15 comments

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  TT

  2 years ago

  Same point Georgie Bingham was making on WSD about the knowledgeable 'hard core' fans over there. Maybe it's a natural reaction to the ridicule heaped upon the beautiful game by mainstream America?
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  Rampart66

  2 years ago

  Wow, I'm kinda taken by surprise with the headline. I can see your points and I can agree that many U.S. fans are passionate about the league as a whole (because we don't have a "hometown" team). I enjoy watching all of the teams since I've just recently started watching and I'm still learing all of the players.
  
  
  I think the Premiership support in America is growing by leaps and bounds. I wish there wa a primetime game on the weekends to give the sport more exposure here (3pm ET). With ESPN broadcasting the Champion League matches, wouldn't it be cool for FOX Sports (not FSC), to broadcast a game from a few of the big 4 teams on the Premiership schedule? After the NFL season, it doesn't seem like FOX has much in the way of sports lined up for February-March.
  
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  camers

  2 years ago

  How about Australian fans not only are the prem matches played between 10pm and 5am our time but as most of our internationals (friendly at least) are played in europe we have to get up at 3/4 am for them as well. THe Germany world cup also meant games went from 12-7 am and still our city centres were packed with 10 of thousands of people in the freezing cold (it was winter over here) to watch the national team.
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  jason

  2 years ago

  Interesting point. I agree that interest is definitely rising among Americans for the Premiership, but I'm not sure we're close yet to the English because:
  
  
  1) They pay £40-50 to see one match, while we pay $30/month for 3 soccer channels. I'm not sure how many Americans are willing to pay $75 for one match.
  
  
  
  2) There are still a lot of Premiership watchers who aren't passionate fans of a club. Sure, there are a lot of people who claim to be United or Chelsea supporters, but many of them don't know who Eric Cantona or Ruud Gullit are.
  
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  Gratefullawyer

  2 years ago

  Why do we insist on saying people cant be the fan of a club without our grandpappy being a fan of a club. am i no less a Manu fan cause by parents dont know who the busby babes were. Because most of Us in USa didnt have the ability to be exposed to english soccer 10 years ago or 20 years ago makes me less a fan..
  I started following Manu in 1995...does that mean i jumped on the band wagon or is it when i first begin to really watch them.. and ill match anyone else for nuttiness...i even have Manu
  
  bath rug so me feet are cold when pi@* out the beer im drinking at 7:30..
  
  This is my team now....
  
  
  
  but I can also get excited to watch liverpool yesterday and the Hammers tomorrow...
  
  
  
  so if the new footy fans drift to Chelsea or Liverpool or Manu cause they are exciting right now great. if they stay fans even better...if they support w ham or man city cause they got those americans on it great...the bigger the fan best the better....
  
  
  
  bring on the beers when is the EPl review show on.......less then 48 hrs to champions league....
  
  
  
  PS im an old deadhead.... did it make me mad when the crowds swelled and the band got popular...sure a bit harder to get a seat but we welcomed the newbies cause they were finally gettin it...
  
  What a long strange trip its been
  
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  Anonymous

  2 years ago

  I am an American and love watching the premiership! Since I have no local ties, I simply chose a team to follow. That side was West Ham United simply because of their chant "Forever blowing bubbles". hehe. I found that following a specific team makes it even more interesting.
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  ModernMortal

  2 years ago

  Yep, I'm a "Yank" and I love watching EPL games. It really doesn't matter which game, althought I am partial to Arsenal, but they are all great fun to watch. Unfortunately, I don't have Fox Soccer Channel, so I have to get lucky with the 1 game a week they show on ESPN2, but that Portsmouth v. Middlesbrough game was fantastic!! :)
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  Anonymous

  2 years ago

  I know they have Champions league games this week, but when does ESPN2 show Premier League games? Since I can't record Setanta via ITVN for watching at another time, I'd love to record the ESPN2 games each week.
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  Joe

  2 years ago

  Why do we insist on saying people cant be the fan of a club without our grandpappy being a fan of a club. am i no less a Manu fan cause by parents dont know who the busby babes were. Because most of Us in USa didnt have the ability to be exposed to english soccer 10 years ago or 20 years ago makes me less a fan..
  I started following Manu in 1995...does that mean i jumped on the band wagon or is it when i first begin to really watch them.. and ill match anyone else for nuttiness...i even have Manu
  
  bath rug so me feet are cold when pi@* out the beer im drinking at 7:30..
  
  This is my team now....
  
  
  
  A. It's Manchester United, don't call us Manu
  
  
  
  B. Having a Manchester United bath rug makes you hardcore does it? idiot
  
  
  
  C. What the fuck is "nuttiness" you moron, try meeting some true mancs and see if you match them
  
  
  
  Ever been to Old Trafford? Don't expect so. Hope you rot, and take Glazer with you
  
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  Anonymous

  2 years ago

  Gaffer, I think this latest poster must have heard your interview with Roswell P Shambling :)
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  JWL1978

  2 years ago

  The notion that an English football fan wouldn't get up at ungodly hours to watch their team play on television is laughable to the point of ignorance.
  
  
  The complaints about "early kick off" times have nothing to do with the television audience, and everything to do with the people who actually travel to the games. For example: a Manchester United fan travelling to London for a 12:45 kick off, would have to commence the journey at roughly 3am. Hence the complaints.
  
  
  
  Gratefullawyer, "manu" is considered a term of disparagement and disrepect amongst United fans. The only (somewhat) accepted shortened derivatives of the name is 'Man United' (this isn't overly liked, either), or preferably, just 'United'.
  
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  AndyG

  2 years ago

  Hi, I just moved from England to LA fairly recently and wasnt aware you could watch any football here.
  
  
  Can someone let me know which channels I need to do that?
  
  
  
  Thanks in advance...
  
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  Andrew

  7 months ago

  another thing that I know has caused this fan hood is video games. Brits love football manager. In America, not so much. Fifa is now the king of America (I know there are hardcore PES supporters that wouldn't get that) but North American delivery makes Fifa king. I know tons of people who weren't soccer fans in college that love fifa and then learn the players and like to watch them at local bars on matchday. Another factor is that, brits on the whole have become worse fans. You boo the national team, you show apathy to everything, and the league is not balanced like the NFL. American sports fans have 4 major leagues and some hard core fans. With a large population that loves sports we have found a niche for English soccer. It helps that Americans also don't speak other langauges and don't watch la liga.
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  Chris

  6 months ago

  I wake up and turn on Fox soccer channel and watch the Premiere league every Saturday and Sunday morning.
  
  I follow the league as a whole, although if an American is playing I will admit to being biased.
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  Wide awake...

  6 months ago

  If I had the same time zone difference as in point one........I'd set the video .......But then I'm a Brit...Wink............
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