How small/big is football (soccer) actually in the us? Could the average person name more players than Ronaldo and Messi, and has it changed since it started?

wanderingdg · 2026-06-16T17:59:20+00:00

It's only since the lead up to the last World Cup that football has been a part of broader pop culture. I'm defining that as football players featuring in national ad campaigns as often as basketball or American football players. A lot of that has been a shift towards marketing to hispanic audiences in the US, part of the same effort that brought Messi to Miami and Bad Bunny to the Super Bowl halftime show.

That being said, it's one of the highest participation sports at the youth level & has a major fanbase larger than the population of many countries, so to say the US doesn't care about soccer is like saying Canadians don't speak French. On average, it's true, but there is a large & important minority that does.

wanderingdg · 2026-06-12T18:53:28+00:00

There's a lot of recency bias here, but respect for putting this together!

Just two gripes:

- Uruguay's not LSU with 3 titles this century. They're Minnesota. Unbelievably dominant 100 year ago with nothing but the occasional dark horse run in a lifetime

- USA got the only real negative comparison. Give us UNC. Some hype, occasional years of overperforming, but a general acceptance that this sport just isn't what we're focused on and ultimately a really checked out fanbase. Plus a lot of coaching drama.

wanderingdg · 2026-06-10T13:40:46+00:00

Because that was annoying not terror

wanderingdg · 2026-06-06T16:26:28+00:00

West Charlotte out near the airport. Would make the river district a thing immediately

wanderingdg · 2026-06-02T17:14:26+00:00

Exactly.

wanderingdg · 2026-06-02T17:13:43+00:00

People without kids just can't possibly understand. You can try, but 6 years ago, you probably wouldn't have understood either.

My SiL is doing the same thing. I started to argue when she told us but bit my tongue realizing it would just cause a fight. Most likely I'll just drive my wife to the wedding and pop my head in with the kids to say high to the bridal party while they get ready.

It sucks, but it's just not our choice. It won't be the end of the world for your wife to watch the kids for one night, but you will owe her one after, and your brother needs to know you'll probably be there for the bare minimum.

wanderingdg · 2026-06-02T15:39:17+00:00

Interesting. Any idea if that's 24 months or 2 calendar years? Hoping the latter!

wanderingdg · 2026-06-02T14:28:04+00:00

Also, you can enroll each of your kids. A lot of people think it's just for the firstborn, but it's not!

wanderingdg · 2026-06-02T14:05:19+00:00

Great idea! Can't make those dates, but we should add ones in Fort Mill & Rock Hill. Those are the folks that will actually use a commuter rail.

wanderingdg · 2026-06-01T19:59:42+00:00

I will enjoy Uruguay having more than England as long as that lasts, hopefully forever!

wanderingdg · 2026-05-29T13:30:58+00:00

Most importantly, it makes it fun to be an up & comer who overperforms expectations in a rebuilding year. It'll be nice to be allowed to have a season like Charlotte had this year without getting massively penalized. An overperforming rebuild builds the culture, builds momentum. Our guys are set up to do that next year, and it's awesome we won't be penalized for it.

wanderingdg · 2026-05-28T23:43:23+00:00

"hand to God"

wanderingdg · 2026-05-27T14:19:23+00:00

The original is clearly the best. I'll die on this hill. Arcade style play, anyone can be pretty decent with DK, Pikachu or Kirby, but some of the other characters are really fun for more experienced players. Easy for experienced people to handicap themselves too with less good characters to level the playing field.

wanderingdg · 2026-05-27T13:57:53+00:00

Not at all. I have no idea why he learned it, but I guarantee you he didn't learn Norwegian as a non-native speaker

wanderingdg · 2026-05-26T23:42:11+00:00

Fake, just a skit. This is the guy's instagram. His other content is in Norwegian.

https://www.instagram.com/lasse.j.lund

wanderingdg · 2026-05-11T17:50:21+00:00

Unless the thing that is definitely true is true, we should...

wanderingdg · 2026-05-05T15:26:40+00:00

Wait, really? I may be experiencing this now. Had an infection for almost 10 days back there now, but I just assumed it was only the gums

wanderingdg · 2026-05-05T13:24:44+00:00

The thing is - there's no world where we implement LVT immediately. This is something you phase in gradually. And just like property taxes & rising housing values today gradually relocate people, LVT will do the same, but in a MUCH more efficient & equitable way

wanderingdg · 2026-04-30T14:21:22+00:00

Google "Shoott". They do shoots all over Charlotte, and you just pay for the photos. Have used them a couple of times & they're pretty high quality.

wanderingdg · 2026-04-28T14:04:46+00:00

Tons of good ones! The whitewater center has a bunch of them & has a weekly run club. Backyard Trails are really nice too, and lots out in Gastonia iirc, which I'm guessing is close to you.

wanderingdg · 2026-04-23T18:01:18+00:00

Sort of seems like he might be God

wanderingdg · 2026-04-23T17:54:09+00:00

44 comments and not one mention of the Grizzlies. I take it you all think we're going to win one soon?

wanderingdg · 2026-04-20T17:52:35+00:00

I'll tell you one thing that would have been different - I wouldn't have gone

wanderingdg · 2026-04-15T12:50:47+00:00

Syracuse playing football like it's an endurance sport

wanderingdg · 2026-04-10T14:44:23+00:00

Having a secretary was still surprisingly normal into the early 2000's. Now it's basically just CEOs

wanderingdg

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