Tonights episode on ESPN2 has Tommy Smith, Alexi Lalas and Don Garber...the whole show is about MLS and the world cup
I was absolutely shocked at how well done this program was. I've never been a big Steven A. Smith fan but he did an absolutely superb job and the interviews were great: Bruce Arena, Alexi Lalas, Tommy Smythe, Don Garber and even Steve Nash were all impressive. I highly recommend you TIVO the show or stay up and watch it if you missed the first one!
I was flippen through channels and was shocked to see Arena's face on TV. The show was great and I liked how they through Steve Nash in there. I thought Garber looked a little uncomfortable anwsering the question about the womens leauge.
Wow! This is pretty good. It's about time ESPN dedicate some time to the beautiful game. I'm suprised how well Alexi is doing too!
I encourage any and all of you to write an email to Stephen A. Smith for showcasing soccer on his show. Drop him a line at ssmith@phillynews.com As for the show, I think it was well done and really spoke the truth about the sport. Smith wanted the panel to argue why soccer is going to become big and they responding in full force. I believe Smith believes soccer is the next biggest thing, and we will talk about the big 4. I hope we see more specials as the world cup nears.
I liked the way Stephen gave a hard time to the professor who dissed soccer's chances in America: "Do you actually believe soccer has no chance of becoming a major sport in America, or is that what you WANT to believe?"
The replay of the show must have been cut. When it aired earlier, Abby Wambach was also interviewed at the end of the show.
I was flipping throuhg the channels and saw the last 20 minutes. I watch his show regulary, it is good.
I just finished watching the show on tivo. The theme was similar to the poker show he did a few months back. I like how Steven Smith does shows on things he knows nothing about. It's rather courageous. The problem I had with the show was that no one gave him an answer as to why soccer isn't popular in the US. The professor tried from an academic standpoint, but his points where all over the place. Alexi and Garber did their best to avoid the overall theme of the show. They stated over and over that MLS is growing every year. This may be true, but the fact is they didn't address why soccer isn't a maor sport here while it's THE sport almost everywhere else.
Steve Nash was the only person who gave a direct answer. He said because of the lack of history of soccer in america.
Yeah, I liked Steve Nash's fan perspective. I still don't think the host left the show knowing any more than when it began. Even though soccer is #2 in participation, it has a major issue when it comes to building a fanbase for the professional game. That issue is a lot of parents get their kids into soccer because it is one of the safest sports at the youth level. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. However this, along with some of the anti-competition setups is some youth leagues, contributes to the image that it isn't a sport to be taken seriously. Here's a link to a BS thread on some lawmakers trying to make soccer super-duper safe: Monty's opine