"I'm Mad As Hell, And I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore!"

Dude, You Sum It Up Perfectly

I’ve said repeatedly over the past few years that I won’t let the soccer-bashers get to me. Their numbers are dwindling, and there have actually been 1 or 2 that have converted into fans, or at least, their hatred and fear of the game has diminished. And then you have this piece by Free Lance-Star Editor Ed Jones. The Star, for those of you who don’t know, is the Fredericksburg area’s primary newspaper, with a pretty wide circulation. My family has subscribed for more than 35 years, and I’ve grown pretty much accustomed to their ignoring of soccer. However, this editorial (and I use that word loosely) is full of so many wrong and ridiculous statements that I can’t just let it slide. So, dear readers, here is my open response to Mr. Jones. Yes, I sent him a personal email saying these exact things. Let’s see if he responds.

Mr. Jones, I'm sure you'll get a decent amount of responses to your vitriolic and ugly column about why you dislike soccer and the World Cup. As a journalist myself (I have covered all levels of soccer for 15 years in television, radio, and a variety of internet columns), I respect your opinion although I obviously take issue with virtually your entire piece. I hope you will take a moment to read my questions to you below, and at least ponder some of the counter arguments I would present.

1. I can't stand NASCAR or baseball, yet I have more friends than I can count who do. I have never felt the need to write a column that belittles either one of them. I respect them as sports and the people who follow them. Why, as the Editor of a widely-read newspaper, did you feel the need to write something attacking a sport that is enjoyed by many of your readers? I have noticed that the FLS has no problems taking advertising dollars from FASA, SASA, and other soccer organizations in the area, though.

2. You cite that the Cup was "widely, and accurately, perceived to be boring." Yet I noticed you failed to cite any other "experts" who agree with you. Again, as a journalist, if you're going to make such an accusation, you might want to have some facts to back you up. I'm sure you could do a quick search and find some guy named "Bubba" from Mississippi who wrote how soccer sucks, but a majority of the sports media (including notorious soccer bashers such as Jim Rome and Mike Greenberg from ESPN) said they enjoyed large parts of the tournament. All 4 of the U.S. games produced as much drama as anything I've seen in sports in recent memory.

3. Yes, the vuvuzuelas were annoying. I will agree with you wholeheartedly on that one. Part of what makes the in-person soccer atmosphere so great is the singing, chanting, and camaraderie you see from the fans in the stadium. That was largely muted by the sound of those horns which sounded like thousands of bees.

4. Population of the country doesn't matter. You questioned why we couldn't beat Slovenia. I'm sure you're unaware of this, but Slovenia actually beat Russia in a playoff series to make the World Cup in the first place, so does that mean you should disparage the Russians for not beating them? And when the U.S. baseball team loses to Cuba and Central American countries in the baseball equivalent of the world cup, will you feel the need to bring up the population differences then? And if population of a country should influence sports performance, why aren't India and China kicking everyone's tail in soccer? Again, your argument doesn't stand up.

5. Again, I will agree with you about officiating. It was fine early in the tournament but got progressively worse.

6. Your statement about the Americans' scant opportunity to watch the games because they were during the day is also inaccurate. The ratings for this World Cup were as much as 40% higher than any other Cup in the U.S. Thousands upon thousands of fans crowded bars, restaurants, or (like me) just took off work to watch the U.S. games and many others during the day. The weekend broadcasts of the games on ABC were some of the highest-rated sporting events in the network's history in those time-slots. And this is probably something else you didn't know; there were more Americans who traveled to South Africa for this World Cup than any other nation on Earth. The ticket sales are proof. And what's more, I've read dozens of stories from media outlets around the globe how much everyone embraced the U.S. team and its fans for their guts, determination, and just overall fun to be around. U.S. soccer fans did more to help our international reputation than any U.S. leader has done in more than a decade.

7. Last one; I have had the opportunity to interview and meet numerous sports stars over the years. Far and away, soccer players appreciate their fans and their game more than other athletes (again, in my experience). Yes, the French players were ridiculously childish with their behavior; but again, don't condemn an entire group based on such a small number of idiots. Stereotyping is lazy. You're better than that.

Mr. Jones, I don't intend to try and change your mind about soccer. You don't like it; fine. As I stated before, we are all entitled to our opinions. But you do need to realize that this sport, while it will never be as big as football, basketball, or baseball in this country, is here to stay. Major League Soccer will soon have 20 teams, almost all with their own stadiums, solid fan bases, world-class players, and legitimate mainstream media coverage. The World Cup, and the U.S. National Team, is only going to get bigger and more popular (just wait until we host the Cup in 2018 or 2022, which is widely-rumored). You don't need to be on board, but do you really feel the need to be such a detractor?

Mark Bushman

http://my2cents-bushman.blogspot.com/

If you feel as strongly as I do about this, please feel free to email him or send a letter to the Editor as well. His email is edjones@freelancestar.com, and for the newspaper, it’s letters@freelancestar.com.

As always, thanks for reading, and now let's get ready to dive headfirst into what I think is going to be a tight and exciting race to the MLS Championship (seriously!)...