Yours truly is helping to launch a new home for North American soccer writing in print, XI, a quarterly publication. You can read my thoughts on why I think this kind of endeavor is needed in American soccer journalism here.
To launch XI, support from the soccer community is needed (see graph above…closing in on the target with time expiring!): if you want to read more well-written, well-researched stories about the sport, especially in North America, please reblog this and consider pledging as little as $2 on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/H51kHc
Thank you!
ONZE Magazine
October 1978Cover: Cruyff in action for the NY Cosmos against a World XI at Giants Stadium August, 1978 .
On December 20th 1914, the New York Times published a year-end review of American sports and their past years along with prospects for 1915.
“Splendid outlook for sport in 1915,” the newspaper pronounced, with “new records expected” but a warning shot that international competition could be curtailed by the conflict in Europe: “Tentative challenges to be sent to Foreign Nations, with a War Proviso.”
The sport we now (mostly) call soccer here was referred to then in the body text as “soccer (Association) Football” (and we all, of course, know that the word soccer comes from “Association”), and in the subheading as “soccer football”.
It was the second single sport featured in the feature review, after football, with the prospects for “soccer football” declared by Dr. G. Randolph Manning. The Dr. was the President of the United States Football Association (USFA), a forerunner of today’s United States Soccer Federation and formed just a little over one year before.
1914 was a significant year for the USFA: it affiliated permanently to FIFA in June 1914 (one of 25 members at the time) and saw the conclusion of the first Challenge Cup, better known now as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. That was won by Brooklyn Field Club, in front of “7,000 enthusiastic spectators”, according to Manning.
Manning himself had an interesting backstory, and brought administrative experience in the sport to the formation of the USFA, as Roger Allaway explains:
The man elected as the president of the AAFA at its founding was a New York physician named Dr. G. Randolph Manning. Dr. Manning had been born in England and then was educated in Germany, particularly at the University of Freiburg. While in Germany, he had been involved in the formation of the Deutscher Fussball Bund in 1900.
Hope you found this interesting - these stories are the kind XI wants to tell in greater depth in print, so please consider supporting XI on Kickstarter.
XI, A New North American Soccer Magazine
North American soccer has a lively blogosphere and twittersphere covering its continued growth. Occasionally, great pieces of writing or an arresting photograph catch the eye; all too often, though, what insight beyond the headlines there is out there becomes submerged underneath the daily…
Yours truly is one of this new North American soccer magazine’s founders: please reblog this and take a look at the Kickstarter page for XI.
The foundation icon for XI, a new North American soccer print publication. Please support XI on Kickstarter, only 29 days to raise $11,000 and create a new American soccer magazine.
Nothing like launching a new North American soccer print publication to make a Monday more fun. Details soon…
May 1963: A prone BBC cameraman films through the goal during the European Cup final between Benfica and AC Milan.
(via rjtrainor)
News Corp. Said to Plan U.S. Sports Network to Rival ESPN
Quite interesting for soccer in the U.S., especially with Fox (owned by News Corp.) already owning 2018 and 2022 World Cup rights.
Major League Soccer's misuse of copyright law to suppress criticism
Important commentary on MLS’ DMCA takedown of the video showing Colin Cark’s homophobic abuse of a ballboy. Paul Alan Levy comments that:
No doubt the clip was taken from a copyrighted telecast, but there can also be no doubt that this was fair use – a 20 second clip from a 90 minute game (plus introduction, ending and the like). And how can viewers appreciate the commentary and make their own judgments about its soundness, not to speak of commenting themselves), without seeing exactly what the ball boy did and how Clark reacted?
World Soccer Magazine
June 1976Barcelona team photo, 1976 Uefa Cup, Semi-final, 2nd leg. Anfield, Liverpool.
Pop the Champagne: Soccer Cracks the Big Four Sports
By Peter Wilt
Where are the celebrations? When is the parade? Haven’t you heard? SOCCER IS NOW MAINSTREAM IN THE UNTED STATES OF AMERICA!
According to a recent survey - the latest “Luker on Trends — Powered by the ESPN Sports Poll” - soccer has finally joined the mainstream and become one of the Big Four sports in the United States along with football, baseball and basketball. That begs the question, “What are the Big Four sports and how is the category defined?” Depending on your age, your residence and which metrics are used to define “Big”, ten different people could provide ten different responses.
