BigSoccer

Infobox Website
name = BigSoccer
favicon =



caption =
url = http://www.bigsoccer.com/
commercial =
type = Internet forum
registration = ~130,000
owner = Big Internet Group LLC.
author = Jesse Hertzberg
launch date = 1995
current status = Active
revenue =

BigSoccer.com is one of the most popular football (soccer)-related websites in the United States. The site has more than 100,000 registered users, and had over 1.2 million unique visitors during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. BigSoccer is the de-facto home of American soccer, read by not only fans, but also industry executives. The site is self-stated as the most widely read and regularly read soccer publication in the United States, excluding retail catalogs. In addition to (or in spite of) its popularity in the United States, 40% of the site's traffic comes from outside the United States, with the site having particular popularity in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.

Influence in American soccer

BigSoccer, described by Richard Deitsch of SI.com as "arguably the nerve center of American soccer" [cite news
last=Deitsch
first=Richard
url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/richard_deitsch/07/20/media.arena/index.html
title=Vocal Coach
publisher=SI.com
date=2006-07-20
accessdate=2007-01-18] , is read by prominent members of American soccer, including players, officials and coaches, as well as members of the media.

Former Chicago Fire general manager Peter Wilt regularly used the site to communicate with the club's supporters, and D.C. United senior vice president Stephen Zack does the same. [cite news
last=Hruby
first=Patrick
url=http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20030521-125924-1233r.htm
title=It came from the message boards
publisher=The Washington Times
date=2003-05-21
accessdate=2007-01-18] Former US national team head coach Bruce Arena, who was introduced to BigSoccer by his successor Bob Bradley, said the site "helps me with some reports from Guatemala. I can find out more about their team over the Internet than just about any other way." [cite news
last=Wahl
first=Grant
url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/grant_wahl/news/2000/09/06/wahl_insider/
title=Hankinson: A latter-day Dick Howser?
publisher=SI.com
date=2000-09-07
accessdate=2007-01-18] And in October 2006, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber invited BigSoccer readers to submit questions, and his answers, whose subjects ranged from the league's marketing strategy to expansion, were posted on the site. [cite news
last=Bell
first=Jack
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/sports/soccer/11soccer.html
title=Wait May Be Solution, Not Obstacle, for U.S.
publisher=New York Times
date=2006-10-11
accessdate=2007-01-18] [cite news
last=
first=
url=http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=419851
title=The Answers
publisher=BigSoccer
date=2006-10-06
accessdate=2007-01-18]

History

Founded by Jesse Hertzberg as personal hobby in 1995 with Ethan Beard joining in 1997, the site was originally located at www.inch.com/~huss and was created in the wake of the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and in anticipation of the launch of Major League Soccer (which eventually was delayed from 1995 to 1996). The site was used to post links to MLS and US Soccer related news, with a particular focus on his local MLS team in New York (soon to be announced as the MetroStars, now known as the New York Red Bulls).

In the beginning, a significant number of BigSoccer posters came from the North American Soccer (NAS) listserv. In the early to mid-90s, the NAS list was one of the best sources of information and one of the only opportunities for community for supporters of the United States men's national soccer team. With the advent of MLS, the NAS list soon sprouted listservs for many of the teams in the new league as well. As the "bulletin board" technology advanced, the listservs soon faded away.

The site evolved in two directions, becoming two distinct sites, MetroFan.com and SoccerBoards.com (which evolved into the current BigSoccer.com). While MetroFan continued to focus on the local MLS squad and eventually evolved into MetroFanatic.com, SoccerBoards invited other MLS fan clubs to join an interactive forum where they could share news, gossip, opinions, etc. about their local MLS side, the league, and US Soccer, as well other soccer teams and leagues around the world.

This new online community grew rapidly, as it was one of the few (if not the only) place for American soccer fans to turn to find fellow fans with like-minded interests.

SoccerBoards continued to be a hobby for its founders until 2000, when, with financial backing from StarMedia Network, the business was renamed BigSoccer and became a full-time endeavor. The company acquired Matchday USA, a soccer magazine and online retailer, later that year. Though the magazine was subsequently shut down, the retail operations have grown substantially and today the BigSoccer Shop, in partnership with 365 and Eurosport, carries over 10,000 products from dozens of countries and hundreds of teams.

In addition to NAS, many smaller online soccer communities migrated to BigSoccer. These include Soccer America Graffiti.

Partnerships

* In 2003, BigSoccer partnered with News Corporation's Fox Sports World (now Fox Soccer Channel) to become the network's official online community provider. The relationship was terminated in 2004. [cite press release
title=Fox Sports World, the Home of World Class Soccer, Launches an All-New Web Site: www.foxsportsworld.lycos.com
publisher=Fox Sports World
date=2003-03-05
url=http://www.emailwire.com/news/spo3434.shtml
format=HTML
language=English
accessdate=2007-01-19
quote=With the launch of its new site, FoxSportsWorld.com also teams up with BigSoccer, North America's premier soccer online community, to combine FoxSportsWorld.com content with BigSoccer's popular message board services to serve and encourage the growing community of soccer fans in the United States. ]
* In August 2006, BigSoccer launched a partnership with Major League Soccer, to become the official supplier of online community tools to the league's and teams' official websites.

Forums and community

The community uses the following hierarchial structure: forum category (e.g. Americas), forum (e.g. Canada), and topic (e.g. Canada vs Mexico). There are 385 forums.

The forums are organized in 'pyramids' by region, which each level and section of the pyramid having a community. Regions are subdivided into countries, countries are subdivided into leagues and national teams, leagues are subdivided into divisions, and divisions are subdivided into teams. Some teams are further subdivided by supporters club.

Additionally, forums are organized for general discussions including FIFA, international tournaments, business and media, and dozens of non-soccer related areas

The oldest forum is New York Red Bulls (formerly MetroStars). The most popular forums are (in order) Politics, Arsenal, Major League Soccer, and Yanks Abroad.

Moderation

BigSoccer currently has 361 moderators and administrators, whose job is to keep the forums clear of spam and to keep arguments from getting out of hand. Moderators are selected from users who have contributed to discussions in a positive manner. Depending on their role, moderators may be responsible for just one team forum, or a region.

A senior level of moderators, called Super Moderators and Region Moderators, can punish users who break BigSoccer's rules and Terms of Service with an escalating series of disciplinary actions, starting with a warning, then followed by a yellow card (cannot start threads or edit posts for a certain amount of time) or a red card (an outright forum or site ban).

References

External links

*cite web
url = http://www.soccerloop.com/interviews/big.soccer/
title = SL Interview: Jesse Hertzberg
accessdate = 2007-01-19
publisher = Soccer Loop