Worst article ever written.

[Dan Loney]

No, it's not one of mine. Courtesy of Metrogo on this very board's Politics Forum, The Nation magazine has published the single most wrong-headed and idiotic essay anyone has ever written about anything in the history of the world. It happens to be about American soccer, but I think I could live for another two or three centuries and not read anything as silly.

Hey, Guys, It's Just a Godawful Column - er, Game (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0620-23.htm)

Sample paragraph, by itself the worst thing ever written since William McGonnagal's Tay Bridge Disaster (http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/poems/pgdisaster.htm):

The World Cup has historically aimed to be a counterweight to the passions of war. But Johnson's comments are consistent with the militaristic spirit that some US fans have brought to the games. Without question, England, Poland, Germany and other teams have their share of fringe hooligans, some openly racist. But Team USA's most prominent fan club calls itself "Sam's Army." While the fan club explicitly rejects racism and soccer hooliganism, its website is replete with martial imagery and belligerent anthems.

By this logic, the Loyalists are Spanish Civil War veterans, the Barnburners are pyromaniacs, and the Screaming Eagles are birds. I believe the technical term for this is "runaway jive-turkeyism."

[AndyMead]

I wonder what he thinks of the Salvation Army?

[Kaney]

I would beg to disagree with you. I think the article is very reasonable. Although I believe way too much importance was placed on Eddie Johnson's comments, I think his comments are somewhat symptomatic of the Sam's Army mentality. Sam's Army decries racism, yet a surprising amount of the Sam's Army followers that I have encountered teeter on the line between patriotism and jingoism. There is a very hawkish mentality among quite a few of them, and not surprisingly, many of those displaying this mentality are also anti-immigrant. EJ's comments seem to reflect the current political climate here in the U.S. with regard to its foreign policies. While it must be noted that nationalism and racism are two distinct concepts, the reality is that one usually leads to the other.

In most countries, soccer is a sport of inclusion; given that all you need to have a game is a ball and some willing participants. And while it is true that there is considerable diversity among soccer players in the U.S., little of this diversity is actually integrated into the mainstream soccer infrastructure. For example: In Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, there is a healthy population of Hispanic and Eastern European children playing soccer in neighborhoods throughout as well as some in the African and African-American communities. But go to an organized youth league match and the vast majority of the kids playing come from white, upper-middle class families.

There are many in this country who would have you believe that organized soccer is not merely a sport for the rich, but a sport for everyone. If this is truly the case, than I expect there to be a lot more black and brown faces wearing the U.S. uniform in the very near future. I expect there to be a lot of Polish, Czech, and Russian names on the backs of those jerseys as well. Only when U.S. soccer begins to integrate these Americans into its system, will it realize its true potential. Only then can it rightfully lay claim as a world power. We shall see. If and when this finally does occur, hopefully it will be accompanied by the arrival of decent soccer announcers and analysts. The majority of the announces calling the games on ABC and ESPN are incredibly ignorant and border on incompetent. The blatant pro-U.S. bias is not very endearing either. Just my two cents worth. Adios.

[UxSxAxfooty]

I would beg to disagree with you. I think the article is very reasonable. Although I believe way too much importance was placed on Eddie Johnson's comments, I think his comments are somewhat symptomatic of the Sam's Army mentality. Sam's Army decries racism, yet a surprising amount of the Sam's Army followers that I have encountered teeter on the line between patriotism and jingoism. There is a very hawkish mentality among quite a few of them, and not surprisingly, many of those displaying this mentality are also anti-immigrant. EJ's comments seem to reflect the current political climate here in the U.S. with regard to its foreign policies. While it must be noted that nationalism and racism are two distinct concepts, the reality is that one usually leads to the other.

In most countries, soccer is a sport of inclusion; given that all you need to have a game is a ball and some willing participants. And while it is true that there is considerable diversity among soccer players in the U.S., little of this diversity is actually integrated into the mainstream soccer infrastructure. For example: In Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, there is a healthy population of Hispanic and Eastern European children playing soccer in neighborhoods throughout as well as some in the African and African-American communities. But go to an organized youth league match and the vast majority of the kids playing come from white, upper-middle class families.

There are many in this country who would have you believe that organized soccer is not merely a sport for the rich, but a sport for everyone. If this is truly the case, than I expect there to be a lot more black and brown faces wearing the U.S. uniform in the very near future. I expect there to be a lot of Polish, Czech, and Russian names on the backs of those jerseys as well. Only when U.S. soccer begins to integrate these Americans into its system, will it realize its true potential. Only then can it rightfully lay claim as a world power. We shall see. If and when this finally does occur, hopefully it will be accompanied by the arrival of decent soccer announcers and analysts. The majority of the announces calling the games on ABC and ESPN are incredibly ignorant and border on incompetent. The blatant pro-U.S. bias is not very endearing either. Just my two cents worth. Adios.
That wasn't worth two cents.

