On American soccer fan support

On American soccer fan support - a guest editorial

Opinion submitted by Daniel Schrader

Albuquerque, N.M (July 10, 2006) - Just who do we think we are? One thing is for sure; the vast majority of European-Americans are descended from a long, ancestral line of people who risked everything they had to pursue dreams residing in the unknown. Starting in grade school, most of us heard stories of European families braving uncharted waters and lands in order to turn over leaves that few, if any people (of their part of the world) had ever turned over before (now, how they treated those in their paths after they got there is obviously not this romantic or "brave"- but that's another mountain to climb in itself).

The problem now is there are no uncharted waters or lands left. We've even traveled outside our own atmosphere and been able to map the stars and galaxies. And, as Lloyd Christmas puts it, "WE LANDED ON THE MOON!" Scientists have managed to take technologies to lengths that couldn't even have been fathomed by a person from a century or so ago.

And as far as for the national sports world- well, Americans have been so dominant in virtually every major sport (at one time or another) that we throw our arms up in disgust whenever we don't win. It's not acceptable to get deep into the playoffs or have a good showing; we expect to win!

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In an effort not to bury my lead so deep that it can't be found, maybe I should get to my point. There is one sport in which Americans are not only expected not to win, but they aren't even supported by sports fans to have any sort of success whatsoever- soccer. From comments as blatant as some made on ESPN's "Jim Rome Show" concerning the U.S. and their involvement in the World Cup, to something as minor as Mark Duncan's light peppering of mockery in the June 16, 2006 "On Deck" section of Sporting News magazine, it is clear that a good deal of Americans don't want American soccer to succeed. A lot of people would probably prefer it not even exist.

So why didn't these guys have out support? Maybe it's due to soccer and football season being one-in-the-same at most American high schools; and let's face it, football is the new "America's Pastime." One thing that always seems to poke its head out during soccer-bashing is that there's just not enough scoring in the sport. Or, maybe it's due to Italian fans' funny costumes. This list could go on and on (especially if we're throwing in funny outfits).

About Daniel Schrader:
Once upon a time I was a soccer player. Now, I'm pretty much limited to playing ball with my two beautiful daughters and my lovely wife in the back yard. I love all sports, but soccer has always been my passion. I played on several New Mexico club teams throughout my childhood. I was a defender and a forward for Ruidoso High School (All-State 3A- Ruidoso, NM). I have a BA in Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of New Mexico- GO LOBOS!!! I was the beat writer for the UNM baseball team. I've also written game notes for the Women's 2006 NCAA Basketball Tournament- Albuquerque Regional, media relations for the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and worked as a producer/writer for a local sports radio station. I'm now an account coordinator for an advertising agency. As you can tell, though, I still like to write sports!
I mentioned before that there are no uncharted places left for us to venture. I take that back. How about we try getting past the semifinals (1930) or the quarterfinals (2002) rounds of the most popular sport in the world?

And it really makes me sick to think what could have been in this year's tournament. This U.S. crew held on with only nine players for 43 minutes to gain a tie against the, now official, best team in the world- Italy. On this same note, one also has to raise an eyebrow now that this Italian team is under investigation for game-fixing just to get to the World Cup. Pablo Mastroeni's (USA) ejection in the end of the first half was closely followed by Eddie Pope's (USA) red card in the first couple of minutes of the second half; both were extremely questionable calls by referee, Jorge Larrionda.

Well, for whatever reason, this American team may have had the talent to make some noise in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but it sure didn't have the heart. The team dropped the ball in the first game against the Czech Republic and we as media and fans dropped it against Italy. By the time we got to Ghana, there was just nothing left. We could have discovered a new world. Instead, we didn't stand up for our fellow Americans when they needed us most. We can give ourselves a big pat on the back for that one, America.

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