American Attitudes - Most popular for 2010
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The saga of Freddy Adu, from his sudden explosion in the mainstream consciousness to his current
sate of forgotten about super bust plying his trade in Greece for a club of which many have
never...
If the aftermath of a World Cup run that ended too soon for many but nevertheless raised soccer's
profile in this country, the marketing minds at Nike have produced a "thank you" spot in honor of
the U.S. National Team's somewhat transcendent run.
The tenor of the ad is well-struck, and while it takes a few liberties with the facts (make no
mistake: Americans do dive on occasion), the kids in the commercial speak for most of us
when they laud the characteristics so often associated with this American team.
Editor's Note: New MFUSA contributor David T. Hammons has impeccable timing, and presents his
perspective on why "Soccer Talk Live" represents a step forward for soccer in the United
States.by David T. Hammons
Kyle Martino is on the verge of offering Fox Soccer Channel and the newly-found American soccer
fans something that this sport desperately needs to keep them interested in "The Beautiful Game.
Even small victories matter when it comes to Major League Soccer's visibility in a crowded sports
marketplace. Not only does the domestic soccer product compete with the Big Four of American sports
(NFL, MLB, NBA, and we'll throw the NHL a bone), other less-popular competitions fight for the very
same entertainment dollar and television viewer.
A Special Series By Rob Luker The Summer of Soccer was a success; great! But guess what, much of
today's business world is centered around the saying that goes something like "what have you
done...
The perfect footballer is not a body type, but a set of skills. He may rely on strength, but it's
not crucial to his success. He may be fast, but that's not what makes him great. He doesn't have...
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith: Unintentionally helping MLS?
National Football League fans will know what I mean when I say 2011 could be a very interesting
year. With the country's most popular sports league showing all the signs of heading for a lockout,
the possibility exists that there will be no fall Sundays spent watching enormous men battle it out
on the gridiron.
There is probably no issue more maddening for those of us that live and die with the US National
Team than that of Americans who willfully choose to support someone else. Often, these Americans...
Perhaps a bit of dimestore psychology to pass the time? Sure, why not. Meet George. He writes for a
blog called "Chicago Pain", which is part of a site called Chicago Now. I'd never heard of...
Should there be pride taken from the provenance of the players on our national team? As a
developing soccer nation, how much of our desire to win should be balanced against our desire to
produce those winning players here? Is a straight line progression away from the Stewarts and
Dooleys a goal we collectively possess, or does it not matter if the players who represent us come
from somewhere else?
Perhaps you've been living in a nuclear fallout shelter for some reason, or have just avoided all
forms of mass media over the last two weeks or so and didn't know that the NFL season starts
tonight. Well, it does, and the super spectacular kickoff game features the defending Super Bowl
champions versus the Brett Favres.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that you've seen the wonderful video tribute to the USMNT's World
Cup run entitled "Dying Bravely." If you haven't, stop what you're doing and watch it now. It's
worth every second of its eleven minute run time. The video above is part 2 - the link goes to the
full version.
I'm big on perspective. There are occasions where I write long posts in anguished attempts to
provide a bit of it to not only you, the reader, but to myself. Writing is often an exercise in
fleshing out my own feelings on a subject as I type, before I have any concrete notions in mind and
as my brain considers a topic logically.
I was thinking about Non-League Day as I fell asleep last night. If you don't know about Non-League
Day, here's a bit of background:
"The "non-league football day" is the brainchild of James Doe, a lifelong football fan,
supporter of QPR and follower of Harrow Borough FC.
Jozy Altidore is still searching for consistent playing time at EPL strugglers Hull. Freddy Adu's
status is again in limbo after being sent back to Benfica (who don't really want him) by
Belenenses....
I recently did a quick interview with Ed Pilkington, a Guardian writer based in New York, on the
popularity of the game in the U.S. I'll admit, I come off a bit negative in the piece, and while
Ed...
On Friday, while still attempting to come to grips what happened on the field in Johannesburg, I
made the comment (on Twitter) that the game might pick up a few converts because of the
controversy. ...
A few days more, and the loss continues to sting. Time heals all wounds, but these wounds will
remain open as long as the World Cup continues without the United States as part of it. I certainly
can't turn away from the tournament now, not with the greatest drama yet to unfold.
The hangover is debilitating, though.
The American sports machine, from the daily sportstalk radio stations down to local columnists
banging away at dusty keyboards in backwater towns, is much less resistant to soccer than they used
to be. Because of the World Cup, soccer is getting much more run than usual; this is not the first
time it has happened, but there is a new edge to it all.
What's new isn't romantic, or lacks the age-created absorbent qualities that would allow romantic
notions to become part of its character. Romance in sports is built up over time, after decades of
existence, and is often applied in retrospect; for American soccer, this is a hindrance to
widespread acceptance, especially when contrasted to the heavy amounts of romance surrounding clubs
and leagues in Europe.
A listener of the American Soccer Show sent me this email yesterday, asking an interesting
question. While I could wait to use it on the next show (and I probably will mention it), I thought
I'd share it here first. It's obviously in response to the debate over Thierry Henry's punishment
for injuring Kevin Hartman.
Giving ourselves over to passionate support of a particular team in any sport usually means
checking logic at the door, losing the ticket, and drinking so much shit beer we forget we brought
our...
You, my dear friend, are being begrudged your passion. While you were doing your psychic beast to
will the United States to a victory on Saturday, while you reveled in the match-ups of Sunday,
and...
I knew it was coming, yet somehow I wasn't prepared. The quadrennial explosion of commentary on
soccer's place America has hit me squarely in the face frying-pan style, and I'm not handling it
well....
Well, I had meant to do this post yesterday but they wouldn't let me off suicide watch, even after
I explained that my emotions were more likely to manifest themselves as physical violence
against...
In this space on Friday, Robert Jonas discussed the nature of modern sports and the lack of "clubs"
in MLS, boiling down the fan-team relationship into one of pure economics. Teams have owners who
sell a product. Fans, or supporters if you like, either buy that product or they don't. When the
team is struggling on the field or management fails to address the problems, fans' only recourse is
to not buy tickets.
