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A College Sports Council report that was released today blames a law that affects women’s rights for the stunting of growth in Men’s Soccer. While they may have a point, the problem as it turns out, can be traced to College Football.

Wake Forest Soccer Team Celebrates its 2007 Championship

According to the College Sports Council (CSC), a rule in the 1964 Civil Rights Act which requires schools to give equal opportunity to women in College Sports is limiting the growth of Men’s Soccer. The report, released today, points out some glaring statistics that prove this point. According to the CSC, only 59% of college programs offer Men’s Soccer, while over 93% offer Women’s Soccer. Furthermore, in 1995 there were 197 Men’s Soccer programs in the NCAA, today that number remains the same, whereas Women’s soccer has grown from 189 teams to 310 in the same time span.

“Men’s soccer has really been harmed,” said Eric Pearson, chairman of the CSC. “Since 1996, the growth of the sport at the collegiate level has been held back.”

On the flip-side of the argument, Nancy Hogshead-Makar, the Women’s Sports Foundation‘s incoming senior director of advocacy, insists the CSC’s study is overly simplistic. She says although schools might use proportionality to comply with the law, they still have plenty of flexibility.

“The law doesn’t care if an athlete is wearing a football uniform or a soccer uniform or a swimsuit or a fencing uniform. … All they care about is: Are you providing boys and girls, men and women, with equal educational opportunities?” Hogshead-Makar said. “Individual schools make those choices. The law doesn’t dictate what sports schools offer at all.”

In the end, both sides are partially correct. The law is definitely affecting the growth of Men’s Soccer, but it is not because this is a bad rule, it is because institutions need a solution to the problem of College Football.

The law states that, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

The problem that arises out of this this, from the University point of view, is what is to be done with College Football? To put it bluntly, it is neither safe, nor financially viable to offer Women’s College Football and even if it was offered, it is very unlikely that there would be interest from enough women to sustain a league. So Universities have gone around this problem by offering Women’s Soccer as the female option to go alongside the profitable giant that is College Football.

Should something be done? Probably. Is the rule bad for college sports? No. But the solution should have more to do with finding a different sport or activity to pair with College Football than soccer. This might be a crazy thought, but the women’s activity that has always been synonymous with Football is cheerleading. So why can’t cheerleading get an upgrade? The activity is already taking up funding, there are already competitions, why not call it a sport?

Obviously this is just a thought that is being spit-balled into the ether, but the point in the end is, that Men’s college soccer would grow if the Universities thought it was important enough to let it. The only thing that will put it on the top of the priority list is the almighty dollar. So for you soccer fans out there, it is time to hope that the World Cup comes back the United States or that Major League Soccer has unprecedented and unexpected growth.

Otherwise, you could try flooding letters and phone calls to your favorite college AD’s office and be demanding. Who knows? Maybe they can come up with a great solution, but in all likelihood it will only happen if they really need to.

It was either one of the most poorly officiated games in soccer history, or one of the roughest, but South Africa defeated Colombia 2-1 and every single goal was scored by penalty kick.

A total of four penalty kicks were awarded the first was missed.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has been named honorary chairman of the U.S. bid to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022. The question is; can a political, and more than likely part-time, figure like Clinton compare with a passionate and committed figure like David Beckham for England’s bid?

An active Clinton could make the difference for the US World Cup bid

Clinton’s reasons for entering the fold are obvious, especially after he stated the following, “That means that if we get the (World Cup) there will be an economic stimulus estimated between $400-$600 million per host city. That will be very good for a lot of families that are still hurting, a lot of communities that are still digging out from under the current economic crisis.”

A former President really has only one thing on their mind once they leave office and that is to cement their legacy. Helping to improve the economy by bringing what may be the world’s greatest event to American soil, could only help him in that effort.

In order to get this bid through, will he do for the US what a passionate soccer legend like David Beckham will do for England? President Clinton is obviously a very influential figure and there is no doubt that he could have a major influence on what happens with this bid, just adding his name to it helps. But what if he was more than just an honorary figure? What if he scratched out just a few visits to some key decision makers and a press conference here or there? He could absolutely make a huge difference.

