Quote:
Originally Posted by futbol monkey
. . . My generation of the Mexican community still follow the Mexican teams but that is because as kids there were no MLS teams to follow, so by default we would support our fathers' teams. But I think that starting with the current generation, we'll see a lot more of the Mexican community follow their local/favorite MLS teams. . . .
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Absolutely. A recent article Soccer America, confirms this.
http://publications.socceramerica.co...39176&p=347610
Mexican-American youth exposed to MLS soccer will very likely grow up to become fans of their local squads, just as, for example, Dutch- and Portuguese-American youth exposed to NASL soccer in the 1970s here have done. The cultivation of Hispanic soccer fans for the Earthquakes is a long-term process that should pay handsome dividends in 15 to 20 years.
The question is, will these Mexican-American kids be exposed to the Earthquakes in sufficiently large numbers and in a sufficiently meaningful way? I live in a predominately Mexican-American neighborhood and I know that many kids in my 'hood cannot afford to go to games. And if their parents won't take them, who will? That's one reason why I predict the SSV Kidzone -- whereby Earthquakes fans themselves will bring underprivileged kids to Earthquakes games (see
www.ssvcf.org) -- is going to be more influential in building the Hispanic fanbase than any signing of an MFL star on the downward trajectory of his career.
So if you want to be part of the team in a meaningful way, help fellow Quakes fans with the SSV Kidzone.