There is a blog run by a guy who has been a front office sports guy for thirty some years (mainly NBA I think) and is now retired that I regularly read called "The Sports Curmudgeon". Yesterday (May 22nd) he wrote a piece about MLS that I found somewhat hopefull, as it comes from a guy who doesn't normally cover MLS. While some bits and pieces of the story may not be entirely accurate, he doesn't bash the league and in the end comes out with a vote of confidence that I must say, led me not just to post the link here, but write him a quick note thanking him. For your perusal... http://www.sportscurmudgeon.com/
NPR sometimesx runs a clip with the Sports Curmudgeon in their morning show...aka Frank DeFord. Is he the man who pens this blog? If so - he's no soccer fan.
Holy S*^T! If Deford is giving MLS its due, then we really have turned a corner. DeFord hates soccer (or at least he used to). Next up... Rhome is burning! Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?
http://sportscurmudgeon.com/blog/2007/05/22/major-league-soccer-is-growing-up/ https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=540872
For your halftime entertainment, Nancy Kerrigan and Lucifer himself will be skating in the pairs competition, attempting the always difficult triple sow-cow and a double toe yutz...
Yeah, noticed that too. Of particular note is that the title of the article in the two links changes. On his own website, it's titled a pleasing "MLS is growing up", but on the group website, it's the more controversial "bait-and-switch" title. I don't know if that was the author's idea to change the wording or the secondary website's.
Actually, Frank DeFord is a soccer fan. He just doesn't think it will succeed as a major sport in the United States. I would think that you could distinguish the difference.
Andy is right, appoo.....DeFord knows the game, he just doesn't have much respect for the US pro game. I don't think anyone has filed more soccer themed stories than DeFord on HBO's Real Sports.
he's also talked about it a few on NPR. I think he HAS to talk about soccer because his job description for SI, HBO, and this curudgeon thing is as a sports generalist. He has to know about soccer because it's beginning to become a mainstream sport - but IMO he's not a fan of the sport in general. At least that's not the idea I got when he was talking about the World Cup.
Has to? There are a TON of sports journalists whom have NEVER opined on the topic at all. No one is forcing him to file soccer related stories.
Agreed. Although he's also very good at ripping those who look down their noses at "stupid americans" who just don't get "the beautiful game." His "reverse soccer snob" schtick kills....just kills.
Judging from his reaction to some perfectly reasonable criticism about his comments on Beckham on that post, he's not exactly the most reasonable chap, and his commitment to writing about MLS and soccer seems wafer-thin at best...
I have never heard anything from him to indicate that FDF is anything close to a soccer fan. He seems to simply trot out the standard, "hey, why we they keep bothering to play soccer here in America when we Americans dislike it so much?" schtick. I assume that he follows whatever is being promoted by ESPN regardless of what it is. Now that ESPN is telling Joe Six-Pack that soccer is cool, Frank has to suck it up and go along. Fortunately for him, he can probably still get a few years out of the "maybe soccer here can operate in the black, but it will never be as big as (nfl or whatever)". This guy is a complete load, and I will appreciate it when he is off the scene.
He waxes poetic about it from time to time. I can't recall how many times he's recalled watching Morocco play in the 94 or 98 (I forget) World Cup from some bar in Morocco. He's mentioned how he enjoys the World Cup. But he never passes up the chance to say that Americans will never accept the game as a professional spectator sport.
But Andy, if they don't talk about it all the time and don't kiss our ass, don't you know that any positive mention is only made to fulfill a contractual requirement and they are really part of a secret Journalists to Kill Soccer union? How can you think that it's humanly possible for people to be anything except hardcore fans or soccer haters. There's no earthly way a person could have a passing appreciation for the sport.