Let's talk Hawkeye men's soccer

[Kinnick4Ever]

University athletic departments across the country face a plethora of concerns that threaten to downgrade the sports we grew up loving. Football is especially imperilled, given the corrosive effects of the big bucks involved, not to mention the concussion issue, an aging fan base, etc. Attendance nationwide is on a downward spiral from which it likely will not completely recover.

What does this mean for the future and what should Iowa be doing to remain relevant?

One evolving change--and I can already hear the moans and groans of football traditionalists on this board, almost all of whom will be over the age of 30--is the potential of soccer to become, over time, a truly national sport (improved quality of play across-the-board and regular success in the World Cup will be required but remain within the realm of real possibility) .

We see signs of this enormous potential in our biggest cities: Atlanta packs its brand new stadium for a team that has existed only a couple of years. Kansas City demonstrates a high level of feverish fan involvement that any football program would envy. If the future is where our youth can be found, look to the growing interest in professional soccer among young people. As new generations emerge, as more young people engage in soccer (with fewer choosing to play football), and as our national population of people from soccer-playing countries grows, opportunity beckons.

Leading to a question: Is now the time for Iowa to jump into the fray, to become part of the leading edge of what will surely be a new era in sports--even if we are a generation away? Just as Iowa was a pioneer in intercollegiate football, so too it should be on the ground floor of collegiate men's soccer.

Soccer is merely a club sport at Iowa right now, even though over 200 schools nationwide have NCAA Division I soccer programs. This includes about half the Big Ten schools (five of whom qualified for the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament).

Build now for a strong future. Find a benefactor. Become a soccer blue blood.

It's a long-term bet with obvious adjustments required within the lineup of sports programs at Iowa. It sounds crazy but will not seem so as time passes. Soccer is a world sport like no other. The U.S. will eventually figure this out. And Hawkeye fans will come to love it all if the product is great.

 

[VicHawkeye]

I don't like soccer but if Iowa had a soccer team I could learn to like it. They would have my 100% support.

 

[anon_gjzkhykcp9iuj]

Folks have been saying soccer is going to break out since Pele in the 70s.
Soccer is kinda fun to play, but a horrible spectator sport. Hell, the folks around the world that watch don't do so without copious amounts of alcohol. Heck, even the folks around here that I know who watch it (very very few), do so more as an excuse to go to the bar than to actually watch the game.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

The evolution of football, combined with the continued evolution of the American demographic may eventually lead to an increasing athletic migration toward soccer. On the flip side, regional sports preferences can be quirky. For example, India's obsession with cricket is baffling (why embrace the sport of the British oppressor?). Who would have guessed that Cuba and Japan would become localized baseball superpowers (post WWII American hegemony influenced Japan ... but why did it explode as a sport?)? How about basketball's strong emergence in the Balkans?

 

[squeezebox]

If football disapears so does the rest of college athletics. Basketball will go to the G-league/ or other minor leagues. Title 9 will be finished given the 80 FBS scholarships they must match for womens athletics will also be out.

 

[MepoDawg#]

Folks have been saying soccer is going to break out since Pele in the 70s.
Soccer is kinda fun to play, but a horrible spectator sport. Hell, the folks around the world that watch don't do so without copious amounts of alcohol. Heck, even the folks around here that I know who watch it (very very few), do so more as an excuse to go to the bar than to actually watch the game.

People who say soccer is a horrible spectator sport either don’t understand it or don’t watch international soccer. Do people who watch football not tailgate or go to bars to watch? How much booze is sold at professional hockey and baseball games?

 

[soybean]

Soccer will never rival football, basketball or even baseball and wrestling at Iowa. It will do Ok at schools like Stanford, John Hopkins, Pacific, Columbia and the like...but it ain't gonna go over well at Iowa. It will draw like Rowing and Crew do.

 

[squeezebox]

BIG hockey is blowing up right now. It's too bad UI doesn't have a team, and it is likely too late at this point with Notre Dame, OSU, and PSU.

 

[greenelite]

I'd rather see an Iowa hockey team than a soccer squad.

 

[DaCDiggity]

University athletic departments across the country face a plethora of concerns that threaten to downgrade the sports we grew up loving. Football is especially imperilled, given the corrosive effects of the big bucks involved, not to mention the concussion issue, an aging fan base, etc. Attendance nationwide is on a downward spiral from which it likely will not completely recover.

What does this mean for the future and what should Iowa be doing to remain relevant?

One evolving change--and I can already hear the moans and groans of football traditionalists on this board, almost all of whom will be over the age of 30--is the potential of soccer to become, over time, a truly national sport (improved quality of play across-the-board and regular success in the World Cup will be required but remain within the realm of real possibility) .

