Black People Don't Play Soccer? -- the book

Things are changing... not all brothers have to be in the military to see the world and become "cultured." My son... will travel the world at an early age as well.

 

Kinda missing my point, military guys often get to live in the culture they never thought they would visit whereas folks traveling to a new culture usually means people made plans ahead of time and knew where you were heading off to. Military folks get their orders to report and must go, i.e. dive into something new and get paid to serve there, perhaps live there for some time of their careers and thus in time really learn to understand what the local soccer club means to the local culture.
I do hear your other point as well, however amigo it really isn't ground breaking news for men or women of color from our nation having bags will travel. Perhaps in the 70's but it is 2012.

 

It's funny. My friend was recently sent to a USAF base near Norwich, England and is really getting into soccer. This is somebody who NEVER watches soccer here in the US. I wouldn't call him a hater but he was always sarcastic whenever I mentioned anything soccer. Now he's back in DC for training and we're going to watch Norwich City take on ManU bright and early saturday morning. MLS still has a ways to go, but there will come a time when people like my friend become casual MLS fans. I've brought friends to DCU matches and they always come away with a positive experience (shocking with the way we've been playing lately).

 

My retired Navy Seal biker buddy had the exact same thing happen to him. He knew of the sport but didn't know the importance of it. Gave 'em one of my USA jerseys, got him to a game and that was it son! Wears that jersey riding he does.
I recall Ray Allen of the Celtics talking about growing up with his pops an Air Force man stationed in England as well Tiburon and Ray grew up with the game playing soccer with his buddies off base. Said it helped him become the athlete he is today.

 

I haven't read the full thread or don't know if these points were picked up or pointed out but it's something that I was thinking about the other day as it relates to race in the world.

I wanted to discuss these sterotypes that seem to come up in the world and seem to be prevalent on these boards as it pertains to black or african players you see alot of post of said player is lazy, doesn't work for the team, fast or athletic, never has I seen a post of said african or black usa player technique is amazing he has a great football brain or he see's the game in cerebral light. Why?

In business as in the world I deal with these issues as african american man, as if to say I'm talented or lucky not that I worked hard or payed my dues. Or if in business or sport I know that I'm good at something it's I or said player is arrongant or cocky and others want bring you down a peg.

I see no difference in the way a player like Mario Balotelli carries himself compared to a Cristino Ronaldo or Leo Messi but opinions of those players are much more favorable in the media and by fans is it race or am I imagining this.

I would like a have a frank discussion in this football soccer forum no racist comments please just real talk on the issue and if as humans we may be able get past these little sterotypes one day so maybe my kids can play the game and be thought of as the smartest guy on the pitch not just the the luckiest or most athletic.

 

If those black families came from the Islands they certainly do play. Like Hatians and the rest.

 

Fair Enough.

 

And after reading some of the authors post on what the book is really about I don't think my post was that far off I just think this thread has went down the road of what US soccer could do to sell the game to the african american community and how to get fringe " super athletes" in that community to choose soccer over other sports.

 

Are you being sarcastic? Balotelli is a horrible example. He's the epitome of the arrogant selfish athlete. There are thousands of black soccer players who are humble team players. Why pick the worst example?

Balotelli carries himself like Messi, I'm still laughing as I write this.

 

That's why I wrote Balotelli, is percerption really reality? I see Mario as a young guy with alot of personality who knows he has talent and displays it when he can. I see Messi as the same way without the personality and when I see Leo I think of a little arrongant prick with a massive ego but guess what he should have that ego he's the best player I've ever seen.

I for one has never seen Balotelli do anything selfish against his team he works hard and if he didn't he wouldn't be in any team or playing at the highest level. But let the media tell it he the worst person on earth why? He stays out late, lights firecrackers in his own bathroom get's parking tickets. Well George Best did all that and more or Maradonna was worst. But because of skin tone I think Mario get's a bad rap.

Humble does that mean quiet, not make a scene or self promoting or being notice? How is that a great quality? Do you think that Ali or Jordan were humble?

 

Solid production from some folks at Florida A&M, specifically for looking into why there is a divide, however after listening to the parents speak of the pay to play structure of why more of our nation's black youth don't get involved, I still wonder why that point is even relevant as early on in the video the one father spoke of soccer in Miami as understood to be the poor kids game. And he said this was years ago when he was a young man in South Florida.
Thus, like our traditional poor man's game of basketball, one is only limited to getting "into" basketball by how intimate one wants to become with the game. Osea, as it is pretty much understood in hoops development for our youth, the more you play the better you get. Since it is easy to find pick up games in basketball, the next step for a young player is how to get into games against better opponents. Which again is nothing new in our sports culture for black men and women in basketball yet is shockingly lacking, as the video here ran right over this facet of growing up with soccer as a sport in the U.S., to never mention why, or better yet in 2012, how to get our youth of color from South Tallahasse to get down to the city park and play free soccer. I say this cuz I must believe that in Florida, there are immigrant communities around that have their kids, youths and adults all in for local Tallahasse soccer. I mean there has to be Colombians, Jamaicans and Mexican soccer aficianados in Florida's capital that bypass the pay to play upper middle class structure. There were many excellent points from the video but this one is the one megatheme the parents spoke of the most. And what being on those select teams puts their kids through. Which of course I was sitting here watching and wanted to ask the dads, "say amigo, how does it work for our brothas in hoops. Cuz we already know our nation produces a ton of world class talent in that sport. So outside the AAU summer teams, getting good at the sport is real simple yet very demanding, with no need of pay to play clubs. So who in Tallahasse sold the bag of goods that your son or daughter has to suit up for $900 with some "elite" trainer from Brighton named Nigel?"
I admit if the parent wants ODP looks and really wants to find college scouts eyes, that is the route to take. Yet the video opened with why and how blacks in the U.S. get into soccer and drifted from that into, well the elite youth club team set up 'we got ourselves into' is whack and us parents want to complain about it all. Even Title IX was brought in towards the end of the video discussion, and that's when I was thinking, shit, we can grow the game and never have to think twice about how Title XI holds black men back from playing pick up soccer, the fun side of soccer, holds 'em back from playing the beautiful game.

 

Based on what? I've never seen or heard Messi do anything that would lead me to believe any of this. You have quite the imagination.

Balotelli constantly whines when taken out of the game, shows lack of effort, and wears his arrogance on his sleeve. Just last week against Chelsea Mancini took his out of the game at halftime for his lack of effort.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-with-another-strop-from-Mario-Balotelli.html

If Balotelli is being singled out because of his race, why doesn't the media go after players like Drogba. I call BS, and I don't mean Big Soccer.

 

racists

 

Racist

 

I love it when people don't bother to read a thread as base everything on the title of the thread.

 

yes, we know that is an stupid book based on racism....and if you don't agree with me you are a racist and a nazi

 

+1 :d

 

scotty and mntiburon are hitler and muzzolini

 

You do know, don't you, that the author of the book is black, that he took the title from a stupid comment made to him by his boss, and that the book is about the fact that black people, including American black people, do play soccer.

 

In my country people don't thinks in colors........i don't understand that deal.....

 

In my country, some people think that when someone claims that they don't even notice race, this is just a way of avoiding a subject they don't want to discuss. One of the reasons why there are racial problems in America is that so many people would rather pretend that it doesn't exist than talk about it.

 

I study and play with blacks, and a lot of white people does.....black have the same social conditions here, bus can be used for whites and black togheters.....the only difference is the color skin.....

 

Becasue Black people can't dominate in soccer like NBA/NFL?