Paul Gardner in World Soccer

Discussion in 'MLS: General' started by DennisM, Mar 23, 2004.

  1. DennisM

    DennisM Member

    Dec 10, 2000
    Nya Sverige
    He wrote an article in the April Issue entitled "In Search of Hispanics". Below it says "Paul Gardner decries the Euro-Centric nature of MLS as it prepares to kick-off the 2004 Season. " And in the article, they talk about Garber's crusade to bring more Hispanics into the "American soccer family". Gardner goes on to talk about how the teams themselves have puposefully or not have hired non-Hispanic coaches and star players and released "star" Hispanic players. In most cases, they are mostly European. Now I have consistently railed at this "niche marketing". In fact, I wrote about it recently but I can't find the post and somebody responded by noting that niche sports must find their audiences specifically. Well, that brings up a question then; When baseball and football started out, did they specifically pinpoint promotions to particular ethnic groups? From what I recall, the increase popularity of those sports was due to an idea that they were "American" sports; sports to play to become more "American". That idea bothers me too.
    But I think the MLS is hoping for too much too fast. Maybe there is less desire for patience. Maybe money people have less patience with losing money fast. But if MLS plays their cards right and just stays still for a little bit, things will work out. Baseball is in trouble. Basketball continues to shoot themselves in their feet largely due to players with idiotic attitudes and behavioral problems. Hockey is having labor problems and the tickets are much too high. But anyway, the NFL took a long time to become popular and while most of us shake our heads as to why our favorite sport isn't on the front sports page or the first sport on Sports Center, the cycles of popularity
    means that that time will come and it may come sooner than later. So don't create a specific team with support and players who will be just Hispanic or just Irish or Italian. Promote soccer as a sport that everybody will love. The MLS for everybody. The Chicago Fire is the team for all people in the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond who like soccer. I fear the day when the Philadelphia area will get a MLS team and the league will decide to allocate players to the team, say, the Independents, and they will market specifically to the Chinese, Ukrainians and Vietnamese and Italians to bring in the local crowds instead of having TV spots during the local news or whenever. So anyway, Paul complains about the supposed de-Hispanicification by the teams and their coaches. Whatever. If MLS, wants to bring in more fans, one of the ways would be to bring in more Brazillians.(if I may use a stereotype for a moment.) While I admire some Brazillian players, I don't like the style of the teams that much. Well, the clubs that is. Anyway, their balls skills and fancy footwork are exciting to watch and will increase "Joe and Jane" America's interest in the sport by scoring a lot of goals or at least trying to since they may not be "drawn" in with the more "boring" play of many European teams and players.(but not all. Bring Pires to the US in a couple of years and he will still wow). But to market specific players because of where they are from or in the hope of attracting fans from a specific ethnicity, is just wrong in my eyes. Do the Phillies go after so and so from Venezuela because Philadelphia has a large population from that country? No and in fact, they don't have a large Venezuelan population. Surely there are great Korean players who play baseball but the Phillies don't try to get them simply because they will bring more Korean fans. They need to be good players as well and that should be the first and only consideration(well, besides "Do they get along with the management?") in bringing players to a new city to play. Of course, Real Madrid did this with Beckham and I didn't think they needed him from a football point of view. They got rid of Makelele and I think that was dumb enough but he has adapted himself well to La Liga and he will make them plenty of money in jersey sales and blah, blah, blah. But anyway, I don't approve of such things.
     
  2. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire

    No offense, Dennis, but I stopped reading right here. Why? Because Gardner has written the same damn article at the start of pretty much every season. Usually in Soccer America, but it doesn't matter. He's become a one-trick pony, and this is his trick.
     
  3. Pmoliu

    Pmoliu New Member

    Jun 7, 1999
    Princeton, NJ
    I welcome the day when Paul Gardner stops pretending to be a marketing executive, and starts focusing on MLS as if it were a league like any other. The irony of course is that besides his veiled accusations of racism and bigotry, he completely ignores the fact that if you are going to model your league after anyone, it would be the European game. Not necessarily the business model, but definately the game on the field.

    According to Gardner, you get the sense that we should be looking to the El Salvadoran National League for our inspiration.

    He should stick to watching the Dallas Cup.

    Paul
     
  4. The Magpie

    The Magpie Member

    Nov 19, 1998
    Cambridge, MA
    Paul Gardner is a dinosaur who does nothing more than pander to the presupposed opinions and stereotypes held by overseas supporters relative to Major League Soccer and the American game. Really, it's more sad than anything at this point, and if World Soccer had any measure of editorial credibility they'd put him out to pasture and let someone take his places who's more provoctive, better informed, and more opbjective.
     
  5. CUS

    CUS New Member

    Apr 20, 2000
    Put Paul Gardner down and slowly walk away. There's nothing of substance here, anyway.
     
  6. JohnR

    JohnR Member+

    Jun 23, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    I will mildly dissent.

