Where would soccer be without… is dedicated to the people, places and things that have been instrumental in the growth of soccer in the United States. The growth of the game in the US has not taken the most conventional route and this series hopes to pay homage to those who came before us in making the beautiful game truly beautiful in the United States.
Today’s maiden voyage takes a brief look at what one person calls the ‘nerve center’ of soccer in the US, the message board/forum.
With clubs and companies scrambling to integrate the latest bells and whistles from social media into their website, the overlooked simplicity of soccer forums remain an integral part of our American Soccer landscape.
In the United States, as soccer began to take hold and grow, message boards such as BigSoccer sprang up to provide a community for everyone interested in the beautiful game. Big Soccer was referred to as “arguably the nerve center of American soccer”, by Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch. Other sites continue to provide places for fans to meet and discuss, such as Xtratime.com or fill a niche, such as DIIIkicks.com (which finds itself in a state of disrepair at the moment).
Message boards provided soccer fans with their own community when the internet was still in it’s infancy. They were easy to manage, and the content which was originally generated from the message board creators shifted to the fans, who soon constructed their own topics and theories on what was happening in soccer in the United States. Gone were the days of having to suffer through endless discussions about how soccer would never grow in the United States and welcome to the days where your voice could be heard and where you could find fans who shared the same passion.
The bottom line for forums content wise is simple, you never know what you will find. It’s the rumor mill times 100, and with nothing needed to back up rash generalizations and just complete and utter nonsense there is plenty of garbage content lurking on these sites. However, there is also plenty of great thought and ideas on forums as well, you simply have to learn to take the good with the bad.
For every person on a message board that is genuine, there is a troll that is not, posting irrelevant comments and spouting off conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory. This common complaint against the boards is really a non-issue, as most of these people are weeded out by the fans, or by an always appropriate Don’t feed the trolls comeback. A healthy dose of forums plus actual journalistic content provides fans with more than enough information about their club for the day.
For years message boards were also the only source for what was going on in soccer outside of the United States. Those who were able to catch a glimpse of a game in the UK or Europe posted their thoughts and recaps of the games, and I remember reading loads of those posts back when I was using dial-up AOL or MSN Network. Shudders.
BigSoccer – like it or leave it
BigSoccer and it’s contributing fans helped push the MLS through it’s growing pains, giving fans a place to voice their opinion in unison. Not only did the forums attract fans to discuss with other fans, but also Peter Wilt (former Pres/GM of Chicago Fire, RedStars CEO and now Pres/CEO of Milwaukee Wave) made regular appearances on the boards, promoting a transparency that was rare at the time, but now is considered to be the norm. Even Wilt’s Wikipedia entry acknowledges this.
Wilt was known for answering questions from fans through the BigSoccer Internet message boards [1], and now maintains his own blog on Chicago soccer issues.
The MLS recognized the validity of the BigSoccer board and continues to point their ‘forums’ link on MLSnet.com to the MLS forums at BigSoccer. I make it a point to visit the National Premier Soccer League section on various forums everyday to check what people are saying about the league and have received many comments (both good and bad) about what we can do better from the league as a whole.
Some have a love/hate relationship with BigSoccer and it’s posters, but whether you post there frequently or avoid it like the plague, you cannot take away it’s place in the American Soccer Landscape.
As the paradigm began to shift from generic ‘soccer fan’ in the United States, to ‘I support xyz team’, fans began to create their own message boards in support of their local sides, joining in what had been happening in England for quite some time. While fans formed Supporters Clubs to unite themselves under a common banner for the support of one team, message boards became instrumental in organizing and gathering the masses and continue to do so.
The concept of a message board or forum extends well outside of the United States. My first stops on the internet every morning are to Palanganas.com and Hastalamuerte.net, both Sevilla FC forums that keep me up to date with what is going on in Nervión. Both these boards have been instrumental in keeping me connected with fans in Sevilla and allow me to feel a part of the club even if I am 4,000 miles away.
Without message boards where could I go to hear the latest MLS rumors and updates while being one click away from some kid getting blasted in the face after a penalty rebound. The boards combine the good with the bad, the intelligent with the unintelligent, and the thought provoking with the STFU n00b all in one, extremely important component in the American Soccer Landscape.
Do you continue to visit forums? Which do you visit and why, or is it just a place for trolls and flame wars?
Coming in the next installment: Lionel Bienvenue’s EPL Wrap Up Show
