USA bidding for 2018 and 2022 World Cups

[asylumseeker]

I think the idea is more to get one out of the 2.
I also think that there are several countries that can handle a world cup on short notice.

At it's core, it comes down to simple requirements. Stadia, transport, accommodation, security.

Everything else is a bonus.

Yeah a WC is guaranteed money fo ra developed country and it is easy to finance.

Hope that the US gets one of them as I missed the one in '94.

There is literature to the contrary when it comes to net returns on investment re: big sporting events.

[Deeks]

Well it is true that main-stream american will not be involve to the point of instant merry making. But the stadiums are fill to capacity and the fans from the respective countries are there enjoying themselves. That is all that matters to me. All you, take it from me who has experienced 94, it will be fun.

[Bakes]

 Yuh ain't have to bouff de man so....he's right. A world Cup in the USA will never ever be the same experience as a World Cup in any other of the countries that are traditional football-oriented countries.  America is to structure-oriented and their society is just too out of touch with the culture of football to make it an overall festive and partying atmosphere, no matter how much progress they've made in developing the sport..  Labor Day, Miami Carnival, Boston Carnival, etc, etc, all of them are prime examples: The festivities before and after each event will be restricted as to where and how much partying you can do and law enforcement are going to invest heavily in their ability to clear the streets after games.  None ah dat impromptu revelry in the streets and the population at large are NOT going to be festive participants in the overall goodwill and good cheer that all these invading "foreigners" are going to be attempting to have.  

I'm not sure what your argument is... I never said the experiences would be the same.

Nothing the man say was out of order. He give an accurate description of what he saw in 1994 and made an accurate comparison to Germany. He also acknowlegde that things were different 15 years ago and will probably be even better in 10 years time.

He also did not say that the world cup would not be successful. He just made a good observation that the part of the event experience where the entire country gets interested, which is significant, was lost on the US in 1994.

He gave a SUBJECTIVE description of what he saw in 1994 and made a subjective comparison to his experience in Germany.  The World Cup may have sucked FOR HIM because he was waiting fuh de rest of American society to hype him up... but I gurantee you that for millions more they enjoyed the experience, I know that I did and I didn't even attend a game.

If he wants to talk about the reach of soccer in this country it is simply foolish to use 1994 as a starting point because the sport has grown by leaps and bounds since then, and continues to grow in popularity with a broadcast contract for the first time in history, and franchises spreading within MLS with each passing year.  The US has been the World Cup's largest geographical host, it's far easier for a smaller population with a singular focus to be enraptured by the WC than a nation as large as this one, especially with there being such diversity of interest among different people.  

Take all the football fans in this nation and line them up beside the entire population of Germany and they'd dwarf them easily.  So it's clearly not about numbers... as some others have latched onto.  Bottom line is that you don't need the entire population to be captivated by the games for it not to 'suck'... and even so the WC experience today is likely to be markedly different than it was 15 yrs ago.

[WestCoast]

I think the idea is more to get one out of the 2.
I also think that there are several countries that can handle a world cup on short notice.

At it's core, it comes down to simple requirements. Stadia, transport, accommodation, security.

Everything else is a bonus.

Yeah a WC is guaranteed money fo ra developed country and it is easy to finance.

Hope that the US gets one of them as I missed the one in '94.

There is literature to the contrary when it comes to net returns on investment re: big sporting events.

You can say that again Seeker

Think Winter Olympics 2010
Vancouver lorsin one set ah money.....the final amount will be amplified by the recent monatery problems
most olympics does loose....China used taxpayers/government money to subsidise their Olympic party

[JDB]

I think the idea is more to get one out of the 2.
I also think that there are several countries that can handle a world cup on short notice.

At it's core, it comes down to simple requirements. Stadia, transport, accommodation, security.

Everything else is a bonus.

Yeah a WC is guaranteed money fo ra developed country and it is easy to finance.

Hope that the US gets one of them as I missed the one in '94.

There is literature to the contrary when it comes to net returns on investment re: big sporting events.

You can say that again Seeker

Think Winter Olympics 2010
Vancouver lorsin one set ah money.....the final amount will be amplified by the recent monatery problems
most olympics does loose....China used taxpayers/government money to subsidise their Olympic party

I was referring specifically to the World Cup. In terms of international audience i.e. TV money, tourist traffic, gate money it always makes a profit. Olympics, especially Winter Olympics, absolutely can't compare.

[WestCoast]

I think the idea is more to get one out of the 2.
I also think that there are several countries that can handle a world cup on short notice.

