Yes, his name was Greg LeMond. Greg won le tour, then was killed in a hunting accident, only to come back to life and win le tour again. His victory over Laurent Fignon was the greatest tour de france of all time.
Some Americans think soccer fans are a bunch of hypersensitive, whinea**es and then we get posts like this that only demonstrate it.
That can be debated.... This explains his astronomical ratings. More people read this thread than watch his show.
You just prove me right, Greg Lemond is AMERICAN. Funny how everytime americans care about a sporting event, that's because an american guy succeeds.
Wrong, I've never said or meant ALL americans care about the person's country of origin. And I've never said or meant that EVERY American athlete would be regarded with hero status while NO stars would be foreign-born. Don't change my statements . I've already stated in this thread that there have been obvioulsy popular foreign stars, BUT it is mostly due to the POPULARITY of their sporting leagues. And american stars are still the most popular athletes in US EVEN when they are not the best athletes. That's why I asked kenntomash, if american people don't care of the person's country of origin why did Nike sign few years ago a 1 million deal with Adu??? Of course he never responded. I also asked him : if there have ever been foreign athletes in US who have been as popular as the most popular athletes ( Jordan, Ali, Lewis, or Agassi) Of course he never responded. I don't deny the popularity of those people. but are they the most popular sport stars in US ??? No they aren't. The most popular athletes are americans. Shaq, Lebron, Tiger Woods or Bryant. Are Ichiro and Pulos the most popular basebeball players ??? Steve Nash and Yao are NO WAY near the most popular basketball players in term of popularity. And didn't even come close when it comes to marketing. (I put canadians aside because canadian people share culturally a lot in common.) What Obermann said is exactly what I've always said : instead of focusing on growing American stars, pro soccer has wasted the last 40 years importing international greats, many of them over the hill, most of them English, from Georgy Bess to Bobbie Moore, from Jeff Hearse to Gordon Banks, say nothing of Julio Caesar Remaro, Franz Beckanbauer, Georgio Canalya, Johan Niskens and Pele (ph). It has never worked before, so, of course, it will work now. With this statement Olbermann hits exactly the nail on the head. Beckham is a popular guy but he won't become what you want him to be. He won't be an american hero. And despite what Kenntomash think, when MLS will produce AMERICAN world class players they will be more popular than Beckham.
The answer to your Freddy question is an easy one, Nike signed him for a million and the value just the editorial coverage of it -- the reports of supporters and naysayers alike -- made the deal pay for itself in the first month. So I don't know if you asked because you didn't know or because you wanted Kenn to answer it, but I just answered for you and anyone else who couldn't figure that one. There haven't been foreign or American athletes more popular in the US than Michael Jordan or Ali. There has never been anyone from anywhere more popular than those guys, domestically or internationally. I don't know what point that serves, but there's the answer. Yes, Ichiro and Pujols are among MLB's most popular players, without a doubt. You may also want to check into the Yao Ming statement before telling NBA fans that he's not a star and that the sky isn't blue . . . just because you don't acknowledge it doesn't mean it's not true. The growth of homegrown American soccer players and the importing of foreign-born stars are two different issues . . . that's apparent to American soccer fans and neither is mutually exclusive of the other EXCEPT in the MOST simplistic view of the game's growth here. The growth of the domestic soccer culture produces better American players, and the signing of a proven international is a component of the league's plan to raise the level of play as well as financial viability. Is Keith Olberman more tuned to the needs of our domestic pro structure than Tim Leiweke, who architected the Beckham deal? If you're privy to it, can you share it with us? Don't change my statements. Beckham will very likely become exactly what I want him to be -- an attack-minded midfielder for the Galaxy that improves the quality of service for the frontrunners and adds an extra threat on set pieces.
As enjoyable as it really is watching Kenn make Frogzie look like an idiot, I just want to point out that the "Gianluca Pagliuca" thing is NOT Olbermann making fun of the guy, or the sport. It's an inside joke from ESPN. Back in WC '94, SportsCenter anchor Gary Miller (you remember, the drunk who got in trouble for pissing off of a hotel balcony...?) famously tripped over Pagliuca's name several times while attempting to narrate the highlights. As I recall, he finally exploded, hurled an "F" bomb and yelled, "I HATE soccer!" For all I know, the video is on YouTube or somewhere else on the interwebs. Olbermann, like a lot of the rest of us, found that hilarious, and the future gratuitous mentions of the Italian goalkeeper were a reference to that incident. Okay, back to "Pin The Moron Tag On The Frenchman."
You didn't respond to the question, I repeat why Nike signed with Adu ??? Why it is so important for Nike to sign him. We are not speaking internationally, we are speaking domestically (US) only. Again tell me if there have always been foreign athletes a popular as the most popular US athletes. If american people don't mind I want you to respond. Again, you didn't respond, I don't ask you if they were "amongst" the most popular, I asked you if they were the MOST popular ???