The two biggest arguments against the United States having a world cup are first; that the country doesn’t need it. It’s true that the United States is in a recession, but the country is still considered to be in comparatively good shape by the rest of the world. The second argument is that the US hosted a world cup only 16 years ago. When the US hosted the 1994 World Cup, the country was still a fairly virgin territory in regards to soccer. Sure, kids played in the leagues across the land and Pele and Beckenbauer stopped by in their twilight years, but at the time there was no pro league and it was predominantly considered a kid’s sport. The World Cup went a long way toward changing that and it has resulted in a boom of excitement in regards to soccer in the United States. The other potential host countries will point that out and say that the US is not in need of another World Cup so soon.

The First shot at a North American Pro League starred Beckenbauer, Pele and Chinaglia.

So the US needs the help of a heavy hitter like Clinton, but they need more than his name. They need his charm, his effort and his action. With a suave and charismatic speaker like Clinton reminding key decision makers, in person, of the financial boom that soccer saw internationally after the US World Cup in 1994, the United States has not only a better shot at securing the tournament, but quite possibly a game winning shot. But will the former President give the time?

It looks like Saturday night’s “El Clásico” between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be the last major Spanish league game that we will be able to enjoy for a while, as the Wall Street Journal has reported that the as of next week players will be striking.

A strike looms loudly over the Spain's "La Liga"

The strike affects the top four divisions of the league, the Primera, Segunda A, Segunda B and Tercera divisions. The AFE (Spanish Players Union) said that 85% of soccer players in Spain’s top three divisions either get paid late or not at all. It also says that the Spanish Football Federation still owes the union €8 million ($10.7 million).

In the US we are very used to hearing about strikes. Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL have all been effected fairly recently by strike shortened seasons. The difference though is that these strikes were related to potential future earnings, not money owed. While this strike pertains mostly to soccer players playing in the lower tiers of Spain’s professional soccer league, it is still quite disconcerting to see that owners of professional soccer clubs are unwilling or unable to pay players what was promised.

This topic is a great excuse to show a picture of toilet paper money

On the bright side, it is nice to see that the more financially secure and powerful players in “La Liga” are supporting the up and coming and/or less talented players in the lower divisions. Without the support of the Primera division players, this strike would surely be taken less seriously.

Sadly it also means that we may miss some games in one of the world’s top soccer leagues, let us hope that it is all resolved shortly.

According to the Associate Press, Iran’s girls’ soccer team was thrown out of the Youth Olympics because FIFA rules prevent players from wearing an Islamic headscarf.

Iranian soccer player wears a hijab scarf

The hijab scarf — worn by girls and women to observe Islamic dress code — was not allowed under FIFA rules relating to on-field equipment, the Asian Football Confederation said. Despite the urging of Iran’s national Olympic committee for the ban to be reviewed by the International Olympic Committee, the Iranian under 18 girls soccer squad will not be participating in the coming youth Olympics this August.

In response to criticism regarding the decision, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, referenced soccer’s international rulebook which contains a section on player equipment, stating that “basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal statements.”

This is a peculiar problem for FIFA and soccer worldwide. The intent of the law was clearly to avoid religious persecution and problem by removing one potential source. Insisting that all teams wear uniforms that do not express religious or political opinions or agendas of any kind would normally help in that regard, but in this case the tolerance policy proves to be remarkably intolerant.

The best team from the Asian Football conference will not be playing in the tournament and it will be so because of a law that forces one side or the other to bend. FIFA has shown that they will not, and the Iranian Football Federation (F.F.I.R.I) certainly will not either. All in all, the whole thing is unfortunate as a team of hopeful young athletes who earned a spot in the Olympics will sit at home.

Iran was to have taken part in a six-nation tournament for girls at the inaugural competition in Singapore on Aug. 12-25. About 3,600 athletes, ages 14 to 18, will compete in 26 sports.

Thailand will now represent Asia in Iran’s stead against Turkey, Equatorial Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile and Papua New Guinea.

