Watching NBC coverage of the Liverpool game. So far impressed, way better than Fox. No US commentators, all Brits. Cannot wait for the City Chelsea coverage tomorrow. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/nbc-bets-big-english-premier-league-soccer-19985283
I saw the publicity the Premier League was getting in the States thanks to the broadcaster over there. What part of New York was City represented on that advertising picture? The Bronx, is it? And the Tube station carriage. Class. Going all out.
We will see how the gamble pays off. They have obviously spent a ton of money on advertising. Not to mention they are showing every PL game live on either their channels or live streaming. You dont have to pay for any of it as it is all on basic cable. If it works it will probably generate a ton of money for the clubs in the PL not just from TV rights but merchandising as the PL is getting quite the coverage now. There is a commercial they have shown a few times for the PL where they brag that an American can now watch more PL games live than anyone in England can. In a way its almost like they are making it our league. You can get every MLS game but you have to pay for that package. You can only get your local MLS team live for free but now you can get every PL for free. So in a way they are prioritizing the PL over the MLS. I think this is the risk for things like clubs changing names. If any large percentage of what we spend on sports goes into the PL you may see more teams cater to how sports clubs are run here and more Americans buying English clubs.
Football teams gamble on trying to crack the States, like our bands used to do. that's why Man City, United & Chelsea played games over there in the summer. US Soccer/ football has come on leaps and bounds since 98 (first time i remember you competing in a WC, i was too young to remember 94) and the more US footballers coming over here the better. As for the put down "becoming too American", ie franchises etc, i think it's a bit unfair. I think the US fans prefer the nostalgia, the tradition of the UK clubs and embrace it as much as the supporters over here. On a similar level Americam Football is becoming more popular here because of the increase in broadcasting.
I think there are a good number of Americans that could play at the championship level. I could think of a whole host of players that I think would do fine. Most of our national team plays in the MLS and just about all of them are championship quality. There are clearly only a few that are good enough for the PL. Bradley, Altidore, Dempsey, Guzan, Myhill (born here but moved away when he was a baby), Howard. There are a couple that play for Stoke I think. The first time I remember us competing in the WC was 94 when we hosted it and the sport really has come a long way since then. It is more than just he quality on the field but the attitude of the people who live here. I remember when I was a kid to play soccer would have been a mark of shame. It is certainly not like that now. They have been talking about getting an NFL team in London for a few years now. Granted they were talking about getting MLB teams in Mexico which never happened. I hope you are right and it doesnt change. It would be a shame. It is worrying though when clubs change names like we might and change colors like Cardiff did to cater to international markets.
NBC are the 2nd biggest broadcaster in the USA and they should do a much better job for the PL. Maybe ABC will get the next contract and that would be even more massive for the game and us all here.
Here's the ad - more investigation says its Harlem, Washington heights and Hamilton heights http://extramustard.si.com/2013/08/09/english-premier-league-soccer-nbc-ad-new-york-neighborhoods/
