Soccer in America
Filed under: Bumpy Pitch
What a day! What a week! I’ve experienced every emotion I can imagine over the last few days…
As soccer fans in America we all share a similar passion and a similar struggle. Loving something passionately yet hoping for it to be accepted by the masses can be exhausting. Every time there is a monumental event that happens within the confines of “US soccer” (see Confederations Cup 2009) the media inevitably asks if this is the moment that soccer has arrived in the United States.
And every time this question gets asked, the answer is always no (according to them). The mass media go on to say that this question has been asked for 40 years, and that in the end, soccer will never be a mainstream sport in America, that it will never be fully accepted and that it is something that America will only pay attention to every four years. After the amazing run of the US National Team in the Confederations Cup, the media powers that be started their customary negative outlook on things…
Take this from the NY Times after the US loss to Brazil:
“Nice try, good effort. For the rest of us, it’s back to baseball until next summer’s run to the World Cup. ”
Oh word!? Eff that and the NY Times. (Pretty sure I’m going to get emails and get in trouble for saying that. But I don’t care).
I really don’t care about what these people say. I care about the sport… shit, I have dedicated my life to the sport. As a player, a fan, and now as someone who is risking everything to build a business that is inspired by the sport, I’ve been all in for years, and that will never change. So these folks that pay attention to soccer for a minute, and then slam it the next…I have no time for them. And in my opinion, you shouldn’t either. We just gotta keep doing what we do.
And the thing about all of this is that there are millions of Americans who feel the same as I do (as we do). Hoping for acceptance by the mainstream remnds me of hoping for acceptance from the haters on the block when we were kids (I see you E. DaLa). It doesn’t matter if that acceptance ever comes, we just have to be us. Support the game and be a part of the community that supports each other. And that community is bigger than you think. Contrary to what any major media outlet may or may not say.
I’m a hip hop fan, and this musical form has been condemned for years. Hated on by many (especially in the mainstream), but it represented a way of life for millions. The cats that led the hip hop revolution never seemed to care about whether or not their art form was accepted. And they still don’t (we could learn a lot from that). They just do what they do… There wasn’t enough hate or negativity that could hold them back. And now hip hop has touched damn near everyone around the world on one level or another.
Sound familiar?
Skateboarding is another example of something that the masses shunned. These cats that were skating were getting arrested for nothing more than doing what they loved. They were looked down on by “mainstream society”. They were banned from public places and have been on the radars of everyone from security guards to the police. But these dudes didn’t let this faze them, they kept it moving. They couldn’t do anything else, because that was their passion. So no matter what mainstream society or public perception said, they stayed true to who they were. And I don’t need to remind any of you of what skateboarding has accomplished in the last 10 or 15 years.
Sound familiar?
And this is how I see soccer in America. We live on the outskirts of what many people in America find acceptable. We only get some burn (even though the inevitable negativity follows) when something major happens (again, see Confederations Cup 2009). Regardless of the outcome we end up being dismissed, but ultimately they can’t hold us back. The media loves to remind us of how marginal the sport is, at least in their opinion. They love to bring up the age old “is this when soccer becomes big in the US.” The Confederations Cup final was another example of this. Lots of media attention, lots of questions about where soccer fits in the American sporting landscape, yet ultimately the status quo will return and people will question if the mainstream will ever accept the sport.
That’s OK…
It’s OK because the mainstream can never define us, and we shouldn’t let them. Their opinion only matters as much as we let it matter. The only thing that DOES matter is that we stay consistent and we represent. There are millions of us in this country that are passionate and committed to soccer, so why do we care what the rest think about us?
They can’t hold us back if we don’t let them.
So when people ask if, or when soccer has arrived, we need to stand strong knowing that is has arrived - and we need to tell people this. It’s here to stay for millions of us in this country, and our strength and commitment will only help that grow. Whether certain people want to see that or not.
The Confederations Cup may be forgotten quickly by a majority of the American public (not us), but this moment is not for them. This site is not for them. And that is what we have to be OK with. Because I think the time has passed where we need to prove things to people that don’t believe. They can’t hold back a group of people that are committed and that don’t care about what they think. And their fear is becoming more and more apparent.
The US team showed that they can battle with the best in the world and that they won’t back down, and we as fans need to continue to do the same. At the end of the day we are a community that is millions of people strong, and we need to embrace that.
I’ll be the first in line to stand up, speak out and be down for the cause.
And for all our dudes on the US National team… I know it was a difficult loss, but you did us all proud. When I saw you walk up on the podium…seeing the USA on the back of your jackets and accepting the silver medal from the FIFA bosses…I haven’t had a prouder moment in my soccer life. Let’s keep it moving and never pay too much attention to what those on the outside have to say.
Let’s go!
Great opinion piece Beans. I agree soccer has arrived and it has a big place in this country. Look at it at the youth level, the numbers are insane.