At it's core, it comes down to simple requirements. Stadia, transport, accommodation, security.

Everything else is a bonus.

Yeah a WC is guaranteed money fo ra developed country and it is easy to finance.

Hope that the US gets one of them as I missed the one in '94.

There is literature to the contrary when it comes to net returns on investment re: big sporting events.

You can say that again Seeker

Think Winter Olympics 2010
Vancouver lorsin one set ah money.....the final amount will be amplified by the recent monatery problems
most olympics does loose....China used taxpayers/government money to subsidise their Olympic party

I was referring specifically to the World Cup. In terms of international audience i.e. TV money, tourist traffic, gate money it always makes a profit. Olympics, especially Winter Olympics, absolutely can't compare.

You absolutely right

as I saw Seekers post my piss started to boil as I am a Tax payer here in BC and we tax payers collectively will have to bear the brunt of the costs of the winter Olympics here and at that very moment my High Horse rode up.......so....I figured I would go for a ride ....sorry...carry on.

[Mango Chow!]

Having experienced Germany 2006, I can say with a reference point that USA 1994 SUCKED.  Imagine walking to RFK Stadium to see Mexico versus Italy in the first rounds and folks living within a stone throw of the stadium asking "What is the occasion?"  Likewise, there was no atmosphere in New York/New Jersey for the quarterfinals Bulgaria vs Germany.  Most folks were not even aware of the game taking place or the reason for the crowds in Port Authority.  I know we are talking 20 years later but football or soccer does not capture the country.  Experiencing a World Cup in a nation where folks eat and sleep football is the greatest.

One thing for certain FIFA will make money hosting in the US (most major events have - Olympics, WC 94).

Blessings

You coulda just post this and hush yuh ass on the rest... for real. Soccer did not even have a profile in this country when the US hosted the WC back in 1994, and RFK is located in the middle of a black working class neighborhood.  If it ent the Washington Redskins dem people wouldn't know what was happening inside dat stadium so yuh can't use that solitary experience as a gauge.

Since then not only has there been the establishment of a successful professional soccer league in the US, but one of it's more successful franchises is DC United... all you have to do is visit RFK on game day to see the level of excitement outside of and inside the stadium.  Support is still hard to come by in the neighborhood, but the team draws crowds from suburban MD and VA and for years has been near the top of the league in attendance.  DC United aside... US Soccer has built many soccer-specific stadia around the country, including Toyota Park (Chicago), Robertson Stadium (Houston), Columbus Crew Stadium etc.

The soccer landscape is nowhere as desolate as it was 15 yrs ago and with continued exposure on mainstream media here in the US the sport is poised to explode in popularity over the course of the next couple yrs... especially if ESPN gets the US broadcast rights to the EPL.  I understand that people would like to see a national level of excitement more on par with a Germany, Spain or Mexico, but that is not a prerequisite for a successful World Cup games, and it's the fans inside and outside of the stadium who make the games exciting... not whether the rest of the country shuts down and get caught up as well.

Nothing the man say was out of order. He give an accurate description of what he saw in 1994 and made an accurate comparison to Germany. He also acknowlegde that things were different 15 years ago and will probably be even better in 10 years time.

He also did not say that the world cup would not be successful. He just made a good observation that the part of the event experience where the entire country gets interested, which is significant, was lost on the US in 1994.

....and will be lost again anytime in the future.  America will host a great World Cup logistically and financially, but not from a cultural or festive standpoint.

 Yuh ain't have to bouff de man so....he's right. A world Cup in the USA will never ever be the same experience as a World Cup in any other of the countries that are traditional football-oriented countries.  America is to structure-oriented and their society is just too out of touch with the culture of football to make it an overall festive and partying atmosphere, no matter how much progress they've made in developing the sport..  Labor Day, Miami Carnival, Boston Carnival, etc, etc, all of them are prime examples: The festivities before and after each event will be restricted as to where and how much partying you can do and law enforcement are going to invest heavily in their ability to clear the streets after games.  None ah dat impromptu revelry in the streets and the population at large are NOT going to be festive participants in the overall goodwill and good cheer that all these invading "foreigners" are going to be attempting to have.  

I'm not sure what your argument is... I never said the experiences would be the same.



  Me eh arguing anything.  However, it seems like what you are trying to say is that a WC in the usa any time again will be better than it was in '94 mainly because there has been more interest in football in the us......if it is I think it would only be marginally different.........I jes' agreeing pretty much with what LSt.J was saying.....you seemed to be disagreeing.......and bouff up de man to do so.  I was jes' makin' a observation.  

