That is really bad considering the coverage this week lookiing at the web site has been pretty damned good.
Well, after the pathetic display that was "Colorado - FC Dallas playoff match", I'm debating whether to consider that article as bashing or not.
You can't blame Nick Groke. He's just a high school prep reporter who is trying to break into the good 'ol boy club.
Watching sportsenter today, and right b/4 they went to commercial, they showed for quick second, the spitting incident involving Gomez and CJ Brown... Not really bashing, and I am sure it was uninetentional, but I thought it was funny they showed that of all things and not Jesse Marsch's volley which could be goal of the year.... the ESPN conspiracy continues
The latest "bashing" article. After a lull things will probably start to heat up from here on out until next summer. Soccer's Showing in U.S. Warrants an Apology: Scott Soshnick Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&cid=soshnick&sid=a2CWFcO331XY#
Re: The latest "bashing" article. To contact the writer of this trash: Scott Soshnick in New York at (212) 617-2669 or ssoshnick@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this garbage getting printed: James Greiff at (212) 617-5801 or jgreiff@bloomberg.net
Re: The latest "bashing" article. Here are more people in decision making role, who could prevent such diarrhea in the future: The sports editor: Mike Sillup msillup@bloomberg.net The sports poobah: Jay Beberman jbeberman@bloomberg.net Managing editor: Matt Winkler mwinkler@bloomberg.net
Re: The latest "bashing" article. As I suggested in the other thread about this, I'm not wasting any more time on him.
Re: The latest "bashing" article. Although the article is very mean-spirited, I have to say he is knowledgeable and I agree with him on few of the things he said.
Check out this Bloomberg News article. I wouldn't have been very surprised to see something like this about MLS in 1996, but come on now...the league has been around for 10 years. Not one positive thing to say about MLS.
I have no idea why, but somebody else already created a seperate thread for it here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265264 Let's keep content in one single place. The other thread has a bunch of responses and contact info in it. Maybe a mod will end up merging the threads in the future.
This is what I sent to the writer, sports editor and his boss: Mr. Soshnick: Reference is made to your November 10 captioned soccer-bashing article. The fact that someone wants to write an article demeaning the most popular sport in the world is acceptable. Our country's freedom of speech protection should allow any joker that wants to degrade his/her paper's status, to do so. However, when this joker's conclusion, that U.S. soccer's "savior" has not panned out into what was promised, is completely wrong and misleading, this steps over the line of responsible journalism. The fact that editors allow this type of garbage to be printed should be embarrassing to Bloomberg and should be brought to the attention of the company's executives. The comparison between Lebron James and Freddy Adu is ridiculous. You note that Lebron finished 6th in MVP voting last year while Freddy only scored four goals and six assists in his first year in MLS. The very important fact that you leave out is that James was 20 when he finished 6th in the MVP voting - Freddy was 14/15 during his first MLS season. Tell me, Mr. Soshnick, what do you think Lebron could have done in the NBA as a 14/15 year old - a middle schooler? Do you think James could have even been a "role player" in the NBA as Freddy was in MLS at the ripe old age of 14? I don't. In fact, probably not too many sane people would feel that Lebron could come close to competing professionally at that age. Let's turn that around. Freddy is only 16 years old right now. How good do you think he will be when he reaches 20, in four years, the age at which James finished a mediocre 6th in MVP voting? I would be willing to bet that he'll be doing better than James did last season. Next time you write diatribe like captioned article, at least compare apples with apples. Is that too much to ask a professional writer to do? If you don't know too much about a subject, don't write about it. Is ethics too much to ask a writer to consider when writing? MLS never promised that Freddy, as a 14-year old, or even 16-year old, would save U.S. soccer. It's you media types that twisted his pro induction into something that is not. What MLS did state was that he would be the first 14/15 year old in over a century to play in a professional league in the U.S. He was. They also stated that he'd be able to compete against the pro players in MLS. He has been able to do that at an age where most kids are more worried about popping their first pimples. His potential is still limitless. Remember to think next time before you decide to spew more vile crap from your computer. Yours Truly,
I had a wonderful exchange with Mr. Soshnick that ended with him calling me "ignorant and arrogant" and then me getting a formal apology from a Bloomberg Sports Editor. Fun, fun, fun. Mr. Soshnick proved himself to be a mental midget. Paul
