Shut Up Abby Wambach

International Soccer

Yes, Abby you are in fact ignorant and you should stop talking about the USMNT’s foreign born players.

This is what you said:

“Do I agree with everything Jurgen has done? No, I do not. It’s just my opinion, and I’m entitled to that. It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some guys that have never lived in the United States that play for the United States because they were able to secure a passport. To me, that just feels like they weren’t able to make it for their country and earn a living, so they’re coming here.

But do they have that killer instinct? I don’t know. I’d love to sit down with Mix Diskerud and some of these other guys and talk to them about it. I’d love to understand how much they love their country. I believe they can have love for both countries, but I’d love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too. If this is an ignorant opinion, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say, “My bad.” But I’d want to have that conversation.” (Abby Wambach, Retired U.S. Soccer Star, Reflects on Her Addiction)

And here is an equally ignorant and plagiarized statement made about your homosexuality:

“Do I agree with everything the government has done? No, I do not. It’s just my opinion, and I’m entitled to that. It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some humans that have never been heterosexual that get to marry because they were able to secure legality. To me, that just feels like they weren’t able to marry for real and earn a living, so they’re marrying the same sex.

But do they have that marital instinct? I don’t know. I’d love to sit down with Abby Wambach and some of these other gays and talk to them about it. I’d love to understand how much they love their spouse. I believe they can have love for both sexes, but I’d love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too. If this is an ignorant opinion, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say, “My bad.” But I’d want to have that conversation.”

Or how about this equally ignorant and plagiarized statement about your book:

“Do I agree with everything Dey Street Books has done? No, I do not. It’s just my opinion, and I’m entitled to that. It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some humans that have never published anything that get write a book because they were able to be a professional athlete. To me, that just feels like they weren’t able to make it in a real career and earn a living, so they’re taking advantage of their celebrity.

But do they have that writing instinct? I don’t know. I’d love to sit down with Abby Wambach and some of these other celebrities and talk to them about it. I’d love to understand how much they love writing. I believe they can have love for both careers, but I’d love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too. If this is an ignorant opinion, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say, “My bad.” But I’d want to have that conversation.”

These are your words framed in a way that I imagine you would find offensive and hurtful. I hope this perspective allows for your introspection. Your ignorant speech is damaging and you should check yourself. But, hey, if this is out-of-line, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say “My B,” I just wanted to let you know.

Colin Kaepernick is Right and You Know it

NFL

It is not a controversy. Nor is it a scandal. It is damn right American. Kaepernick is not the one who crossed the line to inappropriate. Rather, everyone else did when they carved that line in the sand, took a side and started firing away.

Kaepernick made a simple gesture of protest in a preseason football game. He sat down during the national anthem. It was peaceful. No one was hurt. But Kaep’s simple statement started a wave of consequences that flowed into repercussions.

After the Twitterverse and the rest of social media’s bombastic messages to Kaep’s move, Kaep then had to explain himself. He had to dissect his personal choice into deeper details than even the usual magnifying glass questioning of tactics or decisions on the gridiron. Kaep was up for the challenge and he challenged us right back. He is using his platform as an NFL quarterback to push a conversation into the spotlight. He wants to voice what he feels are social injustices. Kaep offers reasonable solutions such as accountability and more qualified police officer’s training. His concerns are not unwarranted and as a society we need to address them with a better game plan. Doing nothing and considering nothing is not progress.

A majority of the media does not listen to the arguments and does not hear the concerns. It focuses on the imagery of a football player defying tradition. People get riled up that he is being disrespectful to the flag, the military, etc. Forget his explanation that he intends no disrespect because no one is remembering that. Apparently, he is out of line by displaying a symbolic peaceful form of protest on a public stage where few get the opportunity. That is American. That is quintessential to American values and beliefs to be able to peacefully protest the status quo.

Disagreeing with him is also perfectly American. He can be wrong and you can voice your opposition too. But demanding that his protests should be stopped is flat out wrong. Suppression is wrong and football is not above it all. Protests reveal issues, which leads to conversations that create avenues of progress where multiple sides work together. It is about recognizing an injustice, bringing it to the forefront, and then we deal with it as a united society.

Unfortunately, protests too often devolve into sides. Who’s side are you on? Who’s side do you take? Who is right? These are the wrong questions. These questions divide people into positions, which are fought tooth and nail with very little wavering. If you are forced onto a team then you will defend that team. The questions should no longer be about who, but rather how. How do we solve police brutality? How do you reduce homicides with more training? How does the community embrace cooperation with the police? When you ask the how, you are no longer taking a position but rather you are discussing problems and solutions. Every single how question requires all sides to discuss and grapple back and forth.

