Columnist Nick Green has written 100 Percent Soccer
since 2005. A
native of England, he began writing about soccer in
the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat
in the stands for one in
the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home
Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas
USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer.
Married to a long-suffering soccer widow, he has a cat
named Pele.Betting on footy commented on Do White People Like Soccer?
Virtually no local reporters bothered to show up for Thursday's presser advancing Saturday's Chivas USA-Galaxy derby, so we leave it to this scribe to do the job for us.
Meanwhile, the legacy of David Beckham's visit to Hawaii continues with this pathetic little tale.
On a happier note, former Galaxy coach and longtime South bay resident Sigi Schmid, currently in exile in Ohio, is nearing a milestone.
Good morning class.
Today's topic: geography.
Being married to map geek (known professionally as a geographic information systems analyst) means acquiring an appreciation for the world of cartography.
MLS recently issued an interesting map showing the cosmopolitan origins of its players, which makes even more interesting reading when compared to last year's version.
The most striking difference: the number of Argentines in MLS (10 as of March 26) has now exceeded the number of Brazilians (9); last year there were only five Argentines compared to eight Brazilians in the league.
The importation of foreign talent means more competition for Americans to make MLS rosters. This year 229 Americans found places on MLS rosters, compared to 218 last year. And that's with an additional team in the league.
That's raised the quality of play, most observers agree, but it also has repercussions for the development of young American talent.
Still, attendance is up.
Finally, with the 39th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon approaching, here's a fun map that puts his lunar journey into perspective for soccer fans.
Class dismissed.
How was your week?
Yeah, mine too.
This should help.
Score one for the rights of little people.
And women's rights.
Feel better now?
Me too.
A good question for multiracial Los Angeles.
Besides, I needed some comic relief after enduring a pre-Olympic qualifying teleconference today that featured Coach Peter Nowak offering up such penetrating insights as "Qualifying is going to be very difficult." (I'm not kidding).
Perhaps more on that Friday (I feel a rant coming on). But, for now, back to the question.
The question was prompted by this tongue-in-cheek link sent to me by a white, American-born colleague.
And like all good satire, there's a kernel of truth in there.
If I have another American-born white person approach me to talk about soccer, but in reality it's simply an excuse to relate the latest triumph of their little brat in AYSO or whatever, I shall find a ball or two to kick, if you know what I mean and I think you do.
The conversations I have outside the press box on the merits of say, the Galaxy verses Chivas USA, are sadly, far and few between.
Now I know a lot of white people who like soccer (a lot of you are reading right now, I hope), but the funniest part of the above link were the number of thin-skinned American-born white people who took exception to the post.
Lighten up people. It's called S-A-T-I-R-E.
Edgy, racially-tinged satire in the finest tradition of Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce and "All in the Family," an American rip-off of the far superior English sit-com "'Til Death Do Us Part."
Enjoy.
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