Comments on: What I’m Reading: March 24, 2007

By: David

David — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:51:10 +0000

HeiaVincent – That’s incredible that Chinese TV is buying the rights to Norwegian football. I had no idea! Your league has also influenced American soccer in that some players from MLS have gone there largely because the money is better in Scandinavia. It seems an odd move from soccer-terms (no offense, but I don’t think the Norwegian league is better than MLS) so there must be a secondary, economic rationale. By the way, I’ve checked out your blog. I enjoy the headlines, which are the only part I can read (my Norwegian is, um, nonexistent).

By: HeiaVincent

HeiaVincent — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 15:07:37 +0000

As an addition to the comments about China, I can tell you that Chinese TV has bought the rights to Norwegian football. Something that strikes most Norwegians as odd, as the Norwegian League is… well. Not Primera Division. An educated guess has to be gambling. As the league starts now in April, many games are played while other (and bigger) leagues are on hiatus. So whaddayaknow, the Chinese sure love to place bets!

By: David

David — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:12:37 +0000

Chris – Glad you enjoy the round-up. I’ll check out your website to see what you wrote about the Basque region. I’ve also written a bit about regionalism in Spain if you’re interested: http://cultureofsoccer.com/2007/02/02/loyalty-in-spain-to-club-or-country/.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:21:16 +0000

I agree – an excellent round-up once again, David. Absolutely fascinating what you say about the state of the game in China… and I didn’t realise the Jewish community which is a matter of only a few miles away from me here in London is so pro-English!! Not that I felt they were pro-Israeli in footballing terms, but still very interesting.

Regarding TV audiences in Spain being low, I think you’re right to suggest that the people there are more region-focused. I recently wrote an article on ‘Some People Are On The Pitch’ about the Basque region and its people, and I’d say they – perhaps more than anyone else in Spain – exemplify that particular ethos.

Keep up the good work on this excellent site!

By: David

David — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:59:53 +0000

Linda – Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your insight about Chinese soccer.

By: Linda

Linda — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:32:54 +0000

Great round-up. I do want to disagree with the AP story about the popularity of football in China, though.

It’s popular, alright, but most people support other national teams since ours is so bad. A survey I saw a few months back said that most Chinese support England (why?), with the next biggest fangroups being Brazil and Argentina and so on.

European club football is pretty popular too.

By: David

David — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:38:01 +0000

Bob – Glad you enjoy the posts. It’s good to know because I always wonder if people read and/or get anything out of them.

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:13:18 +0000

I enjoy these posts every weekend. Thanks for making the effort to put them together.

By: David

David — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:13:58 +0000

Thanks, Tom. Glad you enjoy the stories. I try to pick out stories people may not have come across and that I find particularly interesting. I’m glad you find them interesting too.

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 03:44:57 +0000

Outstanding round-up – it’s great to have some really interesting soccer articles picked out to read over the weekend. Thanks for doing this.