“Interruption” view on Adu quite a bit over the top

Discussion in 'The Beautiful Game' started by babytiger2001, Apr 7, 2004.

  1. babytiger2001

    babytiger2001 New Member

    Dec 29, 2000
    Melbourne
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Make no mistake about it, I am a big fan of “Pardon The Interruption”, every afternoon on ESPN. And even living here in Australia, my wife and I never miss an episode, where ESPN International in the Pacific Rim airs it every weekday without fail at 5:30, and repeats it late nights as well.

    In addition to the fast pace of the show, one quality that has enabled it to leave its mark on international television is the way in which co-hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, with their high energy and combative style, can hype even the most trivial topics to the point of a new hyperbole.

    However, on the matter of Freddy Adu, Kornheiser and Wilbon have dropped the ball, and dropped it as if it was a lead brick or a hot potato.

    Briefly, Kornheiser has led the charge against D.C. United coach Peter Nowak’s decision to relegate the much-heralded Adu to duty on the team’s substitutes bench prior to a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes in the team’s season-opening match at RFK Stadium, and bringing him into the fray at the 61st-minute mark when the home team was protecting their 2-1 lead.

    Kornheiser went on to say on the Monday airing of PTI and repeated the point on Tuesday’s edition that with the 14-year-old Adu being documented as the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer, Adu should be starting -- especially with as much hype Adu has received, even without the grandeur which shows like PTI give to its subjects.

    Some have been critical of Kornheiser and Wilbon -- the latter member of that team has been slightly guilty of riding his media partner’s coattails on the Adu-on-the-bench issue -- to say that the pair is merely jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to Adu, D.C. United, MLS or the sport of soccer as a whole.

    I, as a member of the American soccer media stateside at the time, have actually met both Tony and Mike as esteemed Washington Post journalists on a couple of occasions, at the 1999 and 2000 MLS Cups, and I will defend them for knowing what big stories and big events are rather than media members who dictate a bandwagon agenda.

    Yet on the matter of Adu, a personality -- let alone a player -- that both Kornheiser and Wilbon were gushing over on PTI late last week, the show’s co-hosts tend to forget that Adu is still only 14, regardless of the tales and tapes of his incredible talent, and is still honing his game at the professional level.

    In addition, and this is one point which has gone relatively unnoticed by Monday morning quarterbacks everywhere, Nowak deserves full credit for bringing Adu in slowly. Kornheiser and Wilbon have indicted Nowak either directly or indirectly in the Adu affair at the start of the season, but let’s not forget that this is Nowak’s team -- not Kornheiser’s, not Wilbon’s, not Adu’s, not anyone else’s. Nowak is the coach, and he is responsible for preparing his team to win games, something that D.C. United hasn’t had much success in doing in recent years.

    Even as a rookie coach, one has to admire Nowak for having the spine -- as well as just simply doing his job, as required -- to not to cowtow to public and media pressure to start Adu. Adu will have his chance to shine in D.C. United’s first eleven in due time, so Nowak is quite wise for bringing him along slowly.

    An argument, however, can be built that Kornheiser and Wilbon are guilty as sports fans and admirers of wanting to see what young Freddy Adu can do, and what makes him so good.

    However, wishing for Nowak to rush Adu into the team’s starting lineup doesn’t do any favors for the player, club, the league or the sport. A season-opening win over last year’s MLS Cup champions should suggest that Nowak is doing something right, in the sum of all the moves that he made in the opening week, with the decision to bring Adu off the bench just one of them.
     
  2. babytiger2001

    babytiger2001 New Member

    Dec 29, 2000
    Melbourne
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's my first Blog entry-- hope you all like it. :)
     
  3. dcsoccer2000

    dcsoccer2000 New Member

    Sep 21, 2000
    Washington, DC
    Re: “Interruption” view on Adu quite a bit over the top

    I completely agree. PTI is one of favorites as well, but last nights Adu snippet was completely absurd. The kid's 14 years old, granted he has great upside, but he's still only 14 years old! Lebron James may be the next MJ, but everyone needs to remember that he's 19 years old. Freddy is learning how to be a professional and rushing him into a game to satisfy the media isn't going to accomplish that goal.

    Tony needs to take a deep breath and think about the reality of the situation. And I'm a little disappointed that Wilbon didn't correct him after a few of his points.

    Oh well...Peter keep up the good work! And hopefully "big media" will gain a sense of perspective.
     
  4. babytiger2001

    babytiger2001 New Member

    Dec 29, 2000
    Melbourne
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hammer, nail, head. You just hit it, and hit it squarely.

