From USA Today: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/06/michael-wilbon-jurgen-klinsmann I'm certainly not happy about JK's decision to cut LD, and his misguided Kobe comment was probably meant to send a message to those worshipping aging sports starts (ie, LD). However, I think that telling someone to get out the country - especially a country where he has been residing for years - as a result of these type of sports-related comments, is over the top.
like a sizeable portion of NT fans I have no problem with it coming from Wilbon. His job is to be opinionated and entertain. And, secretly, I'm just glad MNT is getting coverage on ESPN.
First, yeah I'm not enamored with anything that smacks of xenophobia, and that comment certainly does. That said--I've already had one non-soccer fan here at work approach me to ask if I'd heard the "insane" thing the German guy coaching our team said. I think we in the soccer bubble might underestimate how stupid it was of Klinsmann to say that. Really bad PR.
On the bright side, one of these ESPN talking heads seems to legitimately be getting worked up over something U.S. Soccer related, instead of being FORCED to talk about it, which is a nice change. On the dark side, Wilbon was out of line.
Here's the video of it. http://soccerly.com/article/zielojo...klinsmann-get-the-hell-out-get-out-of-America They even semi-roasted Klinsi on the Today show this morning re his "we can't win this world cup" message. Don't worry about Klinsi, though, guys. The media is just trying to push him a little out of his comfort zone. It's all good.
Breaking news: Wilbon's tirade has convinced Klinsmann to leave the country. My sources tell he's getting on a plane bound for Brazil next week.
different reactions to Klinsi coaching America....: --> told to get out of Germany..: <-- told to come over (more often)
I think Wilbon would have let it go if it had not been Kobe. Kobe gets that 'bulletproof' treatment that few athletes seem to get. Klinsi is right in that we do throw money at the aging starts for 'just a little more'. Although I was more concerned about the money being given to rookies in the NFL more. Gone were the days when your first round draft pick learns from the bench for a year or two. I think in the US we could use a better system to pay athletes...and I was born here.
I think this is a product of colleges more efficiently and consistently providing the NFL with NFL-ready talent straight out of college more than anything else. That may just be a theory of mine, but I believe it.
Juergen could use a verbal kick in the pants, but that wasn't it. Wilbon didn't do anything more go off because Kobe was mentioned, which got Wilbon going because he nut-hugs every NBA superstar. (You should have read him licking Rose's balls last year in defense of those who wanted him to return when the doctors said he was cleared to play.) That rant was content free.
Well the problem is you pay big money to a player fresh out of college, who may not play more than a few seasons in the NFL. Players were paid by where they were picked, not by what they had done or could do. Falling in the draft costs a player money, simply because we have tied value to the position they are drafted at. Bridgewater could be argued to be the #1 or #2 QB in the draft, he is making under $5 because he dropped in the draft. While the 'unskilled' positions taken before him make more money. But at least the dollar amounts are lessened now.
I thought Wilbon was being pretty ridiculous. Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, Klinsmann just said it was unrealistic to think we can win the World Cup this year. Like he said, in order to do that, we'd have to play the game of our lives 6 or 7 times. For anyone who follows soccer closely, this isn't a weird statement at all, it makes sense (and I think someone on these boards pointed out that Bruce Arena said the same type of thing prior to 02). But for Americans who only pay attention once every 4 years and don't know Iniesta from Julian Green... it sounds insane to them for a coach to say we can't win it all. Klinsmann really isn't the type to do this, but he should've just dodged the question. If he had answered it "yes we can win the world cup," Americans wouldn't have had an issue with it since we're used to that kind of talk, but it probably would've made headlines in other countries. Anyway, even if Wilbon was wrong and came across as xenophobic, it's still a good thing for the US. An ESPN guy getting fired up about the national team and causing controversy is almost always going to be good. Right or wrong, the more people talk about soccer and the national team the better.
Wilbon said what? Oh, I'll wait to form an opinion until it's confirmed by Skip Bayless and Woody Paige.
If we get creamed by Nigeria tomorrow, I want to see Lalas and Twellman throw tantrum and beat up whoever else in the studio. Wilbon breaks the camera etc. Then we can credit JK for finally bringing soccer to America.