June 28, 2010: The unifying effects of soccer

IN THE OLD DAYS, YOU MIGHT AS

WELL HAVE CALLED IT THE AREST OF

THE -- THE REST OF THE WORLD

CUP, GIVEN AMERICANS

INDIFFERENCE TO SOCCER.

BUT NOW THE GLOBAL GAME MAY

FINALLY BE CATCHING ON HERE.

AND WHY NOT?

PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE SPORT BEST

SAY IT BRINGS DIFFERENT PEOPLE

TOGETHER IN WAY THAT'S UNIQUELY

AMERICAN.

THIS WEEKEND, THE SPORT OF

SOCCER BROUGHT TOGETHER PLAYERS

FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE, COMPETING

FOR THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED THE

BEST AND THAT WAS JUST IN

LEXINGTON.

>> THE ENGLISH GENTLEMEN,

ITALIAN, SPANISH, JAMAICA.

>> WE'VE GOT PEOPLE FROM SAUDI

ARABIA.

>> Emily: THIS IS THE NEW

ENGLAND OVER THE HILL SOCCER

LEAGUE, THE LARGEST AMATEUR

SOCCER LEAGUE IN THE U.S.

AS THE WORLD WAS WATCHING THE

WORLD CUP, PLAYERS HERE SET

THEIR DVR'S AND COMPETED FOR

CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THEIR OWN.

ORGANIZATIONIZE INNER SAYS BOTH

EVENTS CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER

LIKE NO OTHER SPORT.

>> IT ALLOWS YOU TO LEARN THE

CULTURES OF THE OTHER PEOPLE AND

WATCHING THE BRAZILIANS DOING

THEIR BARBECUES AFTER THE MATCH

AND ALL, THAT SORT OF STUFF.

>> Emily: BUT PLAYERS SAY THAT

THE LEAGUE ISN'T A PLACE TO

LEARN ABOUT OTHERS, IT'S ALSO AN

OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE A LITTLE

BIT OF THEMSELVES.

>> I MEAN, WE'RE NOT ALL

TERRORISTS.

THIS GIVES ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO

TALK TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE ON THE

SAID LINES, ALL THE TIME.

TALK TO IRANIANS AND THE

MUSLIMS.

>> Emily: AND AMERICANS ARE NOW

CATCHING ON THE FACT THAT SOCCER

IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE FOR

THOSE THAT LOVE THE GAME.

>> IT'S A NICE THING, IT'S AN

AMERICAN THING WHEN YOU THINK

ABOUT IT.

THAT'S AMERICAN, RIGHT?

WE ARE WITH THE BIG MELTING POT.

>> Emily: HE SAYS RECORD U.S. TV

RATINGS FOR THE WORLD CUP PROVE

IT.

IF AMERICANS AND THE WORLD CAN

ACCEPT OTHER CULTURES THE WAY

THEY'RE EMBRACING SOCCER WHO

KNOWS WHAT CAN HAPPEN?

>> MAYBE SOME DAY IN THE PERFECT

WORLD WE'LL SETTLE ALL DISPUTES

BY A SOCCER MATCH.

>> Emily: NOT A BAD GOAL.

JOINING ME ARE NOW ARE CEZAR

WISLOCKI-WASECKI, THE PRESIDENT

OF THE AMATEUR SOCCER

ASSOCIATION AND BRIAN O'DONOVAN,

FAMILIAR TO OUR AUDIENCE FOR "A

CELTIC SOJOURN" AND HE'S ALSO AN

INTERNATIONAL SOCCER EXPERT AND

HE WAS THE FIRST GENERAL MANAGER

OF THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION.

WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.

>> GOOD TO BE HERE.

>> Emily: CEZAR, DID YOU REALLY

SET YOUR VCR'S?

>> DVR.

>> Emily: DURING THE AMERICANS,

YOU WEREN'T WATCHING IT?

>> DURING THE AMERICANS, I HAD

IT ON MY COMPUTER.

I WORK AND I SEE THE GAMES GOING

ON AND THEN I WORK.

>> Emily: HAS THE LEAGUE BEEN

GOING FULL BORE LIKE THIS ALL

ALONG OR A NEW ENTHUSIASM --

>> IT HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR 15

OR 20 YEARS AND IT'S GROWN AND

TAKEN OFF EVERY YEAR.

IT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT 6,000

MEMBERS NOW AND WE HAVE IN

MASSACHUSETTS 13,000.

>> Emily: I NOTICED ONE OF THE

TEAMS AT FRAMINGHAM IS IT TEAMS

BY CITY, TOWN OR CAN BY BE

ANYTHING?