    I know this sounds weird, but with all the talent that Young Freddy has, and all of the exploits he has achieved in youth competitions and all (just ask me for any of the video clips I have, I am a fan, too), sometimes we forget that he is only 14. And even when we acknowledge that he's just 14, we under-estimate that at the same time, as well.

    I mean, the question has to be asked... what were you doing when you were 14? Me, I was probably wondering how I was getting from one week to the next with my allowance. I certainly wasn't playing domestic top-flight soccer against players ten years older than me, at least, as well as some others who were twice my age.

    There's a learning curve for Freddy that is a bit of a road for him-- and Nowak, of all people, can certainly identify with that. After all, in his native Poland, I believe he made his professional debut at age 15. So Nowak's got an innate knowledge of the challenges that Freddy Adu must be facing.
     
  5. Chicago1871

    Chicago1871 Member

    Apr 21, 2001
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well put BT. I couldn't agree more. As I have said in the past, there isn't a really a guy out there who could be better for Adu than Peter Nowak. He was as much as coach as a player while he was in Chicago. He commands respect and inspires all those around him with his passion for the game. His decision to let Freddy slowly adjust is not just a good one, it is the right one. Bravo to him for standing up to the scrutiny and the second-guessing and bringing Adu off the bench.

    Irregardless how much the fans and the media want Freddy to start, it isn't the right thing. Besides being only 14, he is a rookie. Most rookies don't earn starting spots without proving themselves first. When Adu can come off the bench and make a serious impact, and subsequently a serious case for a starting role, then Nowak might see fit to put him in the starting 11.

    I don't care who the player is. Right now there might be a kid out there who's skills make Freddy look like Zach Thornton playing striker, but until that kid proves himself on the field in the league, he doesn't deserve to start ahead of guys who already have.
     
  6. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Re: “Interruption” view on Adu quite a bit over the top

    I agree that, based on the PTI comments, Nowak is more qualified to coach DCU than a braintrust consisting of Kornheiser and Wilbon. Clearly, K and W were wrong (IMO) in claiming Adu should start. But notice how their reasons have nothing to do with soccer. Why is that? Well, they're talk-show hosts, and not coaches. Which is why, when they and other (over)paid talking heads second-guess decisions made by baseball managers, football and basketball coaches, etc. they are doing what talking heads get paid to do. Talk. Then, hopefully, they get other people talking about what they said, and thus talking about the show, and then tuning in to watch/hear the show. It has nothing to do with soccer, or any other sport. It's air-filler between commercials designed to get people in a place where they will hear the commercials that make them and their stations money. So, ultimatly, most bigsoccer discussions about K&W are 1) missing the point while 2) re-inforcing the basic ideas behind that show, and others like it. By talking about what they talked about, even in disagreement, you've proven that they've done their job and done it well. Which, many bs posters need to be reminded, IS NOT helping DC United win matches and insuring that Freddie Adu develops to his full potential as a soccer player.
     
  7. babytiger2001

    babytiger2001 New Member

    Dec 29, 2000
    Melbourne
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great points, guys... keep 'em coming...

    I'll pose one other question that I may have lost in the tail end of my article: Do you all think that Tony & Mike may have been guilty of voicing the opinions of not so much soccer fans like those who visit these boards, but rather the casual sports fans who were curious enough about Adu, D.C. United, MLS, whatever, to tune into the ABC broadcast?
     
  8. Pyro

    Pyro Member

    Apr 18, 2000
    Fulton River District
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  9. IASocFan

    IASocFan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 13, 2000
    IOWA
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Part of the problem is advertising Freddy has the highest paid player in MLS. If he's the highest paid, then he should be the best (as opposed to having the most potential) and he should be starting. MLS could probably have done as well by signing him to a more modest contract; he still would have been the youngest player by a long shot and received the same publicity.
     
  10. Peretz48

    Peretz48 Member+

    Nov 9, 2003
    Los Angeles
    Re: “Interruption” view on Adu quite a bit over the top

    The good doctor has correctly described the situation. All talking heads, whether they be PTI, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, etc., are there solely for entertainment purposes. To be sure, there are occasional nuggets of insight or information, but they're basically there to entertain, to get you to listen in, and bottom line, BOOST THEIR RATINGS.

    Nowak is absolutely the right coach for DC United, both for Freddy and some of the other youngins like Convey, Esky, etc. He brings an understanding of professionalism that few others have. I was never specifically a DC United fan, but I'm beginning to change my mind, and not just because of Freddy.
     
  11. DrBobC

    DrBobC Member

    Feb 28, 2004
    Burton upon Trent
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree totally with the thread. when it comes to an up and coming quarterback or pitcher Mitch and Tony will want them to bring them on slowly. But, when it comes to a player that picques their interest in soccer they want soccer to sell out for their own interest. The main positive of this is people are getting interested in soccer. Is it because of Freddy Adu or is it unconsciously because of the lack of purity or gross commercialism of the "big 3" professional sports?
     