We see signs of this enormous potential in our biggest cities: Atlanta packs its brand new stadium for a team that has existed only a couple of years. Kansas City demonstrates a high level of feverish fan involvement that any football program would envy. If the future is where our youth can be found, look to the growing interest in professional soccer among young people. As new generations emerge, as more young people engage in soccer (with fewer choosing to play football), and as our national population of people from soccer-playing countries grows, opportunity beckons.

Leading to a question: Is now the time for Iowa to jump into the fray, to become part of the leading edge of what will surely be a new era in sports--even if we are a generation away? Just as Iowa was a pioneer in intercollegiate football, so too it should be on the ground floor of collegiate men's soccer.

Soccer is merely a club sport at Iowa right now, even though over 200 schools nationwide have NCAA Division I soccer programs. This includes about half the Big Ten schools (five of whom qualified for the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament).

Build now for a strong future. Find a benefactor. Become a soccer blue blood.

It's a long-term bet with obvious adjustments required within the lineup of sports programs at Iowa. It sounds crazy but will not seem so as time passes. Soccer is a world sport like no other. The U.S. will eventually figure this out. And Hawkeye fans will come to love it all if the product is great.

Didn't the club in KC packup shop and move?

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I have less interest in watching soccer than I do women's field hockey. And I really don't have any interest in watching that.

 

[Row55]

As a practical matter, wouldn't adding soccer upset the Title 9 balance (unless more womens sports were then added).

 

[anon_bb9wlf9kj42py]

Didn't the club in KC packup shop and move?

Sporting KC built their own stadium on the west side of town out by the NASCAR track.

I like soccer, my oldest son loves it and it's easily his favorite sport. I disagree that it's not a good spectator sport for various reasons:

1. Every game is over in 2 hours.
2. There are no commercial breaks.
3. You're still outside in nice weather.

I disagree that it will overtake football on any real reasonable time scale. I've been to a Sporting KC game last year. They have a good fanbase but they built a stadium that holds 18,500. That's about as much as an NBA team.

IMO a lot of soccer fans assume that the demise of football will lead fans to pick up soccer. I think this is a poor assumption.

1. Football is by far the most popular sport with women, although soccer isn't far behind.
2. Football is a vastly different game than soccer. Many people who like football like the physical aspect of the game.
3. Youth baseball participation has been increasing significantly the last few years which is a more direct competitor with football.

 

[hawkeyeinmo]

Ugh, soccer. It's a good sport for children and third world countries.

 

[hawkeye54545]

To sum up soccer....it sucks.

 

[HerkyFan]

University athletic departments across the country face a plethora of concerns that threaten to downgrade the sports we grew up loving. Football is especially imperilled, given the corrosive effects of the big bucks involved, not to mention the concussion issue, an aging fan base, etc. Attendance nationwide is on a downward spiral from which it likely will not completely recover.

What does this mean for the future and what should Iowa be doing to remain relevant?

One evolving change--and I can already hear the moans and groans of football traditionalists on this board, almost all of whom will be over the age of 30--is the potential of soccer to become, over time, a truly national sport (improved quality of play across-the-board and regular success in the World Cup will be required but remain within the realm of real possibility) .

We see signs of this enormous potential in our biggest cities: Atlanta packs its brand new stadium for a team that has existed only a couple of years. Kansas City demonstrates a high level of feverish fan involvement that any football program would envy. If the future is where our youth can be found, look to the growing interest in professional soccer among young people. As new generations emerge, as more young people engage in soccer (with fewer choosing to play football), and as our national population of people from soccer-playing countries grows, opportunity beckons.

Leading to a question: Is now the time for Iowa to jump into the fray, to become part of the leading edge of what will surely be a new era in sports--even if we are a generation away? Just as Iowa was a pioneer in intercollegiate football, so too it should be on the ground floor of collegiate men's soccer.

Soccer is merely a club sport at Iowa right now, even though over 200 schools nationwide have NCAA Division I soccer programs. This includes about half the Big Ten schools (five of whom qualified for the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament).

Build now for a strong future. Find a benefactor. Become a soccer blue blood.

It's a long-term bet with obvious adjustments required within the lineup of sports programs at Iowa. It sounds crazy but will not seem so as time passes. Soccer is a world sport like no other. The U.S. will eventually figure this out. And Hawkeye fans will come to love it all if the product is great.

