The capitalization in the sport of soccer has grown tremendously throughout the years, especially in the United States. The International Champions Cup was initiated three years ago in hopes of consolidating one-off games into a full month tournament. Stephen Ross invented the idea of created a tournament with a handful of friendlies, a concept that Americans were unfamiliar with at first.
Steve Gans consulted to soccer teams and stated, “Every year, there are some fans who say it is not what they saw on TV and won’t go back.” However, he describes that the growing popularity of the sport within the United States will still have fans continuing to attend friendlies because of their spectacle and devotion to their teams.
To read the entire article visit the New York Times’ webpage here.