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Spurs are the most popular EPL club in USA

Dharmabum

Well-Known Member
Aug 16, 2003
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12,242
http://tottenhamhotspur.blogspot.com/2014/07/spurs-most-popular-premier-league-team.html?

Spurs most popular Premier League team in USA

Tottenham are the most popular Premier League club in America according to an NBC poll last year.
- See more at: http://tottenhamhotspur.blogspot.co...remier-league-team.html?#sthash.XxGoNzfk.dpuf


The poll showed the top three to be:

1. Tottenham Hotspur 22%
2. Arsenal 14%
3. Manchester United 10%


NBC gambled on soccer becoming big in the Statesm they paid $250 million for the TV rights, but you don't take a gamble like that without doing serious research into the potential market. Thus far they have tripled the previous viewing market and have generated increased advertising revenue because of the young target audience.

The USA doing well in the World Cup saw 12.9 million people watching USA v Ghana compared to 17.9 who watched game 5 of the NBA finals. It is estimated that 25 million tuned in for the 2-2 draw with Portugal, the biggest ever figure for a match. The 2013 Baseball World Series averaged 15 million, this year Antonio Spurs won also averaging 15 million viewers.

A recent poll showed that 71% of Americans earning over $100,000 a year had an interest in the World Cup and only Brazilians bought more tickets for the games.

We all saw the shots of bars and streets where the game were shown on big screens packed out. In footballing terms it is still the land of opportunity, an untapped market.

American Football is slowly losing popularity and 40% of parents don't want their children playing the game any more, it's over 50% with high earning families.

In 1994 the US hosted the World Cup and all the youngster who played youth, club and high school soccer in the 1990's are having children of their own. It has started the process of being a generational sport. Soccer is a popular sport among the children, in 2012 there were over 3 million children registered playing the game in the States.

The major areas are:

California North – 171,267
Massachusetts – 164,901
New Jersey – 148,354
California South – 144,161
Virginia – 142,260
North Texas – 136,662
Eastern Pennsylvania – 127,426
Eastern New York – 121,101
Florida 108,057
Washington – 105,786
South Texas – 100,117

Since then soccer has started to grow faster, with a boom this year and Tottenham need to remain at the forefront of that growth. Soccer has grown faster than any other sport over the last 10 years in America and is the first sport to be imported and commercially scaled. It's just a generation old but it could eventually rise to be the second most popular sport, that is something to be a part of.

NBC produced a post of how to pick a Premier League team, they said about Spurs:

American Connection: Very strong, beginning with (but not ending with) Coach Ted Lasso. Spurs is where Brad Friedel plays, it was the home for Clint Dempsey before his return to America, and Tottenham has a strong presence with American fans, including Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane.

Why you should be a fan: Fun and open style of play that is wrapped up in one of their mottos: “The game is about glory.” … Strong connection to its community … Tremendous history and deeply devoted fan base.

Clearly there is something to build upon. This year sees the third tour in five years to the States, with open training sessions, signings, evening events, meeting official supporter groups, coaching clinics, it's more than just turn up to play a game.

Once again we were the first Premier League side to announce a tour which games against Seattle Sounders with whom we have a recent Clint Dempsey link, Toronto FC in Canada (who play in Major League Soccer), with whom we have the recent Jermain Defoe link and end up with Chicago Fire where we have young midfielder Grant Ward on loan.

Changing our kit sponsor to an American company, Under Armour, has meant further exposure and promotion means they'll be promoting us to a growing market.

Gareth Bale featured in Tottenham kit in huge Times Square adverts while the Real Madrid transfer saga was going on and of course apart from Clint Dempsey playing for us we now have Brad Friedel to promote us in the States.

Then of course there is the Head Coach of USA Jürgen Klinsmann, who also has the role of developing the sport. David Beckham came to train with Spurs and discuss a loan move with all the press coverage that brings.

What next? People need role models so having American players involved at Tottenham makes marketing sense, there were certainly one or two Americans at the World Cup who could play a role, like 20 year-old Seattle Sounders player DeAndre Yedlin. He was the substitute right-back who came on against Belgium and caused all sorts of problems.

Having someone like him to come over and learn would be terrific if in 4 years time he is then playing at the next World Cup. A role model for youngsters to follow. I think as part of our tour we should sign him, announce it while we are there develop him into Kyle Walker's understudy.

Alternatively we train him, use him sparingly and loan him back for the MLS season. That would create added local interest in Tottenham and help to build a fan base.

Or we could just give Ted Lasso another go. - See more at: http://tottenhamhotspur.blogspot.co...remier-league-team.html?#sthash.XxGoNzfk.dpuf
 

Strikeb4ck

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2010
4,483
9,409
As a Spurs fan in the US I have a hard time believing this is accurate. I rarely ever see other Spurs fans in Florida.
 