Crowd violence in a semi-final soccer game between Greek clubs Kavala and Aris Salonica, has caused the country of Greece to suspend revenues earmarked for its professional soccer league, Super League Greece.

The revenues come from the state-controlled betting agency OPAP, which are worth a reported 40 million euros ($54 million) per year. This news is not necessarily surprising as Greek soccer has a poor record of crowd trouble and has been plagued by the problem again this season despite anti-violence advertising campaigns.

Hooligans!

There is a lot about this story that, for my fellow Americans, does not compute. When we have a (relatively rare) fight during a sporting event in one of our stadiums, a team of large men in yellow “Event Staff” jackets, breaks up the fight, kicks you out of the game and sometimes (if the fight is bad enough) will even give you a one way ticket to the local city jail for the night. So we don’t have fights, at least not usually. To have a story about soccer hooligans costing their sport “State Money” is one thing, but to find out that the specific line of money that is being cut is State controlled gambling revenue? That just makes an American turn around and leave the conversation.

Gambling works a little differently in the States (by niallkennedy)

So for my fellows here in the States, I’ll try to make this story more palatable. While in the US, gambling is sort of frowned upon and limited to places like New Jersey, and California’s version of New Jersey, Nevada; in Europe, gambling is more like playing the lottery. It is just sort of something you do sometimes to test your luck and find a buck. As for hooligans and soccer fights, those are more like bar fights in the US. Young fans who have already had too much to drink go to a football match. Here they drink some more and sometimes, a group of equally drunk fans from the visiting team will be just hammered enough to say something upsetting to the young drunk fans from the local team. All parties being wasted and young enough that they have nothing to lose, start brawling. The same thing would likely happen in the US if not for the fact that beers cost $9.00 a pop and become harder and harder to get every time we do have one of our rare fan fights.

Right now the Greeks are trying to keep opposing fans out of the local stadiums, but that is just punishing the masses for the actions of a few. Instead the Super League would do well to take a page out of America’s book and raise the price of beer. Combine that with America’s no beer after the 75 minute mark and a no entering the stadium while “trashed” policy and many of the hooligans will lose heart for the fight quickly. Either way, I hope that the Greek teams are able to continue operations and find a solution.

The strike is over and the MLS season approaches (image by eschipul)

With the news that Major League Soccer is all set for its fifteenth season, the hardcore American soccer fan can once again feel the kind of tempered enthusiasm that only comes with another year of professional soccer in the USA. Tempered because while he yearns to see a pro quality game; he knows deep down that the MLS doesn’t quite give him that.  While he’ll proudly pile his kids into the minivan to see the season opener, inherently he knows that this league is still a fragile infant, that it is one wrong move away from becoming the NASL. Why won’t soccer succeed here? He thinks. What is it about the US that is so different from the rest of the world? The reasons come piling in and at first glance some of them make a lot of sense.

1. American’s Don’t Understand Soccer

Kids Playing Soccer (by pixeljones)

A commonly heard phrase that has been an excuse and a complaint for soccer fans and soccer detractors in America for years. The argument paints the land as one that loves its football, baseball and basketball; a country where soccer is not taught, at least not by legitimate coaches. But the truth is, while that argument may have been valid thirty years ago, it is not the case anymore.

Soccer is the most popular youth sport in America and has been so for thirty years. If you walked into a bar today and asked all the patrons who have played soccer at some point in their childhood to raise their hands, you’d be shocked. Millions and millions of people not only know what soccer is, they know the rules and have played the game. They know because for the last 40 or so years, concerned mothers have wanted their kids to play a “safer” sport than football or baseball. This can most easily be demonstrated by answering this question, do you understand soccer? There are 300 million people in this country and enough will answer yes to that question to ensure that soccer could work.

So it’s not a matter of understanding, it is a matter of interest.

2. There is No Money in American Pro Soccer

Rabid Galaxy Fan

This reason for soccer failure has been used countless times. It goes with the whole idea that a parent is willing to spend some money to get their kid in a healthy outdoor activity, but that same adult will not blow their entertainment money to go see a soccer game. Not when they have other things to do.  Since that is the case there is an accepted sentiment that there is not enough money on the “entertainment tree” for a robust and successful pro soccer league.

