There are a lot of soccer haters out there… apparently Sports Geek is one of them!
For the first time in history, a United States Men’s Soccer team reached the final game of a major international event. That was not by accident.
Last week, the U.S. Men’s team defeated #1 ranked Spain by a score of 2-0 in the FIFA Confederations Cup Semi-Final match. A Spanish team, by the way, which was coming off of a 2008 UEFA Euro Cup Championship, and came into the semis riding both a 35-game undefeated streak and a win streak of their past 15 international games. Once again, it was no accident that the United States won.
In no way is the U.S. Men’s team considered a top-tier program. In fact, they came into the FIFA Confederation Cup as the 14th ranked club in the world. What Loyal Homer is asking, though, is whether or not their performance at the FIFA Confederation Cup was enough to build momentum for men’s soccer. I think the very clear answer to that question is – YES!
Soccer has never been mistaken as America’s national pastime. That does not, though, mean it is destined to an eternity of obscurity. You see, American sports fans are a relatively easy-to-please group, especially when it comes to international competition. All we ask for is drama and an opportunity to tell the rest of the world that we have maybe found something else we are better than you at. You may call it arrogance, I call it national pride.
Loyal Homer noted the fact that 2.1 million viewers watched the FIFA Championship. I am happy to say that I was a part of that group, sitting on my living room floor with about 20 other people, all cheering for the Red, White, and Blue!
What the U.S. Men’s team proved by reaching the FIFA Championship was that the nation they proudly represent DOES care about them, and WAS proud of what they accomplished. Moreso, the nation whose colors they wear was eager to cheer them on to even greater heights. They proved that American sports fans only need a reason to watch.
Does that mean that the troubles of poor viewership and support for US soccer are gone? No. The U.S. team will still be considered an underdog in many of their matches, but they have proven they deserve to compete on the same field as the international best.
Consider their recent results internationally:
They reach the 2009 FIFA Confederation Championship by defeating #1 Spain 2-0, and playing a VERY close Final against a Brazilian team which, on paper, was far superior.
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they defeated Japan and played the Netherlands (ranked #2 in the world) to a draw, before losing to the eventual silver medalist Nigerian team 2-1.
That’s not the resume of an overrated team.
The critics, like Sports Geek, will argue that the CONCACAF is a second-rate league, lacking of any serious competition. I wonder if Sports Geek would also argue that the Memphis Tigers college basketball team is overrated because they play out of Mid-Major Conference USA, or the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who plays out of the West-Coast Conference? Just because you play in a weak division/league does not mean you are a weak team. The CONCACAF is an international league, and the United States dominates it… that is a fact.
The nay-sayers, like Sports Geek, will argue that luck, not talent, brought the U.S. team to the FIFA Championships, and that they are overrated because of American hype. I wonder, though, if Sports Geek would argue that the 2008 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants got lucky in their game against the then undefeated New England Patriots, since they were only a wild card team, and that they, too, were overrated. Or the Orlando Magic, a lowly three-seed, who SCHOOLED the #1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Finals… are they overrated, too?
The evidence shows that the United States is demonstrating a legitimate ability to successfully compete on an international stage against the best competition the world has to offer. American sports fans are responding in kind, showing that they are ready to get behind a U.S. team, and cheer them on as they try to slay the international goliaths of the game.
Okay, before folks kill our comments with hateful diatribes directed at me, allow me to preface the following piece with a simple statement: I’m a big fan of the United States Soccer team.
For me and all the Sports Geeks I represent, being a big fan means understanding the context – and realities – that are a part of U.S. Soccer.
Soccer is still a sports afterthought in the U.S. It’s a fun recreational pastime for kids (it must be, or those soccer ball car magnets wouldn’t be EVERYWHERE), and an enjoyable game to play in high school, too. Two main factors contribute to the gap in talent between the U.S. team and other international clubs.
First, soccer is played in the majority of playgrounds in virtually every other country in the world. This is no small fact. Instead of pick up games of soccer, our version of football, baseball, basketball, softball, etc. trample the grass in American parks. Soccer just doesn’t have much of a draw from fans here, despite the fact that the U.S. plays a distinctive style built on power and strength.
Second, it’s the feeder system. Because the U.S. has so many popular sports for kids to play, the talent pool gets diluted, something that doesn’t happen to the same degree in other countries. In Brazil, Italy, and Spain, for example, all of the best athletes want to be soccer players. In the U.S., the best athletes may want to play baseball, football, basketball, hockey, etc. The lack of attention soccer receives in the U.S. also contributes to a passion vacuum – something other countries have in spades.
