I don't think kids today are worse athletes, but that's due largely to better nutrition, health, sports medicine, etc. I think it's definitely true that many sports (especially, especially soccer) are just another activity on the to-do list of today's overscheduled kids. Soccer is the stereotype of a sport that the stereotypical soccer moms have their kids play. And, as the stereotype goes, these kids don't bother with soccer outside of their organized activities. There's no pickup games in the streets. I think sometimes there can be a sort of burnout. I went to a high school that has one of the top soccer programs in the state (state champs two years running). One of my friends plays on the team and he talked about how sick he was getting of soccer, with the practices for his school and his club team. I think soccer can sometimes be something that kids aren't playing for fun. That's a major problem.
Re: Chivas USA A few questions: What would you say to the German player who's better than anyone at his position on the Scottish/Irish team, but not good enough make the Chicago squad? Who'd play in: Atlanta Dallas New Orleans Where would you place players of mixed racial/national descent? What about: the Poles and Irish in Chicago? the Scotch/Irish in the Deep South? Just curious.
I guess we will win the World Cup when we successfuly reach out to every community and get the best players. Soccer I guess is growing but in my town you don't see people playing soccer in the streets, the Basketball courts are pretty full but the soccer fields are mostly not used by anyone in an unorganised way. There is a big soccer club but that is in the more middle class area of town. I go to say Walmart yet in the kids toys section you can't find an action figure of a soccer player even though they have one for the other sports. In other ways there is a lot of progress made in that people I guess know more about soccer but there is still a long way for the sport to go. I guess there is a shortage of coaches in more working class areas because when I kick the ball around the YMCA field I was asked to be a coach, but unfortunately I probably ain't going to do it, I ain't a people person but I guess I would help kids more if there was more pick-up games in these areas and people came out to the field more. People mainly gravitate around the Basketball court. Well that's how it is in my Southern town.
Why race everything Race should not matter. What is important is the caracter of every human being, I like the good ones no matter color I hate the bad ones no matter the color...
Just FYI, mulatto is an antiquated term, akin to referring to an African-American as a *#*#*#*#*#*#. Kudos to you for correcting yourself.
Re: Re: Re: Excellent comments... I'm pretty sure that if Vergara is going to shell out millions of dollars to make this happen, he's done his homework. I'm sure he didn't get rich by making fool's bets. That being said, I am fairly confident that Vergara understands that the rules for the team with MLS will be very different than what he's allowed to do in Mexico. He probably sees this as an opportunity to hopefully create a great melting pot atmoshphere in San Diego, with Mexicans, Americans, and everyone else coming together to support their team. If that will happen most certainly remains to be seen. The bottom line is that he sees it as a possible investment in more $$$.
This is a good topic, but I think it is the type of topic for the Soccer in the USA forum. Moving from Youth National Teams.
FYI I am a mullato...as for the "N" word you referred to....some (not all) in the black community see it as a term of endearment, not saying that I agree with that but that is the way it is...so when I said Timmy was an Oreo / mullato it was a little tounge in cheek not meant to be hatefull. P.S. so far off topic I'm now stuck in the "Emergence of white-americans"....lmao P.S.S. When the US gets those black players or any players for that matter that are 6'5" - 6'6" target forwards or the kid that has the skills of a street b-ball point gaurd with his feet then we will be competative on the world soccer scene.
Anyway....the MLK High (Midtown Manhattan, near Lincoln Center) played their matches on a field in northern Manhattan near my house and whenever I could I'd go and see them. The side was almost exclusively black, and they would blow away their opponents without fail. Now I'm sure that not all of them were Americans, but the ones that were must have picked up some skills. When a home grown, 1st Div. American side plays like this, I'll be very happy. With regards to CDG (Chivas), they were originally established by Belgian players. How they became the Mexican version of Athletic Bilbao is beyond me. I really would love to see an American side manned by home-grown talent exclusively, though. I actually have dreams of a Metros side made up of Tri-State area players.
