Will football in America stick?

{"text":[[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":7.2,"text":"Good morning from New York City, where everyone seems to be utterly obsessed with the biggest story in sport. I’m not talking about the World Cup, which barely seems to register here, but basketball."}],[{"start":18.15,"text":"The New York Knicks rounded off their NBA title win — the first in more than five decades — with a parade through the streets of downtown Manhattan on Thursday morning. As many as 2mn fans thronged the streets, and — for those of us trying to drive in from LaGuardia airport — it certainly felt like it. That’s the power of a one-team town (apologies to the Brooklyn Nets, a transplant in 2012 from New Jersey)."}],[{"start":41.7,"text":"Following Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League win and Arsenal’s Premier League triumph, big global cities are where the action is this year."}],[{"start":50.800000000000004,"text":"This week we look at the domestic US audience for the World Cup. Plus we speak to the president of the Kansas City Chiefs about hosting the tournament. Do read on — Josh Noble, sports editor"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":62.60000000000001,"text":"Young, rich and growing: football’s US fan base"}],[{"start":66.80000000000001,"text":"All the commotion around the New York Knicks’ win has highlighted that while football is getting bigger, it can’t yet compete with the real headliners of American sport. "}],[{"start":78.35000000000001,"text":"Ahead of the World Cup, only 12 per cent of Americans said they planned to follow it, according to YouGov, compared to 57 per cent in Mexico and 38 per cent in the UK and France. "}],[{"start":89.25000000000001,"text":"Many people are trying to change that. The marketing push around football happening in the US right now is relentless. For Americans tuning in from home, every TV ad break is crammed with football-themed commercials, both from official tournament sponsors and those simply looking to ride the wave. "}],[{"start":107.50000000000001,"text":"That’s been a boost for Fox, which is airing the tournament. The game between the US and Paraguay hit an average audience of almost 16mn, a record. For comparison, game five of the NBA Finals — when the Knicks won the title — managed an average of 24.5mn. "}],[{"start":125.50000000000001,"text":"Other teams are pulling in big audiences too. Brazil’s match against Morocco drew more than 10mn viewers on Fox, and Argentina’s win over Algeria was close behind with just over 9mn. As the tournament goes on, those numbers are likely to keep rising. Bullish for all those ad slots — including Fifa’s new controversial hydration breaks (brought to you by Lenovo). "}],[{"start":149.5,"text":"The record US viewership for a Premier League match (Manchester City vs Arsenal in April) is 2.6mn, so these games are reaching well beyond the existing core football audience. "}],[{"start":161.1,"text":"However, Nielsen also claims that there are more than 60mn football fans in the US. If that number is accurate, you might wonder why only a fraction of those people are actually watching games. "}],[{"start":173.7,"text":"Meanwhile in shop windows — from thrift stores to global fashion chains — mannequins have been dressed up in football shirts, while sportswear retailers are teeming with enthusiastic fans looking for new gear. At Nike’s flagship store in Los Angeles, eight of the top 10 biggest-selling items this year have been football-related. "}],[{"start":194.64999999999998,"text":"The full impact of the tournament on US interest won’t really be understood for many years. Time (and money) is on football’s side. The average American football fan is 33, according to Nielsen, which is four years younger than the typical US sports fan. They are also richer. YouGov says that 68 per cent of US-based football fans fall into the middle- and high-income bracket, compared to 55 per cent of the US population. "}],[{"start":223.24999999999997,"text":"So in short, football fans in America are still a relatively rare breed. But their ranks are growing, and their wealth and youth make them very attractive targets for advertisers. This World Cup offers a chance to accelerate what is already happening, but we don’t know yet if it’s working. "}],[{"start":240.39999999999998,"text":"Sports Exchange: KC Chiefs president Mark Donovan"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":244.95,"text":"Scoreboard caught up with Chiefs president Mark Donovan, who oversees the NFL team’s business operations and played a key role in bringing the World Cup to Kansas City."}],[{"start":254.79999999999998,"text":"Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 on Tuesday at Arrowhead Stadium — or “Kansas City Stadium”, as Fifa’s strict branding rules require it to be called — the home of the Chiefs. "}],[{"start":266,"text":"Lionel Messi’s hat-trick capped a memorable night for the World Cup’s smallest host city, which is enjoying a rare moment in the international spotlight. Officials hope a projected 650,000 visitors and a $653mn economic boost will offset the almost $200mn in public spending required to stage the tournament."}],[{"start":289.15,"text":"In the excerpt below, Donovan explains what hosting the tournament means for Kansas City. Read the full interview for more on the Chiefs’ plan to go global."