One more point on the feeder system – the only real chance a talented, soccer-loving youth has to learn soccer and become great in the U.S. is at the collegiate level. U.S. colleges and coaches are great for teaching some technique, but the style they teach emphasizes physical strength and discipline. Brazil, for example, has a style distinct for creativity and technique. That creativity (and the aforementioned passion) is a missing piece for the U.S., as the discipline of the Europeans and the creativity of the South Americans (Brazil, Argentina) leaves the U.S. in the dust. That style difference is keeping talented up and coming U.S. players squarely on the bench at their club teams, furthering the development gap when the players return to home to don their country’s colors.
Now, the Fifa Confederations Cup final was a very nice outcome for a hard working U.S. team. But, their flaws were exposed in the tournament, too. Let’s not forget this is the same team that allowed a goal in the first 10 minutes of three of their first four matches. The U.S. is not an explosive side, so playing from behind doesn’t favor their style. Granted the U.S. suffered some injury-related setbacks, but they barely squeaked out of round play losing to Italy 3-1, and 3-0 to Brazil before soundly beating Egypt and the miracle victory against Spain.
Any modicum of success on an international stage – like, say, being the runner up in the Confederations Cup – will start a massive piling on of expectations from an undereducated U.S. soccer fan base. It isn’t realistic right now to assume that the U.S. will make the final four at the World Cup next year. But, that won’t stop the expectations train from leaving the station. And, when the U.S. plays well – but not at an elite level (yet) – any momentum the train had will be gone. It’s those massive expectations that come in the blink of an eye to perpetually leave U.S. soccer overrated.
Now, I’m not saying U.S. soccer is terrible. Far from it. They are one of the best 20 sides in the world, no doubt about it. But the gap between the elite teams and everyone else is still significant, and the US is still rightly lumped in with “everyone else” – a place they’ll remain until they can find the discipline, creativity, and passion their elite competition has.
Let’s flash back to July 10, 1999 (wow, the ten year anniversary of that date is coming up really quickly!). The United States just defeated China at the Rose Bowl – in an exciting overtime penalty kick shootout – to win the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with Brandi Chastain scoring the winning kick. As you well know, Chastain ripped off her jersey in the aftermath, showing off her sports bra, and giving whole new meaning to the word “celebration.” If you don’t recall the image, here it is. This was sure to take American soccer to a whole new level, right?
The game received good television ratings, drawing a 2.7 rating, with 2.1 million viewers. While small compared to the ratings of other sports in the U.S., those ratings reflect an exceptional score for soccer in a country that doesn’t celebrate the sport with the same enthusiasm seen in other countries.
Now the question we here at The Sports Debates want to discus: What’s next? Will soccer grow in this county or is it still not on the same level as other international competitors? Is this recent run by the Americans enough to build momentum for soccer as we go into the next decade?
Sports Geek will argue that this recent run of US soccer notoriety will do nothing to help the country embrace soccer. In fact, Sports Geek will argue that US soccer is, in fact, overrated.
On the contrary, Bleacher Fan will argue that the United States soccer team should be commended for this accomplishment and that it could be a stepping stone for the popularity of soccer.
I hope readers enjoy this debate. Feel free to leave comments to help persuade the judge!
As Loyal Homer points out, there is money to be made from winning a NASCAR race. No argument from me on that. But, as is the case with most sports, the ability to earn revenue OFF the track is just as important as winning on the track. And, endorsements usually come with wins… that is for everyone but Danica Patrick. In fact, her lone win the IRL – last April in Japan – failed to score any new endorsement deals. That means before the win she had the following deals already active:
Marquis Jet
Tissot
Peak Antifreeze
Kaenon Polarized Sunglasses
Alpinestars
Motorola
AirTran
GoDaddy
Folks, that’s with only one win – and without using that win to land new endorsement deals. In short, Danica doesn’t need to win vast amounts of races (the metric Bleacher Fan would have you use to define success) to be successful or wealthy. With her tremendous marketing appeal, the time is right for her to move to a stage worthy of her star power. Danica Patrick should drive internationally, in Formula One.
The seemingly ideal scenario awaits Danica Patrick with the announcement of the U.S. Formula 1 team which will begin competing in 2010, and testing in November of this year. There she has the opportunity to maximize her exposure (easy, boys) worldwide while preserving her reach and popularity in the United States. It would also be an ideal scenario for Formula One racing, which recently lost their lone States-side race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway because president of Formula One Management, and all around bizarre human being, Bernie Ecclestone, doesn’t think the U.S. is a big enough market.