Its really a class - race issue. Isn't this really about class and immigration? I mean look at the African-Americans in the MLS. They are either middle class (ex. Cobi Jones) or of Carribean or African Heritage (Tony Sanneh-Father born in Gambia). In other words their backgrounds are very much like their white counterparts. So the real issue is how to take soccer into the inner cities.
All i know DMB is the first hip hop soccer player in the United States. With his bink bink, he will spread that joy to Europe soon.
Your full of it.. I think your full of *#*#*#*#*#... Im a white person who grew up Idolizing Michale Jordan, Bo Jackson, Larry Bird, and countless other individuals. I did not give a care about what color there skin is. If black children OR white children OR any other race of children has a racial bias it is not the sports fault. It is the parents instilling racial in-equalities in there children, so do not go there trying to state there needs to be more of one race or the other in Soccer. That is BS, what needs to happen is partents need to instill the correct qualities in there children instead of hateful or racial ones... The US is funny in one aspect though, If you saw this thread and changed African American to white, this would be an extremely racist thread and all this.. Somehow it is ok for Minorities to express there point of view about racial in-equalities, yet if a white person does it hes racist.. go figure... Welcome to 2003.
**general thread note** This thread has been dancing on, over and through some very dicey territory. If you can talk about race without being racist, compare players without being derogatory it will be kept open, but please everyone try to be on their best behavior, okay? No need for this to turn into the Rush Limbaugh/Jimmy the Greek hour.
Funny you mention it. When I was visiting Chicago for work, I was walking down that famous shopping street (magnificent mile??) and saw DMB crossing the street with a Tiffanys bag right outside of the store... Either he has a girlfriend or he was buying some "ice" for himself..
Re: Re: African-Americans & Soccer Well, part of the reason stems from the flight of immigrants from the cities to the burbs. They may have not had a professional league in the US but if you were from a city and an immigrant, chances are that your folks were involed with the local social club, e.g. German American clubc, Italian-Amrerican clubs, etc... The liklihood (sp?) of a relative participating in a local ethnic league and following their favorite club from the old country more than likely rubbed onto junior and that's when the growth started and why is boomed in the burbs faster than in the city. In the West MI area, soccer was mainly a Dutch/Christian school phenomenon. All the Christian schools in the area had soccer teams long before the public schools. The other influence is the hispanic populations in Holland and Grand Rapids where you find more pick up games and all hispanic leagues. On a sadder note, my alma mater, Unity Christian, finally added football this year.....arrrgggghhh! Holland Christian also fielded their first football team this season; however it was their soccer team that won the state title!
Brazil always seems to be the team with the broadest racial spectrum and history has shown that they are also the best soccer playing nation. I don't believe that's an accident. When race matters less and soccer more, you get a better environment for success. Sure, athletes in America are better today than in previous generations because of better nutrition etc. but in sports where specific skills aquired by hours of practice are necessary like baseball, fewer kids have those skills. Basketball is probably the exception. Less land area, less equipment and fewer players are required to play basketball. When I was a kid, suburban children (especially boys) came home from school and played sports with their friends until "the street lights came on". On weekends we tossed the ball around with our fathers. Few mothers worked and most fathers were around. That's not the case any more. With the majority of mothers now in the workplace and a lot more single parent families, that's just not the situation today. After school care doesn't foster the same sports related environment, except with basketball. Soccer is beeginning to succeed in the US because it has been made more available to the entire population starting in the suburbs. As that availability extends into the inner city, you will see more blacks excell at soccer just because they comprise a greater proportion on the inner city population. I wouldn't expect soccer to gain a great foothold in the cities, because it's nature, like that of baseball and football requires more open space.
Adu and bringing in African - Americans How successful will Freddy be in bringing in new African - American fans and players? Does anybody have any figures showing an increase in golf's populartiy along African - Americans once Tiger Woods entered the field?
it's not going to happen. Get beyond a certain height, not much over 6' (if even that) and players start getting problems with ball control due to a higher centre of gravity. It's not as if the US has a world monopoly on tall people, and how many players of that height have ever really made it in the game? Not many. Unlike some other sports, height (or muscle bulk) or not attributes that give a player a huge advantage in soccer.