2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Vote Albert Pujols (Dominican Republic) 2,206,409 Manny Ramirez (Dominican Republic) 1,936,373 Vladimir Guerrero (Dominican Republic) 1,932,366 Derek Jeter (USA) 1,867,418 Alex Rodriguez (USA) 1,751,939 Jason Bay (Canada) 1,706,105 David Ortiz (Dominican Republic) 1,666,940 Carlos Beltran (Puerto Rico/USA) 1,537,849 Alfonso Soriano (Dominican Republic) 1,484,845 Miguel Tejada (Dominican Republic) 1,401,157 Ichiro Suzuki (Japan) 1,393,462 David Wright (USA) 1,386,584 Ken Griffey Jr. (USA) 1,366,906 Paul Lo Duca (USA) 1,281,767 Andruw Jones (Netherlands Antilles) 1,250,129 Chase Utley (USA) 1,236,143 Johnny Damon (USA) 1,221,891 Craig Biggio (USA) 1,097,119 Jason Varitek (USA) 1,090,102 Jose Reyes (Dominican Republic) 1,068,105 Jose Castillo (Venezuela) 1,051,990 Ivan Rodriguez (Puerto Rico/USA) 1,047,987 Robinson Cano (Dominican Republic) 1,045,221 Scott Rolen (USA) 1,041,250
For the record, I grew up being aware of Pele in the NASL. I began the practice of prayer to be half as good as him and thus took number 5. And I don't ever really remember seeing him play honestly. I do remember NASL games on TV and I attended MISL. Beckham will have a cultural influence. You have to evaluate what is bad journalism and what is sensational entertainment. Most American's are threatened by soccer because of their ignorance. And in fact, Europe is threatened by US becoming soccer giant. Look at the World Cup draw and refereeing during the matches. It's a different time. There's a reason that guy is on TV and the execs are the ones making the decisions to sign him. It's a no brainer that it'll be profitable. Doesn't take a business degree to see that. It was a statement with incorrect information with bad correlations. To say 'pro soccer' has wasted 40 years is an insult. What does it mean for it to 'work'. League owners, teams, and players may come and go but the sport will remain. We should worry when they aren't making fun of soccer. It'll just take another generation of broadcasters to replace people like him. Cosell didn't last either...
Seems the "debate" led by Krayzie as to whether Beckham's arrival has raised the league's profile will be tabled until further notice . . . http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aUAxd1irwwng&refer=europe
foreign player that is a huge star in america. easy one. The Great One. Wayne Gretzky. He past his prime probably 15 years ago and stopped playing several years ago but was one of the biggest stars in this country during his time and is one of the few reasons why people watched hockey during the 80's and 90s.
Keith is very bright and his show is very good and his "special comment" section is great but he is no friend of soccer. His only sport is baseball. He lives and breathes it. He trashes soccer every chance he gets. But thats OK, it doesnt mean I have to suddenly hate him.
Yeah...and the baseball hit a divot when it went thru Buckner's legs...Robinson can be much too lackadaisical at times, so I can't fault Olberman for making fun him (i still make fun of that now) for that...but anyway, it sucks he said this, but it was no that aggressive and completely ignorant....he's just another doubting Thomas...not necessarily a hater
And with all this foreign hating suggestion as a possibility (which I think squirrel killer clearly disproved with that all-star vote post)....maybe it's more of the fact that those [baseball] players are coming here to play the "great American game" and this "immigrant/search for a better life/game" is held as being special to many Americans I think....but with soccer, they see it as some big shot coming over telling them how they have it all wrong....
Olbermann's not a moron, but he really displays an ignorance here about soccer that should have prevented him from editorializing the way he did. Specifically, I think it makes no sense to say that America is not focusing on "developing the American player" when that is exactly what USSoccer and MLS are devoted to doing. Those programs are extensive and well-funded. There's a serious effort to developing world-class players, it's just the sort of thing that takes a lot of time. I'd be surprised if Olbermann knew that MLS existed before the Beckham story broke. He hears about MLS spending $250 million on Beckham and assumes that the league isn't bothering to develop American players, it's just going out trying to buy foreign stars again. That's not stupidity, it's carelessness and ignorance. While again, Olbermann is not a moron, I would be wary about getting political commentary from a guy that is this demonstrably careless about getting background knowledge on what he talks about (and I'm not a big G.W. Bush fan).
This is just a warning to soccer directives so they do not repeat the same mistake one more time ... We need to focus on our American born soccer stars to attract more fans....
Lets go step by step.....You have to agree with this guy that soccer HAVE WASTE 40 YEARS....So he is raising concerns about not repeat the same stupid mistakes........ right ? Now.... I do agree with you that MLS is trying to catch up with AMERICAN PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, But I hope we see some results on the field. USA soccer cannont affort a developmental league without results ....So far how many players are ready to move to the mayor teams ? .....
Whether it's his politics or his opinions on the greatest game on the planet, Keith has a well-deserved reputation for shooting off his mouth without having his facts straight... One of the most arrogant, cynical, negative persons in either sports or political commentary (and that's saying a lot)....