For Danica to gain global popularity she just has to show up at these races, not win them. Plus, she’s good for controversy because she does care deeply about winning, and refuses to shy away from a good pit-side shouting match with another driver.
But more important than all of that stuff is that Danica Patrick is a good racecar driver. While she has won only one race (at this point), she is always competitive and her lack of multiple wins is more a result of the poor job her pit crew has done, than to her failure on the track.
Because she is a talented racecar driver, I’m going to say something that SOMEONE should have told her a long time ago – If you want to be respected as a good racecar driver, don’t use sex appeal to sell that idea. Of course she’s attractive. But the more she uses her body to sell her brand, the less credible her driving becomes, and the more she appears as a sideshow, instead of THE show. She’s good enough to be the show.
She has the talent to win in Formula One, and the appeal to attract endorsements on an international stage, boosting her far above the handful of six figure endorsement deals she has now. If an opportunity exists to jump to F1, Danica must take it to prove she belongs as a great racecar driver, while continuing to rake in gobs and gobs of cash.
Notice a trend? As far as the first four names are concerned, each realized success in a particular field, then foolishly attempted a change to a different platform – with abysmal results. I say ‘foolishly’ because they allowed a moderate level of success to fool them each into thinking that they were, for lack of a better term, bigger than they REALLY were.
For example, Shelley Long and David Caruso, after a season each on the hit TV shows Cheers and NYPD Blue, respectively, decided they would walk away from what were surely to be long and successful runs in order to pursue movie careers. Or Jesse Ventura and his transition into politics after making a name for himself in professional wrestling and TRYING to make a name for himself in acting (Predator WAS a cool movie, though). Then there’s “Neon Deion Prime-Time” Sanders, who thought that a guest spot on a Hammer video, combined with talent on the football and baseball fields, qualified him as a musician.
There are two reasons why a switch from Indy to NASCAR would be worthwhile for Danica. The first is if she believed she could successfully compete against the field at Bristol, Daytona, Martinsville, or the Brickyard. Considering the fact that she is only now beginning to actually compete in standings within the IRL, though, it would seem foolish to me that she throw all that away to start anew in NASCAR.
If we’re being completely honest, Danica Patrick is not a racing powerhouse. Despite being in the IRL since 2005, her first (and ONLY) career win did not come until 2008 at the Japan 300. As for her final season standings, she has never finished better than sixth in IRL Championship standings, and is currently only in fifth place for the 2009 season.
In her defense, she has shown signs of promise. She finished third at the Indy 500 this year, and has progressively climbed higher and higher in the season standings with each year. That said, she is in no way considered to be among the elite drivers in the sport.
I think it’s safe to say that her notoriety has come more from her presence in front of a camera (click the link… you’ll thank me for it!) than it has to do with her prowess on the raceway. So, if the proverbial “IT” ain’t broke, then why try to fix it?
Reason number two to jump is if the change in some way advanced her celebrity status, which also seems an unlikely outcome. Despite a lack of consistent success on the track, Danica is still the undisputed point’s leader when it comes to celebrity standings within the league.
Think about the other names in Indy Car racing (if you can). Guys like Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and Dan Wheldon aren’t exactly showing up on a Wheaties box any time soon. In fact, short of the racing legends that are the Andretti’s (one of which happen to be Danica’s teammates), there’s not another name in the Indy series right now more recognizable than Danica Patrick. She is, regardless of where she finishes on the track, the face of Indy racing.
If she were to make the move to NASCAR she would no longer be the standout face in the crowd. She would instead be in the same league as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. These aren’t just guys who drive cars. Each of these men (and many others like them in NASCAR) have made millions because of franchising a number! Think of all the number 24’s you see on the highway, or the jackets and ball caps you see with the number 14. The celebrities of NASCAR have built an industry for themselves that Danica Patrick could not even dream of realizing.
It is a fraternity (pardon the expression, Ms. Patrick) that is exclusive only to those who can legitimately drive on racing’s biggest stage – NASCAR. If Danica tries to make that switch, her only accomplishment will be getting lost in the pack.
She has become a worldwide racecar driving phenomenon ever since she started driving in the Indy Racing League in 2005 for Rahal-Letterman Racing. After racing for two years, she switched teams in 2007 and began to drive for Andretti-Green Racing. Her contract is up at the end of the 2009 season.
If you were in Danica’s shoes, what would you do? We’ll discuss it here at The Sports Debates. I’ll argue that she should jump to NASCAR, Bleacher Fan will argue for her to remain in the IRL, and Sports Geek will argue she is best served by making a move over to Formula 1.
