Captain America: Michael Bradley and American Industriousness

International Soccer

Finally, I got to witness, in person (and at the Rose Bowl!), one of my favorite athletes in all of sports: Michael Bradley. It was my first USMNT game and let’s just say it did not work out well for us. The “pundits” are claiming that U.S. Soccer is in a state of crisis, calling for change, and reiterating our recent “failures.” Previously, I addressed that Klinsmann needs to stay at the helm, but I must stress why the current on-field leader is essential for our nation’s soccer growth.

For years I’ve been clamoring for Bradley’s ascension to the captaincy. I deemed it inevitable. Why? Because Bradley personifies what American soccer needs to be: Industrious. One of John Wooden’s foundations for success is a character our national team must excel in exhibiting. Industrious, hardworking, diligent, or whatever moniker you desire is a cultural trait that our national team can identify with.

Americans work hard. That is both our strength and one of our problems with catching up with the rest of the world. We labor to achieve the American dream, but we toil too hard for our own good, lacking in paid vacation and pushing the limits of practical human health. Whether this work ethic is good or bad, it is nonetheless US.  Our fundamental culture is not changing anytime soon so our national soccer needs to embrace this identity.

The best soccer countries in the world reflect their culture in their soccer play.  The most recent World Cup champ Germany plays regimented, straightforward, fortified, and machine-like. The national team is coined “Die Mannschaft” aka “The Team,” awfully German. The all-time most winning Brazilians play with the flare of the samba, excelling when they dance around their opponents. The four-time victors Italians inject more drama, emotion, and acting into their game than into their most famous operas. The Dutch liberal point of view spawned revolutionary tactics that allowed a relatively small country to flourish on the international stage.  Our national team should best reflect our hardworking culture and Bradley is the model.

Bradley’s work rate not only tops the Americans, but it is one of the highest in the world.  In helping the U.S. advance out of the Group of Death, Bradley covered more distance than anyone in Brazil. That means that in the group stage of the World Cup Bradley ran more than any soccer player in the world. His workhorse attitude has transformed him into the most important American international because he elevates his underdog traits into a winning formula.  Bradley has never been the fastest, the strongest, or the most talented. He is not blessed with such natural gifts.  However, he has been the most relentless, the most studious, and the most conditioned. These characteristics are earned and developed over a lifetime of effort. As a result, Bradley is Team USA’s best soccer player.

Our national team must be persistent.  We are still underdogs to the real contenders. As such, we will be either trailing in games or withstanding a barrage and we will need to fight back and claw our way for results.  No American player hustles more and keeps his motor going than Bradley. Our national team needs to get smarter. We need our players to develop a mental adroitness that lends superior vision and produces ambitious and creative play. We need our players to follow the Bradley path and grow their study of the game abroad in Europe’s top leagues. Our national team needs to be fitter. We need to be the number-one-most-in-shape team in the world. We have the science, technology, training, and history to achieve such a distinction (look how well we compete in the Olympics). With elite conditioning we can thrive late in games instead of faltering to Mexico emphasizing our relentless nature. Realistically, we could be the best in the world at one crucial aspect of the futbol game. As previously alluded to, Bradley is already world-class in this respect.

The aforementioned hard-earned qualities translate to US punching above our weight.  Industriousness gives us a fighting chance against the superpowers and should propel us above our historically better archrival Mexico (achieving results like 2002’s greatest win in US soccer history). Bradley’s industriousness is our American model for improvement. Bradley will never be Leo Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, any American reaching their stratosphere is highly unlikely given the star quality of their touch and skill. But Bradley lays the groundwork for our next generation of soccer athletes with Lebron blessed attributes. Bradley’s brain and motor coupled with Jozy Altidore’s strength and Deandre Yedlin’s speed is our future to success. Keep working hard America.

                                                                     We love you

                                                                     We love you

                                                                     We love you

                                                      And Where you go we’ll follow

                                                                     We’ll follow

                                                                     We’ll follow

                                                      Because We support the US

                                                                        The US

                                                                        THE US

                                                     And That’s the Way We like it

                                                                      We like it

                                                                      We like it

                                                     Whooooooooaaaaoooooooooo

                                                     Whooooooooaaaaoooooooooo

If You Want Klinsmann Fired, You Are Dumb

International Soccer

You are a dumb American, who knows nothing about soccer.  You seek short-term results instead of long-term sustained success. You cry to get what you want instead of working hard to deserve it.  Now here’s the whole story.

