"How video game is changing face of soccer"

From ESPN FC

Review by Heather Holston in KIN 332 (section 1)

I found an article from ESPN soccer net that was talking about the popular game FIFA. EA Sports states that their game is helping make soccer more popular in the United States. They say consumers play the game and then want to follow the teams they play. Also with the help of World Cups and technology, soccer is becoming a sport of the future for America. Americans can keep up now with their favorite international teams because of the internet. Most of these consumers are ages eighteen to twenty four. FIFA is the second most video game behind Madden football to do well. FIFA 12 sold the most video games in retail in a week. The latest version of FIFA 13 just came out September 25th. EA Sports first tried to get FIFA into Americans homes by using international superstars such as Wayne Rooney from Manchester United to promote the product. However, Americans haven’t progressed that much in soccer. They had no clue who Rooney was. EA Sports then came up with a different campaign. They started using American celebrities to promote the game. Some of the first celebrities to promote were Seth Myers, Steve Nash, and Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. This caught more American consumer’s eyes and worked better for the game. FIFA 13 had celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Andrew Luck and Barcelona Soccer player Lionel Messi. I believe that EA Sports fixed the situation of how to message to the market very well. They looked for people who Americans knew to get more consumers. If they had stuck with Rooney, the campaign could have continued to fail. I believe if they keep using American celebrities, they will keep being successful in the market. I believe FIFA could out sell Madden in the future if they keep up the success. Along with the continuation of the growth of soccer in America.