[JDB]

He gave a SUBJECTIVE description of what he saw in 1994 and made a subjective comparison to his experience in Germany.  The World Cup may have sucked FOR HIM because he was waiting fuh de rest of American society to hype him up... but I gurantee you that for millions more they enjoyed the experience, I know that I did and I didn't even attend a game.

Well I didn't interpret his statement as anything other than subjective. Your own response seemed to back up what he said about RFK so he wasn't off base. He also gave the caveat that things have changed since then.

The only objective assessment he made was that football has not captured the country, which is true.

Now I agree that having the kind of national support is not a pre-requisite for a good individual experience but everyone will value it differently. For me, having the ability to travel easily to games trumps all. But for someone who might not be in Europe or the US, or is less concerned with cost/convenience and is comparing the two as potential options, it is not hard to pick a country with more passionate supportover the US. Subjective, yes, but that is why we post.

If he wants to talk about the reach of soccer in this country it is simply foolish to use 1994 as a starting point because the sport has grown by leaps and bounds since then, and continues to grow in popularity with a broadcast contract for the first time in history, and franchises spreading within MLS with each passing year.  The US has been the World Cup's largest geographical host, it's far easier for a smaller population with a singular focus to be enraptured by the WC than a nation as large as this one, especially with there being such diversity of interest among different people. 

The growth has been good and the interest is higher. Still not as high as a traditional football country and unlikely to be so in 10 years time. Also the geography does not excuse or change the fact that a WC in the US would not be as big in national sporting consciousness as England or Germany. Also I am sure that if the NFL had an equivalent tournament geography would not hinder interest.

[Bakes]

Well I didn't interpret his statement as anything other than subjective. Your own response seemed to back up what he said about RFK so he wasn't off base. He also gave the caveat that things have changed since then.

I actually didn't see him give any credit for things having changed... all he said was that granted t"this is 20 yrs later we talking about"... seemingly allowing that things may have changed.  It could just be me, but the clear implication I got from his post is that a WC in the US sucked (and is likely to suck again) because the country doesn't get caught up in the games.  This is what I'm disagreeing with.  He used his experience in DC as the basis for his observation, when in reality RFK because of the demographics of the neighborhood back then was likely the worst place to use as a gauge... in no way is the level of excitement in DC (then) akin to what was experienced in places like LA or Houston.


The only objective assessment he made was that football has not captured the country, which is true.

Now I agree that having the kind of national support is not a pre-requisite for a good individual experience but everyone will value it differently. For me, having the ability to travel easily to games trumps all. But for someone who might not be in Europe or the US, or is less concerned with cost/convenience and is comparing the two as potential options, it is not hard to pick a country with more passionate supportover the US. Subjective, yes, but that is why we post.

I don't disagree with his subjectivity per se... I personally loved the experience in Germany over that in the US... but for me to say that the US sucked because the people wasn't as amped?  Nonsense.  I can cite a number of experiences in Germany where people were indifferent to downright surly towards my group.  Those who were excited were mainly excited for the economic opportunity which the games presented.  Now granted I was only there the first two weeks... so maybe Germans really started giving a damn as their team progressed, but the sense I got was "wow, great... welcome to Germany interested in buying something?  Hope you have a great time".  Any excitement or festivities came from the other fans.  The organizers did a great job with the fanzones too... so I'll definitely give Beckenbauer and his crew props for that.

The growth has been good and the interest is higher. Still not as high as a traditional football country and unlikely to be so in 10 years time. Also the geography does not excuse or change the fact that a WC in the US would not be as big in national sporting consciousness as England or Germany. Also I am sure that if the NFL had an equivalent tournament geography would not hinder interest.

My point isn't to excuse the lack of excitement in the overall population or explain it away... it is what it is.   My point is this... whenever the topic of football in htis country is mentioned this is the first criticism people latch onto... there's no excitement for the sport here.  Where are you measuring?  and who? Clearly there are enough fans here to justify the financial and emotional investment in the sport.  Besides, it takes time for the sport to grow here... it's a 'foreign' import and so must take root.  But guess what, many of us are also 'foreign' imports as well... and kids today playing the sport are 1st and 2nd generation immigrants, mixed in with other straight up American kids who love the sport.  It's on these fans that the focus must be placed, not those who aren't interested and may never be interested.  Believe it or not there are millions of people who really don't care about American football (and I'm not talking transplanted West Indians on this forum).. who could give two shits about a SuperBowl.  But yeah, the sport has enough of a national profile with a following in most major cities/urban regions to ensure national interest.  Football is only now trying to get there.

