I wrote a column Monday about soccer. I wrote that I appreciated the conditioning and skill that are required, wrote how mid-July is ideal for an unconventional sport to emerge, wrote how I tried to like soccer -- going to games, reading books about teams in Italy and England -- but failed. Also wrote how soccer fans often want others to love their sport the way they do.
I knew I'd get slammed by readers, and I have. So you're not all on vacation.
Some emailers were civil, recommending a soccer book I hadn't read, and in rare cases agreeing with me.
But most responses went like this: Nobody cares about your opinion.
I spent several hours Tuesday and Wednesday morning responding to readers who took time to tell me they didn't care about my opinion.
Gratifying, at least to me, is that when I responded, some of the angriest readers became courteous. They didn't expect a response.
I respond to every reader (eventually) unless -- they say the same thing in every email, strangely invoke dead people or post on a message board my response.
About opinions: I like to read opinions that support mine as well as those that don't. There are political columnists with which I always disagree, yet I read them. I don't need movie critics or sports columnists to like what I like.
Who lives in a world in which everybody agrees with everybody?
I don't.
I'm married.
Tom, I salute you for wading through all the crap many readers post. The internet offers a rewarding opportunity for any idiot to profess his biases and vindictiveness. There are way too many "experts" out here.
Posted by: Somelikeithot | July 13, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Within 10 yrs the Big Three NFL MBA MLB will go bellyup. Actually they will exist but in much smaller revised formats for local and regional markets only.The worlds #1 sport meanwhile moves up at a torid pace poised to be Americas #1 sport. Much cheaper to play and watch. You chumps better get onboard. The times they are a changin.
Major League Soccer is Poised to Overtake the NHL as the 4th Most ...
latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2011/03/24/major-league-soccer-poised-overtake-nhl-4...
Posted by: miguel stephano | July 15, 2011 at 09:45 AM
4th most popular is a bit of a rigged estimate. The NFL averages 67k per game, and MLB around 20k per game. Does that make the NFL three times as popular? Of course not -- there's only 8 home games a year, as opposed to 81 for MLB.
MLS had 3.6 million seats sold last year. That's great growth, and I hope it continues! But the NHL sold 21 million seats last year. MLS plays 20 some games a year, the NHL plays 82. MLS has 15 teams, the NHL 30.
When MLS moves to a 20 team first tier and a 20 team second tier with promotion and relegation and plays a 35+ game season and still averages 15k+ per game, THEN it will pass the NHL.
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