The concept that the protesting during the national anthem is off limits is absolutely bull. There is no sacred object that demands my obedience without reason. I was once threatened with physical violence at a MLS game because I didn’t take off my hat during the anthem. I was told that “people have died so you can wear that hat.” I chuckled it off and turned around, not wishing to engage the meathead that had his sights targeted on me. In truth, people have died for me to do whatever I want to do with that hat. That is America’s freedom and that is America’s tradition. America’s other “tradition” is that you have to take your hat off and salute the flag with obedience. Some call that tradition. I call that America’s fascism. It’s the same “tradition” that deems we must keep the Redskins as an acceptable NFL name. This isn’t about disrespect. This is about authoritarian ideals cramming “traditions” and “disrespectful behavior” into the lexicon to cloud the real issues and suppress people.

One Friday night I was playing in my weekly pick up soccer game. Our game happens to take place on an adjacent field to a high school football field. We played there joyously to escape and play freely without disturbing others. We were perfectly allowed to play there. It was a public field. However, someone from the brass was sent down from the football game to tell us in no uncertain terms that we had to stop playing for the national anthem. That it was disrespectful for us not to salute the flag and that they were going to get someone to kick us of the field unless we complied. Never mind that our friendly soccer game started well before their official football game, on a separate field where we had been playing for hours. Never mind that the majority of the players in my pick up game were foreigners and had no blind allegiance to salute the American flag. But authority or apparent authority has its powers. So for every subsequent week, an hour or two into our pick up game we had to stop our fun and face the flag with a bunch of immigrants trying to further understand American culture. They are told they must stop what they’re doing and respect the American flag, or the police will be called to shut our friendly soccer game down. Again, that is bull.

My family has felt the burn of tradition. Tradition was a key ingredient to Japanese Internment. Apparently, Japanese Americans, (you know, U.S. citizens) did not fit the traditional mold of America and therefore a swift incarceration of over 100,000 people was carried out. We were enemies simply because of our ancestry. I refuse to accept that there are American traditions that we must obey or else. I refuse to accept that Muslim Americans are next. I refuse to accept that minority oppression is the way of America.

I’m with you Kaep. Go Niners.

Do Not Drink the KD & GSW Haterade

NBA

Dear Sports World,

Kevin Durant joining the Warriors is a good thing. This is not a proclamation because the move is golden for Dubnation, a contingent I subscribe to. Rather, I believe Kevin Durant teaming up with the Warriors transcends what sports mean to the world. A global role model just made a tough and unpopular career decision to benefit his life first and foremost. He chose an opportunity to maximize the joy in what he does every day.

As the process unfolds, we will be educated. We will witness true teamwork embodied by unselfish team-first play. We will watch camaraderie at its finest and be reminded what you can accomplish in life when you enjoy and love what you do. We will absorb championship work ethic. Quality basketball will be taught to our next generation. Kids will practice to acquire learned skills such as shooting, passing, and dribbling instead of relying on talents such as height and athleticism. The Warriors way will be more than a roadmap for NBA success. It will be a journey that explores maturation and cooperation to deliver a successful work product. The standard will seep into other industries. It will teach men, women and children practices that will help them succeed and embrace life.

I am aware that KD joined a 73-win team with back-to-back finals appearances and only a year removed from a championship. I know that he joined forces with the very team that just knocked him out of his championship pursuit. Everyone has heard that the Thunder were up 3-1 and oh so close to dethroning Golden State. Thank you Stephen A. Smith, but your rabble-rouser chatter is “weak” and you are not “class personified” for flat-out bashing KD’s decision.

KD did not jump on the bandwagon as a weak move. He is not along for a ride so that a championship can be served to him. If anything, KD made a power move. He saw the most efficient jet on the planet and added rocket boosters to make the flight galactic. But KD wants to fly because it is fun, not because he must reach the stars.

One article by Royce Young frames KD’s decision as leaving OKC more so than joining GSW. Young narrates a discussion that “outside forces would sway him” and that “he’s impressionable and impulsive.” Young claims that apparently the pressure to win a title was relentless and Durant couldn’t escape it. “Durant didn’t want to be the leader anymore.” The article signs off with a line that ultimately KD changed. Never mind that KD “has always longed for” a free-flowing pass heavy offense and that he was visibly “ecstatic” when his team in fact shared the ball. Never mind that OKC “ranked last in the league in passes per game, while the Warriors ranked first.” I think to insinuate a question about KD’s love and loyalty while charging his tremendous contributions to the community against him for leaving is garbage.

KD did not change. He chose what he always wanted. He wants to play basketball the right team-first way and love doing it. KD happened to say what people wanted to hear over the years, but that does not define him. He still loves the Oklahoma community. The widespread pundit claims that KD should have given it another year for the Thunder is hypocritical to history. Let us examine how the Thunder did business. Did the Thunder give it another year when they had Harden or did they squabble over $4.5 million and then trade him away for assets? Did the Thunder give it another year with Ibaka or did they trade him away for Victor Oladipo, another volume shooting guard that is a rich man’s Dion Waiters and a poor man’s Russell Westbrook? The Thunder look out for the Thunder and KD should look out for KD.