>> IT CAN BE ANYTHING.

IT COULD BE CITY OR TOWN.

>> Emily: COULD BE AFTER A GAS

STATION.

>> AND THEY HAVE THE MULTIPLE

TEAMS AND BACKGROUNDS TOO.

>> Emily: BRIAN, WHEN YOU WERE

WITH THE REVOLUTION, WASN'T IT A

HECK OF A JOB TO GET PEOPLE

INTERESTED IN IT AND WERE THEY?

>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY, PROMOTION OF

SOCCER IS A KEY THING.

WE'RE UP AGAINST FOUR GIGANTIC

SPORTS.

HUGE MARKETING MACHINES BEHIND

THEM.

>> Emily: ESPECIALLY IN BOSTON.

>> AND WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE

TEAMS AS OF LATE.

WE REALLY LAUNCHED THE

REVOLUTION AND LAUNCHED MAJOR

LEAGUE SOCCER AS A POLITICAL

CAMPAIGN.

>> Emily: I REMEMBER WHEN YOU

FIRST LAUNCHED IT, IT GOT

TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PUBLICITY.

BUT DID THAT BRING THE AUDIENCE

IN?

>> IT REALLY DID.

IN FIRST YEARS, WE WENT AFTER

WHAT WAS CALLED THEN A NEWLY

COINED TERM, THE SOCCER MOMS.

WE WENT AFTER A LOT OF SUBURBAN

KIDS.

AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACT

SENTS LIKE US, THEY WERE

WATCHING US AND THEN THEY GOT

MORE AND MORE INTERESTED.

THAT CONTINUED TO BUILD.

IT WAXES AND WANES ALONG WITH

THE PEOPLE AND WITH THE WORLD

CUP, REALLY HAS A BIG EFFECT ON

US.

BUT BY AND LARGE, THE FACT THAT

AMERICAN LEAGUE SOCCER HAS

EXISTED AND CONTINUED TO EXIST

AND EVEN EXPAND DURING THE TOUGH

YEARS, CHALLENGING YEARS FOR

ANYTHING AND DISCRETIONARY

SPENDING, SPORTS AND

ENTERTAINMENT, I THINK IS A

TESTAMENT TO THE STAYING POWER.

I GET A SENSE IT'S A HUGE LEAP

FORWARD FOR INTERESTED

AMERICANS.

>> Emily: I HAVE NEVER SEEN

ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

HASN'T BEEN ON THE RADAR SCREEN.

IT'S INTERESTING TO ME THAT YOU

HAVE ALL OF THE NATIONALITIES

MIXED IN ON TEAMS AND

EVERYTHING.

WE THINK OF MOST SPORTS AS BEING

AS NATIONALISTIC OR, YOU KNOW,

THE HOME TEAM, THAT KIND OF

THING.

MUCH MORE PAROCHIAL THAN

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS.

YOU ROOT FOR THE HOMETOWN GUYS.

>> I THINK I WOULD AGREE WITH

BRIAN.

THE WORLD CUP IN THE U.S. AND

THE INTERNATIONAL SPIRIT, THAT'S

THE ONE TIME YOU CAN WATCH THE

GAME AND YOU LOOK AT THE GAME

AND YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR

COUNTRY.

THAT'S THE ONE THING -- IN THE

WORLD CUP.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I HAVE GOT A THEORY ACTUALLY

THAT ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT

THINGS THAT'S EVER HAPPENED IN

WORLD CUP SOCCER IN THIS

COUNTRY, THE AMERICAN EFFORT TO

BUILD INTEREST IN SOCCER HAS

BEEN THE GOAL THAT WAS

DISALLOWED AT THE END OF THE

SLOVENIAN GAME.

I THINK THERE WAS AN

UNBELIEVABLE POWER OF UNITY IN

THE WE WAS ROBBED PHENOMENON.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, PEOPLE WHO

HAVE INTEREST IN THEIR OWN

TEAMS, WE WAS ROBBED.

THIS TEAM FOUGHT BACK --

>> Emily: DID YOU FEEL THAT WAY?

BRIAN, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE

TALKING ABOUT.

PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE

TAKING ABOUT -- TALKING ABOUT.

THEY DON'T MAKE IT CLEAR IN

SOCCER.

THEY DON'T TELL YOU WHY THEY

MADE A RULING AND WE'RE NOT USED

TO THAT.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I THINK IT WAS SHOWN SO MUCH

OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND PEOPLE

BELIEVE WHAT THEY HEAR ON

TELEVISION AND ON RADIO.

