Review: USMNT Media Analysis

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by neems, Jan 26, 2018.

  1. neems

    neems Member+

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Apr 14, 2009
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #1 neems, Jan 26, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2018
    I've thought a lot about the potential for an ongoing conversation regarding the coverage of our MNT at home and abroad. Normally, articles are linked in individual threads and used as talking points. We even have a news thread helpfully updated by @Fiosfan. In many threads, the topic about how our national media treats the USSF and prospective player club situations regularly draws consternation. I'll admit to being a repeat offender in this way, even as of 10 minutes ago (sorry Straus).

    What I would like to see, unless there is something similar I missed, is a thread addressing the relationship between the media, USMNT, and fans. This should include any article directly relating to the program and intentionally addressing the writing presented by the author and publication. We are all aware, at different levels, that the media plays an important role in relationships and perception. The topic of media professionals who cover the USMNT - whether print, social, or broadcast - deserves it's own discussion.

    This way we can maybe free up a lot of the threads from potential secondary conversation that can be derailing. My ultimate goal is not to slag all of the writers/broadcasters covering the USMNT, but fully embrace where we are in terms of our media growth and what relationship fans have with the ongoing coverage.

    Finally, my intention is for this to adhere to guidelines set by the USMNT News & Analysis forum and to be respectful of the professionals who make the sacrifices it takes to make a career covering the national program. Please post links to pieces of writing, broadcast clips, or social media posts, then we can discuss the ongoing development of the media [good/bad/indifferent].
     
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  2. neems

    neems Member+

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Apr 14, 2009
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My first question is: Do the writers following the USMNT walk a thin line with the organization and does that affect the neutrality of the coverage we read on a regular basis?
     
  3. neems

    neems Member+

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Apr 14, 2009
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  4. neems

    neems Member+

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Apr 14, 2009
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How can fans eliminate bad writers?
     
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  5. Winoman

    Winoman Drinkin' Wine Spo-De-O-De!

    Jul 26, 2000
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  6. Master O

    Master O Member+

    Jul 7, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  7. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So, that little dot beat us but that enormous land mass above it, otherwise known as us, with leaders who keep telling everyone how great we are at this game and how we have nothing to learn from anyone else, are the true victims.

    This has moved a hop, skip and jump beyond complete and utter embarrassment. Not qualifying was embarrassing enough. That no one wants to take responsibility or seems to understand why is the real problem.

    Sarachan suggesting we're the victims while also saying Morris and Trapp level talents are the standouts in camp are two statements which are in polar opposition.


    [​IMG]
     
  8. largegarlic

    largegarlic Member+

    Jul 2, 2007
    I think this is an interesting "meta" topic that it worth digging into. From my perspective, as someone who is 39 and has followed the USMNT since the late 80s, the US soccer media has generally been moving away more thoroughgoing boosterism to include more criticism of the powers-that-be, but the boosterism element is still definitely there.

    And this makes sense to me. I was the kid who had a subscription to the print version of Soccer America growing up and remember so many of the articles (except for Paul Gardner's, naturally) making the case that the US talent pool is improving, we're ready for a real pro league, we should host the WC, etc. The game was in such a fragile state back then, and there were so many anti-soccer people in the general sports realm, it felt like soccer journalists needed to be constantly sticking up for the USSF, the nascent MLS, etc. I can totally understand why soccer media types, especially those my age and older and the ones working at mainstream sports organizations (ESPN, SI, etc.), still carry around that sense that they need to refrain from being too critical and defend the way things are conducted here.

    But again, I think that's starting to change a bit. This thread reminded me of the interview Wahl did with Garber about the connections between SUM, MLS, and the USSF. I wouldn't say that Wahl is super aggressive in pressing Garber, and he doesn't seem to have had follow-up questions to any of Garber's responses, but he does raises some difficult questions for him and gets him to put some of the hidden relations between these entities out in the open.
     
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  9. laxcoach

    laxcoach Member+

    United States
    Jul 29, 2017
    intermountain west
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Trapp and Morris. Holy crap. That's not 'inches' away, it's miles.
     
  10. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
  11. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
    I read an article today about Trapp and thought... fourth January camp where he is the veteran is all it took. At 25, he is starting to come into his own?
     
  12. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
    We were improving from the time you spoke of, but then we stalled. There are a lot of factors but I do think the to-is of this thread contributed a little bit to the complacency that crept in. The anti-sentiment toward the sport is mostly gone and the sport and leagues are no longer fragile. I think it is time to take off the kid gloves and for people to start calling it the way they see it. The sport needs to covered the way other sports are covered in this country.
     
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  13. largegarlic

    largegarlic Member+

    Jul 2, 2007
    I understand this intellectually and agree that this should happen, but I feel like there's this more deep-seated emotional or psychological response that takes hold urging soccer supporters to kind of circle the wagons when things are rough.

    I've felt fine freely criticizing Klinsmann, Arena, USSF, etc. within the safe confines of BS US forums, but I remember talking to a non-soccer guy about US qualifying before the October games and psychologically feeling like I needed to defend the team and program. He worked for Dick's corporate offices and was kind of joking about how they pre-ordered all of this US WC merch and would be screwed if the US didn't qualify. Knowing that I'm a big soccer fan, he said something like,"I thought we were supposed to be pretty good at soccer now. And we still can't beat Honduras?" And I just the knee-jerk response of, "Well, it was really just some bad luck. Key guys were hurt. Overall, the program is still going in the right direction. Blah blah blah." Even though it's very likely that I'd been on BS earlier that day bemoaning Arena's decisions, complaining about how Howard is past it without having a clear successor, etc...