Imagine all the endorsements you could do with that much more exposure in NASCAR. Honestly, can you tell me who sponsors Patrick? This is one of the premiere drivers in her series. I can’t tell you who sponsors her. But I can tell you who sponsors Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jimmie Johnson. I can even tell you who sponsors Joey Logano, the 19-year-old kid who won the most recent NASCAR race (at press time) in Loudon, New Hampshire. By going to NASCAR, she would have many more opportunities to broaden her appeal and thus make a little extra money. Granted, she has some endorsements, including that Go-Daddy commercial that we all love. And yes, she has a really cool website! But, she is just scratching the surface of what she could do.
Let’s examine race winnings between IRL racers and Sprint Cup Series racers. In the Sprint Cup series, with earnings not yet being tabulated for the race in New Hampshire, the 30th place driver in points, David Ragan, earned just over $1.8 million in race earnings. Wow! This is not for first place. This is not for fifth place. This isn’t even for 20th place. It’s 30th!!
In IRL, Patrick currently sits 5th in points. How much do you think she has earned? What would you guess?
How about less than $1 million? Right now, she has earned $788,305. The driver that is fifth in points in NASCAR, Carl Edwards, has won over $2.7 million.
It’s that simple. Now you tell me. What would you do?
I don’t know about you, but to me, last night’s NBA Draft reminded me an awful lot of the American Idol auditions.
There’s some marginal talent, a lot of probable duds, and I just don’t see any of them turning into the next Michael Jackson of the NBA.
So in this year’s draft, where any pick after the first was ‘Bad’, I decided to give some credit to the one team with enough foresight to ‘Beat It’ right out of the draft – the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards were slated to pick at #5 and again at #32. Having come off of one of their worst seasons in franchise history, they didn’t want to place their hope in some ‘Pretty Young Thing’ that may or may not pan out, especially in this lackluster draft. Their needs were immediate, and so new head coach Flip Saunders didn’t want to risk courting the new young boys of the NBA.
When the Wizards drew the fifth pick in the lottery this year, they immediately began shopping it around and listening to anyone who would make an offer. After soliciting offers from the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trail Blazers, they finally responded when the Minnesota Timberwolves ‘Moonwalked’ over and said they ‘Wanna Be Starting Something’ in a deal for that pick.
After negotiations were finalized, the Wizards traded away the expiring contracts of Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and Oleksiy Pecherov – along with the fifth pick. In return, they received from the Timberwolves guard Randy Foye and combo forward Mike Miller, both of whom will make an immediate contribution to the team.
Foye, who averaged 16.3 points per game last season in Minnesota, will make an outstanding complement to the already dangerous guard rotation of Gilbert Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson, and Nick Young.
Miller, who shoots just above 40% from 3-point range, should also make an immediate impact for Washington, who struggled last year with a 3-point average of only 33%. His presence on the perimeter should also help create better scoring opportunities for teammates Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler.
Consider the impact of those two new players on the already explosive Washington Wizards offense now led by the very offensive-minded Saunders. Compare that upgrade to the players they could have taken with the fifth pick in the draft, like Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, or Stephen Curry. The Wizards were smart to take the experienced Foye and Miller and sneak out like a ‘Smooth Criminal’ in the night.
As for pick number 32, it was sold to the Houston Rockets for the small fee of $2.5 million. That $2.5 million could go a long way towards helping them land another key free-agent who will once again bring immediate results to a team that just last year was believed to be a serious playoff contender.
At the end of the 2009 draft – where even NBA Commissioner David Stern seemed to be half-asleep – the Washington Wizards still found a way to bring the right talent for their team and improve exactly where they needed… SHA-MON!
Most analysts are saying that this was a weak NBA draft. I think Bleacher Fan, Sports Geek, and I all concur with that assessment. I strongly agree it was a weak draft. In fact, I strongly believe it so much that I am not even going to touch the draft. I am not convinced there are real winners in the draft. Or as Sports Geek basically said, there are no sure things.
I am saying the real winner of ‘Draft Day 2009’ is the Orlando Magic because of the acquisition of Vince Carter.
Orlando, coming off a very successful season that ended with a loss in the 2009 NBA Finals, is not standing still. Not long after it was announced that new rival Cleveland acquired center Shaquille O’Neal, Orlando made the trade for the eight-time All-Star.
Orlando had to give up Rafer Alston and promising rookie Courtney Lee, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Alston was certainly to lose playing time now that Jameer Nelson has returned from injury. The Magic lose a solid young player in Lee, but gain Carter who gives them another scoring presence.