AND I THINK THAT ECHOING SHOUT

THAT WE WAS ROBBED HAS BEEN A

UNIFYING CALL FOR SUPPORT OF

AMERICAN SOCCER.

>> Emily: ALL RIGHT.

HERE'S A QUESTION.

SUPPOSED TO GET 400 MILLION

INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION VIEWERS

FOR THE FINAL.

WHEN IS THE FINAL?

>> NOT THIS SUNDAY, BUT THE

FOLLOWING SUNDAY.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Emily: WILL AMERICANS WATCH?

>> OH, DEFINITELY.

I THINK, OH, YEAH.

DEFINITELY.

>> Emily: EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT

IN IT?

>> I THINK THEY WILL.

I THINK THE DRAMA THAT'S BUILD

THROUGH THIS WORLD CUP WILL KEEP

PEOPLE INTERESTED.

AMERICANS ALWAYS ARE INTERESTED

IN SOMETHING THAT IS OF

COMPELLING NATURE.

NO MATTER WHAT THE SPORTING

EVENT.

AND I THINK THEY KNOW TOP CLASS

SPORTING ENDEAVOR WHEN THEY SEE

IT.

RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE TEAMS LIKE

HOLLAND AND BRAZIL AND THEN

UNDERDOGS STILL IN THE CUP.

FOR EXAMPLE, GHANA.

IF THAT GETS THROUGH LATER ON, I

THINK THAT WILL CREATE A LOT OF

UNDERDOG INTEREST.

AND THE EVENTS, THIS WORLD CUP

HAS BEEN OF PARTICULAR INTEREST.

>> Emily: ARE THERE -- I KNOW

EVERYONE KNOWS THE NAME PELE,

BUT ARE THERE STARS NOW OF THAT

CALIBER THAT ARE IN THERE THAT

WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE?

>> FOR THE BRAZILIANS.

THEY HAVE 11 OF THEM.

>> YEAH.

>> THIS AFTERNOON I WAS WATCHING

THEM TOO.

>> Emily: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY

THAT?

>> THEY'RE A PHENOMENAL TEAM.

THEY INDICATED THIS AFTERNOON,

IT WAS KIND OF SCARY TO WATCH.

THEY SEEM TO HAVE COME ALIVE IN

THIS PARTICULAR GAME.

>> THEY WERE DOING WHAT THEY

WANTED.

I MEAN, LOOK AT FABIANO, THEY

START PLAYING AND CHILI WAS A

VERY GOOD TEAM.

>> Emily: BUT VERY FEW HAVE

ENTERED THE LEXICON, LIKE MICKEY

MANTLE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF

PELE.

HAS THERE EVER BEEN ONE?

NO.

YOU CAN'T THINK OF ONE.

>> BECKET -- BECKONBAR HAD THE

SAME LEVEL, FROM ENGLAND.

BUT THEY WERE ALL FROM THAT ERA.

I THINK THAT THESE ARE COMMON

NAMES, FROM PORTUGAL, FROM

BRAZIL.

HUGE PLAYERS IN THE WORLD BUT AS

AMERICAN PLAYERS, AS ICONS,

ESSENTIALLY LANDON DONOVAN HAS

COME AS CLOSE TO THAT AS WE HAVE

HAD.

AND IN THE EARLY DAYS OF

AMERICAN SOCCER COMING INTO ITS

OWN, BECAUSE OF HIS LONG HAIR

AND BECAUSE OF HIS ROCK STAR

IMAGE, AS MUCH AS FOR HIS

UNFIELDABILITY.

THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.

I THINK WITH MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

THE FACT THAT THE LEAGUE EXISTS

I THINK IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART

OF THIS STORY.

THE LEAGUE EXISTS NOW FOR 16 OR

MORE YEARS.

AND IT'S WAITING FOR SOMETHING

TO HAPPEN.

SOMEBODY TO COME IN LIKE LARRY

BIRD AND MAGIC JOHNSON DID WITH

THE NBA.

LIKE WAYNE GRETZKY DID FOR

HOCKEY.

AND EVEN IN FOOTBALL, FRANK

GIFFORD, THE HARBINGER OF THE

MODERN DAY NFL.

AND I THINK THE FACT THAT IT

EXISTS IS WAITING FOR SOMETHING

TO HAPPEN THAT'S UNEXPECTED.

>> Emily: SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN

THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF FUN.

THE OVER THE HILL LEAGUE.

NO WOMEN THOUGH.

>> THERE ARE.

>> Emily: OH, THERE ARE?

WHEN WE CONTINUE, IS THE

INTERNET HURTING OUR BRAINS?