}],[{"start":299.75,"text":"Benjamin Wilhelm: What was the Chiefs’ role in the World Cup bid and how did you pitch Fifa on Kansas City? "}],[{"start":306.05,"text":"Mark Donovan: The World Cup bid is a great example of Kansas City coming together because, not being a major market, it’d be difficult for us to compete. I think the genesis of us even being at the table was [Chiefs founder] Lamar [Hunt]’s vision and his dream of soccer in the US and building the stadium that he built that somewhat follows [Mexico City’s] Estadio Azteca and his love of World Cup soccer. "}],[{"start":328.1,"text":"And then for everybody in our region, really, both states, sports commission, [soccer teams Kansas City Current and Sporting Kansas City], all coming together . . . and understanding this is much bigger than any of us. And this is going to be something that’s going to be generational. Our role was critical in that we’re the venue. I think the ability to [move] relatively quickly in the bid process, from doing agreements with both states, and how we’re going to fund the $40mn-plus of renovation we had to do on the stadium just to host the game. Now we’re going to make that make sense. "}],[{"start":357.55,"text":"I do think that our history of really successfully hosting major events puts Kansas City on a different scale. And I think you’re going to see more and more of that . . . the trend that this town is on is pretty impressive."}],[{"start":370.3,"text":"We went into it, and [CEO of KC Sports Commission] Kathy Nelson and I joked [that] we were hoping to get a match, [but we got] six [including] a quarter-final. You look at the other cities that are getting quarter-finals and it’s a pride point for us to say we’re in that mix now. We’re the same as Boston, Miami, LA. We can play on that field."}],[{"start":391.85,"text":"BW: You mentioned the renovations that you had to do. How challenging was that? Is it worth it in the end financially? "}],[{"start":398.35,"text":"MD: When Lamar came to Kansas City in 1963, he made a couple of promises, and one was that we as an organisation would be active in the community. Decades later, that’s still a part of what drives us. And this is one that’s much more so than playing games. Financially, if you [do] a Harvard Business School case study, if you look at this just on paper, this doesn’t make business sense. "}],[{"start":424.20000000000005,"text":"But if you look at it broader and the impact it has in the community, the footing that it puts us on and the exponential benefits in the future of doing this successfully, it made perfect sense. "}],[{"start":436.1,"text":"We’re making changes to Arrowhead that make it possible to have this game. They’re significant. This makes a lot of sense because of what the World Cup represents for our region and the opportunity that it creates for the future."}],[{"start":449.55,"text":"Highlights"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":450.55,"text":"MotoGP, the motorbike racing series owned by US group Liberty Media, agreed a deal to confirm the presence of its five manufacturers — Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM and Yamaha — on the grid through 2031. Liberty, which also owns Formula 1, is aiming to diversify and grow the revenues of MotoGP."}],[{"start":472.55,"text":"Crystal Palace is up for sale, among other strategic possibilities. Apollo co-founder Josh Harris, former Blackstone executive David Blitzer and Woody Johnson, a member of the family behind the Johnson & Johnson healthcare empire, alongside Palace executive chair Steve Parish, are the key shareholders."}],[{"start":491.90000000000003,"text":"DAZN, the lossmaking sports streamer owned by billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik, is restructuring its business to make it easier to raise new money and explore a possible public listing. "}],[{"start":503.75000000000006,"text":"Fox Corporation agreed to buy Roku for $22bn in cash and shares, as streaming continues to capture a bigger share of viewership in live sports and news. The billionaire Murdoch family is taking over a platform that reaches more than 100mn global streaming households. "}],[{"start":521.5500000000001,"text":"Scarcity remains a driver of sports valuations. In fact, US multiples are so high that wealthy investors are continuing to scour Europe for sports clubs. RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale and BDT & MSD Partners chief Gregg Lemkau shared their insights with the FT’s US finance editor, James Fontanella-Khan, following the Knicks’ triumph in the NBA Finals."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":544.6,"text":"Transfer Market"}],[{"start":546.8000000000001,"text":"Spanish World Cup winner Juan Mata was named special adviser to stadium designer Populous. The firm says Mata’s perspective will help to ensure that it takes into account the “realities of modern football and the needs of players and technical staff” as clubs build infrastructure including stadiums and training centres."}],[{"start":568.1500000000001,"text":"Final Whistle(s)"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":570.3000000000001,"text":"The Norwegians rowed up an escalator. Japanese fans discovered Texas BBQ. Brazilians conquered Philadelphia’s Rocky steps. Massachusetts “legalised” haggis in honour of visiting Scottish fans. And Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thierry Henry reminded everyone that they are still pretty handy with a football."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":595.6,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1782005024_1844.mp3"}