The final of the UEFA Champions League will be broadcast live this afternoon on FOX broadcast affiliates in the United States. For the first time in the history of the competition, the final of Europe's most prestigious club competition will be available on a major broadcast network during a weekend afternoon.
This is all good and well for those of us who now no longer need to an excuse to take a skip work during the week to see the final, but what will does it mean for the average Joe in America who may not currently follow soccer but may not be totally opposed to the possibility of becoming a nascent fan? In other words, does FOX's recent success with televised soccer in the US translate to more soccer fans or just happier existing fans?
The Champions League final (May 22, 2:45 p.m. EDT on FOX) will be contested by Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, two teams with tame fan followings in the States. The final is also competing with a handful of baseball games and the first games in the NBA conference finals. Not to mention, I have seen precious little advertising outside of the regular channels used to reach American Soccer Junkies like myself.
While I remain skeptical regarding the notion that the Champions League final being broadcast on a national network on a Saturday afternoon is a victory for soccer in the States, the ratings will be crucial in determining just how successful FOX's new investment in televised soccer will be. But for now, speaking as a soccer fan who grew up in constant frustration that I was unable to watch the sport I love, I must say that I'm happy FOX has the Champions League rights and that it gave the final to its national broadcast affiliates.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Stateside Soccer reserves the right to delete any comment the staff deems to be offensive, profane or the result of spamming. Comments on posts older than a week are subject to approval.