Each year it continues to grow and we won’t be the minority in mainstream media for long!
Fantastic. My sentiments exactly. I’m also tired of answering the question,”when will soccer make it big?”. Soccer is big. We have millions of fans, a growing league with new stadiums and sponsors, and a vibrant, if not underground, soccer culture. Soccer is big in the US, and we don’t need 50-something sportswriters who check in on the sport once every four years to calidate it.
50 something sportswriters are a dying breed anyways. Who cares what they have to say.
This was awesome by the way.
As a diehard Fire fan I have to say I love where soccer is in this country. Players are accessible, roadies are like nothing else for any other sport, and the fan culture is vibrant. I have more fun at a soccer event than any other sporting event in this country. It isn’t even close. I feel like I’m part of one of the best things going.
Great effort by the USA this weekend. Hopefully they will be in the semis of the gold cup so I can go and cheer them on.
great piece Beans, i agree 100% with you, jared and mark, its only a matter of time before soccer takes over Sportscenter, NY Times etc. the youth number ARE crazy, the USMNT keeps getting better and better, its only a shame that the mainstream media turns their head away from soccer and ignoring its importance. however i feel that soccer will become “a mainstream sport” (in the media’s eyes) in the USA once one of the two things happen, we produce an amazing player of Kaka proportions or the USA wins a WC… we used to only be able to dream of these things happening in the US. who knows, maybe yesterday’s match triggered the imagination of a little kid in Ohio to go out and train to be the best and conquer FIFA within a few years time.
Preach, Rev Beans. Soccer is inevitable. We don’t have to worry about people on the outside. Whether its globalization of culture or sport consumption. It’s going to happen. It’s just too good not to happen. We don’t live in isolation anymore. We’re the sport of the people, the sport of the internet and the sport of true personal expression. We, the fans, are part of that. Unlike any other sport, we’re a part of it.
Well said my friend. The Confederations Cup in South Africa was a shining moment for the entire United States, including those that didn’t really care.
Those that felt the pride most deeply know the true meaning of this incredible milestone. What others may thing is unimportant. What matters most is the world noticed and respects the accomplishment.
Americans are well known for their ignorance. To dismiss the Confederations Cup achievement only furthers that ignorance and shouldn’t even be entertained. That would lower us to that level. I’m not inteseted in going there.
Thanks for your passion. Rest in that.
Yesterday, I was in a bar - standing room only - sharing two of the most purely beautiful moments of my entire life. There was joy, friendship, and the shared knowledge that all of us there were part of something that is going to take over the world (USA Soccer).
I’d say that the great majority of soccer fans in this country aren’t old enough to drink. Soon enough they will become an economic force that will make these negative, ignorant sports media types realize that their time is over. Thanks for this post.
I was on a flight and only got to see the first 22 minutes before boarding, but as soon as we landed people were on their phones for the scores and I had to cover my ears so they didnt give it away.
After spending the weekend at a baseball game (first one in 4 years) it made me realize just how much I love soccer. If soccer never catches on in america, thats fine with me, cause all those sports fans that like time outs/sitting all game/announcer led cheers won’t ever know what they are missing.
youth -> high school -> college -> usl -> mls
each one is unique and i’m happy to support all of them in the US
It was only a month ago that we embarrassed ourselves against Costa Rica and Honduras. If Italy had snagged a goal v Brazil or if Brazil had only gotten 2, we wouldn’t be talking about American soccer “arriving” or not. You can’t “arrive” when you’re relying on other teams’ results. Let’s wait to see how we do in more than a couple of games. We were unimpressive for a long time. Not sure I can take 2.5 games and make that a “we’re back”… I hope so, but I’ll wait and see.
Having arrived does mean that we are a global power and will begin to dominate the world’s elite on a regular basis. It has arrived in this country by the respect and passion that is shown to the game from the people that do matter - us, the one thats love the game. The game is and will be about a lot more than wins and loses. So be skeptical if you must, but we will continue to grow and thrive while you wait and see.
beans, here’s an article of one the 50 year old tools that you mentioned in your post. http://blog.american.com/?p=2481
this guys i ridiculous.
Well said. This is about us, not them. Vamos USA!!!!
I am Canadian and I was even proud because USA repped soccer in CONCACAF. I pray to god that soccer becomes bigger here. Good job Yanks!
Well said bud - this is a blog entry I want to print out and keep with me to remind me to just keeping loving the sport and the lifestyle, and not care about what ESPN, NY Times, etc etc have to say.
Thanks for that write up.
Cheers.
TOW in Edinburgh
I agree with you, its what we care as a soccer fan and not what they care as an american society. We have to support our passion, our sport and demonstrate with facts why is FUTBOL the biggest sport in the world and that one day it wil be the biggest sport in the U.S. This sport is growing in the U.S, and beleive it or not Soccer wont be the name of this sport any more in the U.S, it will be its true name “FOOTBALL”.