Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
Subject: Re: Soccer in U.S.
From: jmarold@netlink.cts.com (Jeff Marold)
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 92 22:18:31 PST
Organization: NetLink Online Communications, San Diego CA

rcampb@cac.washington.edu (Russ Campbell ) writes:

> Sigh.  Okay, I'll be nice instead of spitting out a knee-jerk reaction to
> the sentiment in the articles I'm following up.
> 
> Judge soccer's popularity in the US not by what you see in the media but
> by the following:
> 
> 'Soccer International', published out of California, has had trouble since
> it's creation keeping up with the demand in it's subscription department. 
> When I phoned them one time to find out what was keeping my subscription
> renewal premium (a nice t-shirt) from arriving I was told they'd get to it
> but it might still be some time before doing so.  At that time they'd
> estimated they'd be getting between 500 and 1000 subscription requests a
> month (this was in the second year).  In the month prior to my call they'd
> actually received more than 8000.
> 
> Take a look, next time there's a soccer 'broadcast', at how many games are
> being played at local fields.
> 
> Watch advertizing closely in the next few years.  The large corporations
> here that are supposedly so greedy and yet ignorant of the sports
> potential are indeed greedy but are far from ignorant.  Soccer is
> appearing more and more in marketing efforts, especially those aimed at youth
> 
> Consider the number, the growing number, of public high schools that are
> having trouble fielding an american football team because the boys would
> rather be playing youth/civic league soccer.  School districts all over
> the place are beginning to cancel the free use privaledges of soccer clubs
> and charging rent for use of the school fields by these clubs.  Why? 
> Because the people in control are still good-old-boy gridiron types and
> don't like that the boys don't want to play their game as much any more.
> 
> Soccer/football is plenty popular here.  You just have to look beyond the
> media's poor coverage and lack of insight to realize it.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> |  Russell  D.  Campbell        : No new snappy quote or saying.   |
> |  rcampb@u.washington.edu      : I'm just tired of the old one.   |
> |  (206)543-0846 @UW in Seattle :                                  |
> |------------------------------------------------------------------|
> | Anyone can have an opinion, but very few people ever bother to   |
> | educate themselves before expressing one.                        |
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Having seen a lot of AYSO games in the last few years, Im not sure that 
most players arent just waiting till there older at which time they play 
football. THe coaching and officating is all too often controlled by the 
gridiron types, who dont give a damn about soccer. Hope things are 
different in Seattle.
*
*

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Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer