Twice in as Many Days...Holy ****

OK, so in my effort to get back on the ball here is my column from the last issue of The Tack. It is more applicable to my school, but I think alot of this can be applied to sporting events in general. And of course to being a soccer supporter because of the way we are encouraged to cheer so creatively.

And without further ado...

Three things happen annually at this time of year it seems. The Super Bowl, the closing of the international transfer window, and the yearly email from President Fred Moore warning us about our actions at basketball games on campus.

Last month students were reported to the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) for abusive chants directed at players on the Loras college team and at game officials. Last year we all received the same email regarding student chants at a home game against Central.

Why has this become an annual tradition here in Storm Lake? It would seem that the reason is less ground in sportsmanship and more due to the amount of families with small children that come to the games. I can recall instances during the NCAA tournament in which visiting fans chanted anti-BVU songs and were left alone but our own students were stifled if a cheer was started by anyone that wasn’t a cheerleader.

I was all set to tear down the administration’s need to sanitize everything that happens on campus so that more community members will pay to see the games, but something on television changed my perspective. The University of Minnesota (U of M) was hosting the Denver University men’s hockey team when senior defenseman Mike Vannelli notched his first career hat trick. For those of you unfamiliar with hockey the typical celebration for such a feat is to toss hats and caps out onto the ice. Unfortunately some students and fans saw the need to throw the posters that were handed out before the game onto the ice as well.

Seeing this left me, and this column, in a state of limbo. If such a knowledgeable crowd can do something so stupid how can I try to defend our basketball crowds who are very near as knowledgeable about that sport? How can I sit here and say that we are responsible enough to police ourselves when this tells me that we are not?

I think a realization that these lapses in judgment have been few and far between and show no proof of getting worse. I’ve always been an advocate for support stemming from the stands and not the boardrooms or pom poms. I think the line has to be drawn at sexual or racial slurs and obscenity (because if we can’t be more creative than four letter words that is sad) and anything short of that should be allowed and encouraged.

The opposing team should not feel as comfortable playing in Storm Lake as they do playing at home, if they do then we as fans have failed But at the same time they should never, EVER fear for their safety.

Laying it out simply everyone needs to realize that this should be a college first and foremost. Students should be encouraged to come up with creative ways to throw the opponents off of their game, and if they do cross a line (which should be more lax than it is now), but not before, then the administration needs to set in. Also community members need to realize that this is a college campus and that college kids have a, shall we say, more extensive vocabulary than you may want your kids exposed to. If you don’t want to run the risk of them overhearing an innuendo or an off color comment than think twice about sitting next to the student section.

To Beckham or not to Beckham

First of all I'm sorry this has taken so long for me to update. Who knew that being an editor for the college paper would take so much of my writing time. I hope to update this more often, so please bear with me until graduation in May when this will get more of my attention.

This is the first part of a point-counterpoint from The Tack about why Beckham is bad for US Soccer. It was written by Taylor Jones my good friend and broadcast partner.

The Case Against Beckham

The plan to bring David Beckham to America is amazing for Major League Soccer (MLS), but only financially. Will it benefit the future of soccer in the USA at all? No. And sure, it would seem like this could not hurt it, but it will and there is only one thing that needs to be looked at to see why: the talent of young players.

Beckham poses a lingering threat to America's ability to nurture young talent in that many over-the-hill players will see the MLS as a final resting place for their careers.

Now it could be said that world-class athletes like these could only benefit the youth, but that is not true. These athletes will not be world class anymore - which is why they are coming to the MLS.

The only way for young American players to get world-class experience is to go overseas and play against world-class players in their prime. The only thing washed up athletes like Beckham will do by coming to the MLS is take up spots for younger talents looking to find a stage to show off for the overseas scouts.

The argument can be made that the current rules will not allow something like this to happen; however, the rules a few years ago would not have allowed the Beckham deal to go through. Rules can be changed, as long as there is money to be made.

Beckham is taking the roster spot for the next Clint Dempsey or Bobby Convey right now, and that is detrimental to the strides American soccer had been making.

Another important thing to note with David Beckham is the idea that his heart is not as into the game of soccer as it once was. For the past year he has been ridiculed and relegated to the bench on his current club team, obviously killing his drive to compete. Beckham is going to L.A. not for soccer, but rather to actually be in a movie, instead of just having his name splattered on the title. How can this desire help the game of soccer?

I have one message to David Beckham and any other washed up Europeans looking at the MLS: Your time is up.

Stay where you are and let Americans grow. Do not get greedy, just accept your bodies have failed you and America will soon beat your countries on the world stage. U...S...A!!!

And here is my response.

The Case for David Beckham

David Beckham, the most famous name in soccer today, will now be playing his trade in Los Angles instead of Madrid. There are those who feel that the MLS has attached itself to the fate of the North American Soccer League (NASL) by signing a big name star well past his prime, but that is not the case.

First of all, the NASL went out of business because owners threw huge sums of money at an entire roster of players. The MLS has instituted a rule in which each team starts out with only one player whose salary is exempt from the cap. Not only will this prevent owners from spending themselves into bankruptcy, but it will also ensure a level of parity that is rapidly disappearing in England. That may make viewers overseas turn their eyes to the MLS when it kicks off in April and most titles in Europe are all but bought and sold.

Secondly, Beckham still has a lot of talent to offer on the field. Just because he is no longer called up for the English international team, who finished in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup, or cannot crack the starting lineup for Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world, does not mean he cannot give something to the MLS.

And what exactly can he bring?

Highlights, for one. For years the main complaint from fans has been that soccer gets little love from shows like Sportscenter, but Beckham can change that all with a few of his dazzling free kicks.

More exposure brings in more fans to what is already America's most- played and most-watched sport, yet is constantly slammed as nothing more than foreign fare. More fans breeds more young players determined to continue with the sport into high school, then college, then the professional level, the result being an ever-improving MLS.

This is a challenge which Beckham himself has said that he is ready to tackle feet first. .

With too many Americans playing overseas in lower leagues anything that raises the profile and playing level of the MLS must be considered a good move.

If this move plays out well there will soon be a time when dreaming of growing up to be an MLS player will not be looked down upon. That day cannot come soon enough for me.