Again, that is not entirely true. There is money in America to support a world class soccer league because the United States is a land of immigration. Granted, most of those immigrants have been in the Americas for a few generations, but there are millions of people who have emigrated from soccer loving areas in Europe and the rest of the Americas within the last two generations. These people and many more who played as kids would definitely spend the money… if the product were good enough.

3. Soccer is Boring

The National Pastime (by redjar)

Perhaps the most oft-used argument against a successful pro soccer league in America is that Americans find soccer to be boring. They hate low scoring games, they hate ties and they hate all of the “diving”. Since soccer can have these things, the sport is written off as too slow and uninteresting.

Well, the fact is that even though this is the most popular excuse for an American hatred of soccer, it is the least accurate. Americans don’t hate soccer, they don’t even ignore it because the sport is boring (despite what they might say). They ignore it and they hate it because the team that plays in their local stadium is boring and because that team would get its ass handed to it by 100 other teams located an ocean away. American’s love low scoring games, a pitcher’s duel in Baseball is considered great drama! Also, don’t forget that a soccer game with a final score of 3-1 (very common) is equivalent to a football game where the end score is 21-7 (also very common).

The problem is not the entertainment value of the sport, it’s the entertainment value of the league as it is right now.

4. There are Too Many Distractions

America has a great many distractions

America is the land of entertainment, we have Hollywood, Broadway, monuments, landmarks, football, basketball, baseball and the best food from everywhere. Apart from that, soccer fans have the best leagues in the world (EPL, Serie A, La Liga, etc.) right on their television. With all of that to take our attention and free dollars, how could anyone possibly think that soccer could make it in America?

Again, the problem is not the competition from other entertainment sources, it is the quality of what we have in our back yard. Europeans have movies, amazing theater, cricket, rugby, restaurants and the like too. They just choose soccer first because the athletes and the show they provide are incredible.

5. The Best Players Won’t Play Here

Will the world's best players suit up in the US?

The greatest soccer in the world is played either in Europe or during the two great International tournaments, the World Cup and the European Cup. No one denies that, that’s where the best players can be found and that’s where they make their fortune. So it is widely accepted that we will never get those players while they are in their prime soccer playing years.

Simply put, it’s not entirely true. They would love to play here. This is the land of movie starlets, freedom and financial opportunity. Almost everyone wants to live here, world class players just can’t because they need to worry about their legacy and financial security. The unlikely advantage that US soccer has though, is that the legacy part of the equation is easier than you might think. Soccer is not the same as basketball or football. In basketball, the only league where your stats and history matter is the NBA, it’s all that matters. But in soccer, there are tons of great leagues and no less than three different elite leagues, so your stats and history are measured differently. Most lasting legacies are built at the World Cup, and you can play in any league and still play in the World Cup. The financial part is the tough one, the MLS league owners have no assurances (aside from a soccer fan’s blog) that investing $200 million each on the best rosters in the world would turn a profit. But if the day ever comes when the New York Red Bulls offer $20 million a year to players like Messi, players like Messi will definitely listen.

Kid Playing Soccer with Dad (by Scott Robbin)

In the US, pro soccer is a funny sport. The hardcore fans watch the games and support the league, but many do so out of a sort of obligation. They truly love the sport, so they watch it. They desperately want it to succeed, so they sign their kids up for the local youth league, coach their teams, referee and volunteer. They hope against hope, that all of this effort will result in better young players and a better league. Then one day, maybe, the quality of pro soccer in the US will make it to the point where those same games become ultimately compelling and the obligation turns into genuine interest.

Can soccer succeed in the US? There are several reasons why America’s fan has been told that it cannot,  but that doesn’t stop him from supporting it, because inherently he knows something else too; those reasons at there core are complete and utter baloney.

According to this USA Today Article, the strike has been averted!