    Gardner has good & valid hobbyhorses. Unfortunately, he only has a handful and he rides them far past the point of exhaustion. He desperately needs new material -- but at his age, I doubt that he will expand his horizons.
     
  7. FlashMan

    FlashMan Member

    Jan 6, 2000
    'diego
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I will also mildly - but only mildly - dissent. Basically, I still enjoy reading him in SA for the most part, i.e., he's not a bad writer, even if most of it I've heard before.

    Along the same lines as the initial poster, did anyone catch Gardner's rant about the signing of Herzog by the Galaxy in the last issue of Soccer America? (Or maybe the issue prior to that?) I believe he called it "the most inexplicable signing by MLS, ever", based on the fact that 99% of the Galaxy's fan base wouldn't know Herzog the soccer player from Herzog the Saul Bellow fictional character. It was all based on the fact that the Galaxy have a largely Hispaniic fan base where with the signing of Herzog to replace Cienfuegos, presumably prompted by Klinsmann, the new man pulling the puppet strings for the Galaxy, they had completely ignored it. I understood his point, and he made it relatively cogently, but it was such a wild rant that in the end it signified nothing.

    FWIW.
     
  8. CUS

    CUS New Member

    Apr 20, 2000
    And signing Campos, Hernandez and Hermasillo (forgive any sp errors) have been proven SO SUCCESSFUL in drawing more Hispanic fans and (more importantly) WINNING that this point has any basis in fact.
     
  9. jack921

    jack921 New Member

    Jul 10, 2000
    I generally enjoy reading Gardner's articles, even his repetitive Latin American vs European pieces. Of course, I get the feeling he's intentionally becoming a caricature of himself (is that possible?). It's like he's waiting for some editor to point out to him that he's being a bigot, and that his arguments probably wouldn't be printed if he reversed the ethnic parties. I can't see a mainstream basketball writer consistently writing articles saying the local NBA team should sign more white players because more fans are white and the white players play a more entertaining game.
     
  10. The Cadaver

    The Cadaver It's very quiet here.

    Oct 24, 2000
    La Cañada, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    One more reason to hope that Herzog does well and Gardner gags when he eats his word.

    It is flat out racist to think that Hispanic fans can't appreciate good soccer if not played by one of their compadres.
     
  11. depor15

    depor15 Member

    Jun 28, 1999
    Which hispanics? Hispanics for better or worse is a word made up by Americans to have a better classifiaction on the census for latinos. What Gardner and most Americans who think like him fail to realize is that contrary to popular belief these latinos come from different countries. What I am saying is that most Mexicans could give a damn if there local team in the US has a Costa Rican on the team and vice-versa. That would be like saying lets get all English players on an MLS team because most of our fans are English speaking.
     
  12. stinky

    stinky Member

    May 14, 2000
    Long Beach, NY
    paul gardner is the reason i cancelled my SA subscription.

    the fact that soccer america keeps him is a shame. he's anti soccer in america. all the guy does is complain.
     
  13. TomEaton

    TomEaton Member

    Mar 5, 2000
    Champaign, IL
    Yeah, I'm glad there's nobody around here like that.
     
  14. Beau Dure

    Beau Dure Member+

    May 31, 2000
    Vienna, VA
    Oh, he did it in Soccer America, too. Just got the issue in the mail.
     
  15. nicodemus

    nicodemus Member+

    Sep 3, 2001
    Cidade Mágica
    Club:
    PAOK Saloniki
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is spot on. My Costa Rican friends could care less if there's a Honduran or Mexican on an MLS team. They're interested in the Crew possibly signing the Costa Rican U-23, but that's about it.
     
  16. riverplate

    riverplate Member+

    Jan 1, 2003
    Corona, Queens
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    I read Paul's article last week in World Soccer and I almost posted the whole thing, but I knew you'd all start screaming at me (again).

    First of all, let me quote my favorite paragraph:

    It all paints a bleak picture, but there is some hope. Mexican millionaire Jorge Vergara is riding to the rescue with plans to start a team next year. A large part of Garber's enthusiasm for the Hispanic approach no doubt comes from Vergara. "He exudes soccer passion. He will add real spirit and drama to MLS," says the commissioner, who has been used to dealing with low-key, undemonstrative owners like Phil Anschutz and Lamar Hunt." (Emphasis mine.)

    Way to go, Paul. Let's get some live wires in this league. People who'll get it splashed on the front page of the sports section every now and then. Bill Veeck, where are you?

    As far as the Hispanic stuff specifically, I'll be tearing ass out to Giants this year to see Guevara, Vaca, and the new man in town, Sergio Galvan Rey. I won't need to walk around the place with a paper bag over my head anymore.

    The Latin fire on the field at the Meadowlands is going to douse the Chicago Fuego and bid aeidu to Adu!
     
  17. SoccerNova2009

    SoccerNova2009 New Member

    Aug 19, 2000
    probably at a bar
    Agreed! I didn't renew my subscription for the same reason. He just re-words the same article every other week. It's time to give someone else a shot. He has way overstayed his welcome and the game has passed him by.
     

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