It looks as if Hedo Turkoglu won’t play for the Magic next year. But, with Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis, the Magic have three dynamic players. Carter also brings something else to the table – he can create his own shot. That’s something the Magic were missing, and it’s something that makes Orlando a serious threat once again next year.
No one had as good a day as Orlando yesterday. It’s not even close. And if the Magic win the NBA Finals next June, they will look back on yesterday as the day that put them over the top.
“We feel like Blake definitely is a sure thing.” – Mike Dunleavy current(ish) Los Angeles Clippers GM and Head Coach
Drafts are ALWAYS full of sure things, right? There has never been a high profile player in the history of sports drafts that turned out to be a bust. (sarcasm?)
I won’t insult everyone’s intelligence by publishing the litany of high draft mistakes that span all of sports. I will call out Dunleavy here, though, because he’s made a bold statement about something that couldn’t be further from a sure thing.
While I do think the majority of this draft class is weak – and that even “sure thing” Blake Griffin has many weaknesses in his game like outside shooting – there is one player who I feel will be a success in the NBA for many years to come, and it has as much to do with the team that drafted him as it does with the player himself, Tyler Hansbrough.
When I first started doing some research on Tyler Hansbrough and his pro prospects I was very skeptical. He’s undersized to play the 5 in the pro game (his college position), he won’t get foul calls in the NBA, his eyes are always opened to widely, and he’s really annoying. All of those legitimate criticisms are the first things that came rushing into my mind. Then I started to look at his stats, and was surprised by a few things.
He started on, and was a major factor for, the best team in arguably the best basketball conference for 4 consecutive, injury-free years. Four years. He averaged 30.9 minutes a game over his entire 142 game collegiate career. He’s durable.
He was dependable enough to average over 20 points a game (20.2, to be exact), over those 142 games, on 53.5% shooting. He’s a model of offensive efficiency. For a guy that was required to play at the 5 position during his career, he also shot a surprising 31.5% from 3-point-land over the course of career. Add on his 8.6 career rebounding mark, his .5 blocks per game as an undersized center, and his 1.3 steals per game – plus his intensity and proficiency on defense – and you have a projectable pro player. He’s multi-talented. He’s consistent.
Hansbrough has all the makings of a good pro, he just needed to be drafted by the right team – and he was. The Indiana Pacers are the perfect fit for him because their style will allow him to earn minutes (defense), and he’ll be able to play behind, and learn from, established veteran power forward Troy Murphy. In the end, I feel that Hansbrough will end his career with stats similar to Murphy’s totals from 2008-2009: 14.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Hansbrough has a good chance to be recognized as an important player in the NBA for years to come. He’ll retire wealthy because players who average those types of stats for a career always have a place to play. Sure, he has to improve his low post offense and get a quicker release on his jump shots, but those are skills that can be learned. Hustle, tenacity, and work ethic are much easier to draft than teach.
Hansbrough to the Pacers at pick #13, a move thought to be a reach by some, is the best move of draft day because of the short and long-term upside.
I hope you guys enjoyed this debate as much as I did. I had conflicting opinions on Bryce Harper at the beginning. I try not to buy into hype of high schooler athletes. I didn’t with LeBron James or Tim TeBow… at first. But I will be actively following Bryce Harper’s progression into what will hopefully be a solid major league career. I’m still amazed by Harper’s highlight video!
I first must commend Bleacher Fan on his argument. Never, ever did I think the Olsen Twins would get any type of mention in this debate, much less any sports website! But Bleacher Fan, you made a valid point about how difficult it is for a teenager to make it with real world, adult realities. It’s a different “career” for an athlete, but the pressure is much the same.
I also commend Sports Geek for his trip down memory lane. I’m sure he grew up watching some of the players he mentioned (only kidding, Sports Geek!).
In all seriousness, Sports Geek did bring up a valid point about drafting in professional baseball. Let’s face it. A lot of draft picks, especially in baseball, are made based on potential. Many of the guys drafted are straight out of high school. How much of a difference is there, really between drafting an 18-year-old and someone one year or two younger?
To me, there isn’t much difference. And that’s why I side with…
SPORTS GEEK!!!!!
I’d definitely draft Harper. He’s a potential five tool player. Some are calling it gutsy. I don’t think it’s any gutsier than any other pick in the draft. Wouldn’t it be better to have a 17-year-old kid coming up through your system and learning from your coaches instead of a 21-year-old “veteran” who has spent three years at a college and taught by their coaches?
And we're back... Should college coaches look into criminal and juvenile records when recruiting? The verdict says YES! http://bit.ly/dZ5LF310 months ago
Posted by Bleacher Fan 
