BadWolf wrote:You're basically saying you'll disregarding any data that's not consistent with your opinion.
I didn't disregard anything. I said we need more information about the poll. That's what it means to have an open mind rather than blindly taking a position. I gave my reasons explaining why he may have appeared on the poll in 7th. I only read the first link last night, which was a more broad statement of the findings. But I just read the second link which goes into reasons for why we're seeing a rise in his popularity in America. It basically confirmed everything I said, so I feel even more strongly about my position now. Here are a few quotes from the link:
Messi's achievement is even more seismic when viewed through the lens of the 12- to 24-year-old demographic, who proclaim the Barcelona star to be the fourth-favorite athlete in the United States (the study tracks the fan base sizes and demographic trends for all major sports through a monthly telephone survey of 1,500 Americans ages 12 and over).
In other words, the younger generation is driving up his popularity. Interesting. That should sound familiar if you read my post.
When asked to analyze the reasons behind Messi's rise, Ader contextualizes it against last year's discovery that soccer has become America's second-most popular sport for those age 12-24, outstripping the NBA, MLB and college football.
In case you didn't read the entire article and you're wondering who "Ader" is:
Seth Ader, ESPN's senior director of marketing who oversees the company's soccer-related World Cup marketing strategy.
"The EA Sports factor cannot be exaggerated. Their FIFA game is the No. 2 best-seller in the U.S. sports category, behind the Madden franchise,
This just supports the age argument, but the video game angle is one I never thought about. I don't know if Messi is on the cover or what. I didn't bother to check because they made mention of the Madden series multiple times, so it plays a big role regardless.
Another article linked in that one had this to say about soccer in America overall, not just one demographic (ie 12-24 age group):
By way of context, Luker rattles off statistics about soccer's competitors. "Twenty-five percent of Americans are avid NFL fans first and foremost, 14.4 percent are basketball fans, and MLB comes third with 13.9 percent."
Soccer's avid fanbase is 10 percent
Back to the original article you posted:
and the more the Hispanic community assimilate ... the more they fuel the overall conversation."
So the hispanic community is another reason for his rise. Interesting. That should also sound familiar if you read my post about Messi being from the largest Spanish speaking nation in the world. You think if Messi was from France or Germany he would have the same popularity in America? If so I have a bridge to sell you.
Hispanics are the largest demographic of soccer fans in America. By 2020 they'll be the majority in California and other parts of America, and soccer is the most popular sport in their culture just as it is in every other country outside of North America.
Younger generation, Hispanic connection, these were the underlying theories in my post for the results of the poll, which are now confirmed. I wasn't "dismissing" the poll, I was coming up with reasons for why the results may have been what they were. After reading the article I feel I was spot on. You don't have to agree. We'll agree to disagree. My work is done here. Good day.
— Mags
