People in soccer circles are always talking about how our sport gets bashed by the sporting media and traditional media outlets. For a long time US soccer fans have been frustrated by by the negative and biased views that sports writers have taken when writing about soccer. Personally, I have never cared too much because these writers have never represented anything that I cared about and their views on the game were so off basis that to pay too much attention to them would serve me no purpose and only make me upset. But the sport has needed the media to get behind it, cover it and show it in the way that it should be covered. That is starting to happen more, and now, it looks like Bill Simmons, quite possibly the most popular sports writer in the US, might be an official soccer fan.
How important is it that a writer and personality like Bill Simmons becomes a soccer fan? Does Bill Simmons covering the sport and actively involving himself with American soccer become the catalyst that US soccer fans have been hoping for on the media side of things? Who knows, but it certainly will be a good thing for soccer in America. His co-signing of the sport as not only a writer, but as an actual fan is something that US soccer fans have been hoping to see for awhile.
There are more and more signs that indicate that soccer’s future in the US is brighter than ever. It’s been a long time in the making and an interesting journey for all American soccer fans, but it is happening. And the sport’s success is a reflection of the fans commitment to the sport in good times and bad. In the end, that is part of the reason that somebody like Bill Simmons starts paying attention to the sport and finds himself becoming a fan of the sport we have all loved.
Just like signing a superstar player, Bill Simmons isn’t the answer to soccer staking it’s claim in the US sporting market. But it is a part of the process and journey. I for one am excited to see what he writes about soccer, and what kind of effect he has on the sport. For a glimpse of what he brings to the table, check this story he just wrote about his trip to Mexico to watch the US v Mexico game last week.
