1~ Yes...obviously. 2~ It's not going to matter. Not because newspapers aren't going to care, but because they're not going to be around for much longer, as anything more than the usual flyers and miscellaneous crap that strangers foist upon you, as if to say ,"Here...throw this away for me, will ya?" They know that day is near, and it adds to the comraderie they feel with the old losers that walked uphill both ways to school...and the simple fact that I don't feel like I owe anything to the era I grew up in is the only thing that apparently allows me to repeat such blasphemous thoughts.
What gets me about all the media naysayers saying the Beckham signing won't make a difference is that they seem to miss to irony that sans the Beckham signing, they wouldn't be writing about soccer. Ergo, it's already making a difference BECAUSE THEY'RE FU(KIN' WRITING ABOUT IT! Every one of these anti-soccer articles sans Beckham is proof positive Beckham will help grow the sport. If these people really wanted to hurt soccer, they'd just ignore the Beckham news.
...due time has already arrived. You are more of an expert than you give yourself credit for...check out Dan Steinberg's Sports Bog on Washingtonpost.com, and once there, scroll a bit and click on DC United to see the wealth of interactive coverage he has given the team and its fans. Looks like our Steinberg is the exact opposite of yours. His blogs have done an interesting thing for me...I've started following other DC teams more closely because his blogs focus on the human aspects of the players and the fans. So my interest in the Caps and Wizards has picked up. Even went to a Caps game with La Barra Brava. I spend more time following his blogs than I do reading the Post's sports section. And, I get a chance to talk back. The point is, if you look at all of the subject heads on the left nav of Steinberg's column, he's covering a lot of sports in a way that engages the reader and give an immediate chance to intereact...since he engages in the comments exchange. This is, as you pointed out would be happening, a huge departure from your Steinberg's stuff. And, as a guy in his mid-sixties, I love this future world. As you can understand, for me it can't come soon enough.
I don't have time to put together a well-planned response, but here is what I sent: ---------------------- Neil, Soccer may never be the number one sport in the country, but let me tell you my story, keeping in mind that it is not unique. I grew up in Cleveland, and followed all of the local teams. I was a big enough baseball fan to listen to many games on the radio. Now, is there anything more boring than baseball on the radio? I was a fan! I also followed the Browns and the Cavs as much as any other sports fan in town. Then cam the 1990’s and the Major League Baseball strike. Sure, I took it personally, since the Indians had their best team ever the year that World Series was canceled. But, even if I were not an Indians fan, I realized something that year: baseball players are overpaid prim donnas, and there was no way I was going to support them anymore. Later on I realized they are also juiced up cheaters who can play the game until they are 65 because you don’t really have to be in shape to play the game. And you call that a sport? Now let’s talk about basketball and the thugs that dominate that player pool. Enough said. As for football, I still like a good college game now and again, but the NFL bores me most of the time. We are talking about a game that has to stop and reset every 2-7 seconds, so everyone can get their heads around what’s happening. Add to that the timeouts and the games last an eternity! I also like how a touchdown has to be worth seven points so people can pretend that the games are high-scoring affairs. So, in the end, I became a soccer fan. You will likely never understand the reasons why I am a fan, but now you may understand why I am no longer a fan of the mainstream sports in this country. Mike
I too sent him a letter and received this response. His reponse demonstrates his ignorance. I was quite surprised by his attack about how angry sports fan get, when my letter did not have a hint of anger. I attempted to overcome his venom with statistics. I responded to his response, but I am not going to bother reprinting it here. I apologize for the length of this post. Oh, yeah, he's a prick! Steinberg's reponse: Mr. W.: There's nothing to deal with. I'm not angry at soccer, etc. The truth is, I never think about soccer at all. As far as the intricacies of Beckham's deal -- well, I'll leave that to fans to quibble over. You obviously aren't a reader of the column, because I expound at length on how dull sports are to the non-fanatic. I once went to a Blackhawks game -- I was doing a story on the team cat. I couldn't make it through. Dullness itself. Sports in general are the same thing happening over and over again, and one sign of what a fixation it is is how angry sports fans get -- i.e. you -- if you point it out. I went to see opera Friday night -- Strauss's "Die Fledermaus." Very good. If you thought it was a stupid waste of time, it wouldn't upset me at all. In fact, I'd expect that. Thus the difference between the two of us. NS My letter: Mr. Steinberg Your mean spirited jab at soccer in America was uncalled for and just plain ignorant. AEG and the LA Galaxy are not "wasting a quarter of billion dollars" on David Beckham because they are not paying him $250 million over four years. The salary is going to be between $6 and $9 million with the rest of the money resulting from commercial endorsements. I am not going to attempt to explain the intricacies of his deal to you, because, if you can not understand what a bidet is, I am quite certain you can not understand finances as it relates to international sports. "Americans don't care for soccer" and "never, ever will"? That remark is simply asinine. You do not care for soccer; that is your perogative. Soccer has not been considered one of the major sports in America, based on media coverage (this week notwithstanding). However, were you aware that the Fire outdraw the Blackhawks, LA Galaxy outdraw the LA Kings and DC United outdraw the Washington Capitals, all by several thousand attendees? American soccer fans have a long history of suffering the manner of ignorance and abuse you display in your column. If the major media do not want to cover soccer, that is fine. But do not ever insult the millions of American who care for and care about soccer by denying our existence. It is obviously true that there are more baseball and (American) football and basketball and, probably, hockey fans, and no one is arguing that point, but that does not mean that there are no American soccer fans. The American media must get over this xenophobia about soccer and just accept that it is here and it is going to stay here. Deal with it. Year Team Attendance 2006 Fire 14,111 Blackhawks 13,318 2005 Fire 17,238 Blackhawks 13,213 2004* Fire 17,153 Blackhawks 13,253 2006 LA Galaxy 20,814 LA Kings 16,548 2005 Galaxy 24,204 Kings 17,840 2004* Galaxy 23,809 Kings 17,855 2006 DC United 18,215 Capitals 13,135 2005 DC United 16,664 Capitals 13,905 2004* DC United 17,232 Capitals 14,720 * Hockey attendance for 2003-2004 due to lockout of 2004-2005 http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance?year=2007 http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/index.jsp
Great find. From the article: Steinberg: “You're sweating, trembling. I think it went on for about a month, really, before I felt myself again.” Something tells me that this dbag has spent quite a bit of time 'feeling himself' since that month passed...
Here's a column from the MN Star Trib that makes Steinberg look like a genius. Basically, he believes because Becks no longer starts at Real Madrid and in off the English Nats radar, he won't be able to contribute to the Gals. Would only he were right...
Nothing like a wholly unoriginal 100-word essay from aging nerd who is still bitter over never being athletic enough to succeed in sports who then resorts to drinking and beating his wife to make himself feel good. I've read stinging articles and op-eds about soccer before, this wasn't one of them.
I wonder if he hit his wife with the same amount of force he used to hit the keys typing some of the responses to your e-mails, or as often as he hit the bottle. Degenerate wife beating alcoholic bastard. I could care less what he writes.
Shoulda responded "No, the difference between the 2 of us is that I'm not an alcoholic, I never beat my wife because she refused to sleep with me when I came home in a drunken rage, and I would probably not be given any special treatment from a Cook County judge if I did anyway."
Someone should write him back and ask him if he's think that Bradley will invite Becks to the national team camp.
This is guy must be really washed up to spend hours replying to a bunch of pissed off soccer fans. I say we get him to a game, he might be a convert.
Ok, here's what I wrote. ---------------- Neil, I'm a huge hockey guy. Wirtz has pissed me off so much I tried a Fire game. I loved it. I am now a Season Ticket holder. The reasons? - Awesome Tailgating. We're allowed in 4 hours before the game and there are always soccer games going on in the lot. - Atmosphere. You have to check out the supporters section (Section 8) in order to appreciate it. Check youtube for some videos. - Friends. I have made a ton of friends at this place. They watch my kids like they were theres. - The Game. - It's very similar to hockey although you have to get used to the change of pace. - Peter Wilt - The ex-GM. With my disdain for Wirtz, meeting Peter Wilt was quite the experience. This guy has a genuine passion for the game and would stand with the supporters and cheer during every game. He is still a season ticket holder. Soccer fans are the oppressed in the US and whenever you write any sort of negative article it's like kicking a hornets nest. Be fair to them and attend a game then report back. I can guarantee if you go there with an open mind you will enjoy yourself. I sit right next to Section 8 and season tickets are only $320. There is no better value apart from maybe the Wolves. Andy Beer
Hasn't Dallas already cornered the market on aging douche bags with too much time on their hands as fans? Is it really worth competing with them in that department?
In second topic (foosball is fine ) oh so clever, he promises to print soccer fan replies tomorrow. http://www.suntimes.com/news/steinberg/210854,CST-NWS-stein15.article
Glad you did. As someone who has struggled with the bottle, I'll let him work through his deamons without piling on. Paul P.S. - But I never hit anyone....