Hope he liked this one . . . Dear Sir: I found it amusing how a writer like yourself can skew facts to support ones crooked views. For example, you state that soccer participation is down according to the SGMA. However, you fail to mention that, in the same report, SGMA noted that frequent play (100 days a year or more) is up. You also did not mention that participation in high school soccer has almost doubled between 90/91 and 04/05 (350,000 to 670,000). However, why let a few facts get in the way of your rant, right? SGMA link: http://www.sgma.com/press/2005/press1131378662-15868.html Soccer has been voted the "hottest sport in the U.S." in each of the past five years ('00-'04) by respondents to the SGMA International State of the Industry Survey. Just because it dips one year you are ready to sing the "Witch is Dead" song? If you took any remedial statistics classes, you would have chalked up 2004 as an aberration until more data is gathered in later years. However, why let a few facts get in the way of your rant, right? Hottest sport link: http://www.teamsportswear.com/tipcat/Custom_Soccer_Uniforms (re: huge participation increases at the youth, high school and college levels). Furthermore, if you would have actually done anything more than just cursory research for this article, you would have discerned that the National Sporting Goods Association states, in their report, that soccer participation is actually up by 2.2% since the previous year. However, why let a few facts get in the way of your rant, right? NSGA link: http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=150 Lastly, you miss the entire point about why everyone is so amazed that Freddy Adu is playing professional soccer at the age of fifteen. It's not that Lebron James has done better than Freddy if you compare their season's last year, it's the age at which both did this. A twenty year old athlete is quite common in professional sports. A fifteen year old pro is unheard of! I don't think that Lebron James, Sidney Crosbie, Albert Pujols or Peyton Manning could have played professionally at their respective sports when they were fifteen - Even just being a "role player" would have been impossible for them at this age. However, why let a few facts get in the way of yur rant, right? Maybe you didn't play soccer as a youngster and feel threatened by this growing sport - Enough so, that you have to bash it. However, Bloomberg executives should be furious that you are writing nonsensical garbage on their time. Sincerely
I normally don't reply to these soccer-bashing articles but I had a few extra minutes this morning and, what the hey: To Whom it May Concern: I find it quite puzzling that a reputable media outlet such as Bloomberg would allow such unfounded vitriol from one of its journalists. What is most disconcerting, is that this writer has taken a few anomalous facts and crafted a story that skews the reality to fit his twisted, biased and angry view. To show just how disingenuous this writer's point is, I refer you to relatively recent votes of confidence very profitable corporations have given U.S. soccer. First, there is the whopping $425 million contract ABC/Disney recently signed with FIFA to broadcast the 2010 & 2014 World Cups, in the U.S. This comes on the heels of a $150 million partnership deal that Adidas signed with MLS. Only a couple of years ago, Nike inked a similar agreement (~$150 million) with the United States Soccer Federation. This information is readily available to anyone with a computer and rudimentary research skills. It's interesting that these incredibly successful companies are placing their bets on the future of U.S. soccer while this lone writer and, hence, Bloomberg take a few atypical bits of data and paint a misleading picture of what is actually happening. You should be ashamed to include the Bloomberg name on this deceptive and distorted article.
ESPN HATES JIM ROME!!!!!!! The 1pm espn2 Cuba/Panama game is running long. The USA/Canada game, which started at 4pm and was scheduled to run on espn2 is currently running on ESPN - bumping Jim Rome Is Burning. Oh, how vile. ESPN hates Jim Rome. It's true.
You should have started a separate thread for this. Couldn't you see all of us soccer-basher-bashers were getting along perfectly happy in this thread without this unrelated distraction?
Jim Rome crawls out of his hole to bash USA soccer. He even questions if Claudio Reyna was really hurt, real low Jim, if the US team doesn't have a good showing it is going to be a very fun four years for this ass and a crappy four years for us in the USA sports ghetto. "You know I am the ultimae silver lining the glass is half full, tommorow is another day guy. But I hate to admit I have my grip on and that not everything is going to be alright. The World Cup is bearing down on us and this country's "Pride and Joy" The US Mens team just got clipped in a tune up with Morrocoo one nil. Not only that out captain Claudio Balboa stain went down with a strained hammy....of course he did So let me recap, a 1-0 loss and a leg strain. What are you going to tell me next, that Brazil is favored to win the whole thing. The US soccer team lost...so? Win, lose, tie, play, don't play, it's all the same in America it's just televised foosball only not as much fun to watch. It just raises the question that if the captain of the US team falls in a match that no one care about does it really happen? The answer...who cares"
Re: Jim Rome crawls out of his hole to bash USA soccer. wat an a$$whole i would like to see him on the field at claudios age after so many injuries
Re: Jim Rome crawls out of his hole to bash USA soccer. Eh... what do you expect? Is it mean or truly disgraceful what he said? yeah sure, but whatever! he has to get in his licks now in case the US does well in the Cup. I love the crack about not getting Claudio's name right. Here is a guy that can pronounce every latin baseball player's name but can not get the name Reyna right because what? too obscure? Let it go...the guy is a dying breed
Re: Jim Rome crawls out of his hole to bash USA soccer. It takes a big man to hint that the U.S. won't advance past group stage. He's a rebel.
Re: Jim Rome crawls out of his hole to bash USA soccer. Is he really? Sometimes I think that US soccer fans have been spouting the same thing for the last thirty years that we might have become walking cliches. We have all the kids, increased immigration, all the old jerks will all die off etc etc. It just really sucks sometimes. And you know what really burns me, more Americans care about the plight of a racehorse called Barbaro. That darn racehorse made the evening news and is getting the lions share of attention they are even reporting about the horse's sex life...I could just cry sometimes.