Two major sporting events ended this weekend, the British Open and the FIFA Women's World Cup. Both have effectively killed golf and football in the US for different reasons.
The British Open was won by Darren Clarke, an amateur golfer. The British Open isn't a major championship, at least not on par with the U.S. Open or the Masters, but it's still a big competition where big names compete. When non-professionals win championships after basically recently taking up golf (exaggeration, but you get the point), it helps kill golf. The absence of Tiger Woods at 100% also kills it because as Skip Bayless puts it, we want to see sports with people who are the best in the world.
In the World Cup final, the USA lost to Japan on penalty kicks after tying the game 2-2 in extra time thanks to a header from Homare Sawa, the eventual winner of the Golden Ball. The big question being asked right now is, "will people remember the unbelievable comeback the US had against Brazil?" How many people are aware of Derek Fisher's 0.4 shot? How many people remember LeBron James' buzzer beater against the Orlando Magic 2 years ago? How many people remember Allen Iverson scoring 50 points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers? NOBODY. In due time, people will forget that the USA-Brazil game was so incredibly badly officiated and that the USA won despite being down a player for nearly an hour. People remember the Miracle on Ice, except that game was not the Final of the Olympics, it was only the semifinal and the US still had to win the NEXT game. People just remember the USA-USSR game because it was the height of the Cold War and the Soviets had a "superior" hockey team.
The only people who are going to remember the name Hope Solo are all the men who thought she was incredibly hot. Some people might remember Alex Morgan, especially since she's going to be a star in years to come. But nobody will remember Abby Wambach, probably the unluckiest women's football player ever. Maybe she can win a gold medal in the Olympics next year and finally walk away with some kind of prize, because she's had a very long and very rough career.
Golf and football aren't the only sports sinking in the US. Tennis is becoming less popular, especially since there are only 3 good American tennis players left: Andy Roddick, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams. Football also took a major hit when Real Madrid annihilated the LA Galaxy 4-1. The Galaxy are supposed to be either one of or the best team in MLS this year, so when they lose to a team that didn't even get to the Final in UEFA Champions League, that just shows how much MLS has to catch up with the European leagues. Mexican teams are also losing in droves to Euro squads, definitively showcasing that Primera Division is a bad state of decline.
If this NBA lockout does indeed wipe out the season, it could take a lot of work for any seat to ever unseat gridiron football as the #1 sport in the US now, other than kids just not playing it due to concussion fears.
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