Boston fans have always been extremely passionate about their Big Four sports teams, but apparently the city isn’t afraid to show some love for soccer as well.
A record number of viewers tuned in on Sunday night to watch the USA battle Portugal to a thrilling 2-2 draw at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as ESPN’s broadcast earned a national 9.1 television rating.
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The game was especially popular in Boston, as the city’s market drew the fourth-highest ratings of any U.S. city, trailing only Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and New York, N.Y.
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The dramatic match produced a 11.5 TV rating in the Boston market, meaning that an average of 11.5 percent of all households with a TV were tuned to USA-Portugal. That rating made the game the most-watched World Cup contest in Boston history.
USA-Portugal is not the first World Cup game that caught the eye of Bostonians, as ratings in the Boston market were the fourth-largest in the country for America’s opener against Ghana as well.
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The World Cup games’ high ratings in Boston is likely just the result of national pride, but it’s encouraging to see that many fans tuning in to soccer in a city usually dominated by other sports.
Photo via Twitter/@BostonGlobe
