The Future of American Soccer

       What the Future Holds

If one were to approach a random stranger and ask him or her if America is a soccer nation, whether or not that person knew anything about the sport, the answer would probably be “no”. After all, the MLS (Major League Soccer) is only the fifth most viewed sport in the U.S.A, after American Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Ice Hockey respectively. In 2018 America's National Men’s team didn’t even make it into the World Cup, losing out to Trinidad and Tobago. Even America’s success story in soccer, the Women's National Team doesn’t seem to be particularly valued by its own country, garnering attention when it wins an international title, and then flatlining for years when it comes to regular season viewership.   The women’s team is also paid less than the men’s team despite their much more impressive showings. Still, this, my final article, stands to prove that even in the face of all its many challenges, soccer is on track to keep growing as an American sport.

 The NSL (National Soccer League) is only about 20 years old, and already has the following to fill NFL sized stadiums, something the NFL couldn’t do in its initial 20 years as a league. The MLS has broken its average season attendance for three years straight. The U.S. is a nation that boasts millions of players and supports a fanbase of millions more.  In fact, America ranks sixth in world average attendance - ahead of both France and Italy. New men’s clubs are currently sprouting up across America with the introduction of new pro teams in LA, Miami, Atlanta, and others all being introduced to the MLS in recent years. Yet another good omen for American men’s soccer comes in the form of immigrants. Ever since the MLS signed a five year contract with internationally renowned former British pro footballer David Beckam in July 2007, more and more talented players have switched to play for Team U.S.A.. Such names as Ricardo Kaka, Thierry Henry, and Steven Gerrard, all of whom became known and respected in their home countries are now wearing the stars and stripes, placing their bets on the up and coming. The other kind of immigrant that spells good news for men’s soccer are the ones that come to the U.S. for life opportunities, especially those who come from soccer loving countries which are likely to support and become avid fans of the American teams. Not only are immigrants more likely to follow America’s men’s teams, but they are also more likely to grow up playing soccer. An estimated 13 percent of MLS players are second generation South American immigrants, and they bring a great deal of talent to the league. My final point in favour of Americas men’s pro soccer is that although they did lose out embarrassingly early in the 2018 World Cup, that is the first time that they hadn’t qualified in nearly 30 years - not a bad streak.

           USA men’s pro team fills NFL team Texans stadium

The next topic of concern is that of the NWSL’s future. Before COVID-19 struck, the NWSL was planning to make an aggressive move towards expansion in 2020. The last post highlighted the successes of America's National Women’s Team. The most recent American victory, the 2019 Women’s World Cup, garnered the attention of more Americans than ever before. The NWSL had plans to harness the enthusiasm after flatlining three years prior. COVID-19 may have destroyed the NWSL season, but it didn't stop the league from expanding from nine teams to ten - welcoming the Racing Louisville into the NWSL ranks. The “Racing” in the name comes from the team’s close proximity to the home of the Kentucky Derby. It is a tradition for soccer teams located near great racing tracks to incorporate racing in the team name. By 2022 the NWSL plans to be a 14 team league, with cities across the country like Sacramento, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Austin already showing interest in the prospect, it seems like an attainable goal for the set timespan. The NWSL picked up ESPN as a national TV partner as well as achieving a sponsorship from Bud Light and renewing another one with Nike. Thanks to the record setting turn out to the Women’s World Cup, NWSL president Amanda Duffy made it known in late 2019 that the NWSL games would be “in a different place from a commercial standpoint, and in a good position to propel us to a new television deal”. On top of all of this, the Portland Thorns set a new league record for average home game attendance of over 20,000 people filling the stands as well as reaching an end of season profit of over seven figures, another historic league record. Women’s pro soccer is making its move, the question is whether its efforts will stick.

                                   Portland Thorns A team (2019)

 A few months ago, the University of Cincinnati announced that it will no longer sponsor the men’s soccer program.

