Soccerhead :: Author Signing @ Borders 5/17/06

Discussion in 'Lot 8' started by Colonial717, May 12, 2006.

  1. Colonial717

    Colonial717 New Member

    Aug 5, 2004
    Arlington, VA
    So there is a new soccer book out called Soccerhead. Its subtitle is "An Accidental Journey Into the Heart of the American Game." Its basically about a dad (the author, Jim Haner) who grew up with football but starts coaching soccer and becomes hooked. More about the youth game and women's soccer, even though he has a son. But I think his arguement is that as of right now the games rise in the United States is due to those two influences, which is probably true for now.

    He did fall in love with the sport though, he interviews Bahr and other old timers, talks about Kearney, St. Louis, and even attempts to explain Soccer's hate for Baseball. His list of books that you should reference are all of the ones regularly listed on BigSoccer (Fever Pitch, Football Against the Enemy, Soccer in the Sun and Shadow, How Soccer Explains the World) plus The Women of Summer or whatever that book is about Women's soccer.

    The one thing that pissed me off is that he never mentions the current men's game. Its all about youth, history, and women's soccer. I think there were two mentions of MLS in the whole book and only mentions the current US Mens Team in passing a couple of times. AND ITS A BOOK ABOUT AMERICAN SOCCER. NASL gets more mentions than the MLS. Even with this very big flaw I found it to be a good and informative book with some good new ideas specifically about American soccer. I mean this ommission really pissed me off, but at the same time I was interested in what I was reading.

    The reason that I am writing about all of this is because he will be at the Borders at Bailey's Crossroads on Wednesday May 17th at 7:30pm. Don't know if anyone else is interested but I just thought I would put the info out there.
     
  2. Colonial717

    Colonial717 New Member

    Aug 5, 2004
    Arlington, VA
    Um, I forgot to mention the fact that the author is a writer for the Baltimore Sun. He lives in College Park, so this is a very local thing when he talks about youth teams you may have played or have children that play in leagues he mentions and what not. Also, he talks about taking his boys team (with one girl) to a Freedom game but doesn't say anything about DC United. This is one of the largest things that I severely disliked about the book, but it was still a good book and an interesting read.

    Topics it explores:
    1) youth soccer exploded in the 80's and 90's
    2) girls soccer gave it critical mass
    3) youth gets no public money like baseball and football so very organized
    4) soccer has been here for a LONG time
    5) much more physical than its made out to be (leagues sell parents on the non-contact, then within two years it gets more serious with more contact)
    6) long odds to "make it" but without the knowledge of those odds by parents
    7) his own experiences coaching youth soccer and learning the game (this was part of the book that I didn't think I would like, but he writes this part very well spinning in other facets and making it interesting to read)

    Anyways, book competely misses the boat on professional soccer in the US today but is still a pretty good book.
     

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