[acb]

Just when you think no-one listening to us .... here we go again with our loud and far reaching comments ...

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AsyJhGejbDEkAJQ7zcBWcsImw7YF?slug=ap-worldcup-blatter&prov=ap&type=lgns

Blatter: FIFA won’t accept joint bids to host Cup

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP)— The president of soccer’s governing body ruled out joint bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said FIFA’s executive committee decided that as long as there is a viable individual bid, “double candidacies will not be accepted.”

The U.S. Soccer Federation said Thursday it plans simultaneous bids for both years. Four bids from Europe had been expected to be submitted by Monday’s deadline: England, Spain/Portugal, Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg and Russia.

Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Qatar have announced intentions to bid among Asian nations, and China is expected to join them.

Blatter made the announcement at the South American Football Confederation’s annual congress on Thursday. The 24-man executive committee is to vote on both hosts in December 2010.

Japan and South Korea co-hosted the 2002 tournament.

“We have a long way to go, and we will hear all kinds of things,” Belgian bid leader Alain Courtois told The Associated Press. “But the moment that counts is when we have the vote, not any time earlier. There have been so many statements from Blatter and there will be many more. We have to stay calm and keep pushing our joint bid.”

Blatter said FIFA and its confederations were likely to weather the economic crisis, but acknowledged he was worried for the hundreds of soccer clubs around the world.

“We have solidarity in soccer, which means that those who have more give to those who have less,” he said. “Soccer is strong—it doesn’t have problems, it has solutions.”

[asylumseeker]

I think the idea is more to get one out of the 2.
I also think that there are several countries that can handle a world cup on short notice.

At it's core, it comes down to simple requirements. Stadia, transport, accommodation, security.

Everything else is a bonus.

Yeah a WC is guaranteed money fo ra developed country and it is easy to finance.

Hope that the US gets one of them as I missed the one in '94.

There is literature to the contrary when it comes to net returns on investment re: big sporting events.

You can say that again Seeker

Think Winter Olympics 2010
Vancouver lorsin one set ah money.....the final amount will be amplified by the recent monatery problems
most olympics does loose....China used taxpayers/government money to subsidise their Olympic party

I was referring specifically to the World Cup. In terms of international audience i.e. TV money, tourist traffic, gate money it always makes a profit. Olympics, especially Winter Olympics, absolutely can't compare.

Here's a timely example:

Beijing’s Bird’s Nest to anchor shopping complex

BEIJING (AP)—The area around Beijing’s massive Bird’s Nest stadium will be turned into a shopping and entertainment complex in three to five years, a state news agency said Friday.

Officially known as Beijing National Stadium, the showpiece of the Beijing Olympics has fallen into disuse since the end of the games. Paint is already peeling in some areas, and the only visitors these days are tourists who pay about $7 to walk on the stadium floor and browse a pricey souvenir shop.

Plans call for the $450 million stadium to anchor a complex of shops and entertainment outlets in three to five years, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing operator Citic Group. The company will continue to develop tourism as a major draw for the Bird’s Nest, while seeking sports and entertainment events.

The only confirmed event at the 91,000-seat stadium this year is Puccini’s opera “Turandot,” set for Aug. 8—the one-year anniversary of the Olympics’ opening ceremony. The stadium has no permanent tenant after Beijing’s top soccer club, Guo’an, backed out of a deal to play there.

Details about the development plans were not available. A person who answered the phone at Citic Group on Friday said offices were closed for the Chinese New Year holiday.

A symbol of China’s rising power and confidence, the stadium, whose nickname described its lattice of exterior steel beams, may never recoup its hefty construction cost, particularly amid a global economic slump. Maintenance of the structure alone costs about $8.8 million annually, making it difficult to turn a profit, Xinhua said.

[Brownsugar]

I backing the US on this one...so that the English will get a lesson in what the rest ah we done know...when yuh kiss Jackula a$$ he does would still some times turn around and bend you over and ram it up yours any way....

[Lower St. John]

My point isn't to excuse the lack of excitement in the overall population or explain it away... it is what it is.   My point is this... whenever the topic of football in htis country is mentioned this is the first criticism people latch onto... there's no excitement for the sport here. 

It is always humorus to read your comments when you quickly dismiss the views of others (most times as being subjective) and not realize the same can be said of yours.  Continue to shine as usual partner.

Blessings