr

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Apr 19, 2008
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As long as the commentators don't have really thick accents and I can understand them, I could care less about their nationality
 

DodgerKing

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Nov 14, 2007
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Considering that the only English speaking people in the US that even care about the World Cup are from England anyway, I don't see a problem with this. :p
 

anders5189

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Jul 11, 2008
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I love to hear soccer fans delusional claims of what would make soccer popular in this country. If only there were a pro league in the US. If only there were games on TV. If only we had an international superstar like David Beckham play here. If only we had American commentators on the World Cup.
 

DodgerKing

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Nov 14, 2007
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I love to hear soccer fans delusional claims of what would make soccer popular in this country. If only there were a pro league in the US. If only there were games on TV. If only we had an international superstar like David Beckham play here. If only we had American commentators on the World Cup.
:D
 

SamCdbs

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May 7, 2008
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Soccer has been the sport of the next generation. Three generations and counting.

Soccer remains what it is and what it always will be. A micro-niche sport mostly followed by expatriots and immigrants who have not been fully intergrated into the broader American society (which, history teaches us, their children and grandchildren will be, and will thus love the NFL). In English, having British commentators is logical, since the majority of the audience will be British.

Soccer fans run a tight and self-contradictory path, as anders5189 points out always saying the sport is just on the verge of breaking though if only whatever happens on the one hand (no pun intended) and then in their condecending attitutde towards those who see through the "emperor's new clothes" of the inner beauty of the game spew and realize this is a simplistic game born in simpler places, which will never be accepted in the USA or Canada.
 

btharner

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Oct 2, 2007
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Way to go, start a topic about soccer so now that anybody who can't stand the sport can't just overlook it without putting their two cents worth in.
 

salsadancer7

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Jun 1, 2004
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I love "Futbol" and really don't give a ratz kazoo if those that do not follow the game don't watch. I watch it FOR ME, not to make fun of haters who don't or watch to spite them.:cool:

What I find most interesting here is that the moment a soccer thread is opened....the haters come out and bitch and moan how much how it won't catch in the US, how boring it is...

...they always put down what they do not understand.:rolleyes:

...and yet you rarely see soccer fans complain about american football.;)
 

DodgerKing

SatelliteGuys Master
Nov 14, 2007
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I love "Futbol" and really don't give a ratz kazoo if those that do not follow the game don't watch. I watch it FOR ME, not to make fun of haters who don't or watch to spite them.:cool:

What I find most interesting here is that the moment a soccer thread is opened....the haters come out and bitch and moan how much how it won't catch in the US, how boring it is...

...they always put down what they do not understand.:rolleyes:

...and yet you rarely see soccer fans complain about american football.;)
Soccer fans are way too sensitive. We are just joking around.
 

SandraC

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Apr 10, 2008
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I love "Futbol" and really don't give a ratz kazoo if those that do not follow the game don't watch. I watch it FOR ME, not to make fun of haters who don't or watch to spite them.:cool:

What I find most interesting here is that the moment a soccer thread is opened....the haters come out and bitch and moan how much how it won't catch in the US, how boring it is...

...they always put down what they do not understand.:rolleyes:

...and yet you rarely see soccer fans complain about american football.;)

Excellent point. I don't jump into the NASCAR thread every day to tell everyone about how I think NASCAR is the stupidest thing out there. A bunch of good 'ol Southern boy wanna-be's with bad teeth watching a bunch of non-athletes drive cars round and round and round a track. Exciting. :rolleyes:

But if people like it enough to have a thread to discuss it, I'll have enough respect to not go into that thread and litter it with my put-downs.


Sandra
 

salsadancer7

SatelliteGuys Master
Jun 1, 2004
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I know i will!:up

So will I. I like the spanish anouncers because they are MUCH MORE excited about the sport than their english(and I mean the language) counter parts.

PLUS....the commercials with tons of little clothed women on the spanish channels is 900 times better than boring commercials ESPN puts on.:D:up
 

BlackHitachi

Medford Oregon
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Oct 17, 2003
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Excellent point. I don't jump into the NASCAR thread every day to tell everyone about how I think NASCAR is the stupidest thing out there. A bunch of good 'ol Southern boy wanna-be's with bad teeth watching a bunch of non-athletes drive cars round and round and round a track. Exciting. :rolleyes:

But if people like it enough to have a thread to discuss it, I'll have enough respect to not go into that thread and litter it with my put-downs.


Sandra
Great Post! I totally agree.:up
 

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