I was on the club team at Iowa my first three years of school back in the mid 1980’s. At that point there was a fair amount of talk when Bump Elliot was the AD about the club team becoming a varsity sport. We played several Big Ten Varsity programs back then but the title 9 thing kept it from really getting off the ground. Now that was when there were 105 scholarships for football so adding a men’s sport was really difficult. They were already in the process of adding the women’s soccer team that exists today. The finances for a team are relatively small outside of the scholarships.

Great thought just too tough to pull the trigger then and probably now as well.

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

People who say soccer is a horrible spectator sport either don’t understand it or don’t watch international soccer. Do people who watch football not tailgate or go to bars to watch? How much booze is sold at professional hockey and baseball games?

Seen it. Meh.

Also could do without the flopping around on the ground like they tripped an anti personnel mine when someone fouls them.

 

[DaCDiggity]

Sporting KC built their own stadium on the west side of town out by the NASCAR track.

I like soccer, my oldest son loves it and it's easily his favorite sport. I disagree that it's not a good spectator sport for various reasons:

1. Every game is over in 2 hours.
2. There are no commercial breaks.
3. You're still outside in nice weather.

I disagree that it will overtake football on any real reasonable time scale. I've been to a Sporting KC game last year. They have a good fanbase but they built a stadium that holds 18,500. That's about as much as an NBA team.

IMO a lot of soccer fans assume that the demise of football will lead fans to pick up soccer. I think this is a poor assumption.

1. Football is by far the most popular sport with women, although soccer isn't far behind.
2. Football is a vastly different game than soccer. Many people who like football like the physical aspect of the game.
3. Youth baseball participation has been increasing significantly the last few years which is a more direct competitor with football.

Ohh my sister was talking about how they left.
Edit: the women's team left so that's what I was thinking of

 

[here_for_the_hawkeyes]

Check out the Champions League games today and tomorrow for an enjoyable viewing experience. Awesome environments.

 

[here_for_the_hawkeyes]

Dont give me this garbage. I understand soccer just fine and have watched plenty of international soccer. I still think it's crap to watch. Along with 95% of the people i know. Gotta love the dipskits who pull out the "you just don't understand it" crap. Ya, and i dont like figure skating "because i dont understand it and watch enough." Dumbest argument in the world.

You can't really objectively say something is or isn't entertaining. People like what they like. And more and more Americans are gravitating towards soccer as an enjoyable spectator sport.

 

[TheGuy9]

People who say soccer is a horrible spectator sport either don’t understand it or don’t watch international soccer. Do people who watch football not tailgate or go to bars to watch? How much booze is sold at professional hockey and baseball games?

I love soccer. I actually played it in High school in the 70's and played club soccer in college. I have been a referee at the high school level and below and watched both my sons play high school and college soccer (D2 and D3).
Unfortunately, soccer isn't a good spectator sport, particularly the way it is played in the United States. American coaches take the creativity out of the game. If you want to watch fun, innovative soccer, you need to watch the South Americans and select European teams like Spain and Portugal.
To make a football comparison; American soccer is like watching a team that runs the ball up the middle on 1st and 2nd downs and then throws a screen pass on third down. International soccer as played by the aforementioned teams is like the spread and run and shoot all in one.

 

[HawkPT]

As a baseball fan, I hope men's soccer and men's hockey never become varsity sports at the University of Iowa. This is the reality of modern day college sports, unfortunately, and I know that wrestling would have much more staying power at Iowa than baseball.

 

[RoundRock620]

Folks have been saying soccer is going to break out since Pele in the 70s.
Soccer is kinda fun to play, but a horrible spectator sport. Hell, the folks around the world that watch don't do so without copious amounts of alcohol. Heck, even the folks around here that I know who watch it (very very few), do so more as an excuse to go to the bar than to actually watch the game.

You realize the average actual playing time in a football game is 11 minutes?
And you sit for 3 hours and wait for 11 minutes? Can it be more boring than that? Well, it can - a baseball game. Soccer (actually, football) is a beautiful game, but it has to be part of your culture to really really love it.

 

[RoundRock620]

The evolution of football, combined with the continued evolution of the American demographic may eventually lead to an increasing athletic migration toward soccer. On the flip side, regional sports preferences can be quirky. For example, India's obsession with cricket is baffling (why embrace the sport of the British oppressor?). Who would have guessed that Cuba and Japan would become localized baseball superpowers (post WWII American hegemony influenced Japan ... but why did it explode as a sport?)? How about basketball's strong emergence in the Balkans?

>How about basketball's strong emergence in the Balkans?