  12. Nutmeg

    Nutmeg Member+

    Aug 24, 1999
    Excellent post, I agree with the sentiment entirely. It reminds me of a very brief conversation I had with Clive Charles after the 2000 Olympics. Keep in mind that Clive was in the middle of a life-and-death battle with cancer. At the time, he was being heavily criticized, both here and in the media, for his use of Landon Donovan at the games.

    I asked him why he didn't feature Landon more on the team, and why he didn't get more minutes.

    His response, "I cared more about him as a person than I did as a player."

    Did Charles screw up? Maybe, maybe not. But true to his life-long character, he was going to error on the side of caution and care for his players. When the critics reared their ugly head and derided Clive for only placing 4th at the games, Charles bore the full weight of it, and at a critical time in his development, Landon was allowed to grow as a person and player outside the harsh spotlight just a little while longer.

    Great coaches take great care in how and when their athletes are exposed to the spotlight. Based on the admittedly early result Nowak achieved, right now we should give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that he's trying to do what is in the best interests of Freddie the person, and not Adu the soccer wonderkid.
     
  13. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    1. MLS could not have gone lower. There were other offers. I'm sure the league went as low as they could while still getting him to stay here.
    2. As to your first sentence, the soccer world does contracts differently than our domestic leagues. Contracts are bought and sold- so indeed it is PRECISELY Freddy's potential- that he may fetch 3,5,10 million in a few years from a European team, that allows his agent to bargain for a (relatively) high salary.
     
  14. Chicago1871

    Chicago1871 Member

    Apr 21, 2001
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Honestly, I want to hear them voicing their opinions as casual sports fans (or as close as they come to being them). These are the kind of people that MLS needs to attract. Hearing their thoughts provide an insight (if a slightly warped ;) one) to the minds of Joe Sports Fan. I get enough insight in to the minds of soccer fans here on BS, and there are those within the professional soccer ranks (whether is is official, media, etc) who have done the same.

    Guys like Kornheiser and Wilbon are great editorialists who have their own show (I would love the the opportunity to have a show dedicated to me talking about what I want and arguing with someone else), they use what is popular that day to boost their own ratings, and that is just good business. If they mention Freddy and the MLS (hopefully more often in a non-Freddy "light,") because Freddy has caused a stir in the media and in the average sports fan ranks, then all the better.
     
  15. Mel Brennan

    Mel Brennan PLANITARCHIS' BANE

    Paris Saint Germain
    United States
    Apr 8, 2002
    Baltimore
    Club:
    Paris Saint Germain FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Given what I know of Kornheiser's professionalism, having coordinated the in-house produtcion of his radio show as the Opening Production Manager (as well as AGM of the Sports Arena) of ESPNZone Washington D.C., I'm perfectly willing to contend and refute your assertion that he is an esteemed journalist. He is a professional jerk that made his entry into the sports world vis-a-vis a sports-related entry in a Style column, and currently makes point that are no more or less cogent and lucid than you make here, regularly, along with dozens of others. His style andelivery amke him good for a format like PTI, but that's galactically different than being held in esteem. He's not a difference-maker ot the discourse, he's reflective of it. Often, badly.

    I do, however, agree with your take on Adu and I do agree on your take on PTIs take on Adu. Wow; too many "do"s and "take"s in that sentence. But you know what I mean.
     
  16. j&bontherock

    j&bontherock BigSoccer Supporter

    but, on that opening day, Adu should've been started eventhough it might've been his only game as a starting player for the entire season, the reason is because people (and so were media people) have been anticipated this including myself, even people who were not soccer fans wanted to watch how the youngest proffesonal player plays, this actualy can bring more people to watch this game...,
     
  17. johno

    johno Member+

    Jul 15, 2003
    in the wind
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    What is best for Adu is what was done, what happens if Adu scored in that first game, you surely can't bench him after that? What happens if he is injured, or - with the added pressure of starting the first game of the season plays poorly and gets booed, and is scarred and then when you bench him you have the uproar - give him a chance - and then the uproar - my god he sucks, you should bench him. Adu not starting was the best thing for him and for DC and in the long run for the MLS - its selfish to prefer your satisfaction over his career...
     
  18. voros

    voros Member

    Jun 7, 2002
    Parts Unknown
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This issue has deomstrated exactly what is wrong with Big Soccer.

    Unfortunately for me, I happen to disagree with the whole lot of you and feel that not starting Adu in that one game was a blunder and a substantial mistake made for no real good reason.