Rocksuperstar

Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
Jun 6, 2005
53,367
67,007
I find that most of these polls will show which team the people asked could remember that week. The more someone is exposed to a particular team who play a sport they know not much about, if someone asks them for an informed opinion, rather than say they don't have one, they'll pluck one from the small portion of their brain dedicated to what they know about that sport.

Considering UnderArmour splashed on that insanely cool Times Square campaign last year, i would imagine that made a big impression on many of the locals (and there are many locals) without them ever having seen us kick a ball.

Still, i don't care, the more shirts we sell over there the comfier the seats in the new stadium will be (y)
 

RickyVilla

Well-Known Member
May 16, 2004
18,489
19,954
Doesn't surprise me to see New Jersey in the top 3. When I lived there in the 70's it seemed football (not hand egg) was very popular in schools. Lets hope it is more successful than the league then which pretty much fell by the wayside
 

Rocksuperstar

Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
Jun 6, 2005
53,367
67,007
Doesn't surprise me to see New Jersey in the top 3. When I lived there in the 70's it seemed football (not hand egg) was very popular in schools. Lets hope it is more successful than the league then which pretty much fell by the wayside

Was that not a lot to do with the NASL, or Disco Football League as i used to call it to wind up an old workmate?

Players like Pele, Cruyff & George Best really raised it's profile for a while in the 70's, but...

Fury+80+Home+John+Dempsey,+Fran+O%27Brien.jpg


dem kits, tho...
 

Everlasting Seconds

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2014
14,914
26,616
As a Spurs fan in the US I have a hard time believing this is accurate. I rarely ever see other Spurs fans in Florida.
Well, to be fair, the results are in %, not amount of people, it makes it hard to imagine how many people we are actually talking about. Add to that, % of what, though? % of people who even have a PL-team they support? Then it's most likely 22 % spurs-supporters of a grand total of 100 people or something. But I get your point, when I lived in Denver, I didn't even see locals showing support for their local team, Rapids.
 

RickyVilla

Well-Known Member
May 16, 2004
18,489
19,954
Was that not a lot to do with the NASL, or Disco Football League as i used to call it to wind up an old workmate?

Players like Pele, Cruyff & George Best really raised it's profile for a while in the 70's, but...

Fury+80+Home+John+Dempsey,+Fran+O%27Brien.jpg


dem kits, tho...
Yes that is very true and also it helped that there were a lot of recent ex pats from Europe and a fair few Mexicans. Those kits would go down a storm these days.
 

Wheeler Dealer

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2011
6,924
12,438
Teams that win titles and silverware irrespective of origin will be most popular.. This is human nature..
 

Mullers

Unknown member
Jan 4, 2006
25,914
16,413
I think the people in the poll, got us mixed up with San Antonio Spurs, I don't believe this bollocks for a second.
 

ealingspur

WHPK 88.5FM Chicago
Oct 4, 2004
1,244
358
Everton will probably take over this year, considering that to Americans, Tim Howard is now the second coming of Jesus.
 

WalkerboyUK

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2009
21,658
23,476
As a Spurs fan in the US I have a hard time believing this is accurate. I rarely ever see other Spurs fans in Florida.

Florida is full of English people on holiday, wearing their Chelsea/United/Arsenal/Liverpool shirts...
Wouldn't say that Florida is a good place to use as an example.
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
17,087
30,880
When I was in NYC the other week all I saw was LFC/UTD shirts. Not one chicken badge. I call BS
 

Geyzer Soze

Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd
Aug 16, 2010
26,056
63,362
These kinds of Polls push out the answers whoever is paying for them want to hear. Can imagine the questions

(1) Which of these ahve you heard of:

Tottenham Hotspur
Blackburn Rovers
Preston North End

(2) Clint Dempsey once played for Tottenham Hotspur. Does this make you more likely to follow them (Y)/ (N)

(3) Does having seen the Ted Lassiter Video make you more or less inclined to support Tottenham Hotspur

etc
 

spurs_girl_tasha

Believes
Apr 25, 2006
11,969
7,422
As a Spurs fan in the US I have a hard time believing this is accurate. I rarely ever see other Spurs fans in Florida.
In Florida last year Americans seemed to support Chelski or Man Utd. Loved it when a waitress said she supported Manchester, asked her which team she looked thoroughly confused.
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
17,087
30,880
In Florida last year Americans seemed to support Chelski or Man Utd. Loved it when a waitress said she supported Manchester, asked her which team she looked thoroughly confused.

I was chatting to some guy who said, early on into the conversation:

"Whoah, you're from London, right?"

I said yes, to which he said:

"Cool, I was born in London"

To which I asked: "Really, whereabouts?".

"Reading"

:LOL:
 
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