We just lost to Mexico.

“Who cares?” “Us Americans do not care about soccer!”

False.  Americans love winning and we are not winners.  We are a second rate nation in a world where we believe we are second to none.  We dominate the Olympics. We crush basketball. We own football. Our pastime is baseball.  And we love all of that.  We expect our military to be unstoppable, our economy to rule, and our entertainment to be the best.  We want to be “American”… We want win in the most competitive arena in the world.  Forget Mars and space, soccer is our frontier.

“Puto!” “Puto” this, “Puto” that. That is what you hear when you go a U.S. v. Mexico game on American soil. Yes, Mexican fans chant every other word a curse word that I understand to be nothing but derogatory. And yes, they use it to describe our players, our play, and our results. And they proudly shout, on our turf nonetheless, on my alma mater’s home field, because 75% of the crowd was Mexican supporters.

The first and most important step to becoming a winning soccer nation is a cultural immersion of the sport.  The superpowers live, breathe, and die with soccer.  Their children learn to walk with a soccer ball.  The son’s first toy is a soccer ball and the father’s last gift is a ticket to a futbol game.  They eat soccer for breakfast.  Soccer is bred. We do not stand a chance until we grow soccer the way the rest of the world does. And Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Jurgen Klinsmann knows all of this and he is working to achieve it. It is why his other integral role is Technical Director for U.S. Soccer. He understands elite soccer, and how to get elite results. He presses for youth development because he knows soccer is in our future, not our immediate present. He has a practical and calm head that stated we would not win the 2014 World Cup because he realistically and accurately knew where we were. Unfortunately, this created an American hustle and bustle because we are childish and cannot stand being losers. Anyway, the German went out and led his children’s country to advance out of the Group of Death. We finished second in the Group of Death behind eventual champion Germany (losing only 1-0, much better than Brazil fared), tied a top-flight Cristiano Ronaldo led Portuguese team, and won against a more talented than us Ghanaian squad (who knocked us out of the previous two World Cups). Then we were a Wondo’ flub away from stealing our way into the quarterfinals.

Before Klinsmann we would not win at Italy, at the Azteca, in Netherlands, and in Germany. Goals not achievable before are now realized. We are at least relevant in the soccer world because of Klinsmann. We have made strides, but we have miles to go. Do not get off this train; it is headed in the right direction because its conductor is in control.

Prioritizing short-term returns is one our generation’s greatest fallacies. Weren’t we supposed to learn that lesson with our economy? We mask this fallacy with claims such as “accountability.” We let Landon Donovan attack our coach, who has won a World Cup as his team’s top striker, coached Germany to a third place finish (laying the groundwork for his assistant to finish the job), and was hired to coach at Bayern (freaking) Munich. Donovan, on the other hand, was a “successful” American-based player who couldn’t cut it overseas. Tell me who is the best Jacksonville Jaguars player of all-time is.  And then tell me that college players are better than pro players.  Letting Donovan take a shot at Klinsmann is like if Lakers let Adam Morrison question Phil Jackson or if the Broncos thought Tebow-time was more valuable than Elway’s insight. Just stop it.

And again, Rome wasn’t built in one day.

UCLA Bruins: John Wooden was hired in 1948. From 1964-1975 he won 10 of 12 national championships.  A 16-year wait.

Boston Celtics: Red Auerbach was hired in 1950. From 1957 to 1966 he won 9 of 10 championships.  A 7-year wait.

Duke Blue Devils: Mike Krzyzewksi was hired in 1980. Didn’t win his first of five national championships until 1991. An 11-year wait.

San Francisco Giants: Brian Sabean was hired as GM in 1996. Didn’t win his first of three World Series titles until 2010. A 14-year wait.

Jurgen Klinsmann was hired in 2011. A 4-year wait so far to turn around an entire nation’s legacy of futility. Give him time. He knows more than you.

I believe that we will win!  I believe that we will win!  I believe that we will win!

"I Am Quitting Football."

NFL

I have uttered those words several times over the past few weeks. I have stated a personal choice, nothing more. It sure does not feel like it.

“I am quitting football,” sounds as if I am kicking a drug habit. I am. I am attempting to distance myself from the addiction that is football. I love and consume sports, but my personal belief is that football is the most dangerous flavor.