Emergence? Yugoslavia was world champion in 1971. The moment that final game was over, we cut 2-3 inch wide top part of a metal (round) trash can, nailed it on a wooden light pole and played "basketball" with a soccer ball day and night. Soon, I got areal basketball (rubber) and asked my uncle to make me a real basketball rim (the board came way way later) but I gave him wrong dimensions and he made me a rim barely wider than the ball. I had to practice (again day and night) on such rim and needless to say developed into a deadly shooting guard. Today's kids don't know shit.

 

[Wadzinator]

Watching soccer is like watching golf boring nothing compares to college football.Go Hawks

 

[wneff]

As a practical matter, wouldn't adding soccer upset the Title 9 balance (unless more womens sports were then added).

Yes. My guess is that it would mean the end of men's gymnastics, but that probably still wouldn't get them enough scholarships for soccer. I googled it: men's gymnastics is 6.3 scholarships and soccer is 9.9.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

How has this thread made it this far without a title 9 mention?

 

[KuwaitHawk]

Title 9 was a minor mention back a few posts.

 

[meatloaf55]

I'm all for adding more teams, I would personally love to see men's hockey at Iowa. I don't know if we will ever see Iowa sporting these teams but they would have my support if we do.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Check out the Champions League games today and tomorrow for an enjoyable viewing experience. Awesome environments.

Iowa > Champions League soccer

 

[hknation]

Maybe soccer could be a kicking feeder program for the football special teams. Also a place to "hide" football over offered scholarships. Just say'n.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

>How about basketball's strong emergence in the Balkans?

Emergence? Yugoslavia was world champion in 1971. The moment that final game was over, we cut 2-3 inch wide top part of a metal (round) trash can, nailed it on a wooden light pole and played "basketball" with a soccer ball day and night. Soon, I got areal basketball (rubber) and asked my uncle to make me a real basketball rim (the board came way way later) but I gave him wrong dimensions and he made me a rim barely wider than the ball. I had to practice (again day and night) on such rim and needless to say developed into a deadly shooting guard. Today's kids don't know shit.

I wasn't suggesting that the emergence was recent. The point being that, just as you indicated, basketball exploded in the Balkans. That's simply interesting because the game didn't originate there. Similarly, India has been fanatical about cricket for a long damn time too.

 

[twindman]

I consider hockey and soccer to be like BB played with the thing on the rim that is about 1/2 inch larger than the ball. Used for tip drills. At least it was in the 60s when I saw it at junior college.
So you run up and down and pass and shoot and the score is 1-0. Ya, that is soccer all right!

 

[Franisdaman]

Folks have been saying soccer is going to break out since Pele in the 70s.
Soccer is kinda fun to play, but a horrible spectator sport. Hell, the folks around the world that watch don't do so without copious amounts of alcohol. Heck, even the folks around here that I know who watch it (very very few), do so more as an excuse to go to the bar than to actually watch the game.

yeah, St Paul is building a brand new $200M soccer stadium for MN United FC; the main question i seem to get is how expensive will the beer be. Also, they tore down an old grocery store and part of a mini mall to allow for the stadium and development. What they didn't tear down? A liquor store. Shocker.

 

[JRHawk2003]

Iowa has a title IX problem with adding soccer as is. HOWEVER, I do not understand why we have a men's gymnastics team when there are NO high school boys gymnastics programs in the state while soccer is now one of the most popular sports by participation. It makes no sense to bring in out of state guys for gymnastics while D-1 soccer talent in our own state has to leave or play at Drake.

 

[spbc7]

Soccer is almost as boring as wrestling. We need a hockey team before a soccer team

 

[DogBoyRy]

Iowa has a title IX problem with adding soccer as is. HOWEVER, I do not understand why we have a men's gymnastics team when there are NO high school boys gymnastics programs in the state while soccer is now one of the most popular sports by participation. It makes no sense to bring in out of state guys for gymnastics while D-1 soccer talent in our own state has to leave or play at Drake.

This is true but with everyone who thinks Iowa could ever be competitive in men's hockey or soccer/kickball doesn't understand the scholarship rules/limits and how the lack of talent in Iowa would make it impossible.

 

[JRHawk2003]

This is true but with everyone who thinks Iowa could ever be competitive in men's hockey or soccer/kickball doesn't understand the scholarship rules/limits and how the lack of talent in Iowa would make it impossible.

I dont think the lack of talent is any worse in soccer than it is relative to any other sport. I think we could be competitive in the Big 10.

 

[Rustys Dad]

I'd watch badminton ... or checkers ... before I would watch soccer.

 

[RogerKint]

I'd watch badminton ... or checkers ... before I would watch soccer.

Be careful Clark. Badminton is a blast!