[The Beautiful Frame]

I agree that the column in question shows some ignorance, but I have to say I'm taking exception to Eddie Johnson's comments, if he really made them. That kind of trash talk belongs to boxing, pro wrestling or the NBA. In football, there's still a noticeable sense of class, companionship and respect (even generations of Argentinians and Italians couldn't take that away ;)). Comments like those have no place here.

[codefive]

I get the strong sense that when they started out to write that article it seemed like a good idea. Maybe not so when they got to the end. Martial imagery is part of the game, and the point is, it's imagery. Most professional sportsmen don't have a great range of metaphors, let's face it. EJ's comments are no worse than anything I'd expect to hear in any professional dressing room anywhere.

A counter-what to what? Ferchrissakes don't ever let this guy watch an England-Argentina game. He'd have a seizure.

[citizen]

That wasn't worth two cents.

Seemed worth something to me. Why did you not think it was worth anything? Can you back denouncing comments up if you're going to make them, please.

[Roehl Sybing]

These writers did their darndest to minimize the significance of hooligans so as to make soccer seem like a tea party relative to the chest-beating US barbarians. I bet you I can make a list as long as their article, detailing all of the trash-talking against the US and the anti-US sentiments held by our opponents.

Whatever. I'm off with the other uncivilized rabble in Nuremburg now.

[bdot]

I don't see what the problem is. The article made sense. I even cringed when I heard Johnson's comments about this being a war.
I remember another athelete making a similar comment once in regards to being a soldier before a game. There was a lot of complaints about that. I think it was a blubberball player before the Super Bowl or something.

[CLEATS]

No, it's not one of mine. Courtesy of Metrogo on this very board's Politics Forum, The Nation magazine has published the single most wrong-headed and idiotic essay anyone has ever written about anything in the history of the world. It happens to be about American soccer, but I think I could live for another two or three centuries and not read anything as silly.

Hey, Guys, It's Just a Godawful Column - er, Game (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0620-23.htm)

Sample paragraph, by itself the worst thing ever written since William McGonnagal's Tay Bridge Disaster (http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/poems/pgdisaster.htm):

The World Cup has historically aimed to be a counterweight to the passions of war. But Johnson's comments are consistent with the militaristic spirit that some US fans have brought to the games. Without question, England, Poland, Germany and other teams have their share of fringe hooligans, some openly racist. But Team USA's most prominent fan club calls itself "Sam's Army." While the fan club explicitly rejects racism and soccer hooliganism, its website is replete with martial imagery and belligerent anthems.

By this logic, the Loyalists are Spanish Civil War veterans, the Barnburners are pyromaniacs, and the Screaming Eagles are birds. I believe the technical term for this is "runaway jive-turkeyism."


Worst overreaction to an article in the history of the world.Much worse than the article itself and just as boring as the stuff you've been posting on here from GERMANY.Just my opinion.

[The Beautiful Frame]

Worst overreaction to an article in the history of the world.Much worse than the article itself and just as boring as the stuff you've been posting on here from GERMANY.Just my opinion.

Uh, I don't think he's posting from Germany.

[Bobethy]

The World Cup has historically aimed to be a counterweight to the passions of war. But Johnson's comments are consistent with the militaristic spirit that some US fans have brought to the games. Without question, England, Poland, Germany and other teams have their share of fringe hooligans, some openly racist. But Team USA's most prominent fan club calls itself "Sam's Army." While the fan club explicitly rejects racism and soccer hooliganism, its website is replete with martial imagery and belligerent anthems.

The World Cup has historically aimed to be a counterweight to the passions of war? I already know that this writer knows nothing of the geopolitical/social implications of football.

Johnson's comments are consistent with the militaristic spirit that some US fans have brought to the games. Johnson comments are militaristic, because our sports society uses miltaristic euphemisms. "Doing battle...going to war...etc." That's the sole reason. It may be a valid critique of our society in general, but I find it difficult to expound the writer's theory to the fans.

But Team USA's most prominent fan club calls itself "Sam's Army." While the fan club explicitly rejects racism and soccer hooliganism, its website is replete with martial imagery and belligerent anthems. Are you kidding me? The writer is using a catchy name as the basis of an article? As for the martial imagery and songs - are you double kidding me? I double checked the website. The chants are neither martial nor belligerant. Those that even the namby-pambiest of people could complain about - WERE CO-OPTED FROM EUROPEAN SONGS!!!!!

This is a go-awful article in the sense that the research is poor and the point of view is skewed to begin with. Dolt!

[YanksFC]

An excerpt from an article that ran yesterday on ESPN Soccernet:

"Even without Gyan and Muntari, the two who scored the goals against the Czechs, the Black Stars appear fearless.

'We're going to miss them -- they are good players -- but all the guys are ready to die for the nation,' [Ghana captain Stephen] Appiah said. 'They all want to play.'"

I wonder what the author of the Nation article thinks about that comment. Seems like a bit of a double standard to me.