“I am quitting football” is not met with “good for you!” It is not welcomed with open arms. There are no empathetic and curious responses. Instead, there are curt “what do you mean?” reactions. There are the “yeah, right…” and “good luck with that…” retorts.

After the initial put down for stating my newfound desire, I interject my explanation, nay, my defense. I tell them that I read League of Denial, a book about the NFL and concussions, and that I can no longer overlook the overwhelmingly life destructive results of playing football. I claim that I can no longer support a sport that is so effective at crushing brains and thus destroying families along the way. It is far graver than just the buzzword concussion.

I brought my beliefs to a law school social gathering one evening. When I brought up Legal of Denial I was rebutted with “who wrote the book? I bet some foreigner.” At the moment I did not have the answer so I conceded that foreigner possibility, thus somehow giving credence to the always-faulty ad-hominem attack. (In fact, the brother authors are California natives.)

I reflected on this foreigner argument. Why does that matter? As if talking against football is somehow un-American? Americans are supposed to love football and if you do not love football, you do not love America. “It’s tradition.” I vehemently disagree. I cannot and will not blindly follow some “American way.” My family has fought too hard to educate me on such historical follies. At one time, protecting “Americans” was once justification for sending my American family to internment camps. Explain to me why football is so necessarily an American way of life. I need sound arguments better than “that’s just how it is.”

“As long as man has existed, there have been blood sports. Your individual effort will not change anything.” While the end result may end up true, I will not personally fall in line with that standard of living. Racism has always existed, so should I just be racist then? Violence has always existed, so should I be violent? I understand my financial contribution to football is infinitely negligible, but my voice and ability to educate are not. When people hear that their sports-crazed, knowledgeable, Gold-Blooded fan of a friend chose to walk away from a passion for moral reasons, maybe some will listen. Maybe some will read up for themselves. Maybe some will entertain change.

Maybe not. My first effort was to post to Facebook this ESPN Chris Borland piece about the man who quit professional football after a stellar and promising rookie season because he considered his long-term health. I received zero likes and zero comments. Ouch, that is not going to reinforce my confidence…

But the science is out there, however suppressed it is. (Seriously, read the book.) It is like Climate Change denial. Sure, we have not proven 100% causal link that repeatedly bashing your head results in brain damage, but c’mon? The correlative data we do have is strong. We have difficulties running and testing exact football experiments on living brain tissue, just like we cannot create an exact replica earth to experiment climate change forces.

“Everyone knows the risks when they play football. They are choosing that.” No, they are not truly aware nor fully educated on the ramifications. Parents and children are not making informed decisions that a commitment to a sport they love can so easily by its very nature cause you to lose your mind. If parents knew, would they gamble their child’s well being?

I discussed this issue with a colleague and he informed me of the sad future. The reality is that affluent, well-educated families will not let their children play football. The impoverished and uneducated will suffer. They will be the ones taking risks with their lives so that the rest of us can thirst off their sacrifice. Do I really want to be a part of that future? I am not calling for an absolute end of football. Instead, I am hoping and campaigning for an evolution of the sport. A sport more tactical and skilled than bone-crushing.

My father has always had a position against football. He is not a sports fan, but has always supported my sports life. I cannot remember a single game I played growing up that he and my mother did not attend. He never banned me taking joy in watching the Niners and others, but he never fully joined in. Furthermore, playing football was not an option for me, simple as that. A year or so ago my father sternly spoke to me that football is a gladiator sport and history will view it archaic as such. He was almost emotional in his stance and I listened. I could not disagree with his points. When I realized I had a weaker counterargument, I reexamined my position and was sparked to read League of Denial and here I am.

How do I get away? I am not sure. The first step I took was to schedule my Sundays. I told my friend to start a team in that Sunday co-ed “recreational” league he previously played. Yes, in order to feel better about my life choices I will play some sports and go to a bar. A plan is better than no plan.

My foremost problem is that I will not be able to go cold turkey. I have commitments to my friends and fantasy football leagues that I cannot skirt last minute. I will participate in these leagues and still must be somewhat receptive to talking football for at least another year until I can swap out. This means probably reading and following stats while trying to limit watching. I will probably lose friendships and certainly acquaintances as a result. 

A relapse could very much be on the horizon. If the Niners are making a playoff push or if UCLA is on the national championship radar will I be so noble? I cannot say. What I can say is that quitting football will affect my reputation for better or for worse. I have no problem with that because as my favorite philosopher John Wooden would say it is character that truly counts.