  RIP Cincinnati Bearcats (1982-2020)  May they rest in peace

The announcement was a surprise to absolutely no-one who follows the team. Men’s soccer is not a huge revenue point for schools, and with the coronavirus outbreak at hand, Cincinnati is not the only school looking at making this tough call due to lack of funding. The trouble that some college teams are currently in has led some to ask if college soccer is necessary in today's America at all. In recent years, national men’s teams have been investing heavily in training programs, and today it is more likely that a national men’s soccer team will recruit from it’s own secondary team than from college teams. This recruiting from a young age and drafting into secondary programs is commonplace throughout the rest of the world. It is a system that has proven highly successful, and oftentimes will lead to a better end player. Colleges are most concerned with winning games while a club has the freedom to focus on player development.  So, should there be worry about whether college soccer might die in the U.S.? The short answer to this question is, “not any time soon”. When the current head coach of the Men’s National Team, Jurgen Klinsmann, was approached with the question, he made the point that America is a unique country when it comes to higher education and athletics. That is a good thing. In most European countries, a young person's future has been decided by the time he or she is 16 years old, but in America, no matter how many times that person may have fouled up academically, that person could have the chance to get themselves back in order and become a doctor, lawyer or even a politician. Klinsmann, and the rest of the MSL it seems agrees that this principle should hold true for soccer. So then, in the eyes of America's pro teams, they will be there to draft the early risers, and the colleges are there to pick up the second wave, a not unimportant task. 

So, in conclusion, America is now, more than ever before, a soccer country, and it's only going up from here.

                                          Recommended Readings for this Post

• Because this blog post focuses on the future of soccer, my final citations are not up to the usual academic standards, nevertheless I encourage you to read them as they contain valid, up to date information. 

Bonte-Friedheim, Julian. “Can Soccer Be the next Big American Sport?” Theperspective.com/, The PERSPECTIVE, 8 July 2019, www.theperspective.com/debates/sports/can-soccer-be-the-next-big-american-sport/.  

This brief article takes a look at some of the most widely accepted reasons for why soccer, most specifically the MLS could come to be one of America’s next big sports. The article also weighs some counterpoints and challenges that soccer faces in collecting a competitive following.

Wahl, Grant. “What the Future Holds for NWSL in Pivotal, Historic Year for Women's Soccer.” Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated, 24 Oct. 2019, www.si.com/soccer/2019/10/24/nwsl-future-expansion-player-signings-us-soccer.   

This second piece focuses on the NWSL and what the league is planning on to grow interest in teams on a national level.

Rollins, Sean. “College Soccer Remains Important to American Soccer.” The Mane Land, The Mane Land, 20 Apr. 2020, www.themaneland.com/2020/4/20/21226770/college-soccer-remains-important-to-american-soccer.  

This final reading simultaneously examines school and club soccer, with an emphasis on men's collegiate level soccer and why it is weigning. The article gives some insight as to what direction pre-pro soccer is headed. 

[Status - Brehon] Imaginary Book Review: "Differentiating The Irish Gaels from other Celts"

"Differentiating The Irish Gaels from other Celts:" A Review

    There is not a lot of direct historical information available about the Irish Gaels before the arrival of monks who could write (~7th Century), and even after that, not much accurate information was written. Because of this, historians rely on what they know about other similar Celtic peoples. This is often fairly accurate because Irish Gaels are descended from the same culture as other Gaels. However, one could say that the Ghaznavid Empire was descended from the same Indo-European roots as the Byzantine Empire. As such, it is obvious that common characteristics dwindle with time and geography. This is the premise of Liam Breatnach's "Differentiating The Irish Gaels from other Celts."

    Breatnach starts the book by introducing Ireland as fairly isolated island off the coast of its much more visited neighbor England. He points out that it only had a few broad historical international interactions after the main migrations that made up its population, and before its complete assimilation to the British Empire. The Hiberno-Roman and Norman interactions are the main focus of this chapter. The Romans wrote as outsiders, while the Normans burnt books and tried to forcefully change Irish culture and history. These were thus not the most trustworthy historians, and all writings about the Irish from these people are highly edited and biased. As such, there is not much written information about the Early Irish. This is not a particularly new take on matters, but it serves as his introduction to the rest of the book, where he talks about the differences between Celts in gruesome details.