    So, again, I don't necessarily condone it rationally, but I understand the impulse soccer media people have to be more pollyanna-ish.
     
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  14. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
    Making excuses, defending it, and glossing over it will only keep us stuck like we’ve been or at a minimum hold us back.

    The impulse you had (and I’m sure many others have had), certain media members, the MLS, and the Fed is insecurity. People throw around “insecurity” around here In a lot of situations, but this example is the most harmful.

    I grew up knowing Americans weren’t as good at the sport as the rest of the world and have never tried to convince people otherwise. The furthest I’ve gone is to suggest that we might be able to hang with them (which is all that is needed to get a result). I’ve ignored foreigners who have insulted American soccer since I’ve had those conversations. I’ve ignored Americans who insult the game for much longer.

    The only way people who look down at US soccer from abroad or the non-soccer people here is to actually succeed at the sport. That doesn’t mean winning against CONCACAF teams, scraping by the group stages, and putting in respectful performances in knock out round losses. It means being as talented and winning convincingly against the best. It means a team with 23 players beyond what we’ve already had. It means multiple players reaching the potential that Pulisic has shown.

    The only way we succeed is to address the the things holding us back. The quickest way to do that is to accept what we are and how we got here. There will always be people on the extremes, but the more people can move toward middle of the factual reality, the better off we could be.
     
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  15. Master O

    Master O Member+

    Jul 7, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The problem is USSF doesn't seem to get that there's a problem. They seem content with how things have gone. I suppose as long as they're getting paid, everything's just fine for them.
     
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  16. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Chief Scout lies on national television about doing his job, (he didn't).

    Chief Scout confesses about his lies to a former player, semi part time pundit who actually does a little journalism.

    Days later a "real" journalist interviews the head coach, does not ask a single question about the lying scout, coaches role in it, or ramifications moving forward, nothing.

    That is the kind of horseshit journalism we get because of fear about losing access and you get that fear because you have the same entrenched people in the same structure for far too long.

    This weak journalism helps foster the kind of thin skinned and weak environment that leads to things like not making a World Cup. All these guys Wahl, Strauss, Ives, Goff, etc and the TV former player pundits like Twellman, Lalas, Holden, etc. Made a bunch of appropriate noises about holding people accountable, changing the way they covered things and being more invasive and finally waking up to do their jobs. That lasted about a week.

    Props to Herc for sticking to his guns.
     
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  17. manfromgallifrey91

    Swansea City
    United States
    Jul 24, 2015
    Wyoming, USA
    Club:
    Southampton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well here's the thing, the USSF or MLS controls access to the players and coaches. Writers feel the need to prop them up a bit, because otherwise they become editorial writers just writing opinions with recycled, or no, quotes.

    In addition writing has become more click bait. So if bashing player or coach x is in, writing a contrarian view gets you clicks. A well researched article is passed over for a headline and a couple paragraphs. That said, the soccer media has improved even from 2010. And will only get better when you add more soccer knowledge to a group or network. Moving in the right direction but a long way to go imo.
     
  18. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
  19. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
    They need to make themselves heard in every way they can. Stop clicking, call them out in the comments, write the organizations they write for...

    Fans to react to well to us soccer’s tweet about the game.

     
  20. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    The consistent pattern is keeping wages down and hiding players who mite otherwise "go to Europe". Look, I don't think many of the players they are hiding would go to Europe anyway. They might even know as much themselves. But they see it as doing the job for their masters.

    The only way to turn the media around is to get the owners - the oligarchy - to demand it. They will never change for the sake of professionalism or patriotism.

    I'm sitting here having dinner with a good bottle of Bordeaux for a second viewing of Bosnia game and there's little doubt: Adams is fake news.
     
  21. sregis2

    sregis2 Member

    Jun 4, 2014
    Club:
    --other--
    the difference between the ussf culture now and throughout it's history is minimal. the main difference is those ever-present problems and weaknesses finally caught up to us during this cycle. historically, this has happened to most feds at some point (see france, england, etc). the ussf acts defensively partly because we've traditionally gotten through w/ a mediocre product and we were actually unlucky not to have continued down the path we always knew. bummer not to be part of the WC, but a necessary wake up call.
     
  22. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The embarrassment should have occurred by getting stomped in the group stages of the World Cup. There is zero reason, other than absolutely crap coaching, (jk and ba) for failing to qualify out of super easy Concacrap.
     
  23. tbonepat11

    tbonepat11 Member+

    Jun 21, 2001
    All of the big writers are in the tank with USSF. They are friends with the players and coaches and don't want to lose access. They have their gigs because of the old boys network.

    Michael Bradley was never once criticized nor was the idea of him bring an automatic starter ever brought up as a problem. It took a massive outcry from fans on the internet to even get Lalas to make a stupid comment about it.

    You ask the tough question and make them justify their decision. The US soccer media is equally to blame for this lost generation as the entire USSF.

    Unless Wynalda wins not a single thing will change. Carter is going to win and round of 16 knock outs will once again be the great success of US soccer.
     
  24. sregis2

    sregis2 Member

    Jun 4, 2014
    Club:
    --other--
    surely we all know that the problems in this cycle went beyond "crap coaching"? after all, both of those coaches brought us to world cups.
     
  25. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
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