    But that's not why I'm posting. I'm posting because this belief of mine that I have aired on these boards has suddenly made me seem very unwelcome on these boards.

    See, I argue my point, and people give me condescending rem arks about my knowledge of aports. I argue my point more, and people start gurling mild insults at me. I argue my point more and people start seriously insulting me. I argue more, and the whoel board starts making fun of me to one another.

    I happen to think Kornheiser is right on this issue, and because of this I'm apparently an idiot, troll, moron, who is Freddy Adu's agent in disguise.

    I come here to discuss soccer, and any time someone doesn't jump in lock step with the majority view, they get the Thomas Flanigan Title IX treatment: "hey look, the ignorant fool is at it again!" So I really don't have any desire to discuss this issue further, because it's apparent no one's going to listen to what I have to say.
     
  19. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    Talk sense, people listen.
     
  20. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    Sorry, that wasn't neccessary in this thread. If a mod notices this, could they bin these two posts of mine?
     
  21. voros

    voros Member

    Jun 7, 2002
    Parts Unknown
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The defense rests your honor.
     
  22. MidwestRef

    MidwestRef New Member

    Feb 8, 2004
    Iowa
    Voros, you are perfectly within your rights to state your opinion. I can certainly understand your reasoning, too. I happen to disagree with it. However, a reasonable person can certainly see your point of view.

    My take on this situation is that Nowak is doing the right thing for his team and for Freddy Adu. I would have loved to see Adu start and play 90 minutes. However, the best thing for his long-term potential, IMHO, is to bring him along slowly. Adu is extremely bright and polished for being 14, but he is still just 14. He needs to slowly build his confidence playing against men. The play with Agoos was exhibit A in his education. Freddy is simply not used to that type of play. Slowly but surely, he will get better and better. He'll eventually be able to play through that type of charge.

    In a sense, I also think that bringing Adu along slowly helps MLS in the long run. Let's face it - many people think of Adu as the savior of American soccer. That's a hell of a lot of pressure to place on a 14-year-old's shoulders. If Freddy were to struggle mightily in his first several games, who's to say whether his confidence would be destroyed? Bringing Adu along slowly will also keep the public's interest in this wonderful talent. People will keep saying, "I can't wait until he is ready to go."

    Back in the 1970s, the Texas Rangers drafted a kid named David Clyde out of high school. Within weeks, Clyde was pitching for the big league club. He lasted only a few years with minimal success. None of us, myself included, wants to see this happen to Freddy Adu. While I respect your opinion and certainly won't insult you for your well-reasoned points, I believe that Nowak is handling the situation correctly up to this point.
     
  23. Motterman

    Motterman Member

    Jul 8, 2002
    Orlando, FL
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    This is correct, IMO.



    This is the problem. The MLS had spent a significant amount of time and revenue promoting Adu so much to where the casual sports fan tuned in to see what all the hub-bub was about and were treated to an Adu-less first half, whereas they probably tuned out when they saw he wasn't playing. Hopefully, the game was exciting enough to keep most stragglers from channel flipping away - a good thing this game wasn't a repeat of last year's opening game for DC United against the Chicago Fire which was a snorefest of epic proportions.

    The MLS has played its role in blundering another opportunity. It's not Nowak's fault, he knows what his responsibilities are and he did the right thing. The MLS should have realized that throwing a 14 year old kid out on the pitch and showing up the grizzled veteran's could have a *gasp* negative effect on the league's credibility as well. Or, that Adu might actually have problems adjusting to the MLS and look lost, scared, etc. in which he's scorned by the masses for not living up to the hype, etc. Of course, there's always a chance that Freddy will light the league on fire, but this wasn't going to happen in his first game, in which it was not likely he would start.

    And don't get me started on DC's decision to turn fans away at the gate...
     
  24. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    One thing I have noticed in the many threads that deal with Adu not starting, is that everyone says MLS hyped this game so much...let's get it straight: sure they advertised it, in their small way, but it was mainstream media, appearances on Letterman and 60 mins., "mainstream" sportswriters and a bunch of usually non-soccer fans- all of whom were fascinated by a pro 14-yr. old, especially one so charming and mature- these are the folks who hyped the game/Adu "issue" to the point it got to- now they're all mad he didn't play enough! DC United fans KNEW he probably would be a sub- just to throw these folks a bone- and it is a testament to their cluelessness that they are "mad" now, because in retrospect it would have been a HUGE MISTAKE to start him. Nervous and inexperienced at this level, I think he would have been crushed.
     
  25. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Re: “Interruption” view on Adu quite a bit over the top

    It's just "MLS." It's not "the MLS."
     

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