    Breatnach's massive scope covers the differentiating of groups all the way back to Indo-European roots, from the Nordic regions to the Northern Germanic region to the Iberian Peninsula to the Mainland tribes of the Gauls and their neighbors, all of which is contained in the 600 dry yet vividly detailed pages of pure historical analysis. Heavily relying on archaeology, as anyone studying early History does, Breatnach shows not only obvious differences of language, material goods, and architecture, but he shows probable differences in governmental structure, judicial systems, hierarchy, lay versus aristocratic culture, and small differences in religion, all while relating these differences back to a probable cause and source of information.

    This is undoubtedly one of the most influential books in the field, and will inevitably serve as a go-to reference for many other authors and academics. Not all of the information is new, but it is all laid out in an accessible, logical manner that will allow casual readers to approach the subject, but will also influence how many academics go about their research. This is a must-read for anyone with an imagination great enough to conjure the contents of this book all within their minds. Infinite power and rule over the entire Solar System is guaranteed to all who find a copy of this book. It is said to have been written on yellow pages.

Disclaimer: I have not read this book.

[This Place is Not a Place of Honor] Imaginary Book Review: The 10,000 Year Telephone Game

    The vast variety of proposed nuclear waste warnings, from 10-foot tall granite spikes to glowing cats, is instantly intriguing; however, many of the solutions seem to exist in isolation from the others, with a clear gap between the odd-ball marker proposals and the DOE proposals. The only sources which seem to discuss the entire breadth of the proposals are news and magazine articles, which barely scratch the surface of the topic so as not to bore the average reader. Nuclear Semiotics: The 10,000 Year Telephone Game bridges this gap, offering comprehensive background to the solutions, as well as their relationships to each other. It opens on an almost-narrative cautionary note, describing how millennia-old monuments such as Stonehenge and the serpent mound have become all but meaningless today, a wonder to behold but impossible to interpret. Proceeding in a chronological order, it first gives background to the field of semiotics and some of the previous work of those on the human interference task force, supplying the reader with context as to how the team arrived at their conclusions. When it finally describes the off-color solutions prompted by the Zeitschrift für Semiotik poll in 1984, it highlights the skeptical response of the Human Interference Task Force to each idea, and the solutions are referenced often in later chapters on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant report in 1993, tracing the inspirations for the Sandia team’s menacing earthworks back to previous research in the field. With a particular focus on how each solution can influence a network of other marker proposals, The 10,000 Year Telephone Game gives its reader a full understanding of the small world of nuclear semiotics. 

