Futbol Frenzy
ESPN says Austin is one of the top cities for World Cup viewership
You may have noticed that the office was a little emptier on Thursday when the U.S. soccer team battled Germany in the World Cup, and now ESPN has the numbers to back up the fact that Austin is full of futbol fanatics.
As first reported by the Austin-American Statesman, ESPN released the details on cities with the highest viewership for Thursday’s game, with Austin coming in as the No. 11 city for viewership during the match. While bigger cities like New York, San Diego and Sacramento came in at the top, Austin is the only Texas city to earn a mention.
With an estimated 10.7 million viewers across the nation, Austin boasted a respectable 7.2 rating (that was more than the total U.S. rating of 6.7 for ESPN’s telecast.) Those certainly aren’t Super Bowl numbers, but they still show the devotion that American soccer fans have (even when a game is played on a Thursday at 11 am).
Despite losing to Germany, the U.S. still advanced to the next round and will face Belgium on July 1 with ESPN beginning coverage at 2:30 pm CT. So when Tuesday comes around, take a long lunch (preferably at one of Austin’s best places to watch the game) and help root the U.S. team on to victory.
