It’s not just Europe’s sport any more.
The momentum and excitement the United States soccer team brought with its Round of 16 run during the 2010 World Cup has carried over two years later for a tournament the Americans could never play in.
The number of TV viewers for Euro 2012 has tripled compared to the same tournament four years ago, according to ESPN/ABC, the networks that are airing the entire tournament.
“The attention that is paid to it has grown exponentially,” said ESPN analyst and former United States defender Alexi Lalas.
“The soccer folks are going to watch it regardless, but the interest has grown because of the drama, the theatre, the stars. Americans like spectacles. We love shows and that’s what these tournaments are about, and that’s why we produce it that way for television.”
Through the first six matches of the three-week long tournament, the average number of viewers was up from 428,000 in 2008 to 1,328,000 this year. Those numbers were produced with four of six matches being played last weekend, so they may dip a bit with the majority of the event being played on weekdays when most people are at work. But Sunday’s 1-1 tie between Spain and Italy brought in an average of 2.1 million viewers — more than any match in 2008, except the Spain-Germany final.
What no one can doubt is the talent level of this tournament, which exceeds that of the World Cup.
“With all due respect to South America, the biggest concentration of talent is in Europe,” Lalas said. “They not only have the best players in the world, but the best leagues and the best teams. And this is representative of it. Sixteen teams with the best talent in the world, and that makes it very difficult to handicap.
“The difference between the top and the bottom of the World Cup is one thing, but it shrinks very quickly when you are talking about the top and the bottom of a European championship, and that’s what’s fun. The World Cup is king, but soccer fans recognize there is something unique about the European Championships and they like it whether they have a team in the tournament or not.”
And there have been surprises in the opening round with Denmark shocking the Netherlands, putting the World Cup runner-up on the verge of elimination following its loss to Germany on Wednesday.
“There are no easy games,” Lalas said. “This tournament is manufactured for surprises and that’s part of the fun of it. There is tremendous pressure when you’re talking about the Dutch. This is a team that went to the finals of the World Cup two years ago.”
The Germans are among the favorites, but Spain has a chance to make history if it defends its European Championship title.
“Everyone’s looking to Spain because they have the opportunity to achieve something that’s never been done before, winning back-to-back European titles and winning the World Cup,” Lalas said. “If they win this tournament, they would be viewed as the best national team in history.”