Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
Date: Mon,  9 Nov 1992 22:24:01 -0500 
From: "David D. Schwartz" <ds7n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Soccer in U.S.

Russ Campbell writes:

>'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.

Judging soccer popularity by a publication - one publication at that, or
possibly a select few - can in no way be a measure of nationwide
popularity!   Soccer International may be a good one too, but it is a
lonely voice.

Granted soccer is gaining in popularity with younger kids - even
adolescents (a point which I made abundantly clear) thus I don't see
what that has to do with the more important issue of soccer as a
PROFESSIONAL GAME PLAYED BY PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS RECEIVING GRANDIOSE
ATTENTION BY THE MEDIA.  

There is no need to 'sigh' since your point of argument is quite skewed!
 The point is not about youth soccer, it is not about the popularity of
one publication (heaven knows you can find NUMEROUS magazines on
football, baseball and basketball with subscribers that FAR EXCEED those
of Soccer International!)  I say this somberly since I would much rather
see Soccer International with far greater numbers!

To obviate the issue of media coverage is quite foolish since media
coverage IS BY ALL MEANS necessary to spread the popularity of any
sport, including soccer!  How would you propose otherwise?  If I am
coming off as a bombastic ass, I apologize, but the fact is that soccer
is not getting beyond the 'glass ceiling' that is entrapping it within
the youth level.  Whether or not there is some grand conspiracy crafted
by some dumb f**k football coach(es) who hate soccer is a possibility, I
don't know, but whatever it is, soccer in the U.S. had better get its
ass in gear soon!  WC is not too far away!

By the way, why is it that Japan, never a soccer country, is all of the
sudden fielding a good team in so short a time?  Maybe we should learn
something here.  Our focus has been at the youth grassroots level -
that's fine in building some popularity, but in order to really jump
start the sport, you need to get soccer personalities that kids can look
up to, so that they can aspire to be just like them.  That is what we
need!  Soccer role models!  There are very few American soccer role
models that kids can look up to with pride, and why shouldn't there be
such a looked-upon soccer role model [Basketball has Michael Jordan,
Football has Dan Marino or Joe Montana (or whomever you prefer), Hockey
has Wayne Gretzsky (sp?), Baseball has Jose Lind or Jose Canseco (sp?)
etc. etc. etc.]

If I were to look beyong the media's poor coverage of soccer, all I
would find are the die hards that I find myself playing with year in and
year out.  We need much more than what we currently have if we expect
soccer to become popular here, that is, on a national level.

-Dave