06-14-2010, 04:50 PM
Soccer is definitely more popular than it has been in the past. The quality and depth of the broadcasts has measurably improved from 06, which measurably improved from 02. Still not as good as Univision, but better.
Same goes for the European championship, which in 2000 was barely covered at all, and in 2008 was very well covered. There\'s more and more specialized channels like Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus, and GolTV, and there\'s more and more awareness.
True, a lot of World Cup fever is still transient, judging by the amount of ignorant people I\'ve encountered in bars. And I don\'t think soccer will ever threaten the big three of sports here. But I personally know many many more people who regularly follow European league soccer than I know who follow the NHL, and I think interest will continue to increase.
Same goes for the European championship, which in 2000 was barely covered at all, and in 2008 was very well covered. There\'s more and more specialized channels like Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus, and GolTV, and there\'s more and more awareness.
True, a lot of World Cup fever is still transient, judging by the amount of ignorant people I\'ve encountered in bars. And I don\'t think soccer will ever threaten the big three of sports here. But I personally know many many more people who regularly follow European league soccer than I know who follow the NHL, and I think interest will continue to increase.