Comparing the State of Hockey and Soccer in America

So many parallels can be drawn between the current status of hockey and soccer after United States' run at the Olympics. After the damage of the NHL lockout, the way which ESPN talks about the revival of hockey is the same way they talk about soccer. Think about the Confederations Cup and the run that the United States made. Both are gaining interest because of the United States' performances, as opposed to high-quality sport played out between foreign nations.

It shouldn't be any secret that there are specific fanbases for both hockey and soccer with a minority of casual fans. Despite the lack of coverage each of these sports gets, there are those, such as myself, who couldn't care less if SportsCenter recognizes them. With the dawning of the internet, it is impossible to stress just how much easier it is to get access to matches anywhere in the world. It might not be easy, or legal, but if we want it, we can get it.

This leads us to rise in popularity these sports are receiving and where it leaves the dedicated fanbases. Could you imagine immigrating to a country where they had absolutely no access to your favorite baseball, football, or basketball team, in fact none of these sports sports in general? Such was the case for many people who moved to the US before the 90's when even the World Cup couldn't get TV time. It has to be said that the interest of the casual fan is the reason why we'll be watching all 65 matches in HD this summer on ESPN, as opposed to a subscription channel through digital cable (which is only recently becoming common in households). The NHL lost its agreement with ESPN and had to resort to the less known Outdoor Living Channel (now Versus) for their nationally broadcasted games after the lockout.

With the unique events of the Olympics and the Winter Classic, hockey is absolutely making a revival of sorts that the other 3 aren't really capable of matching. As for soccer, all you gotta say is the World Cup. Its without a doubt what brought myself and many others I'm sure into the game and was the only access to the professional game that I was aware of up until 4 years ago (my very earlier memory of the world cup was from '98, when Fabian Barthez held up the world cup trophy after beating Brazil). Basketball in the summer Olympics is catching speed now that the game is becoming more global but without a doubt the World Baseball Classic is decades away from being considered legit.

Bottom line, although hockey and soccer are on the rise, would more exposure really be a benefit for these sports? Cool, more money and TV time, but if you really want access to the games, you can get it. Who cares if anyone else is watching? I wouldn't be surprised if the new Fox Soccer Plus makes calcio more difficult to access. Share your thoughts. Thanks for reading.