Gene Editing Ethics

Throughout the course of this blog we have discussed the scientific possibilities of gene editing and how it works. Gene editing is a complex and controversial topic among the world today. Ethical concerns play a very important role in gene editing, a role which we have not discussed yet. We have discussed the good that gene editing can do and it's possibilities of treating life threatening illnesses. The major question is where is the line?
CRISPR offers a great opportunity to treat life threatening or seriously impinging  illnesses. Beth Baker stated “From a scientific and societal viewpoint, the potential benefits from research on human genome editing are many: from deepening understanding about human biology and fertility to eliminating genetic defects that cause terrible diseases and creating disease resistance”. All of this being true and valid points. Gene editing offers treatments to an expansive amount of people who previously had no form of treatment. As good as this seems safety and ethical questions follow in wait.
As we have learned CRISPR is ideal for monogenic illness (affected or caused by one gene). However many of these monogenic illnesses are generally rare. Our more common illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and schizophrenia (a few examples) present much more of a challenge in treating as they are polygenic, (caused or affected by many genes). Our understanding of the human genome and it's self interactions are incredibly slim. There is little knowledge regarding how these genes interact and affect each other. Deleting or altering one gene may unknowingly lead to change in another gene.  “A gene that lowers an individual’s risk of getting HIV increases the risk of succumbing to the West Nile virus. Similarly, a gene that lowers the risk of type-1 diabetes brings a higher risk of Crohn’s disease.” With the little knowledge that we have it is understandable why people show hesitation on gene editing, what happens if there are unintended consequences?
The topic becomes more controversial the further the changes are pushed. Baker stated “If germline editing were approved, most seem to agree that it would be very difficult to limit its use to disease prevention. And one person’s “disease” may be another’s view of the human condition, whether it is aging or autism.” George Church added that  “the real battle would not be between editing somatic cells and germline cells but over where to draw the line between disease prevention and enhancements. Even with somatic cell engineering, “enhancement will creep in the door,” he said, “not necessarily by consumer demand but in terms of treating serious diseases, like HIV, like muscle wasting during aging, cognitive decline during Alzheimer’s, or cognitive disadvantage in newborns with autism spectrum disorder. The point is [that enhancements] will come in through very serious disease and they will be spread by somatic gene therapies.” Ruha Benjamin described gene editing ethics as being “ seeded with values and interests—economic as well as social— that without careful examination easily reproduce existing hierarchies including able-ist assumptions about which lives are worth living and which are worth editing out of existence”. 
While gene editing offers massive expansion to the medical world of treatment, holding technology that's able to change people's lives, much discussion is required for safety and ethicality. If no line is drawn between illness and non life threatening superficial changes,(eye color, height, intelligence, hair color, etc…) gene editing could very well become like eugenics. Careful consideration of the implications of gene editing need to be considered. We must be careful. While I personally believe gene editing should only be used for life threatening or severely impinging illnesses, I hope this blog has helped bring knowledge to the new world of gene editing 

BAKER, BETH. “The Ethics of Changing the Human Genome.” BioScience, vol. 66, no. 4, 2016, pp. 267–273. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/90007578. Accessed 12 Dec. 2020.

JUENGST, ERIC, et al. “From ‘Personalized’ to ‘Precision’ Medicine: The Ethical and Social Implications of Rhetorical Reform in Genomic Medicine.” The Hastings Center Report, vol. 46, no. 5, 2016, pp. 21–33., www.jstor.org/stable/44159266. Accessed 12 Dec. 2020.

NEWSON, AINSLEY, and ANTHONY WRIGLEY. “Being Human: The Ethics, Law, and Scientific Progress of Genome Editing.” AQ: Australian Quarterly, vol. 87, no. 1, 2016, pp. 3–40., www.jstor.org/stable/24877806. Accessed 12 Dec. 2020.

CRISPR {SCD & β-Thalassemia Applications}

CRISPR Applications {Blood Disorders - Sickle Cell Anemia & β Thalassemia}

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder. With SCD the normally disc shaped red blood cells (RBC) are mutated into a crescent shape, distorting the shape and function of the RBC. Because of this crescent shape, the deformed blood cells have trouble traveling through blood vessels often getting stuck, clotted, or completely blocked. All of these can result in slowed blood flow and oxygen to vital parts of the body. SCD often creates a shortage of oxygen for the body as blood flow is restricted and or blocked. Additionally while healthy disc shaped RBC have a lifetime of around 120 days, Sickle cells live for around only 10-20 days before completing the cycle of apoptosis.

     β-thalassemia is also an inherited blood disorder. People with  β-thalassemia are not able to make a sufficient amount of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is affluent with iron rich proteins. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to parts of the body.  β-thalassemia effects this process, starving the body of oxygen as is the case in SCD. There are a few types of  β-thalassemia, for the purpose of this study and post we will be focusing on the most severe - Beta Thalassemia Major (Cooley's anemia). With this type of  β-thalassemia two genes are affected creating a more severe illness that along with SCD requires frequent blood transfusions.  

Both of these disorders require frequent blood transfusions and hospitalizations. The need for blood transfusions continues to grow at a rapid rate while the supply plummets. With blood transfusion, there are many factors one has to consider, first blood typing. It can be harder to find the right blood if you are not o+ a universal receiver. Additionally blood transfusions can cause a build up of iron, which can become life threatening.  Blood transfusions serve as a 'stabilizer' at best. 

