Americanization Of Football.

Buster15

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This is something I have been concerned about. And it is being discussed on the internet.
First it was club ownership.
And the 2026 seems to have accelerated it. Increased commercialisation.
So called Hydration Breaks.
Political interference.
Extended half time.

So is this something you embrace. Or is it something you are concerned about?
 
Buster15 said:
This is something I have been concerned about. And it is being discussed on the internet.
First it was club ownership.
And the 2026 seems to have accelerated it. Increased commercialisation.
So called Hydration Breaks.
Political interference.
Extended half time.

So is this something you embrace. Or is it something you are concerned about?
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For me it's definitely a concern. Especially since it seems Infantino will be back in charge for the foreseeable. That will make these changes the norm before we know it
 
Surely there’s no basis for hydration breaks in the PL
 
It's a once every 4 year money grab. I am not worried about it as long as the individual leagues don't try this nonsense. But with American ownership as well as venture capitalists getting involved, I fear it's only a matter of time before they have the power to apply these changes to the big money leagues.
 
I really hope that the hydration breaks and half-time shows will be a thing of the past once this World Cup is over. We need to reject Americanisation in all walks of life.
 
People can blame the Americans but Football couldn't wait to follow along. Seeing Wenger defending hydration breaks and sat behind Infantino just goes to show. Fifa had the option of saying no to a lot of this shit but they're also posting record revenues so it's really another naked capitalism thing.

The Premier League has been prostituting itself and rolling out the red carpet to commercial/business interests for over twenty years at this point.
 
I think we're going to see the death of the typical football crowd and atmosphere over the next 10-20 years.

Already well on the way to being killed off in favour of tourist and daytripper 'experiences' and corporate hospitality packages.
 
M Bison said:
Hate it. The 10 second countdown to kick off is one of my worst
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Started way before this World Cup. They did it in Qatar too. Not everything is the big bad American boogeyman's fault.
 
M Bison said:
Hate it. The 10 second countdown to kick off is one of my worst
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This doesn't exist in any other American sports. I don't know where it came from or why they started it.

I feel like we're getting a bit of a bad rap when we asked for none of this. We didn't ask for hydration breaks. We didn't ask for extended halftimes or even this ridiculous halftime show they're going to do today. I couldn't give a flying f**k about seeing Madonna on a stage with Justice Beaver and whomever else they're going to have. I think it's terrible that this could be up to 30 minutes.

No, not everyone in the US is a football traditionalist like me...but I can tell you no one asked for these changes outside of the Fox Television offices and FIFA. This is all on them.
 
The “hydration” breaks and extended halftime is the uniquely americanization of the sport, and I hate it too. I don’t foresee it coming to club football any time soon.

BUT if/when the European super league happens, then I think it’s inevitable. By that point, I will have likely fallen out of being a dedicated fan of watching pro football.

All the other aspects mentioned in OP are not americanization though. Arguably more accurate to call it European, example being 1934 World Cup in Mussolini’s Italy. Commercialization has started long before Americans got involved. Corruption has existed on all levels of football. Anecdotally, a friend of mine who played in Greek’s 4th division basically had to lose a match because there were police waiting for them outside the stadium in case result didn’t go the “correct” way.

But to contain this geographically is also a mistake. Can’t even blame this on the West. Russia’s oil tycoons’ ownerships and sponsorships have been in place, paired with Gulf states’ indirect ownership. China’s short stint at club football investment with buying out players to play there, and then followed by Saudi Arabia’s method of doing the same.

All this said, I’d argue that the problems in football reflect the problems with the state of geopolitics and world finance capital. Until that changes, I don’t see how football as a whole changes.
 
leeroyTX said:
This doesn't exist in any other American sports. I don't know where it came from or why they started it.

I feel like we're getting a bit of a bad rap when we asked for none of this. We didn't ask for hydration breaks. We didn't ask for extended halftimes or even this ridiculous halftime show they're going to do today. I couldn't give a flying f**k about seeing Madonna on a stage with Justice Beaver and whomever else they're going to have. I think it's terrible that this could be up to 30 minutes.

No, not everyone in the US is a football traditionalist like me...but I can tell you no one asked for these changes outside of the Fox Television offices and FIFA. This is all on them.
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Been trying to make this point here for ages. Don't even bother though, it's just "AMERICA BAD".
 
never want to hear a bon jovi song again in my life.
 
Buster15 said:
This is something I have been concerned about. And it is being discussed on the internet.
First it was club ownership.
And the 2026 seems to have accelerated it. Increased commercialisation.
So called Hydration Breaks.
Political interference.
Extended half time.

So is this something you embrace. Or is it something you are concerned about?
Click to expand...