The Thunder did not embrace KD’s skillset but rather they gave the keys to Westbrook to hog the ball and hoist up attempts. They relied on their talent instead of complimenting their talent with execution. They played one-on-one fourth quarters and faltered in far too many. In 2013-14 when Westbrook missed significant time the Thunder still finished second in the conference thanks to a MVP KD. In 2014-15 when KD went down they missed the playoffs. The Thunder model was for KD and Westbrook to win games for the Thunder when it should have been for the Thunder to win games with KD and Westbrook.

In KD’s Warriors introductory press conference he did not talk about the allure of a championship (or championships) bringing him to the Bay. Of course that is his goal, but it is not his drive. KD talked about how he met with the Warriors core (shocked that they all came to meet with him) and saw Steph, Klay, Draymond, and Andre walk in and “it looked like they were holding hands, you know it was a family.” KD saw their family, witnessed how much they love each other, and got a taste how they enjoy working together. Then that family asked KD to join. The dub family felt “organic” “authentic” and “real.” “It was feelings he could not ignore.”

Despite my love for fellow Bruin Reggie Miller, I vehemently disagree with his characterization that KD “traded a sacred legacy for cheap jewelry.” Legacy versus rings is a myopic egotistical lens to view KD’s decision. That is Reggie framing it as celebrity ego versus winning ego. That is Reggie talking about being “the man,” “a king,” and his “kingdom.” Admiration is not what KD truly seeks, otherwise he would have appeased the populace and stayed. KD wants to take on a new life challenge and he wants to love the journey. John Wooden once quoted Cervantes in explaining how he prized the preparation day after day, week after week, year after year: “The journey is better than the inn.” (Wooden, pg. 53)

KD understands that now the challenge has shifted. It is no longer to win a title, but to win multiple titles. He wants to take on that expectation. He wants to conquer that burden. His mindset is no longer to go schoolyard and take over his man. Now, his mindset is to play team basketball. Let us admire KD’s personal choice, not criticize it because it does not fit into what we want or what we think.

From the Warriors’ organizational point of view, is it wise to add a superstar and sacrifice your proven depth? Is it good to shake up a regular season record holder?

When you have a team rack up 73 wins, there is not much you can do to improve upon that. In fact, many would think to stay the course. Keep the mansion. Do not remodel. Imagine that the home appreciates. The master bedroom (Steph), the living room (Klay), and the kitchen (Draymond) feel so luxurious. Maybe that is all you need. The dining room (Andre) ties in the house’s elegance. The two-car garage (Bogut and Ezeli) has powerful trucks that have taken you places, but the trucks tend to need repairs. The backyard pool (Barnes) can shine, but for parts of the year it falters. In staying the course, you hope that the market that you cannot control does not fluctuate. You bet that the competition does not pass you. You wish your house remains the most valuable.

But, there is an aspect lacking in your mansion: Location. Location. Location. And there is only one available player in the entire league to give you that. You could build a similar mansion on top of the hills with the gorgeous view (KD) of the Bay Bridge, the city and the Golden Gate Bridge. That view catapults your residency to the top of the listings. No one has a better view. Your bedroom wakes up to a beautiful sunrise. Your living room catches the sunsets. Your kitchen is bathed in sunlight so you are ready to go to work to churn out hearty meals and wash the dishes. The dining room drinks in the moonlight. You do not need your pool anymore because of the cost of maintenance. And you can replace the trucks in your garage with cost efficient rides (Zaza and West). The rest of the house can be filled out modestly with guest bedrooms, entertainment rooms, offices, and whatever you can afford to make this a home you truly love.

That is what the addition of KD means to GSW. He creates the dream home where your family will live each and every day. In basketball terms KD is the perfect fit for what the Warriors do. They will move the ball unselfishly, make cuts, set screens, and as they like to say “not settle for good shots, but great shots.” Their first two cannons rained fire and they just added a Howitzer. With their excellent coaching and team execution the Warriors can flow beautifully. They will drain shots at a higher rate than a 21^st birthday celebration. Draymond will get better in his Swiss army knife support. And the other big men can actually hit free throws that will eliminate an opposing hack-a-strategy.

The defense will be just as formidable. The anchor to the weak side block will not be as strong as when Bogut played. Someone or many will have to step up to fill that void. Zaza and West will get their rebounds, but KD will emerge as an elite defender. He will work with defensive guru Ron Adams to fit into the system and use his premier length to secure the perimeter and protect the rim. If Curry’s defense can accelerate like it has the past two seasons, then KD can make huge strides. When the Dubs go Death Lineup there will be rim protectors in both Durant and Draymond. Their blocking comes from their fight not their height (well, maybe KD’s wingspan).

The Warriors are not inventing selfless successful basketball. It has always been around and the Spurs have been exceling at it for years. The Warriors just happen to have a collective of popular superstars. With that comes all the attention and spotlight. As such, the world will watch and the people will listen. And if these superstars play for each other, sacrifice for the team, and validate their recipe with championships, we will celebrate them.

There is no Evil Empire.

Sincerely,

A Sports Fan 

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!