SI and soccer

[detter7]

In the ongoing saga of soccer and Sports Illustrated, the current edition (w/ Lance Armstrong on the cover), the is another letter to the editor about soccer, asking that the WC not be like the Super Bowl (as if the two are even close), mention of the All-Star game, and a little blurb on Gazza going to DC. Has SI heard out cries for a just a little more respect, or is this a quickly fading phase?

[branko97]

Originally posted by detter7
is this a quickly fading phase?

hopefully not. My sources tell me the Mathis and Donovan SI covers did "pretty well" at the newsstand (pulling about what Tiger Woods did with his most recent cover).

Hope to have more concrete info soon.

[Ringo]

so what did the letter say exactly?

[helmet]

I will subscribe to SI when the offer "Inside Soccer" more frequently or add a "Soccer Plus" bonus section to subscribers. I will not until then.

But what did the letter say?

[SoFla Metro]

Originally posted by helmet
I will subscribe to SI when the offer "Inside Soccer" more frequently or add a "Soccer Plus" bonus section to subscribers. I will not until then.

But what did the letter say? That's fine, but make sure you buy them on the newstand when they do have those sections (and let them know why you're buying it). Newstand purchases (from what I understand) drive content a lot more than subscriptions.

[helmet]

Originally posted by SoFla Metro
That's fine, but make sure you buy them on the newstand when they do have those sections (and let them know why you're buying it). Newstand purchases (from what I understand) drive content a lot more than subscriptions.

I bought all of the issues in the last months with soccer featured. The writing in the magazine is good. It is a far better read than ESPN the magazine. (Sorry Jeff.)

[Northside Rovers]

Originally posted by SoFla Metro
That's fine, but make sure you buy them on the newstand when they do have those sections (and let them know why you're buying it).

Do it. And let the English see you do it.

[UncleSam527]

I bought two copies of each the Mathis and Donovan covers. I bought one for myself and I framed the cover of the other.

[crestuden]

In the magazine with Lance Armstrong on the cover there is a mention of Gazza's trial with DC United. Also in that issue there was a list of ways to improve baseball and one of them was having a World Tournament similar to the World Cup.

[superdave]

Originally posted by crestuden
Also in that issue there was a list of ways to improve baseball and one of them was having a World Tournament similar to the World Cup.
I'll say it again.

2002 marked the arrival of international soccer as a mainstream sport in US media.

[genpabloescobar]

There was also a long article about the WNBA, and I'm paraphrasing here, but they talked about the catch 22 - the WNBA would do better if there was more media coverage but the media coverage is reflective of the perceived interest of the league. They even admitted they'd barely covered it.

Replace WNBA with soccer, and you get the same discussion that people have been having on here since the birth of the boards.

[Sachin]

Originally posted by crestuden
In the magazine with Lance Armstrong on the cover there is a mention of Gazza's trial with DC United. Also in that issue there was a list of ways to improve baseball and one of them was having a World Tournament similar to the World Cup.

At the risk of turning this into yet another baseball thread, they always have this suggestion. What was interesting was SI's suggestion last summer that baseball have a US Open Cup style tournament for all professional baseball clubs. I wouldn't mind seeing that.

Sachin

[FootyMundo]

An international baseball tournament would be a total snooze. First, I'm sure such a thing already exists - we just don't send our best players. Second, what on earth would the tournament look like.

USA
Cuba
D.R. (man what a team they can field)
Japan
Korea
Venezuela
Nicaragua
Panama
Mexico
Colombia

I'm already stretching the bounds of decency here already. Once you get past the first six teams it really falls off the charts. Sure there is some minor interest in Australia, Russia, Holland, Italy, etc. - sort of like America has an interest in Rugby. We send a team and they get the crap kicked out of themselves.

[type_32]

Originally posted by FootyMundo
An international baseball tournament would be a total snooze. First, I'm sure such a thing already exists - we just don't send our best players. Second, what on earth would the tournament look like.

USA
Cuba
D.R. (man what a team they can field)
Japan
Korea
Venezuela
Nicaragua
Panama
Mexico
Colombia

I'm already stretching the bounds of decency here already. Once you get past the first six teams it really falls off the charts. Sure there is some minor interest in Australia, Russia, Holland, Italy, etc. - sort of like America has an interest in Rugby. We send a team and they get the crap kicked out of themselves.

(Apologies for turning this into a baseball thread.)

First off, this was also true of basketball in 1992 when the Dream Team killed everyone. There was interest in Spain, Italy, and some former Soviet Republics, but everyone else was awful. Now look at the state of world basketball. I am not suggesting that there's a causal relationship, but international exposure in middling baseball countries can only help the game.

Second, and this is nit-picky, Australia has produced an enormous number of players who have played in the US, the most famous being Graham Lloyd and Dave Nilsson. They may not be up to the level of DR or Cuba, but they're certainly way beyond Russia, Italy or Holland.

[superdave]

I believe the Braves' pitcher tonight, Damian Moss, is Aussie.

Pitched a one-hitter.

[Godot22]

SI's suggestion was to have a six-team tournament: USA, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Japan, either Canada or Puerto Rico and an all-star team of the best from the rest of the world.

That would be a competitive tournament.

[Maczebus]

Originally posted by FootyMundo
An international baseball tournament would be a total snooze. First, I'm sure such a thing already exists - we just don't send our best players. Second, what on earth would the tournament look like.



See for yourself.


http://www.baseball2001.com/english/index.asp

Participating teams on left.

[type_32]

Originally posted by Godot22
SI's suggestion was to have a six-team tournament: USA, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Japan, either Canada or Puerto Rico and an all-star team of the best from the rest of the world.

That would be a competitive tournament.

A baseball tournament without Cuba is pointless.

[Sachin]

So getting back on track:

What was in the letter to the editor?

Sachin

[Popero]

Finally some World Cup coverage aobut countries other than the U.S. (Seize the Day, July 8). You've already Americanized every other sport; please, don't turn the World Cup into the Super Bowl.

-Gabriel Venditti, Palgranve, Ont.

Also in this SI, a good shot of the Red Sox kicking the Orioles' asses.