Imagecourtesy of soccerwindow.com

The owners agreed to give in to some cash demands and increased player movement flexibility. The players agreed to keep the league organized as a single entity and let go of their hopes for free agency. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement will last for five years.

I for one am excited to see that soccer will continue, as a strike certainly would have harmed the fragile sport.

Well done boys!

Several sources are reporting that a severe disagreement regarding league structure means that Major League Soccer (MLS) could face a strike. In order to understand the strike, we need to look at what is meant by league structure.

Image by SGFsoccer.com

The issue with the MLS structure can be explained fairly simply. Most people who follow sports have heard mention of the word franchise, as in, the “LA Lakers Basketball Franchise”.  This is because the four major professional sports leagues in North America (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL) are “closed corporations” limited to a fixed number of teams, known as “franchises“.  With a few exceptions, these franchises enjoy geographical monopolies in major cities. Once an owner has control of a franchise he has the power within the framework of league rules, collectively agreed upon by the respective players union and the owners, to improve his franchise however he sees fit.

But the MLS is structured differently. The MLS is technically not an association of franchises but a single business entity. Though each team has an owner-operator, the team owners are actually shareholders in the league. The league, not the individual teams, contracts with the players.

With the structure defined, let’s look at both sides of this argument to show why it is causing a “strike-sized” disagreement.

The Players Side

The players union believes that the current structure limits the players ability to negotiate a new contract due to the lack of competing teams vying for the player’s services. The players can only negotiate with the league and the league decides where the players play. This system also restricts the players ability to switch teams or even choose the team for which they would like to play. Essentially, they are signing up to be an employee of MLS instead of an employee of one of its teams, so the league has much more control over where the player will play. The system controls costs and enables the league to keep parity in the MLS, but it does so, to some degree, at the expense of the players. This system also forces many of the best young American players to compete in Europe as the money is better overseas.

The Owners Side

Major League Soccer has had good years and bad years. It is still a fairly new league and the groups and individuals who own it feel as if they have been “propping the league up” through its infancy. To be fair many of them have, especially groups like AEG who were the first major investors in the league and who at one time were the owners of six of the 10 founding franchises. Part of the way that the current owners get money back from their investment is by selling off shares in the league to new ownership groups who then take responsibility for new teams, thereby helping to grow the league. As MLS is not well established like the NBA or the NFL, a new franchise is a risky investment. So a single entity is a much more enticing concept for potential new owners, as all owners split profits from a single pot. More owners means greater financial backing and a higher chance of success for an American pro soccer league, at least that’s how the owners see it.

by nicholasjon

Neither side is entirely wrong here and both sides are passionate about their argument, so a strike seems very likely. Where it ends up, only time will tell, but it will interesting to watch this unfold either way. I’ll do my best to keep you posted on the ins and outs.

Instant replay has become a hot topic of conversation lately thanks to a controversial soccer goal scored by France’s William Gallas after Thierry Henry had an obvious handball that set it up. Because of that goal, France is going to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Ireland has been eliminated. Apart from an unofficial, nationwide ban on French wine (not too difficult for the locals provided that the whiskey tap keeps pouring), this controversy does beg the question, should FIFA take a look at Instant replay?

Thierry Henry Handball Video

The replay naysayers in soccer are the same as the naysayers in Baseball, they talk of the game’s history and not wanting to slow the sport down for five minutes at a time with reviews (as seen in American Football). But the proponents of the idea point out that this is not medieval football, it’s the twenty-first century and we have the technology to correct these mistakes.

Diego Maradona Hand of God Video

It is an interesting question though and worthy of review, not just for the regular soccer powerhouses like England who were defeated by the Maradona “hand of god” goal, but for the fans of US Soccer as well who were robbed of an opportunity to see a Semi-Final berth in World Cup 2002 when a German defender used his hand to save a goal.

US – Germany World Cup 2002 Quarterfinal Handball Video (Handball Footage at 2:11)

For now, FIFA is resisting the idea but don;t forget that the big three sports leagues in the United States, the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, also initially resisted the idea. Will it happen? Who knows, should it happen? Well, there are some people in Ireland who certainly think so.