Soccer Snobs

For all these years American soccer fans have had to deal with the
Euro-snobs, both here and across the pond. These are the people looking
down their long noses at the state of American soccer without ever
seeing any positives. I think the old fans among us have learned to
laugh off the usual prejudice from these snobs just as we have from our
own media outlets. What I want to warn you about is becoming a soccer
snob yourself. What? It could never happen I live the game and I do it
here in the USA! See that's the problem, you've been an MLS fan since '96, you know who ABMOD is, you remember when Landon's Dad was posting on BigSoccer. Well that's great but there's this David Beckham
thing. Yeah I know the media orgy is killing you, you realize his on
the field impact isn't going to be huge, but how are you going to deal
with his off field impact? Whether we like it or non soccer fans are attracted to the spectacle. I avoided discussing it on my blog but when I did mention his name I had the highest traffic volume ever.The thing is when these newbies come calling are you going to educate and help them learn about your passion or are you going to be like Segroves used to be on BigSoccer? I know it's tough, it's like following that local band that used to play in the club in town. For ten years you follow the band, loving them, hell they are 'your' band. Then suddenly they hit the top forty, everyone loves them, they appear on TRL and they're not 'your' band anymore, they're everyone's. Usually at that point you try to find a 'new' band. What I'm trying to say is just because Beckham is here don't go find a new band. You and I both know soccer in America had already reached the tipping and was going to make it before Beckham. Treat the people drawn to you for your soccer knowledge as someone who stumbled across the U20 game against Brasil as opposed to someone who saw the photo spread in "W" magazine. Maybe you could direct them to this article: Why America Should Fall in Love with Soccer.