Because both SCD and  β-thalassemia are inherited disorders, the genes have mutated.  As a result of these mutations CRISPR would seem to be a wonderful treatment, or even cure for these blood disorders. As early studies demonstrate. Companies like Vertex Pharmaceuticals, CRISPR Therapeutics and Bluebird Bio are all in various stages of clinical trials. My next post will discuss the specifics of the procedure.

Please don't hesitate to comment any questions.

The Women's World Cup

  The American Success

About 90 years ago, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, the American National Soccer Team won the first unofficial Women's World Cup, prevailing over the Netherlands with a final score of 2-0. This very short three day tournament, consisting of only 17 teams, was only one of many events held as a part of the Women's World Games (WWG). The WWG was founded in 1922, originally only holding track and field events, to compensate for the lack of women's events in the Olympics. Due to rising tensions in Europe, the WWG held its final event in 1934 and another Women’s World Cup would not be seen again until the embarrassingly late date of 1991.      

                                                    1934 Women's World Games Overall Best Athlete, Stanislawa Walasiewicz

A significant step towards an eventual Women’s World Cup was made with the advent in 1972 of America’s Title IX, which I have addressed in depth in another post. Title IX had a strong global impact, and played a large part in the slow growth of more international tournaments. Just two years after the passing of Title IX and an astounding forty years after the death of the WWG, women's international tournaments were being held sporadically across the globe. Still, it was not until 1991 that FIFA announced the first official Women’s World Cup would be held in China. The women on the American national team won the initial Women’s World Cup, kicking off a trend of medals and records.  In 1996 women's soccer was finally, belatedly  welcomed into the Olympics.  The US took home gold.   In fact the American women have placed in every Olympic tournament, through to the present day, with the exception of 2016. In addition to a successful history in the Olympics, the American women have never failed to place in the World Cup. The Women's National Soccer Team is the most successful American international team to date.

                    1991, American Women Win the Olympics 

Most of America's successes can be attributed to a head start in sports equality through Title IX and secondarily to the size of America's population.  Some other nations have handicapped themselves through the sexist discouraging of the athletic development of half their population.  Winning is clearly not an issue for the  Americans. Women's soccer’s real challenge in America, is the same challenge that  women's soccer faces across the world. According to FIFA, 1.12 billion people tuned in to watch the 2019 Women’s World Cup, which although impressive, and significantly more than the viewership of the Superbowl, is still only about one-third of the attention that the Men’s World Cup received in 2018. Women's soccer has been growing in popularity over the years, with viewership of the Women’s World Cup regularly jumping 15-50 percent, yet the players are still treated unequally. Female American soccer players are being paid less and questioned more about their actions than any equivalent player on a men’s team, despite the team's incredible successes. America, claiming to be a country of winners, is doing a sorry job supporting the most proportionally successful team in U.S. history. The best thing that any American can do, is to sit back and watch their team win. Viewership matters. Please, tune in to the 2023 Women's World Cup - you can feel virtuous and you might 

even like it.

                                          Recommended Readings for this Post

Charis-Molling July 9, A., & Charis-Molling, E. (2019, July 9A). The Story of the Women's World Cup. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/the-story-of-the-womens-world-cup/ 

This article, though a little unfocused, does a good job stating the minimum amount of information that most people should get to know about this topic. The reading is mostly about the Women's World Cup, but does address other similar topics towards the end.

Soccer, U. (2000). Timeline. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.ussoccer.com/history/timeline 

US Soccer is a big name in the soccer community and this is a reputable source, although it is hard to navigate. I chose this site mainly because of its huge database of stats regarding teams and individual players, which goes back quite a long time. If you are someone who is interested in current American stats, this is a good place to check out.

Litterer, David. “Womens Soccer in the History USA: An Overview.” American Soccer History Archives, 17 Aug. 2011, soccerhistoryusa.org/ASHA/. https://soccerhistoryusa.org/ASHA/womensoverview.html

This citation appears again! If you’ve stuck with my blog for any length of time then you’ll probably have noticed this citation before. As always author, David Litterer, does a great job exploring this topic in depth. You'll have to skip around to find the sub-pieces on the Women’s World Cup, there are multiples.