Its more so the mass commercialization of football than anything imo. Obviously the US are in the cross hairs right now because of where the tournament happens to be, but long term I would expect a lot more of this in various guises.
 
Raoul said:
Its more so the mass commercialization of football than anything imo. Obviously the US are in the cross hairs right now because of where the tournament happens to be, but long term I would expect a lot more of this in various guises.
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At this point this is pretty much a synonym for Americanisation, isn't it?
 
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V.O. said:
At this point this is pretty much a synonym for Americisation, isn't it?
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The US is the biggest sports market in the world and NBC Sports alone is paying the Prem £2b to show their games, so there will be some degree of lurch towards American practices. But long term - it won't just be an American thing. Once the Prem figure out they can make more money by commercializing globally (and in the process pay each of their clubs an annual windfall), they will definitely move in that direction.
 
Would prefer to see the Europeanisation of American ‘soccer’.
 
Well, if this happens, we'll have to rebuild everything from the ground up. New clubs, new championships, etc.

If they corrupt the game even an inch further than where it is right now - I'm never watching a game again, touching merchandize, etc.
 
The hydration breaks I’m completely against but who cares if the world cup final every 4 years has a slightly longer half time show? I really don’t see what the fuss is about.
 
Raoul said:
The US is the biggest sports market in the world and NBC Sports alone is paying the Prem £2b to show their games, so there will be some degree of lurch towards American practices. But long term - it won't just be an American thing. Once the Prem figure out they can make more money by commercializing globally (and in the process pay each of their clubs an annual windfall), they will definitely move in that direction.
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Absolutely. Its all well and good blaming the US but its going to come down to the leagues’ and owners’ greed. Once they see they can make much more money, they will absolutely do it. That’s what they’re in it for afterall.
 
If there's money to be made from "hydration breaks" or halftime shows, it's coming eventually. Even though it destroys the flow of the game.

Talking about Americanisation - or an antiversion of it... In Denmark, the government has recently forbidded betting companies from advertising some time before, during and after a football match. That could probably make "hydration breaks" less desirable to some TV providers in our little part of the world. I'm sure they'll find something else to advertise, but i'm glad that addictive shit like gambling is not being exploited by capitalism during peak gambling time.
 
Concerns about Americanisation of football aren't new. There is an arsenal protest group called the "black scarf movement" that started in 2009.

Ai gives the summary "The Black Scarf Movement (BSM) is one of the largest Arsenal supporters' groups, established in 2009 by match-going fans to protest rising ticket prices and a perceived disconnect between the club's ownership and its core local supporters. They have coordinated numerous protests and marches over the years demanding change."

But I am sure in some of their official statements they mentioned the actual word Americanisation of football. They appear to only be on Facebook and twitter and I don't have an account for either to check but I'm sure it's there.

As I say, this started in 2009 and so the sentiment will have been there before that so it goes back even further than that.

This world cup has definitely accelerated it but aspects of it have been around for near on two decades now.
 
My favorite abomination is political interference. I hope it ends with Donald Trump, whose legendary phone call to Infantino to make it so actually contributed to USA’s downfall at the feet of Belgium, as have his everyday abominations.
 
I actually quite like the hydration break. Feels like it gives the manager a bit more time for in game tweaks, the teams come out different past those breaks. And even more it gives teams a short breather which might be the real reason teams come out different. Likely reduces amount of injuries as well in the long run.

And regarding commercialization it is necessary. I love rock climbing, beach volleyball and handball but without the commercial side the sport doesn't grow. MMA and Boxing got it right, Kickboxing and Taekwondo really need to take lessons.
 
Red Pumpkin said:
I actually quite like the hydration break. Feels like it gives the manager a bit more time for in game tweaks, the teams come out different past those breaks. And even more it gives teams a short breather which might be the real reason teams come out different. Likely reduces amount of injuries as well in the long run.

And regarding commercialization it is necessary. I love rock climbing, beach volleyball and handball but without the commercial side the sport doesn't grow. MMA and Boxing got it right, Kickboxing and Taekwondo really need to take lessons.
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I couldn’t not disagree with you more but there we are.
 
Hydration breaks are fine when there is a legit need for them (When the temps were really high in the likes of Miami, Philly etc. .) But there is zero need for them in the indoor stadiums and when it is 15 degrees and raining as was the case for Ghana and Panama in Toronto
 
I think it's an over-reaction to worry about the Americanisation of football, when the World Cup is taking place in...America! Just one more game and we can go back to cold rainy nights in Stoke.
 
Mike Smalling said:
I really hope that the hydration breaks and half-time shows will be a thing of the past once this World Cup is over. We need to reject Americanisation in all walks of life.
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We in America fully embrace the Suttonization of football.

 
Happening to a lot of sports right now. Really should be called greed.
 
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