[Sachin]

I'd like to invite these writers to La Norte for a USA game. If they understand Spanish, they would see some real jingoism.

I've bookmarked this article.. Next time anyone says only right-wingers bash soccer, I'm linking to this piece of shit.

Sachin

[jerseydan]

I'd like to invite these writers to La Norte for a USA game. If they understand Spanish, they would see some real jingoism.

I've bookmarked this article.. Next time anyone says only right-wingers bash soccer, I'm linking to this piece of shit.

Sachin
My goodness, the kid is what 21? Writers have pointed out the nationalistic undertones of international soccer before, but never when talking about the US team. Real Madrid, for example, was Franco's, anti-communist team, while Barcelona were the communists...if anything the US fan is pretty tame compared to others.

[Dr. Wankler]

I thought the article managed to do something very difficult.

Eddie's comment was stupid. It's the sort of stupid, hyperbolic thing that athletes say all the time when they're carried away by the competition. Yet, in pointing out the stupidity of Eddie's comment, the authors manage to out-stupid him by a ratio that I'd need to use scientific notation beyond the scope of my keyboard to convey.

Quite impressive when you look at it that way.

It's also quite impressive that they've managed to write an article that is more stupid than anything I've heard from a commentator covering a match. That too is something I thought would be hard to do.

[jerseydan]

No, it's not one of mine. Courtesy of Metrogo on this very board's Politics Forum, The Nation magazine has published the single most wrong-headed and idiotic essay anyone has ever written about anything in the history of the world. It happens to be about American soccer, but I think I could live for another two or three centuries and not read anything as silly.

Hey, Guys, It's Just a Godawful Column - er, Game (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0620-23.htm)

Sample paragraph, by itself the worst thing ever written since William McGonnagal's Tay Bridge Disaster (http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/poems/pgdisaster.htm):

The World Cup has historically aimed to be a counterweight to the passions of war. But Johnson's comments are consistent with the militaristic spirit that some US fans have brought to the games. Without question, England, Poland, Germany and other teams have their share of fringe hooligans, some openly racist. But Team USA's most prominent fan club calls itself "Sam's Army." While the fan club explicitly rejects racism and soccer hooliganism, its website is replete with martial imagery and belligerent anthems.

By this logic, the Loyalists are Spanish Civil War veterans, the Barnburners are pyromaniacs, and the Screaming Eagles are birds. I believe the technical term for this is "runaway jive-turkeyism."
Hey, if nothing else, i learned what the Tay Bridge Disaster was...and any day you learn something new is a good day...

[Sachin]

If ever an article could make Jamie Trecker seem like John Motson (I know I'm mixing media here), this article did.

Sachin

[DEAC]

I would beg to disagree with you. I think the article is very reasonable. Although I believe way too much importance was placed on Eddie Johnson's comments, I think his comments are somewhat symptomatic of the Sam's Army mentality. Sam's Army decries racism, yet a surprising amount of the Sam's Army followers that I have encountered teeter on the line between patriotism and jingoism. There is a very hawkish mentality among quite a few of them, and not surprisingly, many of those displaying this mentality are also anti-immigrant. EJ's comments seem to reflect the current political climate here in the U.S. with regard to its foreign policies. While it must be noted that nationalism and racism are two distinct concepts, the reality is that one usually leads to the other.

In most countries, soccer is a sport of inclusion; given that all you need to have a game is a ball and some willing participants. And while it is true that there is considerable diversity among soccer players in the U.S., little of this diversity is actually integrated into the mainstream soccer infrastructure. For example: In Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, there is a healthy population of Hispanic and Eastern European children playing soccer in neighborhoods throughout as well as some in the African and African-American communities. But go to an organized youth league match and the vast majority of the kids playing come from white, upper-middle class families.

There are many in this country who would have you believe that organized soccer is not merely a sport for the rich, but a sport for everyone. If this is truly the case, than I expect there to be a lot more black and brown faces wearing the U.S. uniform in the very near future. I expect there to be a lot of Polish, Czech, and Russian names on the backs of those jerseys as well. Only when U.S. soccer begins to integrate these Americans into its system, will it realize its true potential. Only then can it rightfully lay claim as a world power. We shall see. If and when this finally does occur, hopefully it will be accompanied by the arrival of decent soccer announcers and analysts. The majority of the announces calling the games on ABC and ESPN are incredibly ignorant and border on incompetent. The blatant pro-U.S. bias is not very endearing either. Just my two cents worth. Adios.


What a steaming pile of ...
Onyewu, Adu, Arvizu, Feilhaber ... these guys all stepped off the Mayflower, right?
And what about Mastroeni, Bocanegra, Reyna, Arena. Only Poles and Czechs count, but not Italians?
The U.S. U-17 team had players who were of Japanese, African, Egyptian and Argentine descent. It was by far the most diverse team in the FIFA U-17 tournament.
Man, some people do love to hate this country.

[Nick Katz]

Didn't the manager of Liverpool once say something like, "Football is not life or death, it's much more important?"