Roger Bennett moved to the United States in 1996 and had to follow big Everton matches by telephone with his father holding the receiver up to the radio.
Bennett hosts the popular Men In Blazers soccer talk show on Grantland and SiriusXM with Michael Davies.
“It is often said that baseball blew up in America in the age of radio, and the N.F.L. rose to dominance once television took over,” Bennett said. “Soccer is the perfect sport for the Internet era. American fans can follow games and instantaneously track information from global leagues both big and small, feeling as close to their favorite teams as if they lived within a thrown beer of their stadium.”
Bennett also credits early start times for the rise in popularity of soccer in the United States.
“You should never underestimate the allure of daytime drinking,” Mr. Bennett said. “If you’re in a bar at 7 in morning with a pint of Guinness, you have a social problem. If you are in a bar at 7 in the morning with that same pint of Guinness and Chelsea is on TV, you’re a football fan.”
Alex Williams/New York Times
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