hmmm...already making fun of Dallas attendance numbers... Interestng look at the all around impact of Freddy.. Now for a far somewhat related, not as well thought out article: I do not think the article I'm about to post deserves its own thread, so here it goes: Start Adu Now! Accept No Substitutes Tony Kornheiser (links to 1st and 2nd pages of this "gem") http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59325-2004Apr7.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59325-2004Apr7_2.html
Much more measured article on how to handle Adu's popularity Beyond the hype, plenty to see here Beau Dure http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/columnist/dure/2004-04-08-dure_x.htm ..... "Perhaps these subtleties were lost on soccer newbies tuning in for the first time. But for all the hype about Adu as the Freddy Appleseed of American soccer, that's not the point. MLS' top priority isn't to convert the Great Unwashed. The league wants to get the millions of soccer fans in this country who follow MLS only a little or not at all. MLS has cut out the gimmicks — shootouts, overtime, backward clocks and Jorge Campos — and quit pandering to those who know nothing about the game. If a few people turned up to see soccer for the first time because of Adu, that's a nice side benefit. But most of the soccer newbies tuning in are journalists, which skews perception of things to say the least, and most journalists won't be paying customers anyway." .....
Typically good take by Beau. He certainly writes with the insight and even-handedness which is the hallmark of BigSoccer posters....